First Reviews: Tales of Arise - Candidate for jRPG of the Year
A year of delay did not translate negatively into the ratings of Tales of Arise. On the contrary, the new installment of the jRPG series from Bandai Namco collects high marks.
Tomorrow marks the launch of Tales of Arise, the next installment in the acclaimed jRPG series developed by Bandai Namco. Did we get a production good enough to reward players after a year-long delay? If we are to believe the reviewers - by all means we did.
Tales of Arise - selected review scores:
- Digital Trends - 5/5
- GameRant - 5/5
- God is a Geek - 10/10
- GamingTrend - 95/100
- Everyeye.it - 9/10
- PCGamesN - 9/10
- Push Square - 9/10
- Screen Rant - 4.5/5
- Siliconera - 9/10
- Stevivor - 9/10
- TechRaptor - 9/10
- TheSixthAxis - 9/10
- Wccftech - 9/10
- Fextralife - 8.6/10
- Destructoid - 8.5/10
- Hardcore Gamer - 4/5
- Metro Game Central - 8/10
- Cultured Vultures - 7.5/10
- GameSpot - 7/10
- CGMagazine - 6/10
As you can see, the vast majority of journalists have a very favorable opinion of the new Tales of. Bandai Namco tried to modernize the series and apparently the effect turned out to be worthwhile. Tales of Arise has simpler role-playing elements than typical, overcomplicated jRPGs. The new combat system has received a lot of praise: battles are spectacular but not lacking in depth, and each character is distinct in both style and role on the battlefield.
The characters are also excellent beyond the battlefield. Throughout the game, they comment on our actions, or - as in the case of a party - argue, engage in banter and interact with one another. The bonds built in this way aren't just a decoration, and we become convinced of their importance in the key moments of the story. As a result, the otherwise vast world and plot gain a somewhat personal touch. It's possible that it's the differences in the relationships between the companions that have led to the narrative being judged differently by critics: from unabashed praise, to praise with minor reservations, or complaints that the pacing is a little too rushed in some moments or that the patterns are too clichéd, to - in one case - finding the whole story bland.
Although Tales of Arise earned some of the highest marks, most reviewers also had more specific reservations. The combat, while great, occasionally becomes a little too chaotic, and some bosses are a bit too durable. Some critics also lamented the absence of a multiplayer mode. In addition, there were mentions of certain flaws, such as too stiff animations or the occasional lack of voices during the so-called skits, one of the hallmarks of the series (previously they were presented only as lightly animated character portraits).
To recap, Tales of Arise is a successful modernization of the series, which has a chance to attract not only its diehard fans. Of course, these are only the opinions of a "handful" of reviewers - the final verdict will be given by the players, who will soon get their hands on the title. New Tales of will be available tomorrow on Windows PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
