Tales of Zestiria

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 165 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 109 out of 165
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 165
  3. Negative: 29 out of 165

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  1. zelenii
    Apr 9, 2018
    9
    It's a wonderful world, wonderful story tale, interesting characters. Try this amazing tale.
  2. Lordjosh286
    Mar 9, 2017
    8
    First game in the Tales of Series I have ever played and in all honesty I can say I am looking into the new Tales of Beseria and older Tales of games. The characters (Edna Especially) make this game fun to play just watching the interaction between them. The tale of the Shepherd is a good one from start to finish and well worth the money I spent when it was on sale for $20. DefinitelyFirst game in the Tales of Series I have ever played and in all honesty I can say I am looking into the new Tales of Beseria and older Tales of games. The characters (Edna Especially) make this game fun to play just watching the interaction between them. The tale of the Shepherd is a good one from start to finish and well worth the money I spent when it was on sale for $20. Definitely worth the money… Expand
  3. Armitas
    Sep 18, 2017
    8
    First off this is a solid Tales game. If you are fan of the series it's a no brainier, stop reading and go buy it. The music is incredible however the best scores are sadly rare. The story line is deep and meaningful, it's complex but not hard to follow. The comedic skits are really well written. The combat is unique to the series because you have two characters that can basically fuseFirst off this is a solid Tales game. If you are fan of the series it's a no brainier, stop reading and go buy it. The music is incredible however the best scores are sadly rare. The story line is deep and meaningful, it's complex but not hard to follow. The comedic skits are really well written. The combat is unique to the series because you have two characters that can basically fuse with 1 of 4 elemental seraphim. You can stay fused as long as you want, or quickly split and fuse with a different seraphim. It's a solid game within it's class, if you like the classic/Japanese style rpgs you will like this game as well.

    No bugs, no crashes, no frustrating systems. It does have a few minor issues such as the fact that there is no world map to travel, so you have to walk everywhere...section to section, or travel through save points at what I find to be a very punishing cost. The battle camera is on your back rather than angled like the other tales games and that makes it hard to see what your character is actually doing.

    The main reason that holds it back is the new equipment system. In this tales you fuse items. So you buy an azure blade, level up the proficiency then buy another azure blade and combine the two. Each blade has 4 random stats to consider when combining them. There are so many stats (50?) that could appear randomly that it's just pointless to even think about it. I just combined all like weapons and bought the next higher tier in the next town. In addition to that each of those 4 random stats would fill up parts of a 6x8? grid. By stacking vertically or horizontally in the grid you got different bonuses. I am just before the last boss and through luck alone I managed to get 1 entire vertical stack through my whole play through. I got it and one hour later my weapon was obsolete which broke the stack. It gets even more complex than that, there are these creatures you can slot on it for bonuses, but I think you only get to do it manually when you first find them. After that it appears you slot it to a region to increase the drop rate and rely on luck. Basically I just ignored that entire system and looked at the stats. If attack went up that is the weapon I used or fused. The system is just to punishing because of the grind needed and it gets out-scaled before you can meet the grind. Thankfully you can ignore the system entirely and beat the game. I'm playing it on difficult while ignoring the item fusion and beating things just fine. However this also means I won't be bothering to max out my characters before I finish the game, and that is something I have always looked forward too.

    So it loses perfection by trying something new with the item system, but like I say you can ignore it entirely and enjoy are really good tales game.    … Expand
  4. Tomicsavo
    Mar 28, 2020
    10
    Lots of playing time, lots of great side quests, very well-crafted characters and story. Porting is not 100% but a great game! Beautiful landscapes, dungeons, well crafted itemization.
  5. PandaJiJi
    Oct 22, 2015
    10
    Best "Tales of" game since Graces F. Beautiful scenery, character design and animations. Great improvements on the transition from game-play to CG. And amazing script! Only played with joystick.
  6. anubite
    Oct 23, 2015
    8
    If you're new to the Tales series? It's "okay" - Abyss, Vesperia, Symphonia, and most of the SNES or older titles hold up better, in my opinion. However, if you're looking for a Tales game to play, that's also new, then this one...suffices. It's certainly a lot better than a couple of the recent entries I've tried - the battle system feels good, the story is awkwardly paced but has enoughIf you're new to the Tales series? It's "okay" - Abyss, Vesperia, Symphonia, and most of the SNES or older titles hold up better, in my opinion. However, if you're looking for a Tales game to play, that's also new, then this one...suffices. It's certainly a lot better than a couple of the recent entries I've tried - the battle system feels good, the story is awkwardly paced but has enough character moments to make it work out okay (even if it leaves some wanting notes at the end). Overall, it's proof Tales isn't dead as a series, not yet...

    However, a lot of the mechanics are an outright mess. Equipment and skill management are convoluted - not deep, simply convoluted. The "open world" design is also very lacking; you have a lot of useless empty large spaces that you must jog through (the run speed is never fast enough to satisfy). Level design is pretty much non-existent - be prepared to walk in linear fashions through the dungeons. The game's difficulty is lackluster until the midgame and it never quite feels like the game is done bombarding you with tutorials until that point.

    Does it work as a game? I think most people will be drawn in by the character interactions and actiony combat enough to forgive the game's many flaws.    … Expand
  7. bahamut22
    Oct 25, 2015
    8
    Tales of Zestiria is a game that is able to bring you partially back to your childhood because of its likeable characters so it deserves to be recommended at least. Videogames are meant to entertain and this is one of those few that will also amuse you despite its many flaws.
    Overall it is a nice PC port but the game itself is technologically outdated. The camera is simply bad and the    Tales of Zestiria is a game that is able to bring you partially back to your childhood because of its likeable characters so it deserves to be recommended at least. Videogames are meant to entertain and this is one of those few that will also amuse you despite its many flaws.
    Overall it is a nice PC port but the game itself is technologically outdated. The camera is simply bad and the combat system is not for everyone. The lack of details in the scenarios break the immersion sometimes. It could have been far better with a bit more of passion and effort.    … Expand
  8. TsukasaHiiragi
    Dec 15, 2015
    6
    Tales of Zestiria in all honesty, I feel is strictly for Tales fans, especially if you've played huge hits like Tales of Xillia then Zestiria will certainly disappoint you since its only half the game Xillia ever was. The biggest problems with ToZ are numerous such as a main character permanently leaving after about 15 hours of story through to periods when the combat system feelsTales of Zestiria in all honesty, I feel is strictly for Tales fans, especially if you've played huge hits like Tales of Xillia then Zestiria will certainly disappoint you since its only half the game Xillia ever was. The biggest problems with ToZ are numerous such as a main character permanently leaving after about 15 hours of story through to periods when the combat system feels obviously broken.

    The biggest problem with the combat system is the camera itself, fighting in a small area is a recipe for disaster since the camera will have a really hard time following the player, often not showing anything at all just the floor or the monsters without the character the player is controlling so sometimes, its just button bash and hope when these camera issues appear...which unfortunately is all too often.

    Another issue it the story meanders too much, often making no real sense and is missing some vital components such as side quests - - okay, there are 'some' side quests but not on the same scale as Xillia. Plus you have some dungeons which are poorly crafted such as the terribly designed Water Trial which is one of the more frustrating puzzle dungeons I've personally played in a while. Another minor problem is the open expanses in the game are...just too open, barren and feel empty and devoid of life.

    Another issue, but thats more of a personal opinion and thats Namco not releasing several DLC for the western release due to the 'usual' excuses of 'licensing', so the west misses out on some of the best looking costumes - I guess western fans should be happy that at least we have Idolmaster and Evangeline costumes! But also speaking about DLC, this game is very heavy on the DLC and its quite expensive considering - so whilst its purely cosmetic I personally feel they shouldn't be charging $10 for a set of costumes.

    Whilst I think the game isn't a total loss, I can't really recommend paying full price for this game, especially if your interested in the DLC - which if you buy everything...will cost more than the base game. ToZ does have interesting and even fun moments especially with some well crafted skits but unfortunately those are not enough to warrant such high scores, at most I could say 6/10 at absolute most. Also, if your playing the PC version, using SweetFX is a must not only to remove the 30fps cap, but to add various shader effects and make the game look generally alot better.    … Expand
  9. gamingnerd234
    Jun 7, 2016
    10
    This is an absolutely fantastic game so far, Im about two hours in and i cant seem to put the controller down. As the graphics aren't at their best, the artistic beauty of this game is fa nominal. So many hate on this game but to be honest i think they just want something to hate. The plot is complex enough to keep me interested which a lot of rpgs have trouble doing for me from the getThis is an absolutely fantastic game so far, Im about two hours in and i cant seem to put the controller down. As the graphics aren't at their best, the artistic beauty of this game is fa nominal. So many hate on this game but to be honest i think they just want something to hate. The plot is complex enough to keep me interested which a lot of rpgs have trouble doing for me from the get go. The small interactions between characters at certain points is amazing, and the concept of the game itself to me is fun. If you are new to the tales series and if you want a newer one, pick up tales of zestiria, great game with great music and keeps you entertained for hours. I strongly suggest you pick up a copy. Ignore the haters and judge it for yourself. overall a great game… Expand
  10. Don_Perepihon
    May 31, 2018
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Сколько же негативных эмоций в свое время вызвало у меня это творение бурятского народа...
    Все по пунктам:
    - Боевая система. Это пиздец, товарищи. Дрочильня пары кнопок, а бои могли быть на десять минут и дольше. Тупое нажимание пары клавиш могло быть сложным и иногда можно было перепроходить одно и то же место по несколько раз... Это как?
    - Дизайн локаций. Хм, что можно сказать о куче пустого пространства с двумя-тремя кустами и кучей вечно агрящихся мобов? Конечно, с городами все намного лучше, но все нпс бездвижно стоят по стойке смирно, что создает не дает даже задуматься о каком-то погружении в атмосферу.
    - Сюжет. Главный герой избранный, что идет убивать главного злодея, что хочет погрузить весь мир во тьму. Все. И весь этот полет фантазии приправлен мерзотными персонажами и не знанием азов политики и социологии. Также есть момент, где ты встречаешь Владыку, ебать его в сраку, бедствий, в битве сносишь ему половину хп, он заявляет "присоединяйся ко мне", гг говорит "нет", на что ему "пидора ответ" и "го снова драться", Сорей снова отвечает "нет" и уходит, решив, что он не хочет убивать его здесь и сейчас, потому что дальше ему бы нечем было заняться. 10 из 10.
    - Персонажи. Ох... Главный герой - пустышка, наивный дурачок, что подписался на это путешествие, то ли по дурости, то ли от нехуй делать. К тому же, поражают взаимоотношения между героями. Всем было жалко Алишу, которая не смогла убить предателя родины, человека, который устроил войну. А вот Эдну, которой пришлось убить собственного брата, почему-то не так жалко. А над Миклео, который погиб, будучи ребенком, который видел смерть своих родителей, еще и издевались "че, может, хочешь поплакать?", когда пацан просто охуел от жизни. Лайла и Роза тоже большую часть времени тупо раздражают и ничего более. А смерти Дезела скорее радуешься, ибо в команду приходит Завейд.
    - Само прохождение. Словно долго и мучительно суешь ржавую проволоку в уретру... Я старалась покончить с игрой, как можно быстрее, и все равно прохождение заняло больше 40 часов... Десятки часов пустого хождения туда-сюда, авторы явно тупо хотели максимально растянуть игру. В какой-то момент ты уверен, что близиться конец игры, как вдруг тебе заявляют "отыщи все фрагменты истории, даже если для этого придется прочесать все руины и деревни континента"... И тут ты впадаешь в отчаяние.
    + Из плюсов пиздатый опенинг.    … Expand
  11. lhmtgame
    Jul 17, 2017
    2
    Tales of Zestiria is not a good game!
    - On PC version, camera movement is bad. The resolution has been limited which doesn't has 1080p or higher.
    - Graphics is like PS2 games. Characters face have no motion (it's worse when comparing to Dragon Quest Heroes). All characters have the same GAY FACE. - The game story doesn't make sense. Combat is terrible and poor with inflexible movements.    Tales of Zestiria is not a good game!
    - On PC version, camera movement is bad. The resolution has been limited which doesn't has 1080p or higher.
    - Graphics is like PS2 games. Characters face have no motion (it's worse when comparing to Dragon Quest Heroes). All characters have the same GAY FACE.
    - The game story doesn't make sense. Combat is terrible and poor with inflexible movements.
    In summary, this game may be for girls or kids only.    … Expand
  12. Specula
    Oct 30, 2015
    0
    This game commits the greatest cardinal sin of any creation: Blandness. I can't even call it an abomination because it just doesn't have the depth of character to be one. Every character's lines have been entirely unnatural, forced, rehearsed and sound completely fake. The voice acting is entirely sub par even compared to older Tales of games like Symphonia and Vesparia. The story is aThis game commits the greatest cardinal sin of any creation: Blandness. I can't even call it an abomination because it just doesn't have the depth of character to be one. Every character's lines have been entirely unnatural, forced, rehearsed and sound completely fake. The voice acting is entirely sub par even compared to older Tales of games like Symphonia and Vesparia. The story is a traditional terrible Japanese anime information dump of pointless names, senseless jargon and utterly meaningless connections that interrupt the flow of battle and story at irritating consistencies. The characters are completely one dimensional with no depth, no intrigue and no development. The character controls are abysmal, especially in battle and there is no hierarchical menu system, just disjointed screens tied to different buttons.

    Nothing about this is good. I can't even say it's bad, because it's just bland with hints of being bad. I dub this game the rotting celery of video games.    … Expand
  13. kharnikhal
    Oct 21, 2015
    4
    HORRIBLE camera controls. There's huge amounts of mouse acceleration, the camera sways like crazy. Almost unusable with m+kb.

    Graphics are ported straight from PS3-era, the graphics options dont matter much. UI is bad, ported straight from the console version as well, doesn't work well at all on PC. Combat is a godawful mess. Here's how combat works: You can only move forwards and    HORRIBLE camera controls. There's huge amounts of mouse acceleration, the camera sways like crazy. Almost unusable with m+kb.

    Graphics are ported straight from PS3-era, the graphics options dont matter much. UI is bad, ported straight from the console version as well, doesn't work well at all on PC.

    Combat is a godawful mess. Here's how combat works:

    You can only move forwards and backwards by pressing W or S. You have to only spam the left mouse button, and your character does a basic combo. Thats it.

    I got tired of this crap after the second fight and uninstalled. Yet another horrible console port JRPG, with combat even more simplistic than Dynasty Warriors.

    Do not buy.    … Expand
  14. Zenketsu
    Oct 25, 2015
    7
    + Many improvements compared to the previous games
    + nice soundtrack
    + good controls

    - bad and boring story
    - very little details
    - bad controls
  15. Nyakuya
    Dec 26, 2016
    0
    Paso 1: Cierra los ojos.
    Paso 2: Pulsa el mismo boton (atacar) una y otra vez.
    Paso 3: Espera hasta que salga el sonido que indica que ganaste la batalla.
    Paso 4: Camina avanzando por los pasillos y repite cada vez que encuentres una batalla.
    Paso 5: Disfruta de haberte terminado el juego.
  16. VG_Alex
    Aug 7, 2021
    7
    'TALES OF ZESTIRIA' is a JRPG with a fantastic background. The excellent soundtrack and character setting are very attractive, but the boring gameplay and open map encumbers the whole game.

    Review of "Tales of Zestiria"

    Graphic/Art: 7.5

    Music/Sounds: 8.5

    Narrative/Performance:6

    Gameplay: 5

    Score: 6.7 (-0.3)
  17. QuatokyTonberry
    Mar 1, 2019
    6
    Gameplay: - Mediocre
    Story: - Normal
    Visual: - Normal
    Music and sound: - Good
    Average time: - 43H
    Score: - 6
  18. HabarB
    Apr 18, 2020
    0
    I've been trying to like this JRPG because I'm a fan since the '90s so I picked it up again after I dropped and uninstalled this off my PC 2 years ago -- but now I've really lost patience and love for it because of:
    - the overly complicated combat and game mechanics,
    - persistent hand-holding and tutorials (just let me the player figure out the game) - the music is forgettable: I can't    I've been trying to like this JRPG because I'm a fan since the '90s so I picked it up again after I dropped and uninstalled this off my PC 2 years ago -- but now I've really lost patience and love for it because of:
    - the overly complicated combat and game mechanics,
    - persistent hand-holding and tutorials (just let me the player figure out the game)
    - the music is forgettable: I can't even remember how any of its BGM sounds like now after playing for 9 hrs.
    This JRPG is a solid example of making a simple and outdated game design disguised into something sophisticated by placing much too many rules and terms just for the sake of making everything seem the game has depth.

    Heck, Tekken 7 and Soulcalibur 6's battle mechanics are more easier to follow and play than the battle/fighting system of this super otaku (Japanese word for nerd) product. I'm not too sure now if I'll try it again the 3rd time after 2 years.    … Expand
  19. tadnid
    Oct 30, 2022
    10
    My first Tale game. I wasn't expecting anything. Turned out to be amazing. I'm not a big fan of the battle system, but the story is good, the characters are likable, their interactions are fun, the music is excellent, which is essential for RPGs, it ranges from high beats like Zaveid's theme to soothing one like the one protected by the wind. The main game took me around 50h, been doingMy first Tale game. I wasn't expecting anything. Turned out to be amazing. I'm not a big fan of the battle system, but the story is good, the characters are likable, their interactions are fun, the music is excellent, which is essential for RPGs, it ranges from high beats like Zaveid's theme to soothing one like the one protected by the wind. The main game took me around 50h, been doing most sidequests I think (didn't hunt for achievements though). After the game, there is a good epilogue story for Alisha, as well as a postgame where you can go to an isle and fight monsters. This adds about 10-14h I guess. For Alisha's dungeon and the postgame, I suggest you lower the difficulty and drink a holy bottle, otherwise the battles can become tedious.

    All in all a lot better than expected, and I'm looking forward to more Tales.    … Expand
  20. Roberoquer
    Jul 18, 2020
    6
    An average JRPG, not great but not terrible. The turn based combat is not particularly deep like in other JRPG but still fun to play. The graphics and art design are quite average and the plot is ok but not particularly interesting.
  21. Forcer77
    Feb 24, 2021
    2
    this game looks like trash. You can look at the starting location of the protagonist, how miserable poor design, NPCs look like soulless dolls, you can feel emptiness and soullessness in this and other locations. As for the plot, it's just disgusting. Story is bunch of nonsense, it's terrile. I couldn't keep playing it
  22. aeroslimshady
    Feb 19, 2023
    8
    Pretty good. Really interesting world building and great cast of characters.
  23. Bruninho1997
    Oct 13, 2021
    8
    Prós:
    - Ótima jogabilidade
    - Visual bonito
    - Fator replay riquíssimo
    - A personagem Rose

    Contras:
    - A história é um pouco fraca e contém algumas inconsistências
    - Em comparação com outros títulos da saga, achei a construção dos personagens e suas carismas mais fracas
  24. aecsuter
    Sep 5, 2022
    8
    The narrative is taken in a silly way until the end and from one hour to the next there is a level up and ends in a very good way!
    The gameplay is very cool, you can play with many characters, different combos, a lot to explore.
  25. Brazen100
    Sep 7, 2022
    8
    Gets a bad reputation and some of it is deserved. But I love the setting and some of the ideas at play here. Also considering its linked narratively to berseria makes it essential to me

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Riot Pixels
    Jan 25, 2016
    72
    Tales of Zestiria is not a very welcoming game, and feels too bland at times, but if you’re not a JRPG connoisseur, you’ll probably enjoy it.
    Read full review
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Dec 9, 2015
    73
    Tales of Zestiria isn’t a blockbuster and it won’t appear as a “Game of the Year” nominee, but if you like JRPGs, you’ll spend about 40 hours in it, and won’t come to regret a single one of them. [Issue#204, p.73]
  3. Ragequit.gr
    Nov 13, 2015
    80
    Tales of Zestiria is an absolutely fine JRPG for its target audience. However, if you are not accustomed to this particular genre, you will find hardly anything to grab your attention.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »