User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 139 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 15 out of 139
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
  1. Mar 31, 2023
    9
    If you like anime and RPG, you should definitely give it a try. The gameplay is amazing, with a lot of different moves to use and upgrade, the characters in your group are interesting and their interactions make up a lot for the story, especially the second half where I think the story is much weaker and less compelling.
  2. Oct 7, 2021
    8
    Cons:
    - Frame drop issues (probably cuz it's base PS4, but still.)
    - Devs should stop forcing victims to "forgive" everything. That's just not how things work. The whole story revolves around the theme of forgiveness and coexistence and I found how they delivered the message very unsettling. If they are dealing with colonialism in stories, they should've been a lot more sensitive. -
    Cons:
    - Frame drop issues (probably cuz it's base PS4, but still.)
    - Devs should stop forcing victims to "forgive" everything. That's just not how things work. The whole story revolves around the theme of forgiveness and coexistence and I found how they delivered the message very unsettling. If they are dealing with colonialism in stories, they should've been a lot more sensitive.
    - Very, very disappointing ending. I was literally laughing out loud during the cutscenes since the whole ending sequence seemed really ridiculous and rushed and made no sense. Alphen was trying to be serious but I buy none of that lol.
    - Characters are straight out flat. Alphen had great backstories but was one of the worst protagonist I've seen in a video game. He's so static and absurdly obsessed with being the 'Mr. Nice Guy'. Toward the end, the whole journey is lead by his obsession to save his love interest and this is done terribly. All the other characters except for Rinwell and maybe Dohalim were poorly written as well. They just lack in any interesting character arch. The character designs are so great but their arches are such missed potentials.
    - lack of monster variant. they mainly play with the colour palette change.
    - Microtransaction seems really bad. I didn't buy any of the DLCs but I could see where BN was going at.
    - Soundtracks were bland. The most memorable ones were actually the returning tracks, like the field boss themes.
    - Character inflation in battles is seriously off. Kisara and Law ended up being mostly useless throughout the whole campaign. Alphen's the main character, Shionne's a must since she's the healer, Rinwell is a magic-user who can beat monsters of 20+ levels all by herself, and Dohalim is a secondary healer and necessary since Alphen can't heal himself and Shionne and Rinwell are very fragile.
    - Field monster health was unnecessarily high and I just don't quite get why... The Devs just don't bother to add any interesting skills or patterns in higher variants of the monsters, but instead just add a tonne of health.
    - UI/UX was oddly uncomfortable. You can't access the map from the menu and you can't access the quest menu from the map. I was consistently irritated by this toward the end.

    Pros:
    - Art Direction is gorgeous!!! The environment and the character graphics were so pretty. Honestly this is one of the most gorgeous art I've seen in a video game.
    - Combat is very cool. Fast-paced and engaging, and the cutscenes for the skills were also cool.
    - Battle camera was very, very, good. I've played Vesperia, Symphonia and Zestria and none of those had good cameras, it seems like I made some good improvements over the years.
    - I wasn't too in for the chain battle system at first, but quickly got very fun. It compliments the fast-paced combats very well.
    - Fishing is weirdly fun...
    - I loved the references to the previous Tales games. Rinwell and Shionne's casts were straight out from Vesperia and that was a really cool touch.
    - First half of the game was very engaging and interesting.

    I have more cons than pros but this game was fun enough. The first half of the game was seriously great. It got dragged down by its terrible writing and rushed and non-sensical story toward the end. I'd give it 9.2 if it wasn't for the story but story really brought the score down for me. The ending was really mediocre and I didn't feel anything as I took out the disc from my console...

    Overall fun experience. I wouldn't greatly recommend but still recommend regardless.
    Expand
  3. Sep 12, 2021
    10
    This is easily best RPG out this year and game of the year. This is how RPGs should be made.
  4. Sep 25, 2021
    8
    Pros:
    - Great Characters and great chemistry
    - detailed settings and story
    - combat was fun until later stage
    Con:
    - Disappointing ending
    - combat is actually not that great on closer look
  5. Sep 16, 2021
    10
    Best Tales of game ever!!! They improved upon evrything!!!Amazing, just perfect.
  6. Sep 12, 2021
    9
    The game surpasses the previous titles tremendously. The story is great, the characters are quirky too. Gameplay is like hybrid of Star Ocean and Final Fantasy 7 Remake while still doing enough to differ itself from them. They even have a collectathon for cosmetics if you want to look more fashionable. The reason its a 9 and not a 10 is because while the zones are more beautiful then haveThe game surpasses the previous titles tremendously. The story is great, the characters are quirky too. Gameplay is like hybrid of Star Ocean and Final Fantasy 7 Remake while still doing enough to differ itself from them. They even have a collectathon for cosmetics if you want to look more fashionable. The reason its a 9 and not a 10 is because while the zones are more beautiful then have ever been. They are very similar to previous tales games. And my favorite character died. But still. Its the best tales game I've ever played. If you want to experience a true battle for equality then look no further. The best battle of oppression I've seen simulated to date is here! Expand
  7. Sep 12, 2021
    10
    Other then slight pop in of npcs the game is absolutely gorgeous. If you love the tales series or jrpgs you will love this game.the combat is on another level it's easy to learn but hard to master. I think this just might overtake tales of destiny as my new favorite
  8. Nov 22, 2021
    10
    I haven’t enjoyed a jrpg this much in a long long time! I had no idea I was going to love this game as much as I have! The gameplay is top notch even better than FF7 remake. Story is very intriguing! Voice acting is superb! Can’t get enough of tales of arise!
  9. Oct 2, 2021
    10
    If this game isn't in your game of the year discussion then you got it wrong. There's not much else to say.
  10. Sep 13, 2021
    10
    Played since last Friday been fantastic so far. Battle play is awesome. Story is going strong so far.
  11. Sep 14, 2021
    9
    Tales of Arise brings you into an universe which is truly astonishing. Let's get to a short summary of the storyline. The story sets in the world of a certain human kind which will be attacked by an enemy with advanced technology. They lose the war against the enemy and from there on they ended up as slaves for over 300 years without any chance of effective resistance. In reality slaveryTales of Arise brings you into an universe which is truly astonishing. Let's get to a short summary of the storyline. The story sets in the world of a certain human kind which will be attacked by an enemy with advanced technology. They lose the war against the enemy and from there on they ended up as slaves for over 300 years without any chance of effective resistance. In reality slavery and suppression is an issue which accompanied the history of violence for a long time. Nowadays slavery is forbidden and the reason is well known. Concerning this background it is an emotional topic that can bind and connect you with the situation in Tales of Arise.

    The protagonist is a man with an iron mask who doesn't know his own origin and his name. He has had enough of the slavery and suppression and wants to fight back. A doctor tells him that the time to act will come and he will recognize it. These were true words: The man with the iron mask meets a girl with a special charisma. She fled from the soldiers and tried to hide. That is the moment where the tale of arise against the enemy begins. The man with the iron mask saved the girl and both go on journey to end up dictatorship of the lords.

    The world in T.o.A. is quite authentic and makes a living impression. There is a day/night system whereas you meet different kind of people, cities and villages. The setting is always different so that your experience of the landscape is always unique.

    Let's get to the fighting system, the core part of T.o.A. You can fight with over 3 members who is active or as defence in the battle. You can make your own choice how to make the combos against the enemy. There are different kind of possible combinations. You are able to learn more and more fighting techniques so that you can create your own way of fighting. In the battle you can call your members for specials attacks what creates a critical explosion. That way you can give your fighting combos an individual style.
    The burning sword plays a major role in the fighting and in the story. You have to find out for yourself what's it all about.

    On your journey you can take a break by camping outside and you can talk to your friends in order to get to know them better. In general the dialogues are well made. It shows that the members take justice and equality very serious.

    There is a classic level system and you can develop yourself by invest your points in a skill tree called Skill-Matrix. There are different skill fields that offer improvements in any way. You can set your Fighting Techniques in a skill set called Artes.

    The graphics is on a high quality and is an eyecatcher. Especially if you do the special attacks, the graphic shows you what's it made of. The environment is quite detailed so that the discovery of the places keeps you motivated.

    The soundtrack is good and expresses the atmosphere in each situation, be it while on a walk or in the fight.

    You can individually set the clothes, even with weapon skins. The best looking clothes are buyable as dlcs. For the one or another this would be disappointing since the people already get T.o.A. to a full price. It is your choice if you buy it or not.

    The side quests are on a constant level. There are missions like making a poll, protection, gather items for a recipe, showing books to a library manager, giving fashion advice etc.. Nevertheless i would wish that the quality of the mission would reach a similar level like in deus ex human revolution or deus ex mankind divided. I hope this aspect will be considered in the next updates.

    Conclusion: Tales of Arise is a RPG which i can recommend you without hesitation. The characters and the story line bind you in a positive way. i can assure you that a moment of boredom won't appear. So draw your sword and fight against slavery and suppression!
    Expand
  12. Sep 12, 2021
    10
    I love everything here. Characters - everyone is super charismatic and interesting, fights are flashy and engaging, I love making very long combos with Alphen, casting craziest spells with Rinwell, well, everyone is very fun to play as. Visually it's just stunning. Not only Unreal Engine makes this game look 100 times better, than Berseria, but design by itself is just beautiful. ThereI love everything here. Characters - everyone is super charismatic and interesting, fights are flashy and engaging, I love making very long combos with Alphen, casting craziest spells with Rinwell, well, everyone is very fun to play as. Visually it's just stunning. Not only Unreal Engine makes this game look 100 times better, than Berseria, but design by itself is just beautiful. There are no 5-hour grind sessions between story bits, pacing is very fast and engaging. Music is so good, it's probably one of the best OSTs in years. I honestly struggle to find a single thing I dislike. Maybe default control scheme is weird, but controls are fully customisable, so it doesn't matter. My personal game of the year 100% Expand
  13. Feb 12, 2022
    10
    God storry and nice combat system. Game is chalanging On high dificulties. One if the Best jrpg last Times.
  14. Sep 18, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is the next SOLID step in the Tales of series, so far the game is very well executed. Well balance, it's not perfect. That's for sure. But if you enjoy tales games and follow this specific saga like me, you'll be pleased and satisfied, and just can't ignore being involved with the characters. It's really worth to play Expand
  15. Nov 10, 2021
    9
    Dopo cinque anni dall’uscita di Tales of Berseria (e circa due dall’uscita di Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition) e con oltre sedici capitoli rilasciati in un’onorevole carriera di ben venticinque anni, la celeberrima saga “Tales Of” torna a farsi sentire con un nuovo e stravolgente capitolo: Tales Of Arise è il messia che i tanti appassionati stavano aspettando. Un titolo che è statoDopo cinque anni dall’uscita di Tales of Berseria (e circa due dall’uscita di Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition) e con oltre sedici capitoli rilasciati in un’onorevole carriera di ben venticinque anni, la celeberrima saga “Tales Of” torna a farsi sentire con un nuovo e stravolgente capitolo: Tales Of Arise è il messia che i tanti appassionati stavano aspettando. Un titolo che è stato capace di conquistare sia il mercato orientale che quello occidentale, offrendo una formula svecchiata, rinnovata, intuitiva e mozzafiato. Le arretratezze tecniche dei suoi predecessori fanno spazio ad uno stile più pulito, energico ed ispirato, e soprattutto ad un team molto più coeso che ha permesso di coadiuvare il tutto in un prodotto di tutto rispetto. Siamo probabilmente di fronte al capitolo meglio riuscito dei team Bandai, un punto di svolta necessario per rompere una tradizione segnata da continue riproduzioni di un genere, quello jrpg action, che non ha avuto il riscatto che meritava.
    Menzione d’onore al titolo è sicuramente l’enorme numero di attività presenti nella mappa. Sarà possibile dedicarsi alla pesca in modo tale da esplorare la cucina, ma ciò che rappresenta un punto di svolta per la saga è sicuramente la possibilità di saltare. L’esplorazione prende così un’altra piega, spostandosi su piani non solo orizzontali ma anche verticali, con la possibilità di esplorare luoghi altrimenti inaccessibili, offrendo al giocatore anche una leggera nota platform che in certi punti non dispiace per staccare dalla monotonia dell’avventura.

    Sarà possibile, inoltre, scovare tutti i gufi presenti sulla mappa per ottenere simpatici accessori da indossare a piacimento. Ed anche in questo Tales of Arise sorprende il giocatore più affezionato.

    Sarà infatti possibile applicare skin alle armi ed ai vestiti, cambiando difatti l’aspetto generale del personaggio. Con l’acquisto di edizioni particolari sarà possibile indossare abiti studenteschi, abiti da samurai, o interessanti abiti pensati in crossover con Code Vein. La cura degli sviluppatori è possibile evincerla anche in queste piccole trovate estetiche, sicuramente non essenziali ma certamente ben gradite.
    La realizzazione tecnica di Tales of Arise è sicuramente il punto nevralgico dell’intera produzione, nonché quello più importante poiché segna un netto distacco dallo stile poco ispirato dei suoi predecessori. Con il sapiente utilizzo dell’Unreal Engine 4, finalmente un Tales Of offre un comparto grafico non solo più affascinante, ma anche al passo con i moderni jrpg più famosi. La tridimensionalità dell’esplorazione, l’abbandono del cel shading a favore di una cura estetica più performante e matura, l’abbandono di uno stile “chibi” decisamente di stampo nipponico e il conseguente avvicinamento alla cultura occidentale rendono Tales of Arise un titolo godibile pressoché da ogni utente appassionato. L’Atmosferic Shader utilizzato dagli sviluppatori ha permesso la realizzazione di numerosi paesaggi enormemente diversificati tra loro. Alle fiamme e al fuoco della prima area si sostituiscono i ghiacciai ed il gelo artico della seconda, e così via in un’esplorazione mai scontata, mai banale, e ricca di punti carichi di pathos e di forte emozione per il giocatore. Vi ritroverete catapultati su enormi burroni, rapiti dall’immensità scenografica del paesaggio: ecco in cosa Tales of Arise nasconde la sua forza più grande, quella di emozionare i giocatori come si fa dinnanzi un quadro. Sicuramente una formula vincente.

    I colori, i dettagli, la ricchezza del mobilio e di ogni singola pianta: tutti gli ambienti del titolo sono stati curati con profonda attenzione. Spesso in titoli del genere vi è il pericolo di trovare cloni della mappa con delle semplici e diverse texture, un riciclo continuo di mappe di gioco per facilitare la realizzazione del titolo stesso. Tale meccanica in Tales of Arise è stata accantonata in virtù di una cura senza precedenti, un manifesto d’amore del team di sviluppo ai giocatori.
    I modelli poligonali dei personaggi (sia giocanti che non) di Tales of Arise nascondono i sapienti concept art dell’autore di Vesperia, Berseria e Zestiria: parliamo di Minoru Iwamoto, maestro di altissimo livello. Ricchi di ombre e di fluidità espressive, i modelli sono sicuramente tra i migliori di tutta la saga.
    Expand
  16. Dec 24, 2021
    10
    Best Tales game, and one of the best anime rpg's. I loved the story and character development.
  17. Feb 5, 2022
    10
    Quite possibly some of the most fun I've had in a game in awhile. Combat is pretty coll, lots of skills to choose from, good combat animations. I'd suggest playing on moderate difficulty or higher as everything else below is kinda to easy imo. The cutscene get to be a bit much, and the voice acting is not all that good tbf but I can overlook any. Alot of JRPGs have bad voice acting. TheQuite possibly some of the most fun I've had in a game in awhile. Combat is pretty coll, lots of skills to choose from, good combat animations. I'd suggest playing on moderate difficulty or higher as everything else below is kinda to easy imo. The cutscene get to be a bit much, and the voice acting is not all that good tbf but I can overlook any. Alot of JRPGs have bad voice acting. The story itself is pretty cool, Alphen's dialog kinda gets annoying tho lol. Out of all the characters dialogue, Alphen's is hands down the worst. I'm still going to give the game a 10 put of 10 and recommend people play it. Good game. Expand
  18. Feb 7, 2022
    9
    Combat is kinda meh, maybe outright bad but the story and graphics are really good, totally hooked me
  19. Dec 19, 2022
    8
    I played Tales of Arise in 2021 and thought it was a great game that I liked.
    However, the gameplay and cosmetic microtransactions in this game are disgusting.
  20. Aug 24, 2022
    10
    Masterpiece JRPG. Phenomal action/rpg gameplay. Stunning music, gorgeous story. Final Fantasy should learn from this. Recommend it 100%, a must play for all JRPG lovers
  21. Apr 16, 2022
    10
    Sempre fui fã de tales mas cara que jogo fenomenal,nao consegui parar de jogar fiquei completamente viciado na gameplay e na história que venha o proximo
  22. Jan 25, 2023
    8
    Mit Tales of Arise gibt Bandai Namco ihrer Fließband JRPG Serie nicht nur endlich ein Engine Update, generell scheint das Budget für die erfolgreiche Serie deutlich angehoben worden zu sein. Die Production Values können so endlich mit der Konkurrenz wie Dragon Quest XI oder einem Ni No Kuni 2 mithalten. Auch wenn Story sowie Charakter- und Leveldesign wieder recht generisch ausfallen, dasMit Tales of Arise gibt Bandai Namco ihrer Fließband JRPG Serie nicht nur endlich ein Engine Update, generell scheint das Budget für die erfolgreiche Serie deutlich angehoben worden zu sein. Die Production Values können so endlich mit der Konkurrenz wie Dragon Quest XI oder einem Ni No Kuni 2 mithalten. Auch wenn Story sowie Charakter- und Leveldesign wieder recht generisch ausfallen, das Budget Update tut der Serie gut, da die vielen Dialoge und Cut Scenes des Spiels deutlich mitreißender und motivierender inszeniert wurden. Im Kampfgeschehen wirkt Tales of Arise zwar immer noch recht chaotisch, bietet aber deutlich mehr taktische Finesse, als seine Vorgänger und spielt sich so durchaus durchschaubarer. Was Bandai Namco seit jeher gelingt sind die guten Dialoge innerhalb der eigenen Reisegruppe zu schreiben. Wenngleich es dem Vorgänger Tales of Berseria einen Deut besser gelang gute Situationskomik zu inszenieren, lebt auch Tales of Arise wieder stark von den toll geschriebenen, comicartigen Dialogen, die sich im Laufe des Abenteuers ergeben. Ein Stilelement, das Bandai Namcos Fließband Franchise seit jeher eine eigene Note geben konnte. Expand
  23. Nov 18, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Aunque lo haya hecho SAO project, es muy buen juego, lo malo es que las batallas está clonado de Scarlet Nexus lo que se traduce en un Beat' em up de PS3 o PS2. De todas formas es muy recomendable si eres de este tipo de juego, sobretodo el luchar contra Asuna y Kazuto que en nivel 99 lo hace muy interesante! Expand
  24. Sep 27, 2022
    9
    Thoroughly loved Tales of Arise - colorful cast of characters, nice gameplay, plot, great music. The areas were absolutely beautiful with a decent variety of enemies to defeat. The sidequests and character skits were interesting, too.
  25. Feb 18, 2023
    8
    Despite not being perfect, this is a very good game I completely recommend.

    Artistically it is very pleasing. The (main) characters and environment design is made with care, resulting in a game very good looking. The OST is equally very well done and, even though it might not be as memorable as others, very successfully accompanies the situations presented. The gameplay is excellent.
    Despite not being perfect, this is a very good game I completely recommend.

    Artistically it is very pleasing. The (main) characters and environment design is made with care, resulting in a game very good looking. The OST is equally very well done and, even though it might not be as memorable as others, very successfully accompanies the situations presented.

    The gameplay is excellent. It is as challenging as one wants (you can change the difficulty whenever you want, even before reloading a check point of a boss fight after defeat), it is varied, fast, and remains extremely fun and satisfying even after 50 hours playing. Also here the graphical quality of the game shines.

    The plot is rich and evolves at a good pace. Its (reasonable) complexity is treated appropriately and from a more adult perspective than one might expect. It might not be surprising, but it's not dull and predictible.

    The are however some flaws. The world doesn't feel alive, but rather a decoration you walk through, with completely boring, uninspired NPCs and side-quests. The game is way to verbose and things are often overexplained, to the point I ended up wanting to skip dialogues. Finally, THE BIGGEST FLAW (imho) of the game is not being cinematographical enough: it is a pity that most of the plot is presented through dialogues, not exploiting any of the tools that audiovisual art allows for, and despite some exceptions, even the cutscenes are nothing else than the protagonists talking while standing like statues here and there. If this game was more theatrical and less textual (so carrying out the story also through the audiovisual setting and the characters interpretations, not only through dialog) I would easily have considered giving it a 10.
    Expand
  26. Jan 14, 2023
    9
    +The best combat experience in the franchise and challenges even the greats in the JRPG vein. More complex than Star Ocean and extremely rewarding mastery of the many, many mechanics.
    +Art direction and concepts for the characters, attire, and architecture range from good to exceptional (coming from Bandai, known publisher of tacky games, this is miraculous).
    +Character writing is
    +The best combat experience in the franchise and challenges even the greats in the JRPG vein. More complex than Star Ocean and extremely rewarding mastery of the many, many mechanics.
    +Art direction and concepts for the characters, attire, and architecture range from good to exceptional (coming from Bandai, known publisher of tacky games, this is miraculous).
    +Character writing is layered and dialogue does not agitate or detract from the story, paralleling Yakuza 0 and FFIX in many regards. The characters will say precisely what they should instead of pandering to a younger demographic.

    +-The score is pleasant and adheres to the atmosphere of each area, because Motoi Sakuraba does this better than any composer I'm aware of. That said, there are no memorable masterpieces here that will make their way to playlists 5 years from now like some of his works with Fromsoft and CSP (also, personal take, the opening cinematic is terrible).
    +-The world state, its denizens, and general narrative are on rails and does not reflect something 'lived in' in most encounters. This limits all emotional investment to anything outside of the focal entourage, but does allow for a uniform experience.

    -Objectively, among the worst taboos for a single player rpg: p2w DLC items. If you have any respect for yourself, do not redeem or even consider their existence until post-game. Even unlocking skins will force permanent stats on your characters.
    Expand
  27. Aug 10, 2023
    8
    With Tales of Arise, Bandai Namco is not only finally giving its assembly-line JRPG series an engine update, but the budget for the successful series seems to have been raised significantly. Even if the story, character and level design are still rather generic, the budget update is good for the series, as the game's many dialogues and cutscenes have been staged in a much more rousing andWith Tales of Arise, Bandai Namco is not only finally giving its assembly-line JRPG series an engine update, but the budget for the successful series seems to have been raised significantly. Even if the story, character and level design are still rather generic, the budget update is good for the series, as the game's many dialogues and cutscenes have been staged in a much more rousing and motivating way. In terms of combat, Tales of Arise still feels rather chaotic, but it offers a lot more tactical finesse than its predecessors, and therefore plays much more transparently. One thing Bandai Namco has always been good at is writing good dialogue within its own travelling party. Although its predecessor, Tales of Berseria, was a little more successful at orchestrating good situational comedy, Tales of Arise also relies heavily on the well-written, comic-style dialogues that arise during the course of the adventure. A stylistic element that has always given Bandai Namco's Conveyor Belt franchise its own touch. Expand
  28. Aug 21, 2023
    10
    If you love JRPGs, if you love Anime like characters, if you love huge Worlds and compelling story telling with a lovable cast of characters. Then you've come to the right place.
    Tales of Arise is one of the best JRPGs and Best Looking JRPGs I've placed in years.
    I can't recommend this game enough.
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Apr 15, 2022
    85
    Despite some issues, Tales of Arise is a fantastic game, especially for fans of the genre. Fortunately, it is also accessible to newcomers to the genre, because it has everything: a cool story, great characters, a charming world, and really good gameplay.
  2. Oct 27, 2021
    86
    Tales of Arise comes the most ambitious JRPG of the next-gen consoles, offering a great adventure with an excellent combat system and a soundtrack that will remain on the heart of fans of the saga for a long time.
  3. Sep 25, 2021
    90
    Tales of Arise feels like new blood in the Tales series veins, as it gathers all the qualities of the previous games, puts them together and takes them to the next level.