Tales of Berseria

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 594 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 409 out of 594
  2. Mixed: 49 out of 594
  3. Negative: 136 out of 594
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  1. Ariskal
    Jun 25, 2023
    6
    aneh pokoknya aneh banget , di awal game kita di suruh bales dendam bales dendam terus tapi akhir akhirnya melempem juga seperti di manga manga jepang tentang revenge tapi di akhir melempem.
  2. hk300
    May 1, 2023
    6
    Tbh I couldnt stand a lot of the characters but was willing to persevere through, however the combat and mediocre dungeon design ended up making me quit before I could see the game to its end.
  3. aaronnmp96
    Jan 31, 2023
    10
    This game tells you a story that I don't think I'll ever forget, the characters and the plot are the best of the genre
  4. 2random
    Jan 3, 2023
    8
    There are some things the game does right, so let's start with these. First of all- the plot. It is represented by all sorts of in-game cutscenes, dialogues, and even animated movies. It feels like you're inside of an anime movie, which is great. And it just keeps on giving.
    Characters are one of the game's strong points, especially your main character. There isn't a single "default" grey    There are some things the game does right, so let's start with these. First of all- the plot. It is represented by all sorts of in-game cutscenes, dialogues, and even animated movies. It feels like you're inside of an anime movie, which is great. And it just keeps on giving.
    Characters are one of the game's strong points, especially your main character. There isn't a single "default" grey person- all of them have strong personalities and desires. And the ones you play for are on the dark side! So, there's no default "save the world" anime plot. You destroy it and bring ruin, not really save it. They did add a ton of quests and a huge variety of subquests, so even after I've finished the game, I was still playing for about 20 hours, which was rather unexpected. There's not a single "kill 10 mobs" quest, all of them are unique, with their own plots, twists and unexpected turnarounds.
    Visuals look rather dated. While character models are ok, with tons of customizations and outfits, some locations look like they came all the way back from 2004, like something you would expect to see in Half Life 2. It doesn't affect the experience too much, but it's worth mentioning.
    The game sounds awesome- almost every line is voiced over, there's a huge variety of battle and background music.
    Difficulty settings are also plentiful- the game will be as hard or as easy as you'd like. All sorts of items and chests and loot just keep flowing, which feels great.
    The main downside is the battle system. I can see how it evolved in Tales of Arise, but here it's just worse in every way. There are way too many skills you've got no control over- they just unlock by themselves, and it's impossible to update the ones you like. Yes, you can assign them and make comboes, but there are like 20 pages of the manual the game keeps showing you for the first 5 hours after every ballte, to explain all types of skills and their effectiveness and status effects, etc. The system is way too overcomplicated! They did offer a solution- you can assign a "choose the skill automatically' to any button, and the character will decide which one is the most suitable in the current situation. While enemies look different, they feel similar and pose little to no threat on a normal difficulty.
    All in all, I really enjoyed tne game. Playing the villain was fun, and the story kept me engaged till the very end.    … Expand
  5. chrisdan23
    Jun 8, 2022
    7
    Waren die frühen Tales Spiele zu SNES Zeiten noch wahre Kleinode des JRPG Genres, ist die Serie mit dem Sprung ins Polygon Zeitalter in meinen Augen immer mehr zu einem Fließband Franchise für mittelmäßige Standard JRPG Kost geworden, die sich nur für Hardcore Nerds lohnt, die wirklich jeden Scheiß spielen müssen. Immer mal wieder hab ich in die Serie reingeschaut - Tales of Zisteria,Waren die frühen Tales Spiele zu SNES Zeiten noch wahre Kleinode des JRPG Genres, ist die Serie mit dem Sprung ins Polygon Zeitalter in meinen Augen immer mehr zu einem Fließband Franchise für mittelmäßige Standard JRPG Kost geworden, die sich nur für Hardcore Nerds lohnt, die wirklich jeden Scheiß spielen müssen. Immer mal wieder hab ich in die Serie reingeschaut - Tales of Zisteria, Tales of Xillia u.s.w. - immer haben mich die langweiligen Dungeons, die öden Gebiete und stereotypen Charaktere schon nach kurzer Zeit gelangweilt. Umso überraschter war ich, dass mich Tales of Berseria gleich von Beginn an ziemlich gecatched hat. Denn statt das Kommando über die immer gleicher Weltenretter Heldentruppe zu bekommen, kriegt man in Tales of Berseria einen Bunch von Dämonen, von Bad Guys, von Aussenseitern hingeworfen, die sich in der Regel auch nicht gegenseitig mit Nettigkeiten supporten, sondern vielmehr Spaß am gegenseitigen Bissigkeiten und Sticheleien haben und vor allem ihren eigenen Rache- oder Macht Motiven folgen. Also so gar nicht mit Welt retten uns so. Man ist eben Dämon. Dass die Dialoge dieser Truppe zudem überaus charmant und spaßig geschrieben und inszeniert werden, hebt das Spiel deutlich aus dem Einerlei der Tales Spiele heraus. Gut, man rushed am Ende durch die gleichen öden Gebiete und Dungeons wie in jedem Tales Spiel, sammelt random Items und Kristalle auf, und kauft die xte leicht verbesserte Rüstung im Shop. Doch die eigenwilligen Charaktere, wie auch das gute Pacing des Storyplotts motivieren auch das Ende der Story erleben zu wollen.

    Alles in Allem ist Berseria tatsächlich ein Tales Spiel, das sich lohnt. Zumindest wenn man an gut geschriebenen Dialogen und charmanten Charakteren und deren Entwicklung Interesse findet. Natürlich rettet man am Ende dann doch irgendwie die Welt, doch irgendwie deutlich anders und inspirierter, als man dies vom Fließband Franchise Tales gewohnt ist.    … Expand
  6. Neia
    Mar 22, 2022
    10
    Simplesmente emocionante,se tornou jogo preferidobdo ps4 com personagens cativantes
  7. bullshark
    Feb 23, 2022
    9
    A challenging and rewarding experience with a killer storyline, amazing characters, & spectacular gameplay. The crafting and its convolutedness kinda hold this game back from a 10, but it's still elite. Do play before Arise so you don't spoil yourself. The characters' personalities, the storyline, and the English dub are tops as well.

    PS: Also, Velvet Crowe is what a female main protag    A challenging and rewarding experience with a killer storyline, amazing characters, & spectacular gameplay. The crafting and its convolutedness kinda hold this game back from a 10, but it's still elite. Do play before Arise so you don't spoil yourself. The characters' personalities, the storyline, and the English dub are tops as well.

    PS: Also, Velvet Crowe is what a female main protag should be - strong but sexy, powerful but feminine, interesting yet nuanced; strongwilled but not insufferable. Contrast to what Western devs give us w/ Aloy...    … Expand
  8. MoniWhite
    Feb 9, 2022
    4
    Pretty janky, combat and graphics are not very good, the story is OK but not good
  9. Spartacus_637
    Oct 17, 2021
    10
    The best Tales game in the series, even though it has low budget but still it's dark and enjoyable, it has the best cast.
  10. chonky96
    Oct 2, 2021
    1
    This game is just empty. Huge areas and landscapes filled with nothing except some grass and some trees maybe. Repetitive combat, you just smash buttons. The story is fine but doesn't make up for the overall low quality of the game. Graphics literally look like they are early PS3. And that would be okay if they at least put some effort into the world crafting which is just hollow andThis game is just empty. Huge areas and landscapes filled with nothing except some grass and some trees maybe. Repetitive combat, you just smash buttons. The story is fine but doesn't make up for the overall low quality of the game. Graphics literally look like they are early PS3. And that would be okay if they at least put some effort into the world crafting which is just hollow and empty. No idea why this game is so popular. I got it for 10€ which is fine. Won't be playing it again… Expand
  11. Denis1717
    Sep 13, 2021
    10
    Muy buen JRPG de los mejores que he jugado,tanto el sistema de combate como la historia me parece espectacular, también el mundo y la banda sonora y que comparta mundo con tales of zestiria además de los mejores inicios de juego que he jugado en un juego, además merece más de la nota que tiene
  12. Lwkasmax
    Aug 14, 2021
    9
    Excellent story, great gameplay and fixed several errors that had in tales of zestiria, the graphics are still dated
  13. luminous15cf
    Jul 24, 2021
    9
    This game is one of the best JRPGs in the last gen. This game's story and gameplay is hands down the best one in Tales of series and it was great to see the strong woman protagonist with unique backstory.
  14. midori_gamers
    Jun 19, 2021
    10
    I always been a tales of fan but this game takes the cake. I love the dark theme and twists. Really fun playing through!
  15. LuizDaBike
    Jun 2, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. VAMOS LA
    antes de fazer a analise desse jogo , eu esperei zerar parar dar minha opinião e depois de exatas 116 horas( apenas a historia principal ) de jogo eu posso dizer , para mim esse é o melhor jogo da franquia Tales que eu joguei até o momento.
    se você gosta de jogos JRPG esse jogo é pra você , se você gosta da franquia Tales esse jogo é perfeito pra você, se você gosta de historia e personagens bem construidos, esse certamente é um jogo pra você.
    não ouve nada nesse jogo que não gostei. personagem com total aprofundamento, variação de monstros, vilões muito bem usados, varios plotes , momentos de tristeza e um final digno.

    uma coisa que eu digo é que todos o personagens são interessantes, não tem um que você vire a cara e diga que odio , e não quer usar no seu time, a liberdade de coisas que você pode fazer é vasta depois de um tempo de jogo, e uma dica que eu dou, AUMENTE A DIFICULDADE DO JOGO COM FORME VOCÊ VAI PEGANDO O JEITO DO JOGO, digo isso pois a maior graça e diversão do jogo acaba sendo jogar na dificuldades mais difíceis, mas se estiver muito dificil , não se force a jogar nela e abaixe a dificuldade pois se não isso pode estressar.

    UMA DICA: Sempre que você ver uma balão com ( ! ), va e fale com o npc , isso pode contar alguma historia extra sobre os personagem , o que da muito mais vida a eles.

    ===Gráficos===
    … Expand
  16. kingofkoopas
    May 11, 2021
    3
    I have eight hours in and I desperately want to find reasons to keep playing this game. I cannot believe that there are people out there who could rate this higher than a seven, let alone a full ten, poor saps. This game does nothing well, everything about it is mediocre at best. The characters are not only silly, but nonsensical as well and it's not because it is a JRPG either. When yourI have eight hours in and I desperately want to find reasons to keep playing this game. I cannot believe that there are people out there who could rate this higher than a seven, let alone a full ten, poor saps. This game does nothing well, everything about it is mediocre at best. The characters are not only silly, but nonsensical as well and it's not because it is a JRPG either. When your characters act like nothing phases them, constantly being cocky and laughing at danger then nothing really matters. You certainly cannot get invested in a plot where there is no danger or threat. Velvet who can only grumble about revenge just barely escapes being another generic character. The rest of the crew you have seen a million times on animes and other games, only much better. The game's characters had a few moments where they made me chuckle, but for the most part I was rolling my eyes. The combat is where this game really hurts the most. I have been mashing buttons randomly for hours. I never bothered reading what the attacks do and I have managed to keep going. No enemy or boss cant stand up to my mashing of the buttons. The attacks themselves all look the same, it's mostly chaos in the battlefield. I have not needed to change characters at all during fights. I haven't bothered upgrading anything, I am just hoarding every item I have. This game is definitely better than that horrendous Zestiria. So I guess I can say that this is a step forward. Everything about this game is mediocre, good thing I got it on a sale.… Expand
  17. Kai82
    May 4, 2021
    9
    It was my first game of the Tales series and a great experience. It won me me over with its characters, their development and story atop on a good battle system. It is an action RPG and set in the Holy Midgand Empire which rules over the world. It is the story of Velvet Crowe who wants to take revenge against her brother in law more than anything after the events that happen in the soIt was my first game of the Tales series and a great experience. It won me me over with its characters, their development and story atop on a good battle system. It is an action RPG and set in the Holy Midgand Empire which rules over the world. It is the story of Velvet Crowe who wants to take revenge against her brother in law more than anything after the events that happen in the so called Scarlet Night. The event changed the world and a new menace called Demonblight appeared. Her whole life was turned upside down and she changed too as she become basically the monster that monsters fear. I leave it here to not spoil plot points. On her journey she meets other people that join her party. I wont use names to avoid spoilers here too. There is an innocent boy, a member of the church, a ronin (or what the worlds equivalent is), a sorceress and a pirate. Each of them has their own arcs, background (or baggage?) character development and growth. It is well integrated in the story. The story itself fully delivers. What seems as simple revenge plot against a one dimensional bad guys turns out to be far more complex. There are a lot of twist and some will change the believes and expectations of the player and characters. There is also a system called skits which are clips that pop up. Here the characters have conversations. These can be serious, just commentaries or pure comedy gold ;-). I want to praise the developer for this rich cast of characters. It was a refreshing and enjoyable experience. Gameplay: The real time battle system is called Liberation LMBS. You have full control of your character during battle and attack with normal attacks or special attacks (artes), guard or evade. Your are in control of a character and can switch to all active party members (4 active members if I remember correctly). Special abilities need Souls from the Soul Gauge. You have 5 points to use which are restored by time. Emptying it completely has disadvantages but only after unleashing powerful attacks. Of cause there are side quest, mini games and additional content. After finishing the story new additional content is unlocked. The battle system works smoothly and is impactful. I enjoyed the battles and barely ever struggled. It was also great to explore the world and traveling around. Graphical I truly enjoyed the art style and character models. It is anime inspired and won me over. The soundtrack was pretty good but also not in the league that I searched for the songs. I want to praise the voice actors for the good performance. Special praise for the antagonists before I forget this. I have not much negatives to complain. I do not like all mini games and should point out that the ending while satisfying for me can be a disappointment. Overall this was an enjoyable game and I value this experience. It is a strong 9/10 for me with a bad feeling not to have given 10/10. I recommend it for the main character, other characters, story and interactions.… Expand
  18. Stefanobed
    Apr 3, 2021
    8
    Good game not a masterpiece but funny and deep and long story. For me is the 2 best of the series
  19. Steyraus
    Mar 6, 2021
    10
    Amsome game with one of the coolest stories and great combat.. The Story is dark, with twists and surprises. The characters are all compelling, especially Velvet, she is a pure Badarse, sexy and letal.. If you passed on the because of the trash Zesteria or crap games media reviews, you might want to at least guve it a try.
  20. Joekick
    Mar 3, 2021
    10
    A really Fun and Innovative JRPG´S if you like jrpg´s, buy this game.

    If you´re looking for compelling storylines, fun combat and a lot of replayability this game is for you.
  21. Johnden
    Feb 23, 2021
    10
    Best game in the series imo. Was falling out of live with the series but this one is fresh take on the series with the character with darker motives instead of the whole cliche the rest operate on.
  22. Shenandoah
    Feb 7, 2021
    10
    A really nice JRPG which have a lot of story contents. The dialogues are pretty good written, far better than usual. The visuals are mediocre, looks more like a PS3 game, but the in-game cutscenes have their moments, the costumes are the best visual detail in this game. The gameplay is really fun but it needs some time to get an full overview of all the settings and combos you need toA really nice JRPG which have a lot of story contents. The dialogues are pretty good written, far better than usual. The visuals are mediocre, looks more like a PS3 game, but the in-game cutscenes have their moments, the costumes are the best visual detail in this game. The gameplay is really fun but it needs some time to get an full overview of all the settings and combos you need to press. The gameplay and battle system remembers me on Nino Kuni 2. All in all it is a pretty solid RPG not only for hardcore fans of this genre. The size of the package you got from this game is just amazing.

    +1 added for the extra size of story content
    +1 added for the beautiful voice acting (english)    … Expand
  23. Empyrea
    Jan 3, 2021
    7
    This is an average game as most of Tales of games are. The best of this game (as in the rest of the Tales series) is the acting voices. The worst is it's graphics (could be a ps3 game) and espacially the ground texture which is awfull. Plus, the facial expressions should have been better. This game doesn't deserve more than an 8. I also didn't like that they begun talking about daemons,This is an average game as most of Tales of games are. The best of this game (as in the rest of the Tales series) is the acting voices. The worst is it's graphics (could be a ps3 game) and espacially the ground texture which is awfull. Plus, the facial expressions should have been better. This game doesn't deserve more than an 8. I also didn't like that they begun talking about daemons, malakhim, etc too straight as if you already knew what they were talking about. Also, some dungeons/labyrinths should have been shorter an less messy. When you are half of the game, they make you go to places that you already visited and I think this was a mistake because it breaks the rhythm of the game. It's not until you're finishing the game that gets interesting again. Also this game is full of dialogues (and many optional dialogues) that I think sometimes should be shorter (it seems like if the dialogues had to have a minimum of speaking time) and also most of the optinonal dialogues are not really relevant. My advices to fully enjoy this game: feel free to watch the optional dialogues with triangle button when you want to. About other dialogues with voices I recommend to go to speak to the people with this symbol on them (!) if you want to unlock other places (although to be honest you can perfectly skip that too). About the shiny things on the road, take some when you feel to (specially at the beginin to earn money) because most of them have a very low value. About gameplay, in my opinion the best way to play it is in semiautomatic mode and put the x button as a free technic so you don't have to think what to do. To sum up, great voices, good soundtrack, poor graphics, ok plot; overall: a good rpg but not great. I think the best you can do is to go straight for the main story.

    This game took me almost 59 hours to beat doing most of the things I found in my way so it can take you 10 hours less if you don't spend time in extra things or thinking what weapons to improve. I started in difficult mode but soon I played it in normal mode and I only lowed the difficulty 3 times at the end to beat 3 extra bosses.    … Expand
  24. Emrys89
    Jul 20, 2018
    8
    This is by far the best JRPG game I've played for a long time. The story is great with enjoyable character and a very deep story that may not fit a younger audience. Its dark and intriguing story with a fun game play. I do admit though that I didn't get "good" at the combat but it was fun and I did find it fun to explore and do the side-quests.
    This is a great game to play from the Tales    This is by far the best JRPG game I've played for a long time. The story is great with enjoyable character and a very deep story that may not fit a younger audience. Its dark and intriguing story with a fun game play. I do admit though that I didn't get "good" at the combat but it was fun and I did find it fun to explore and do the side-quests.
    This is a great game to play from the Tales series and I hope to see more of such varieties.    … Expand
  25. VasconcelosIta
    Dec 15, 2020
    6
    First game in the tales saga that I played, in general the game is very complete, the story is good, the characters well developed and the combat in general works when necessary, I found the combat mechanics a little sick, especially at the end of the game . in which I feel that script holes definitely bothered me, it's a good gateway to the tales saga. really worth it. with a promotionFirst game in the tales saga that I played, in general the game is very complete, the story is good, the characters well developed and the combat in general works when necessary, I found the combat mechanics a little sick, especially at the end of the game . in which I feel that script holes definitely bothered me, it's a good gateway to the tales saga. really worth it. with a promotion
    .
    Primeiro jogo da saga tales que eu joguei, no geral o jogo é bem completo, a historia e boa, os personagens bem desenvolvidos e o combate no geral funciona quando necessário, eu achei as mecânicas de combate um pouco enjoativas, principalmente no final do jogo. em que sinto que furos de roteiro definitivamente me incomodaram, é uma boa porta de entrada para a saga tales. realmente vale a pena. com uma promoção.    … Expand
  26. OldAndCynical
    Dec 6, 2020
    9
    In my opinion, this is the best of the Tales games. Best cast of characters, best locations, best pacing and the player is not forced to do massive amounts of grinding. And the game just gets better towards the end, with some breathtaking locations at the very end of your memorable journey.
    Must buy for JRPG fans.
  27. Kingdomhear
    Dec 5, 2020
    9
    Trama eccezionale ! Squadra stupenda! Personaggi elaborati in maniera più che perfetta!! Gioco che eccelle in quasi ogni punto
  28. Vagabundork
    Nov 6, 2020
    9
    This review doesn't contain spoilers, I reveal something but without any details, and it's something from the early hours of the game. If this was Mario, I'd be revealing that you fight turles and dragons.

    At the start, it doesn't look like much: a rusting and well meaning girl in a forest town doing some work for her neighbours, but a few hours later, the game turns dark, very dark.    This review doesn't contain spoilers, I reveal something but without any details, and it's something from the early hours of the game. If this was Mario, I'd be revealing that you fight turles and dragons.

    At the start, it doesn't look like much: a rusting and well meaning girl in a forest town doing some work for her neighbours, but a few hours later, the game turns dark, very dark. You are put to jail after witnessing something bad, and when you escape, you swear for revenge. Your enemy? The Pope, no less!

    This is one of those bleak stories where the church is the bad guys (just like in real life), and your character, and your companions, truly embrace that idea. But make no mistake, you (or your companions) are not a holy crusader commited to stop evil ones, no: you're a bunch of flawed people, driven by their passions, who all have their own personal vendettas with the church

    Velvet, our main character, is delightful! She's focused, she has a mission, she has a clear mind and doesn't give a s**t about other's opinion (she doesn't even change her ragged and very revealing clothes... after three years in jail, wearing the same suit, it's obviously tore apart, covering just some strategic places). The rest of her companions are just as interesting, with the witch Magilou as my personal favorite (after Velvet).

    I am not a fan of action RPGs, I am old-school (I am old, I played Final Fantasy 3/6 when it was released in Mexico in the early 90s). I also played Tales of Phantasia, which was good but never finished. I tried to play other Tales games but they are too childish, too familiar, too colorful, too happy, and I like my coffee, my metal and my games very dark, black if possible. And Berseria is black as hell!

    Not everything is good, though. The game is easy. Like, very easy. If you change the difficulty to a higher level, after a while you unblock new difficulty levels, which is a good thing. You can use any of the characters at any time, but I found only Velvet is fun to play, with Laphicet and Eleanor next, but the rest... no, didn't like them. When the game get harder is when you fight special bosses and special monsters. The special bosses are fine, very hard in the sense they hit hard, harder than normal bosses, and you can't damage them a lot. The special monsters are accompanied by two invulnerable companions that follow you, preventing from attacking their commander, who will kill your party very quickly. It's not a challenge, it's an annoyance, but you will kill them on your second try, or you an ignore them (or even lower the difficulty if you really want the prize they grant).

    Also, this is a very japanese game. This means everytime a character makes a move, they have to say the name of the move in loud voice. Every move! This means, during combat, there's screaming non stop, and it can cause you a head ache, no joke. You can turn down the volumen of voice and effects and it improves, but it always feels chaotic. Also, in English, although the voices are ugly (except Velvet's, her voice is perfect in both English and Japanese), they are less noisy, but in japanese, outside the fights, the voices add more character.

    These problems are not a big deal, and for many people they might not even be problems at all.    … Expand
  29. Flammie
    Sep 3, 2020
    8
    Tales of Berseria is a part of tales series, an action rpg with specific battle system. I am not a long time fan of the series but have played few entries to know that this works mostly like others. The plot is very captivating, good enough to keep you wanting to play more and more. The battle system is something I am not a big fan of, it is slightly complicated, based on combos and stuns,Tales of Berseria is a part of tales series, an action rpg with specific battle system. I am not a long time fan of the series but have played few entries to know that this works mostly like others. The plot is very captivating, good enough to keep you wanting to play more and more. The battle system is something I am not a big fan of, it is slightly complicated, based on combos and stuns, but for me it always ends up in rather uninteresting button mashing, Tales have also a lot of collecting and crafting, for my taste a bit too much and the effect of crafting is so limited that I get bored of doing anything besides some +1 for all equipment to get the basic bonuses. The story and good characters really save a lot but it wasn't enough for me to complete game or do end game hunting, it's a decent buy in the discount sales.… Expand
  30. HEVS777
    Sep 2, 2020
    10
    This was a magnificent surprise. I bought the game based on a couple of trailers and my oh my...my expectations where surpassed.
    Combat system is simple, but nice and looks amazing when you use the specials.
    The graphics are the already known for the Tales series, but they are enhanced to take advantage of the PS4. The game has several Anime cutscenes, which are stunning; and the voice    This was a magnificent surprise. I bought the game based on a couple of trailers and my oh my...my expectations where surpassed.
    Combat system is simple, but nice and looks amazing when you use the specials.
    The graphics are the already known for the Tales series, but they are enhanced to take advantage of the PS4. The game has several Anime cutscenes, which are stunning; and the voice acting is great through all the game.
    The story starts as something really simple, but slowly it's starts unwinding into something way more complex, but not to the point that you can't keep up.
    The characters development is not the best, except for the main ones (Velvet and Phi). As you progress, the game brilliantly adds to the mix some serious topics, like the reason to live, free will and human nature. The ending is unexpected, but true to the Plot in such a way you get a very nice and deserved closure.
    After spending 81 hours to complete the main story, I can truthfully say this has become my favorite JRPG so far.    … Expand
  31. Chell_R
    Aug 31, 2020
    3
    The most disappointing Tales of game... -to DATE...

    that Isn't Zesteria...
  32. hotsuma
    Aug 29, 2020
    8
    Finished it in about 3 days, damn. Velvet such OP. Enough said. Even without grinding too much, such a strong player.
  33. Halfnail
    Aug 7, 2020
    10
    One of the best "Tales"... All characters are well written like the story. Gameplay is fun, recommend harder difficulties since combat can be really easy when mastered.
  34. GenocideJack86
    Jul 29, 2020
    7
    The game it looks like was created to ps3. Battle system is the worst I ever saw in Tales of series.Velvet character is irritating always with the Artorius Artorius Artorius monologue. Actually the entire character cast was weight-less except Magilou. It good to see there r always a other side of every story even if it a darker. It totally fits to the zestiria story both of them makes aThe game it looks like was created to ps3. Battle system is the worst I ever saw in Tales of series.Velvet character is irritating always with the Artorius Artorius Artorius monologue. Actually the entire character cast was weight-less except Magilou. It good to see there r always a other side of every story even if it a darker. It totally fits to the zestiria story both of them makes a complex storyline.It got a good amount of endgame content and some funny skit but the zestiria was better. 7 points. Thanks again for reading it and hope you have a good game.… Expand
  35. hsiaruZ
    Jul 21, 2020
    10
    One of the best Tales games ever made
    The story was excellent, and the character are memorable, wish there is much more games with a story and character like this...
  36. cheburagen
    Jul 13, 2020
    9
    У серии Tales долгая история в которую я не играл и не знаю че там.
    Но меня привлекла тут гг поэтому и начал знакомство с этой частью.
    Что-то тут показалось мне не оч, так это переходы в поединки, но это вкусовщина. Странное чувство было, играешь уже долго пытаешься всезде полазить и чето задолбало, но стоило пройти ее и бл*ть опять хочется вернуться в нее. Значит хорошо вышло.    У серии Tales долгая история в которую я не играл и не знаю че там.
    Но меня привлекла тут гг поэтому и начал знакомство с этой частью.
    Что-то тут показалось мне не оч, так это переходы в поединки, но это вкусовщина.
    Странное чувство было, играешь уже долго пытаешься всезде полазить и чето задолбало, но стоило пройти ее и бл*ть опять хочется вернуться в нее. Значит хорошо вышло.
  37. SapphireRose97
    Jun 24, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is not perfect, no game is. However, it is definitely above average. The gameplay is smooth, the voice acting amazing, and the only real problem I have with it is that the graphics and menus could use a little work.

    Now onto what everyone cares about: the characters and story.

    To start, the story is a revenge story which I know isn't everyone's favorite but something that, done well, I really enjoy. Velvet's story of revenge against her brother in law is fantastic, and it's not often that a game gets you to play as someone so morally compromised. In this game you experience the betrayal that Velvet does first hand and you understand how angry she is at Artorius, with this game pulling basically no punches with what she's willing to do. Velvet's character arc is amazing, going from purely revenge driven to using that reputation she's garnered to help save people's lives even if it continues to paint her in a bad life. She had to learn to forgive herself and allow other people in, to love other people.

    The cast is lovable and entertaining despite being morally questionable sometimes. Velvet is fantastic as the main character, always engaging even if you don't agree with her. Rokurou is surprisingly insightful and strikes a nice balance between battle hungry daemon, funny mood lightener, and good friend to all of the team. Eizen has a personality that makes him dryly funny without him ever meaning to and he genuinely enjoys teaching people new things that he's learned on his many pirate journeys - oh yeah did I mention you become pirates? - while learning to come to terms with the curse on him. Magilou is one of those characters that gets better the more you learn about her. She's devious and fun and lighthearted and sarcastic and dramatic and has a deep backstory that only begins to be unraveled at the end of the game. Eleanor is the true good person on the team, joining later into the story and acting as an antagonist to the party for a good chunk. She has to learn to question what she's been taught and grow to accept that Artorius's creed might not fit with what she knows to be right and wrong. Then there's Laphicet. The genuine glue that holds this game and this party together. His is a journey of self discovery, of love, of finding family.

    The characters truly carry this story. While the story is good it can be considered average for a JRPG and the world building is also good but none of that compares to the wonderful character work they do in this game. Genuinely if you haven't, I truly recommend giving this game a try.    … Expand
  38. streame
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    The story is 10/10. The level design is outdated sh*t. The fighting system is really complicated, but fun once you get used to it. If it was not the inntriguing story, I would not have played this game, but the plot saves this one for me. If the studio invests more money into the tech part and game design, the next part must be really great.
  39. Aokana
    Jun 19, 2020
    9
    Overall this is my second favorite Tales game, edging out Tales of Symphonia by a smidge.

    Velvet is a solid protagonist, at first appearing very flat and just the "I"m just varying levels of angry" but as the story evolves we see her go completely nuts and then you get to see a softer side of her at points too. She winds up being pretty varied main character, at least more so than some    Overall this is my second favorite Tales game, edging out Tales of Symphonia by a smidge.

    Velvet is a solid protagonist, at first appearing very flat and just the "I"m just varying levels of angry" but as the story evolves we see her go completely nuts and then you get to see a softer side of her at points too. She winds up being pretty varied main character, at least more so than some of the other Tales protags.

    Overall the story is solid, By no means a masterpiece but it's still good. Throughout the main story and skits you get a good bead on every one of the party members, a bit of their past a bit of their hopes for the future. The interactions between the party often leads to comedy which helps break up the bleakness of the main story and a world where people can turn into demons by having too many negative emotions.

    Combat is great and by far better than most Tales games, it starts off pretty slow but as you gain levels and progress through the story it really picks up. you can expand you combos further by completing side quests and grinding out gear. Take raw gear, break it down and enhance other gear. Pretty straight forward but by combining the right special effects with the right character titles that also grant bonus's and you can extend your combo (called break souls) gauge really far. The higher your gauge the more moves you can combo together which can further extended by using break soul moves. In short if you put the time in you will be rewarded it isn't just about getting further in the game so you can get the new shiny gear.

    The soundtrack is solid, but compared to some other games like final fantasy it's a bit flat. It's good fits the mood well but really doesn't stand out. Graphics are a bit dated but Tales has never been "Bleeding edge" in graphics and has always been more of a budget build. Hopefully Tales of Arise takes things up a notch in this department.

    Overall it's very solid and I find myself coming back to the game time and again whenever I get disappointing by newer games.    … Expand
  40. wad11656
    Jun 6, 2020
    4
    "Overly-sterilized fast-food gaming" is the metaphor that I came up with while finishing the game: It feels like it formulaically does everything a JRPG is supposed to do, but when you bite into the meat of it, it's very bland (like a very nice-looking fast food burger with a perfectly round bun, but with lackluster flavor). The only standout feature this game has is the storytelling: the"Overly-sterilized fast-food gaming" is the metaphor that I came up with while finishing the game: It feels like it formulaically does everything a JRPG is supposed to do, but when you bite into the meat of it, it's very bland (like a very nice-looking fast food burger with a perfectly round bun, but with lackluster flavor). The only standout feature this game has is the storytelling: the quality (and sheer quantity) of writing and voice acting.

    My favorite part of the game were the little clever quips and banter between the characters. I loved the many small-talk conversations they had that fleshed out the world and characters. The conversations rounded out the characters to make them very believable and complex. On top of that, whenever I had a potential plot hole or question in my head, it seemed like almost every time, the triangle-symbol conversation notification popped up at the bottom-right of my screen, where the characters addressed my question [with some excellently clever wordplay and intelligent humor to boot].

    Plot developments also trickled into the story along the way in a calculated fashion, instead of everything being revealed at once. Some of these plot developments & explanations were really annoying to wait for, however (i.e., Who is this Magilou girl? What's even her story or connection to any of this?). But overall, I found it really cool to slowly discover truths behind the game's story.

    Even though the text translation is quite bad (typos and translation discrepancies throughout the game; there's even a difficulty level they call one thing in the difficulty menu, but something entirely different in item descriptions! What??), the audio aspects of the translation are great.

    Now here's the bad: The game mechanics themselves are extremely sub-par. Battles always felt so dry, lifeless and mind-numbing (once you got over the epicness of the Mystic Artes/Break Souls). (Perhaps some of that apathy/boredom comes with having already played multiple JRPG's in your life.) Movement in the overworld is also robotic and choppy. Tutorials are terrible: There are these HUGE blocks of text that describe different battle aspects, but there's hardly any in-battle practice where you can truly learn the functionality/meaning of different moves/items. This made me too nervous to branch out into using different characters in battle besides Velvet.

    You could mostly cheese battles as long as you got a breaksoul chain going anyway, so learning many of the mechanics was never important to make it to the last boss of the game, on the hardest difficulty available without EVER moving down to an easier difficulty. (Sidenote, I hate games that allow you to change difficulty mid-game, and games that secretly lower difficulty of certain sections after you die enough times on them. How demeaning.)

    Deciding what items to dismantle is a brain-numbing, plain-text dump of a nightmare. In the tutorial for dismantling, the tutor says you'll eventually become a natural at it. Nope! There's no way of knowing the monetary value of an item in the Dismantle menu. I don't think you can see the stat boosts it gives your characters while in the Dismantle menu either. It's therefore very difficult to determine which items you'd like to keep, sell, or upgrade. I ended up just dismantling pretty much everything that a character didn't have equipped at the time and crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. JRPG's NEED to stop this; they need to figure out a user-friendly way to upgrade items and how to determine which items are worth keeping (by showing their monetary and stat values in the Dismantle menu).

    There's also item effects that make certain items more capable/powerful against certain "types" of foes: demi-human, person, undead, etc. I NEVER had to change my items to fit what I was fighting. I tried once, but the icons and names for the enemy types were not matching up; were there translation inconsistencies with the enemy types too, just like the difficulty levels? Seesh. I have no idea how major translation errors in major game mechanics like difficulty level and enemy types can slip through the cracks. Seems like the translation team was really rushed and focused a lot more on the audio/voice acting aspect of it (where we find the most quality the game delivers). Most of the item effects, you read and tell yourself "I have no idea what that means."

    So yeah, decent at first, but after 90 hours of main story gameplay (I don't remember doing a ton of side stuff) and becoming bored of the cinematography and apathetic even to the dialogue and characters (the features I liked most), I am so done. If I were to rate a 1-10 on the "fun" factor, it'd be a 0-2. I have to credit/acknowledge the writers/translators for the excellent voice acting and intelligent humor, so that's the only reason I'm giving it more. I'm never playing a game from this stale, repetitive, boring series again.    … Expand
  41. XxAlbertoBuzzxX
    Jun 2, 2020
    8
    Tales Of Berseria
    .........................................................
  42. krs256
    Apr 18, 2020
    10
    This is not a perfect game, but it surprised me, and I enjoyed playing every bit of the ~43 hours I spent with it. It made me lough, it made me think, and I had A LOT of fun with it.

    The characters in this game are the main selling point. Each and every of the main characters we deal with are very likable and have a distinct personality. The amazing skits implemented in this game reveal    This is not a perfect game, but it surprised me, and I enjoyed playing every bit of the ~43 hours I spent with it. It made me lough, it made me think, and I had A LOT of fun with it.

    The characters in this game are the main selling point. Each and every of the main characters we deal with are very likable and have a distinct personality. The amazing skits implemented in this game reveal (in kind of a natural way) new and interesting things about them - both serious and funny.

    This game is very well paced, and not once did I think "man, this section drags out for so long.." - there is no grinding required, and sections in which there is a lot of travel are usually filled with skits (which are really awesome) that I mentioned above.

    The combat system is is quite fun (not the best perhaps, but definitely good).

    Also, the game runs very smoothly, and loading times are almost non-existent - which is also worth mentioning given how these technical aspects ruin the experience for some other games.

    I bought this game at a discounted price, but even if I would buy it at full price - I would still think I got my money's worth and be very satisfied with it.

    This is my third "tales of" game. The first was "Tales of Abyss" which was excellent, second was "Tales of Graces F" which I was disappointed with (although the disappointment came closer to the end-game), and now "Tales of Berseria" delivered an amazing experience for me again.

    I recommend this game not only to "Tales of" fans. And to the developers - thank you for creating it :)    … Expand
  43. Offyourocker
    Apr 3, 2020
    0
    this game can pretty much be summed up with the sentence "sometime's i'm angry, other times i'm less angry". now, if that didn't make it clear enough, the story is questionable at best. beyond that, the graphics aren't something a person should expect beyond early ps3. the game play? technically, that can also be summed up by my initial quote. i'm not even sure if the companions DOthis game can pretty much be summed up with the sentence "sometime's i'm angry, other times i'm less angry". now, if that didn't make it clear enough, the story is questionable at best. beyond that, the graphics aren't something a person should expect beyond early ps3. the game play? technically, that can also be summed up by my initial quote. i'm not even sure if the companions DO anything, and i'm fairly certain your monstrous hand does all the work. as a more personal issue, i found ingredient collection and weapon creation to be the most tedious i've ever seen in a game. one ingredient in particular can only be obtained from breaking weapons/armor that don't have a buff effect and it's a basic upgrade material that's "most easily" obtainable that way. due to "perks" you get as you continue the game it makes it even harder to get un-buffed equipment. not to mention they are entirely random. you want to focus on a specific build? not if your equipment doesn't allow you to. lastly, due to how the weapon experience bar works, it makes it feel even less pleasant upgrading or changing equipment.… Expand
  44. YouDontKnowMe22
    Mar 7, 2020
    10
    It was a random purchase, i had never really heard of any Tales games before. From the very start the game had me interested and it kept the same pace for a while. Once you get to the first open world location it does slow down however it does not last long.

    The combat at first feels stiff but once you gain a few levels and learn new artes the combat feels amazing. The music is    It was a random purchase, i had never really heard of any Tales games before. From the very start the game had me interested and it kept the same pace for a while. Once you get to the first open world location it does slow down however it does not last long.

    The combat at first feels stiff but once you gain a few levels and learn new artes the combat feels amazing.

    The music is outstanding, for me music means a lot and playing game like Final Fantays 7 and Kingdom Hearts the music really holds up well, my favourite theme was Roxas theme kh2FM but now a theme from Tales is loved about the same, it is Zaveid's theme and Velvets.

    Overall the story was a bit predicatable but it does contain plot twist i never saw coming and the ending had me shocked even lead me to have watery eyes. I also done all optional main character side quest to give more meaning to my play through and the quality is similar the the game.

    The graphics are amazing for a animated game and each location does not look the same like other animated games like code vein.

    Overall i finished the main story in about 34 hours, done all code red hunts, the EX dungeons, the secret bosses which lead my playtime to about 48 hours. and with the optional side quest and collecting all chest my total playtime was 54 hours.

    This is defiently a amazing game and something a lot of people shoudl pick up and discuss more before the newsest addition to the series Tales of Arise is out.    … Expand
  45. kennethkoole
    Jan 3, 2020
    5
    What could have been a great game is let down by its gameplay which although fun has some glaring problems which are especially noticable on higher difficulties.
  46. midipon
    Dec 6, 2019
    9
    Berseria is a step in the right direction for the series. Where Zestiria had me doing my best to avoid double-encounters, Berseria made me seek them out. Battling is so much fun and wandering around is so comfy. The story is unique and the characters are funny and interesting. This is easily one of the best Tales games. I hope ToArise is even better!
  47. Magenta1991
    Nov 14, 2019
    8
    Logra corregir muchas cosas que Zestiria hizo mal. Logra contarte una historia de villanos sin vendértelos como personajes edgys o de cartón de una forma convincente, aún así el casting se siente desincronizado en sus motivos y forma de relacionarse. En entregas anteriores tenemos a Lloyd, Cless, Stanh, y Yuri que sirven como punto de apoyo para todo el grupo. En Tales of Berseria VelvetLogra corregir muchas cosas que Zestiria hizo mal. Logra contarte una historia de villanos sin vendértelos como personajes edgys o de cartón de una forma convincente, aún así el casting se siente desincronizado en sus motivos y forma de relacionarse. En entregas anteriores tenemos a Lloyd, Cless, Stanh, y Yuri que sirven como punto de apoyo para todo el grupo. En Tales of Berseria Velvet no puede servir ese papel y no hay nadie que lleve la batuta de mantener junto al equipo en su remplazo. Pese a esos detalles la historia consigue mantenerse firme y solida hasta el final otorgando una conclusión satisfactoria. El gameplay es divertido y cada personaje es único, la música flaquea bastante y solo un par de temas serán recordados a futuro… Expand
  48. takisdv
    Nov 9, 2019
    10
    Amazing action battle system while retaining the rpg concepts...the graphics are not amazing but the art design.. storyline and characters are amazing..the story is dark and serious while having the jrpg/anime.tropes that all jrpg fans love..amazing..cannot wait for tales of arise
  49. SenseiMiguel
    Sep 1, 2019
    9
    Me gustó el juego. Que lastima q censuraron algunas escenas en occidente. Me hubiera gustado tenerlo tal cual q en japon. Pero overall es muy bueno.
  50. Alanh
    Aug 28, 2019
    10
    loved the dark story line, loved the companionship of the team going with you, each character is really different and you feel for them, and the jokes they make, im about 80 hours in and almost done, final boss supposedly awaits. battle system is fun, i really enjoyed it, the walking is bit much until later in the game, the dungeons a bit boring but the story is 11/10 for me, the pain,loved the dark story line, loved the companionship of the team going with you, each character is really different and you feel for them, and the jokes they make, im about 80 hours in and almost done, final boss supposedly awaits. battle system is fun, i really enjoyed it, the walking is bit much until later in the game, the dungeons a bit boring but the story is 11/10 for me, the pain, regret, and anguish of the main character. love it. Tried tales of graces f i think for ps3 and was so cringeworthy and weird. theres a few cringy jokes in this one too but they moslty made me laugh out loud. any other games out there like this ill pick them up. for me a must buy.… Expand
  51. bersi84
    Jan 3, 2019
    8
    A worthy charme with awesome characters but some flaws that breaks the "could-be-an-awesome-game" aura. Feels like I want to give it a 9 but the flaws are pushing it to a 6-7 so I decided for an 8 because I enjoyed most of the game a lot. For the record: never played the game series before, did not hurt me at all going into Berseria.

    I will not go deep into the story. It is your usual    A worthy charme with awesome characters but some flaws that breaks the "could-be-an-awesome-game" aura. Feels like I want to give it a 9 but the flaws are pushing it to a 6-7 so I decided for an 8 because I enjoyed most of the game a lot. For the record: never played the game series before, did not hurt me at all going into Berseria.

    I will not go deep into the story. It is your usual good against bad, with some twist, some magic, some fantasy-ilke assets and loads of JRPG of course. It brings tons of drama a lot of humour and things about life that a worthy to think about. Overall the story is pretty decent with some drops at times.

    The graphics engine is a little bit rusty but I found it pretty appealing to be honest. It runs fluent with no hiccups on the PS4 Pro and has good enough details for my taste in comparison to other genre games. Effects are nice, characters are sweet, the open world is typically a little bit out of details but okay-ish. The movement and combat feels like fluent 60 fps-ish.

    The sound is JRPG typical, pretty decent. Same goes to the combat sounds. Nothing too annoying and brings in the feeling at the right points.

    The combat system comes short in my personal opinion. You are fighting with a group of up to 4 playabable characters and 2 substitutes. Combat is realtime not round based but can be interrupted for item control and analyzing. Main group and subs can be swapped in seamlessly which is well made. The combat system relies on a mix of magical and physical arts that can be combined in combos and laid onto buttons. I found it irritating and too complex. A lot of the spells are not deep enough explained and I played the whole game only on my main, which I found most suiting. The AI works decently at normal difficult. With standard equipment un-upgraded the AI is able to defeat the final boss itself which I found surprising.

    The world is interconnected with transportation by ship, teleportation in lategame/ng+, by foot or hoverboard which is okay if not for the way too intense backtracking. You go to the same places over and over and over. You move to the deepest floor for one talk and all the way up, and all the way out and all the way back and that over and over which gets frustrating at times. The dungeon design feels bad. It has too many dead ends where circles would be beneficial and sometimes you are getting lost by the amount of entries and exists (especially at the end). Overall the continents and monsters are well designed and bring variety to the game.

    The characters you meet and play are simply awesome (11/10)!! Still there is one big flaw for me: the main heroine can be really annoying at times. The beginning and the end is cool but the 60% in between feel like an overexhausted rant of denial and revenge which got me pissed at times and did not feel well balanced in comparison to the other characters which seemed PERFECTLY integrated and texted. I do watch a lot anime in japanese audio but played Berseria in english. The voice acting is very good in my opinion and I liked them more as the japanese ones.

    To buy or not to buy?
    I would say go for it if you like JRPGs. Grab it at a decent sale and you got nothing to lose. I finished by 45hrs on the clock with some backtracking but I tried to explore as good as possible also doing a lot of side-stuff. I guess you will need around 60 to 80hrs for 100% completion. I paid 15 bucks for it so thats a decent trade. I would not suggest to pay more then 15-20 for it though.    … Expand
  52. eruciform
    Dec 22, 2018
    9
    ** OVERALL 9.0/10 ** Gameplay 9/10 - Creativity 9/10 - Music 8/10 - Visuals 9/10 - Characters 10/10 - Plotline 9/10 - Emotional Engagement 9/10 - Replayability */10 (to be explained in review) - Difficulty */10 (also to be explained)

    This was probably the best Tales game in the series that I've played. Though I do have to say that when I played Tales of Symphonia, I did every single    ** OVERALL 9.0/10 ** Gameplay 9/10 - Creativity 9/10 - Music 8/10 - Visuals 9/10 - Characters 10/10 - Plotline 9/10 - Emotional Engagement 9/10 - Replayability */10 (to be explained in review) - Difficulty */10 (also to be explained)

    This was probably the best Tales game in the series that I've played. Though I do have to say that when I played Tales of Symphonia, I did every single extra in the game and immediately started another New Game+ upon finishing, whereas I did not do that this time in Berseria. That being said, I think the gameplay is better here, the characters are better, and the plot is better.

    The characters are top-notch, and the plotline is epic and just unexpected enough to be engaging all the way through.

    Gameplay 9/10

    The controls are well done and smooth. They take a while to get used to the flow of battle, but it eventually becomes second nature, and the interface is reasonably natural. It does what you want most of the time and doesn't stick or fail to take input very often. Outside of battle, the camera is controllable and reasonable. And even if the geoboard is a little flaky and sensitive, you also get used to that, and it's a welcome interface.

    Creativity 9/10

    Overall well done. Creative characters, enemies, locations, backgrounds, weapons, skills, etc.

    Music 8/10

    While there are no single stand out tracks that I'd listen to outside the game, they were still all well done. I particularly liked the Dannan Highway - very epic adventure.

    Visuals 9/10

    Locations and characters are gorgeously rendered. Even the non-prerendered non-animated scenes were really well done.

    Characters 10/10

    Maybe the strongest part of the game. Very well fleshed out characters. I love their interactions, they're all very relatable, and they interact with each other in very realistic and engaging ways. There's a ton of interaction between them, in terms of cutscenes, little stillframe theater-like scenes, and animations.

    They all had me smiling or crying half the time, the portrayal was so good. In particular, even in the non-pre-rendered portions, the body movements, facial expressions, chroeography, and voice acting were SUPERB. (Oh, I played in Japanese with English subtitles, so my voice acting commentary is for that.) I honestly can't think of any game that I've ever played that has stood up to it. They absolutely nailed the body language and facial expressions. Nailed.

    Plotline 9/10

    Excellent fantasy plotline, lots of twists and turns, but nothing too much out of left field changing things "just for plot reasons". You can see a lot of things coming, but a lot you can't. And it all serves to drive the excellent character development.

    Emotional Engagement 9/10

    As I said in the character section, it had me laughing and crying consistently. Very engaging.

    Replayability */10

    This is one of those infinitely replayable games because it has a New Game+ mode. I haven't tried it yet, because if you want all the NG+ benefits, you have to grind a bit in the postgame for "grade" points, and I didn't feel like it. But I imagine it will be fun a second time.

    Difficulty */10

    Hard to pin down because there's a difficulty section that you can change at any time other than literally during a battle. However, if you lose a plot battle, you can retry and reset the difficulty to anything you want. There are no penalties for playing on easier, but some weapon skills only pop up on items when earned at higher difficulties. But set it to anything you want and have fun. I had it set to the third-highest difficulty, Hard, most of the time, and died a couple times here and there, but not that often. It was consistently a challenge without being annoying.    … Expand
  53. Serafion
    Dec 10, 2018
    9
    Why are so many bad reviews just 1 or 0? Games like Falout 76, No Mans Sky or Ride to Hell get 1 out of 10, because they have too many problems. I mean, the game works as intended, there are no game breaking bugs, the gameplay isn't just button mashing, when you don't play on the easiest difficulty, you have plenty to do in the game, the game isn't something else it pretends to be, itWhy are so many bad reviews just 1 or 0? Games like Falout 76, No Mans Sky or Ride to Hell get 1 out of 10, because they have too many problems. I mean, the game works as intended, there are no game breaking bugs, the gameplay isn't just button mashing, when you don't play on the easiest difficulty, you have plenty to do in the game, the game isn't something else it pretends to be, it doesn't lack quality... and why are there a lot of bad reviews that just look copy - paste? And most of those have just reviewed this game. And most of the problems they have, are just nitpicks. There must be some serious resentment for some reason, which I can't explain. .

    I am not used to this game's style of combat, and it didn't really fit my prefference, because I mostly play isometric RPGs (Shadowrun, Tyranny) or action RPGs (Dark Souls, Witcher for example), or action adventures (like DMC, Darksiders). It was hard for me to figure out.

    I didn't like most JRPGs, because they had either bad pacing or stupid generic anime tropes, so this one really surprised me. It was able to utilise some of that classic anime **** but make it actually work and make it feel way less generic and actually not cringy unlike 99% of modern anime.

    Yes, there were some stupid dialogues with the "Why do the birds fly?", but the story was well constructed, without gaps and dull moments where you wouldn't care. There are other moments that do make you care and maybe even cry. The script makes sense. The twists weren't predictable, but they make sense in the whole picture. The set up to most things was really good and also makes sense. The characters make sense. The pacing is good. Characters have good chemistry between each other. They are different from characters I am used to, so I don't find them bland at all. I hate modern anime, but this felt like older anime I loved watching growing up.

    It's not perfect, of coarse, but the 1 point reviews must have some meaning behind it... probably some hurt feelings or something. I wanted to give it 8, because I didn't like the combat that much and it took me longer to figure out than Dark Souls, but I think it's just because I am not used to this style. Oh, and the ending could have been much better. It wasn't really that well explained and even though most of the game was set up very well, the ending, after you beat the last boss, wasn't that well set up. It wasn't as satisfactory as I would have hoped and left a lot of questions. That's maybe because I didn't play Tales of Zestiria, which this is a prequel of.

    But in the end, it was something new and fresh for me, so I give it a pass for the combat.    … Expand
  54. dianiche
    Nov 20, 2018
    10
    Sin dudas el mejor juego de la saga Tales of, hermoso, buenas mecánicas, entretenido y la historia es realmente atrapante.
  55. ragnarokew
    Nov 3, 2018
    5
    Good Story ✔ Plot is intriguing enough
    Cast is great ✔ Only thing saves this game
    Combat System✔ Its more refined but still can be improved Terrible World design ✘As always tales series comes up with very uninspiring and empty world design and graphics aren't helping either Bad script &ok voice acting ✘Again as always lots of overacting ,melodramatic script.Its unfair to say "bad    Good Story ✔ Plot is intriguing enough
    Cast is great ✔ Only thing saves this game
    Combat System✔ Its more refined but still can be improved

    Terrible World design ✘As always tales series comes up with very uninspiring and empty world design and graphics aren't helping either
    Bad script &ok voice acting ✘Again as always lots of overacting ,melodramatic script.Its unfair to say "bad script" i mean its mostly bad ofc there is good in it.
    Repetitive ✘ Again as always ^_^

    Overall its ok game important thing is what are you looking for in this game , flaws of this game can be overlooked depending on you.For me its 5/10    … Expand
  56. dashantaozi
    Sep 7, 2018
    8
    With such a likable cast, the game's story should've been better, but the outdated graphics and uninspiring music hurt its presentation.
    Though not very balanced, the combat is still fun.
  57. SplitMind
    Jun 27, 2018
    8
    I think this game can really depend on the perspective you take going into it. I have cycled through a love-hate relationship with it but as I progressed it fell firmly into a love category.

    The biggest positive I want to emphasise are the visuals. Whilst they seem cell-shaded and simplistic, I have often found myself pausing when entering a new area simply to take it all in. The    I think this game can really depend on the perspective you take going into it. I have cycled through a love-hate relationship with it but as I progressed it fell firmly into a love category.

    The biggest positive I want to emphasise are the visuals. Whilst they seem cell-shaded and simplistic, I have often found myself pausing when entering a new area simply to take it all in. The colours are so vivid and vibrant that the world becomes a joy to venture through even if it can be repetitive or elongated.

    The gameplay is the 'marmite' of this game, as you can succeed through technical finesse or by button-mashing, however I see this as a forte of the game in being accessible for those of us (like me) who are new to the series whilst allowing more hard-core players to retain their control and micro-management elements.

    The soundtrack is very befitting; neither intrusive nor absent. It fits the bill for a typical JRPG but I doubt anyone will rush to seek it out ala FFX.

    Overall, this game seems to grow on me the more I play it. Like a typical JRPG, one should not give up on it within the first few hours. It can take a while but is very rewarding. However, this is nothing new to JRPGs and that is why I capped it at four stars; a great game but not the only great game of this genre and it doesn't quite stand out amongst the Persona 5 and Ni No Kuni of recent years. If anything this game is actually a tad too long. I completed it in just under 50 hours but the gameplay had become quite repetitive by that point and I just wanted to see the ending.

    If you're craving another JRPG, then definitely go for it. The humour and writing is excellent!    … Expand
  58. Revoltado
    May 21, 2018
    6
    Melhor tales dessas últimas safras... História boa, personagens carismáticos, um zestiria mais caprichado... Porém saliento o que não gostei:
    - gráficos ultrapassados
    - Assim como alguns Tales, ausência de alguns elementos nas skills (muitas são misturas elementais) não existe gelo, luz, escuridão, eletricidade... - Pior de tudo é o tempo gasto manuseando inventário... terrível e    Melhor tales dessas últimas safras... História boa, personagens carismáticos, um zestiria mais caprichado... Porém saliento o que não gostei:
    - gráficos ultrapassados
    - Assim como alguns Tales, ausência de alguns elementos nas skills (muitas são misturas elementais) não existe gelo, luz, escuridão, eletricidade...
    - Pior de tudo é o tempo gasto manuseando inventário... terrível e exagerado mais da metade do jogo é gasta em lojas destruindo e evoluindo equipamentos...Fora o farm grotesco se quiser ter uma arma boa, a probabilidade é negativa fiquei mais de dia tentando pegar as melhores armas, realmente peguei umas 500 todas com péssimos atributos
    -Dificuldade extrema de vc pegar um equipamento com melhores atributos para cada personagem... farm farm e mais farm e muita frustação    … Expand
  59. GorineitorAkagi
    May 21, 2018
    8
    El juego me gusto bastante , pero no se puede comparar con tales of symphonia , la historia va bastante lenta en berseria, los combates duran bastante bastante poco , pero visualmente es muy bonito y se pueden hacer los combos con facilidad eso le da fluidez al combate pero tampoco se puede comparar al lado de lloyd len pelea pero si en carisma aunque sea una protagonista un poco jedi delEl juego me gusto bastante , pero no se puede comparar con tales of symphonia , la historia va bastante lenta en berseria, los combates duran bastante bastante poco , pero visualmente es muy bonito y se pueden hacer los combos con facilidad eso le da fluidez al combate pero tampoco se puede comparar al lado de lloyd len pelea pero si en carisma aunque sea una protagonista un poco jedi del lado oscuro teniendo buen corazon.… Expand
  60. vahn
    Mar 24, 2018
    8
    I'm not a super huge fan of tales, especially since I come from Europe and we still didn't get most of their games here like Legendia, Destiny and Abyss (which is a very recent arrival here thanks to the 3ds re-release), so I'm very unbiased here.

    But I'll start with the positives: the plot itself is your general "world in peril" and with someone wanting to cleanse the world from    I'm not a super huge fan of tales, especially since I come from Europe and we still didn't get most of their games here like Legendia, Destiny and Abyss (which is a very recent arrival here thanks to the 3ds re-release), so I'm very unbiased here.

    But I'll start with the positives: the plot itself is your general "world in peril" and with someone wanting to cleanse the world from despair and negativity, which is nothing spectacular or original and it's seen in countless other RPGs.
    However, what saves this game from being another generic tale of saving the world it's the writing of the characters and how brilliantly they are developed throughout the game, making an uninteresting and boring plot much more relatable and likable.
    For starters, Velvet is a MUCH better main protagonist than Milla Maxwell - who was an unlikeable and cruel B who should've been a villain - and her constant anger and hatred are explained and fitting from the start: you'll see her losing everything she has and her reaction is reasonable. It only gets "worse" later on but I won't spoil here: let me just say that Velvet "snaps" and starts to lose herself to despair and anger even more, becoming completely "berserk".

    But don't worry because also the rest of the main and sub protagonists are extremely well written and likable, with relatable backstories and overall believable dialogues (except maybe Magilou, but that's her quirk). Everyone, from the villains to the NPCs you meet are relatable in a way or another and even if I praised Velvet a lot, the best-developed protagonist is definitely Laphicet and his literal journey from blandness to fully grown character (without any exaggeration)

    The others are quite good too and all of them have their unique quirks: Magilou is the oddball, always spouting remarks and overacting in her voice, but beneath all that oddity hides a struggling woman who tries to "joke" on her past and has quite the broken heart.
    Eizen is a pirate and also a Malak (or seraphim), but he's also very passionate and incredibly caring for his team and his sister, which is another reference from Zestiria.
    Rokurou starts out pretty one dimensional but he becomes more likable and shows his laid back personality but also his honor, despite being a Daemon
    Eleanor also starts out rather bland, but not only she becomes a much better character later on, but she also shows her flaws and, ironically, her thirst for revenge against daemons.

    And last but not definitely not least, the entire cast of sub characters are amazing and very, very enjoyable to talk within the skits and while I won't spoil anything, I really had a blast listening to their dialogues and cutscenes and I would actively search for them whenever I had time.

    ....too bad this game has one major flaw: the combat

    Now I could also mention how the graphics don't look amazing (it's ps3 graphics in hd), how the lack of world map makes it very annoying to travel and other things, but my biggest gripe with the game is the combat and that's because...well...it's broken AF.

    In combat you have 5 icons above your hp called Soul Gauge: these are your TP and are needed to use artes. The more you have, the stronger you are and the more artes you can use without having to stop; you start most fights with 3 and you gain more by stunning the enemy with your attacks which will make them drop their soul shards.

    Problem is, this also works against you and unlike your enemies, you can get stunned almost instantly in one hit...and then die from being ganged from the entire enemy team.

    This was incredibly annoying, and it's not even because I played on moderate-hard, because what killed me most times is how enemies will often stun me and kill me (my character) while ignoring the other 3. It doesn't help that the dodging mechanic is freaking bad and not reliable, especially when 3-5 enemies are all ganging on you: you're bound to get damaged eventually and that one damage can stun lock you to death, which is what caused me to nearly quit the game at some points... but I didn't so I cheated by using Eizen and his infinite blast gauge attacks due to his high stun rate.

    Hey if the computer cheats, so will I!

    I could also explain how the mastery system is pretty lame - essentially Vesperia with much weaker skills but all active - and how the Katz's chest are annoying due to gathering coins, but those are tolerable nitpicks.

    For me, what turned me off was the combat that kept relied too much on inflicting stuns and even after learning dodging and other things, all the enemy needed was one hit to stun me and kill me within seconds...and I had enough.

    Still an amazing story and overall great game, but I think the combat could've used more polish and not because of the stuns (Rokurou is meh, Eleanor becomes better after the final dungeon, and Velvet can't stunlock like eizen).

    Definitely worth a shot, despite my ranting about combat.    … Expand
  61. tomvs123
    Mar 9, 2018
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If you're looking for an intelligent, convincing, and dark story, this isn't it. Out of 32 years of gaming, this is one of the worst stories with the most unconvincing characters I've experienced. Spoilers below.

    The story might seem good if you read a synopsis (from the protagonist's initial point of view). Girl's brother is killed secretly by a high-ranking official, so she goes on a revenge rampage, killing innocents along the way until her brother is avenged.

    This isn't exactly unique, but there's plenty of room to fill in the gaps to create a great and dark tale. At least, that's what I was hoping..

    It's Immediately obvious that the protagonist's reason for revenge is suspect. As you witness his death, there's no signs that he was being forced. And the respected brother-in-law (supposed murderer) must have a good reason for killing his little brother. How about we just ask him? No? Okay, then the protagonist will go into her stupid blind rage and ignore the obvious issues with the situation.

    It is explained far later in the story that the little brother asked the brother-in-law not to tell the protagonist that he was willingly being sacrificed (to save humanity). Why a secret? The writers likely realized that the whole blind rage thing was a bit unbelievable, so they threw this in... And it was obviously thrown in as it makes no sense.

    And what does the protagonist do after realizing that her brother wanted to die and that her blind rampage is meaningless? After a bit of uncharacteristic stupid rage (for the most part she's portrayed as being mature and intelligent), she decides to continue on with her quest for revenge, primarily because that's all she's known for the past three years and her friends (of about a month) like her more when she wants to murder people.

    At this point in the story, all intelligence went out the window and I lost all hope in the game. It couldn't have possibly recovered from that, and I was right.

    It then turns into a story where you're actually the good guys. The sacrificing your brother to save humanity thing actually turns humans into emotionless drones. That's bad because the story tells us it's bad, so then we go on a quest to save humanity, although still pretending we're evil along the way.

    So that's it. You save humanity and everyone who had previously been stricken with the world's daemon disease is magically cured. And this was supposed to be a dark story... Well, at least the protagonist got stuck in a sort of limbo due to a last-minute inadequately-explained reason.

    And if issues with the main plot weren't enough, every single character is poorly-written with motivations that make no sense.

    First of all, the protagonist is now 19 and spent the last three years in a cell only eating daemons. When she comes out, she's a mature and intelligent woman who knows more than she should about the world. That makes no sense for someone who has been in solitary confinement for three years. Maybe she went on dates with the daemons around town before eating them.. There's just no reasonable explanation.

    Most of the characters in your party join and stay for silly reasons. Rokurou: You told him where to find a sword (that you passed up for no good reason earlier). So he just sort of stays forever and makes up more reasons to stay as time goes on. Eizen the pirate: He joins to fight your brother-in-law because he thinks they stole his captain. Let me clarify there: He and his crew join a 19 year old girl and start taking orders from this girl. The girl doesn't join them...

    Number two actually joined for a good reason (he was forced), but there's other major character problems with him. He looks to be about 10, was born 3 years ago, and his personality had been sealed that entire time. Now it's unsealed and over the course of about one month, he turns into a completely normal sociable 10-year-old. It takes much much longer than that to build social skills. Hell, I've seen 40 year olds who are still working on some.

    And then there's other little bits of nonsense here and there. Like when you first get out of confinement and just happen to find some demon lingerie in a treasure chest and decide to wear it for the full game. And characters just happen to pop up (on the other side of the world) exactly when you need them to do something or explain something (that Zaveid guy does it multiple times), which makes no sense story-wise.

    Oh, and the game is covered in unnecessary and uncharacteristic comedy. Also, the NPCs have nothing interesting or useful to say. It's like their lines are lifted directly from a different Tales game. I had to stop viewing the optional skits and talking to NPCs about 10 hours in to be able to bear the game.

    It's insulting how bad this story was put together. I'm shocked that so many people like it. Maybe they're just focusing on the gameplay, or the game's target audience just doesn't care about plot holes.    … Expand
  62. k227
    Feb 12, 2018
    10
    Well. It was my first Tales games.

    In one word "Amazing"

    One of my favourites RPG on PS4. The story was so good that was worth every single hour in the game.
  63. FabioSS
    Jan 31, 2018
    10
    Tales of Berseria one of the best ps4 rpg and one of the best of all time. Unique and fun battle system. Great RPG!
  64. shiftyman
    Dec 28, 2017
    9
    Another hidden gem of 2017, ticks all the boxes, soundtrack, combat, voice acting and story.
  65. Darkbozo
    Dec 3, 2017
    6
    No original plot. Too much "little talks" during gameplay. The battle is a bit confusing in boring. a lot of unecessary walk. Go to A, then go to B, then return to A...then B again...now C...return to A. This is kinda boring too.
  66. Slytherin
    Oct 13, 2017
    6
    Better than the last couple of Tales of games but it's still Tales. Mediocre, lackluster, boring, repetitive. Everything you'd expect from a Tales of a game after Vesperia.
  67. pincifederico
    Sep 4, 2017
    9
    A big metaphor of the war on terror that has you play as a terrorist. Don't be fooled by the childish presentation, this game is far more adult than it looks. Some cheesiness towards the end and a finale that is eventually not as challenging as the rest of the game are probably its big flaws but overall this is the best Tales to date and one of the best games of 2017. It's a whooping 50A big metaphor of the war on terror that has you play as a terrorist. Don't be fooled by the childish presentation, this game is far more adult than it looks. Some cheesiness towards the end and a finale that is eventually not as challenging as the rest of the game are probably its big flaws but overall this is the best Tales to date and one of the best games of 2017. It's a whooping 50 hours game, make sure you make some time for it.… Expand
  68. jaredoutlet
    Aug 30, 2017
    9
    My first tales game and I can't recommend it enough. Very fun and engaging combat and colorful art style. The graphics won't blow you away but I enjoyed them, especially considering it is a port of a PS4 title.
  69. MazinroboX2
    Aug 28, 2017
    9
    This game is sublime! I had never played a Tales game before, but decided to give this a chance, and I am not disappointed! I haven't finished it yet, but I am very close to the end, 66 hours in (yes, it's very long!) Everything works well in the game! Battles are fun and fluent, and allow a lot of different strategies. But what stands out in this RPG are the story and the characters, bothThis game is sublime! I had never played a Tales game before, but decided to give this a chance, and I am not disappointed! I haven't finished it yet, but I am very close to the end, 66 hours in (yes, it's very long!) Everything works well in the game! Battles are fun and fluent, and allow a lot of different strategies. But what stands out in this RPG are the story and the characters, both are epic. The main characters of this game are my favourite of all time, they are all so charismatic and different, and form such a great group. Another amazing thing is the theme of the game, quite unusual, as in this one you are the bad guy! Velvet (the main character) seeks revenge no matter what, and she will do whatever is necessary to get it! And the story is very well written, this is an RPG full of text and things to read.

    Sidequests are also nice, they give depth to the game, there is a lot to do, minigames, looking for treasures, fighting many optional opponents, getting equipment and abilities for your party... I've read there is a bit of postgame too, but can't talk about that as I am not there yet. Maybe the weakest points of the game are its graphics (it can be seen it comes from a Ps3 game, but they still look pretty good) and its maps are a bit empty and any of them is memorable, they are quite generic.

    All in all, I am really happy with this game and look forward to playing more Tales games, and if you like RPGs, give this game a try! You won't be disappointed!    … Expand
  70. Lullabye_bye
    Aug 28, 2017
    1
    As someone who has only played some of the worse games of the Tales franchise, I have to say that this game is the one I'd regard as the worst. The combat system is dull and boring, even compared to some turn-based combat systems, the characters are incredibly one dimensional, and the narrative is, to be frank, a big pile of horse dung.

    On the combat system: there is little to no    As someone who has only played some of the worse games of the Tales franchise, I have to say that this game is the one I'd regard as the worst. The combat system is dull and boring, even compared to some turn-based combat systems, the characters are incredibly one dimensional, and the narrative is, to be frank, a big pile of horse dung.

    On the combat system:
    there is little to no strategic input. Fighting enemies and even boss battles just feels like a chore and a waste of time. Button mashing to this degree, when the attacks don't even look flashy or cool, is just pointless.

    On the characters:
    The cast of the game is lacking in presence. They are primarily defined by one characteristic, and they never develop beyond that. The cast doesn't go together at all. Their interactions, whether through the main narrative or the optional skits, are bland and at times even annoying.
    The main character doesn't develop at all during the game. Her character of a revenge seeking young woman is incredibly annoying, as that is the only thing that really puts her apart from any other grumpy side-character. She is utterly useless.

    On the narrative:
    The game expects investment from the moment the it starts, which is one of the reasons why it falls so flat. The entire prologue to the game is completely unnecessary, as it could easily have been told through flashback or dialogue. Even after the prologue falls the narrative flat. It progresses incredibly slowly, with more filler than an episode of Naruto. Jokes aside, The way it progresses is just painful to play through.
    Now, the way the main character goes through the narrative is just boring. Every moment we are reminded that she wants revenge and that she has to kill the "villain" to get it. Everything is about her revenge, even when the dialogue is as far from her revenge as possible. The narrative may seem interesting on paper, but the way that is executed is just plain bad.

    In conclusion:
    I'd prefer Tales of Zesteria over this game, despite Zesteria having a blander story overall. At least the cast made Zesteria somewhat enjoyable, even with the bad combat system. I can't say the same for this game though. Now, I may not have had a good experience with it, but some people still enjoy this game, so it must do something right; I just can't seem to find it.    … Expand
  71. Grownia
    Aug 7, 2017
    7
    Feels good to be the bad guy in this game. Overall a very good JRPG. Not the best in Tales Series but one of the good ones.
    *Graphics are fine. Animations are not the best but does its job. Environments doesn't look good and seems outdated.
    * Combat system is a mess. It doesn't require any strategy just button mashing which i didn't like. Most of the time you don't understand what is    Feels good to be the bad guy in this game. Overall a very good JRPG. Not the best in Tales Series but one of the good ones.
    *Graphics are fine. Animations are not the best but does its job. Environments doesn't look good and seems outdated.
    * Combat system is a mess. It doesn't require any strategy just button mashing which i didn't like. Most of the time you don't understand what is happening. There are some minor differences between characters gameplay but overall it is an hack and slash.
    * Story doesn't impress but doesn't disappoint too. It is good.
    * Best part of the game is its characters. They are well designed, alive and likable. Really good character relations development with lovely cut-scenes. This game would be a 10/10 for me if it was a visual novel.

    Last word : Buy it if you like JRPGs. Doesn't taste perfect but fine.    … Expand
  72. ChallengeMaster
    May 26, 2017
    8
    Is this the best Tales game yet? You bet your ass it is.

    Better then Zestiria at least although I really liked the Xillia's though. But I will say that playing Zestiria before this game will make enjoying this game more of a pleasure since its a prequel to Zestiria and it explains alot of things about what happens in the future Story - The story revolves around Velvet Crowe who wants    Is this the best Tales game yet? You bet your ass it is.

    Better then Zestiria at least although I really liked the Xillia's though. But I will say that playing Zestiria before this game will make enjoying this game more of a pleasure since its a prequel to Zestiria and it explains alot of things about what happens in the future

    Story - The story revolves around Velvet Crowe who wants vengeance on Artorius Calabrande for the death of her younger brother. Eventually she joins a band of rogues - A Japanese Swordsman, A Malak, A Witch, A Pirate & An Exorcist who are all tied to the Abbey the organization that Artorius is from coincidentally. In the beginning it seems like some characters aren't tied to Velvet's goals but eventually you'll see how all these characters connect. From start to finish the story is filled with twists and very intriguing revelations.

    Characters - I love the cast but I honestly didn't think I would though especially for Magilou & Laphicet. But Magilou is hilarious in skits and her true identity signifies a bit of importance in the game. Laphicet while a kid and I usually don't like kids in Video Games is a very good character who grows to be amazing by the end of the game. My favorite character though is Eizen after that its Rokurou and then Velvet.

    Gameplay - Is less repetitive then Zestiria. Each button has a combo and enemy weaknesses play an important role on which combo you use based on elemental afflictions. For bosses its best to switch all attacks to the same elements for the best outcome. Overall gameplay is fun but a bit too easy sometimes. With the exception of some bonus bosses which kicked my ass on occasion.

    Soundtrack - Zestiria had one of the best OST's ever but this game is a bit lacking in that department with the exception of a few tracks. I love the songs that play in Ice Locations, the waterfall temple dungeon & the Earthpulse dungeon where Zaveid temporarily joins the party. Sadly I don't know the names of said songs. There's also a boss theme versus a dragon at the 3rd act of the game that I also liked. Overall not bad but not so great. I feel like Motoi Sakaruba is just tired and needs Go Shina to take over temporarily so he can compose the next Star Ocean and put way more effort into that then any Tales Game.

    Graphics - It has the Zestiria/Xillia Look but slightly better. I love the menu designs. Also Ufotable are the Gods of Animation Holy **** There responsible for the Animated Cutscenes and opening and both are amazing. Zestiria's opening is still better though.

    Cons - An annoying child character that joins you during the 2nd act not Laphicet she's story material but still annoying. Dungeons are a bit repetitive. I **** hate caves - the soundtrack for Caves sucks and they are unnecessarily long.

    Pros - Excellent Gameplay, Unique & Beautiful World also a Dark, Twisted World as well. Amazing Heroes and Villains. Lots of Bonus Content to do after the game is done and lots of callbacks to Zestiria. And lastly the story is phenomenal. Berseria is a good game and one fans and newcomers will enjoy. Till this day though Vesperia is my absolute favorite, I recommend that one too if you have an Xbox 360 as the main characters for both games are a bit similar in my opinion. I also recommend Tales of Xillia 1.    … Expand
  73. leonsnow
    May 8, 2017
    10
    Well I just got finished with the main story, took me about 90 hours with some sidequesting inbetween:

    The good:
    Great combat.
    Amazing characters.
    Amazing story
  74. Evangelion37
    May 2, 2017
    10
    Bajo mi punto de vista, es una de las mejores entregas de la saga, junto a Abyss, Vesperia, Graces F y Symphonia, sin duda alguna y llegando a superar con creces a su precuela, Tales of Zestiria.
    De ante mano, ya les comento que nos encontraremos con una trama bastante oscura, cruel y épica, como pocas veces se ha visto en esta franquicia. Destacar también, que hay varios momentos épicos,    Bajo mi punto de vista, es una de las mejores entregas de la saga, junto a Abyss, Vesperia, Graces F y Symphonia, sin duda alguna y llegando a superar con creces a su precuela, Tales of Zestiria.
    De ante mano, ya les comento que nos encontraremos con una trama bastante oscura, cruel y épica, como pocas veces se ha visto en esta franquicia. Destacar también, que hay varios momentos épicos, desarrollados con unas cinemáticas espectáculares que en alguna ocasión hará que el corazón nos de un buen vuelco, ahí lo dejo.

    Gran argumento, un plantel de personajes muy carismáticos y fáciles de empatizar, gráficamente; toda una delicia visual, excelente banda sonora (aunque recicla varios temas de Zestiria), una jugabilidad impecable y un sistema de combate bien actualizado, incluso han aprendido del error que tuvieron con el enfoque de las cámaras en Zestiria. Pese a lo dicho anteriormente, en lo personal, me sigo quedando con el sistema de combate desarrollado en Tales of Xillia.
    También destacar de este título, es su duración, que sólo en trama principal, nos ocupará de 45 a 50 horas de media y todo ésto sumado a lo opcional que nos ofrece, fácilmente se puede duplicar su duración, sobre todo, para todo aquel que quiera explorar todos los rincones de este mundo y descubrir sus más ocultos secretos.

    En resumidas cuentas, Tales of Berseria es un JRPG que todo amante de la saga "Tales of" no puede dejar pasar.

    PD: Por cierto, una lástima el fracaso de ventas que ha tenido en España.    … Expand
  75. Giroliro3
    Apr 19, 2017
    10
    When Tales games are done right, they are always my favorite video game series.

    Tales of Berseria was done very very right, in fact, it has replaced Tales of Vesperia as my favorite Tales game. The story is amazing, and the characters compliment the story very well. If you, like me, play jrpgs mainly for the story, this game should be very high on your radar. Also, if you, like    When Tales games are done right, they are always my favorite video game series.

    Tales of Berseria was done very very right, in fact, it has replaced Tales of Vesperia as my favorite Tales game.

    The story is amazing, and the characters compliment the story very well. If you, like me, play jrpgs mainly for the story, this game should be very high on your radar.

    Also, if you, like me, love action gameplay rather than turn based gameplay, this should be ridiculously high on your radar. (I am also a kingdom hearts and YS fan.)

    If you like anime, or even if you don't like anime, there's still an 80% chance you will like this game. In fact, it may make you start to like anime like the previous Tales games (Symphonia and Abyss) have done to me.

    The gameplay switches it up from your average Tales game, but I never got tired of it. The only thing I thought that could use work in this game was the dungeons since the puzzles were very lacking in thought. (I dislike extremely difficult puzzles but when they're very easy like in this game its hard to really even call them puzzles)

    There are also a fair amount of things to do other than the main story (which is rather long.)

    Overall, if you like Tales games. You cannot pass this up. If you like jrpgs, you cannot pass this up. If you like anime, you cannot pass this up. If you don't like anime, you can pass this up but I very very strongly encourage you not to. If you like action games and good stories, you cannot pass this up. In short, don't pass this game up.    … Expand
  76. Alecj
    Apr 19, 2017
    8
    My first Tales game so i have limited expertise on the series, but this game was surprisingly good.

    The first hour or so really left me kind of bored and wondering if i made a bad choice even sticking it into my PS4, but all of the sudden, BLAM! the game metamorphosed into vehicle for an engaging story that i wanted to keep playing just to find out what happened next. The fighting    My first Tales game so i have limited expertise on the series, but this game was surprisingly good.

    The first hour or so really left me kind of bored and wondering if i made a bad choice even sticking it into my PS4, but all of the sudden, BLAM! the game metamorphosed into vehicle for an engaging story that i wanted to keep playing just to find out what happened next.

    The fighting mechanics are deep and fun, and you never get bogged down with thousands of side quests you dont really want to do.

    The game is not linear but its no open world either. There are defined paths for you to follow between areas and towns. I dont find this to be a detriment, though. Not all games need an open world.

    I am a newly made "Tales" fan due to this game. A great story with good mechanics and many cat puns is a solid formula.

    Worth checking out.    … Expand
  77. Justin1353
    Apr 7, 2017
    8
    Tales of Berseria is a great game, and although the graphics do need some improving and the multiplayer is still awful, the story, cast, and combat make this a game to remember.
  78. Mitsui
    Mar 27, 2017
    9
    Very exciting RPG series, "Tales of" did struggle with the latest generations of consoles. Zestiria was messy and full of good and bad ideas, not what the fans expected for the birthday of the series. Years of experience and experimentations are over now, Bandai couldn't afford to disappoint the fans again, so how is Berseria standing?

    Story: Darker than anything before in the series,    Very exciting RPG series, "Tales of" did struggle with the latest generations of consoles. Zestiria was messy and full of good and bad ideas, not what the fans expected for the birthday of the series. Years of experience and experimentations are over now, Bandai couldn't afford to disappoint the fans again, so how is Berseria standing?

    Story: Darker than anything before in the series, the story is good but works better if you played Zestiria too. Even though it slows down a bit in the second part of the game, it stays compelling with a great work on character development. The opening is very well crafted.

    Characters: The casting is nice and colorful. There is so much work on character development that it’s a strong element of the game. It’s hard to not be impressed by the main protagonist, Velvet. She is a force to be reckon with.

    Graphics: PS3/PS4 game, it's a bit better than Zestiria but nothing too crazy. The open world often looks empty but most of the saynetes look great with beautiful arts. Gonna have to wait the next one to see a real upgrade I guess.

    Gameplay: As a "Tales of" fan, the first thing you gonna look at is the battle system. Berseria doesn't disappoint and offers a very dynamic and enjoyable action. You can abuse Velvet’s therion ability which helps a lot in difficult situation. You will unlock more and more during the game which is very rewarding.

    Music: It works with some good moments. I played with Japanese voices and it was great.

    Conclusion: Another very strong RPG on PS4 from a great ongoing series. This one looks way more like a complete package than its predecessor. What this game does is truly getting us excited for the next one!    … Expand
  79. OnanTheMan
    Mar 23, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Far from the best the Tales series has to offer, but definitely not the worst. The biggest offenses this game commits is in the ending and the missed opportunity Velvet's character had. The game was sold as a darker entry in the tales series, but then again the tales series has always been a walk in the park in terms of tone, so think of this as a rainy day in the park, it doesn't begin to approach the levels of darkness Diablo hits, or Dragon Age origins did. The story is very standard tales fair by the end, save the world, very little moral ambiguity, despite the grey start we had with Velvet. This is the biggest miss i have seen in a game. We could of had a Sepiroth style villain in Velvet, and when the time comes to decide what her arch will be they go the tried and true good guy route. This isn't bad, but it wasn't what i wanted out of Berseria, or what i was expecting. The story is nothing memorable, with only Magilou, for better or worst, really standing out as a memorable character. Combat wise the game is good, but after 30+ hours of a uninspired story it gets repetitive, and I began to tire of it. So, if it's discounted to the 20-30 dollar range, pick it up, its easily worth that much.… Expand
  80. DanielPeled
    Mar 22, 2017
    7
    The gameplay is getting a bit old, I must say. Maybe I'm growing out of it, but as is, it's not challenging at all. I'll try playing as other characters, and maybe I'll update the rating if it gets more interesting. But as is, you can simply put the game on auto. You have little incentive to actually play the game because combat is so trivial.

    I think a few of the characters aren't    The gameplay is getting a bit old, I must say. Maybe I'm growing out of it, but as is, it's not challenging at all. I'll try playing as other characters, and maybe I'll update the rating if it gets more interesting. But as is, you can simply put the game on auto. You have little incentive to actually play the game because combat is so trivial.

    I think a few of the characters aren't fleshed out. One character's entire plot revolves around having bad luck. Most of the characters are really one dimensional. I think this is definitely a lot better than Zestiria however.

    Overall this is a good game and a step in the right direction. The game to me is worth $20.    … Expand
  81. mikehettfield
    Mar 11, 2017
    9
    Suprisingly great,this is the way game are meant to be made, epic musisc dark tone on the plot, good character desings, even though i dislike anime, I really feel atached to this game because of velvet personality, al the dialoges and interactions between chararcters are just smart ti be included, great value for an awesome game.
  82. SthrnFrdGames
    Mar 9, 2017
    8
    As a somewhat-newcomer to the Tale series, I have to say that I've given this a fair play through entirely as a stand-alone without ever having played the previous entry, Tales of Zestiria. Now publicly, the series has seen some ups and downs as far as successful games, seemingly dishing out a title every year or two of caring quality. One thing is for sure, each entry in the series hasAs a somewhat-newcomer to the Tale series, I have to say that I've given this a fair play through entirely as a stand-alone without ever having played the previous entry, Tales of Zestiria. Now publicly, the series has seen some ups and downs as far as successful games, seemingly dishing out a title every year or two of caring quality. One thing is for sure, each entry in the series has its own unique quirk or system that sets it above threats.

    As it has been known, Berserk gives us the darkest entry in the saga to date following a group of demons and outcasts as they set out to destroy the one person in the world who wants to save it. However, as you progress, you come to find that everyone has their corrupt motives for carrying forth, adding to the richness of the story. On the surface, it's pretty cut and dry revenge stuff, but it's definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the almost cookie-cutter cutsie plot-lines of the more recent titles. All in all a very satisfying journey with a satisfying conclusion. Fans of Zestiria will surely appreciate all the references and lore pertaining the previous title as well as finding out about some character background.

    The combat system is fun and in my opinion is a welcome change to the series. Each button on the game pad is assigned its own arte or skill used in battle as opposed to the direction + button method of older Tales games. being able to pause the game and switch out techniques based on element or attribute is a key in a successful encounter.

    After my first play through, I've finished up the main story, about 70% f the side quests and most of the hunts, for a total log of about 85 hours. You can easily sink over 100 not this and even beyond that if you really wish.

    My only harsh criticism for this is really the graphics...I mean every game basically look like enhancements of Gamecube or PS2 games. That's just the style and all... but we need some next-gen superficials here. Other than that, it's joined the ranks of Symphonia and Abyss as one of the top Tales games in my book.    … Expand
  83. nobilki
    Mar 6, 2017
    10
    this is the first tales games have serious story, i like. it feel more a story adult people, with alot of anger emotion revenge 3 times better than zesteria. there is a lot of improvement compare to zesteria in terms of battle system (more fun), word map, the camera and the improvement that i like is, the story, character conversation, how they react to each other. every tales games havethis is the first tales games have serious story, i like. it feel more a story adult people, with alot of anger emotion revenge 3 times better than zesteria. there is a lot of improvement compare to zesteria in terms of battle system (more fun), word map, the camera and the improvement that i like is, the story, character conversation, how they react to each other. every tales games have their own pros and cons so its hard to choose which one is the best tales games. for me. tales of berseria is must play games for tales fans, really great game.i have play 70 hours and still not finish lol… Expand
  84. Maikel_12
    Mar 3, 2017
    10
    Un 10 como JRPG, demuestra que los graficos no lo son todos, uno de los mejores Tales of es muchos años e incluso uno de los mejores de la saga, una historia fuera de los tipicos heroes que salvan al mundo aunque siguiendo los cliche del genero, sistema de combate magnifco, divertido, lleno de posibilidades y que no cansa, lleno de contenido para jugar por muchas horas, solucionados esosUn 10 como JRPG, demuestra que los graficos no lo son todos, uno de los mejores Tales of es muchos años e incluso uno de los mejores de la saga, una historia fuera de los tipicos heroes que salvan al mundo aunque siguiendo los cliche del genero, sistema de combate magnifco, divertido, lleno de posibilidades y que no cansa, lleno de contenido para jugar por muchas horas, solucionados esos problemas de zestiria por lo que ahora se disfruta mas, de lo mejor de este año sin duda para mi, un autentico juegazo recomendado para amantes de los JRPG y en especial de la saga Tales Of… Expand
  85. Kenmei
    Feb 28, 2017
    9
    After the extreme disappointment that was Tales of Zesteria, I was almost about to give up on the Tales franchise if this game didn't live up to my expectations for the series. And I would definitely say it has done that and then some. The creators clearly took all the criticisms lobbied at Zesteria and went out of their way to fix the many issues that game had. And while it's not perfect,After the extreme disappointment that was Tales of Zesteria, I was almost about to give up on the Tales franchise if this game didn't live up to my expectations for the series. And I would definitely say it has done that and then some. The creators clearly took all the criticisms lobbied at Zesteria and went out of their way to fix the many issues that game had. And while it's not perfect, it's a welcome return to form for the Tales franchise in a big way and leads perfectly into finally moving into the current generation of consoles.
    A traditional JRPG, you play as Velvet Crowe, and immediately the game sets itself apart (after the tutorial) from Zesteria with the tone of the story and the content. Make no mistake about it, you are clearly the bad guy for the majority of the game and, while the end goal never changes, it's lessened by the fact that the guy you are going after is a bad guy too. The game's theme is Reason vs Emotion and that theme is represented heavily by Velvets growth as a character throughout the game. I very much enjoyed her as the main character and I'm glad they never really tried to make her the hero. She's an anti-hero at best and it just so happens to work out that her target becomes a bad guy. The game goes totally against the whole "I'm the good guy and I'm out to save the world!!" trope that Tales games are known for. While things change along the journey, that fact never really does and I'm happy they didn't go that route. I was also initially not happy that this game was basically a Prequel to the setup for Zesteria. It's set in the same world and sets the stage for ends up being the main background for for that game. And it's good for sure. I was surprised since I pretty much hated Zesteria and everything about it but the origin story for alot of things in this game really worked for me. They took a risk by going back to the Zesteria world but having it set thousands of years before that game really helped. However I would definitely say you need to play though Zesteria to get the full effect, including certain side quests in that game. You'll miss alot of references that are made and even a running cameo throughout the story if you don't finish that game and a certain side mission.
    Gameplay is changed up again and I'm happy with the changes. The camera is fixed from the last game and the change from the 1-100 battle system to this new Soul Gauge is pretty good. I was very disappointed in how much healing was nerfed for other outlets that were major parts of the battle system but you get used to it.
    Overall I'm very happy with this game and it's brought me back into the fold so to speak. I was ready to give up on the series if this game was bad and it's certainly not. I would definitely say that the series NEEDS to move into the current generation of consoles as this game was designed in Japan with the PS3 in mind. The graphics need a major upgrade and focusing on the newest systems should do that. I'd also like if the game wasn't so linear but that might be asking too much from the Tales series. In the end, I'd definitely recommend this game to any fan of RPGs out there. While not on the level of Vesperia or Symphonia, Berseria is the best game of the series in a long time and I'd highly recommend it to anyone even remotely interested in RPGs.    … Expand
  86. Olakasexd
    Feb 26, 2017
    10
    Que mas se le puede pedir a este juego? Horas y horas de juego, sistema de combate divertidisimo, personajes carismaticos, una historia adulta y un nivel artistico hermoso. Sin dudas Velvet te enamora.
  87. Jamesshen
    Feb 21, 2017
    8
    Now that i had finished the game, i can safely write a review. firstly i like the story. Its dark nature really impressed me and it was way different compared to other tales games.
    Its characters are very interesting especially Velvet and Magilou and that causes me to stick to the game till the end of its journey
    My only minor complaints is that the gameplay was somewhat complex. Im    Now that i had finished the game, i can safely write a review. firstly i like the story. Its dark nature really impressed me and it was way different compared to other tales games.
    Its characters are very interesting especially Velvet and Magilou and that causes me to stick to the game till the end of its journey
    My only minor complaints is that the gameplay was somewhat complex. Im having difficulties executing certain mystic artes which actually lower down the enjoyability rate of this game
    Animation was mediocre at most- as there are other games that had better animations and graphics compared to this game.
    Well my end scored would be 8/10- with minus point from complicated gameplay and mediocre graphics. Otherwise, it had done pretty well to be memorable to me    … Expand
  88. Blackbox20
    Feb 21, 2017
    0
    Let me give some pointers.
    Graphics: could have been from a gamecube.
    World: Crafted so empty an simple you could not do worse even if you tried.
    Combat: button mashing because you can preset all the combo's
    Gear and crafting: i have played fo 10 hours now and all the stuff you find have either a few % stat difference and
  89. Drayer
    Feb 19, 2017
    0
    I want to know how bad the games where before all reviewers played Tales because this is the most soulless empty bland boring game i have played in years.
    The story could be good if they did any effort.
    Let me give some pointers. Graphics: could have been from a gamecube. World: Crafted so empty an simple you could not do worse even if you tried. Combat: button mashing because you    I want to know how bad the games where before all reviewers played Tales because this is the most soulless empty bland boring game i have played in years.
    The story could be good if they did any effort.
    Let me give some pointers.
    Graphics: could have been from a gamecube.
    World: Crafted so empty an simple you could not do worse even if you tried.
    Combat: button mashing because you can preset all the combo's
    Gear and crafting: i have played fo 10 hours now and all the stuff you find have either a few % stat difference and are all the same same.
    Looks: because it was to much work to make gear actually have a different look they added the wardrobe where you can change a few outfit and can unlock the dumbest items like a mustahce, cowbow hat, glasses, etc.
    Voice acting: because the story is so kid friendly everytime stuff gets serious the characters act so indifferent it makes the story fall completely flat.
    Price: 45 Eu for this piece of **** B game is just insulting, i can buy the witcher for this money.

    Seriously i don't know how people can give this game a high score, i guess they havent ever played a real good game.    … Expand
  90. Editman3
    Feb 18, 2017
    10
    THE BEST JRPG I PLAYED THIS YEAR PERIOD... :-)
    +Characters
    +Story +Combat +Soundtrack +Skits etc I finally have a GOOD JRPG that's better than recent Square Enix JRPG titles I played *ahem* Star ocean 5 and FF 15 and KH 2.8 and 3 this game is a far better experience with character you will literally get attached to like Main protagonist Velvet and Number 2 (Later on called Laphicet)    THE BEST JRPG I PLAYED THIS YEAR PERIOD... :-)
    +Characters
    +Story
    +Combat
    +Soundtrack
    +Skits etc
    I finally have a GOOD JRPG that's better than recent Square Enix JRPG titles I played *ahem* Star ocean 5 and FF 15 and KH 2.8 and 3 this game is a far better experience with character you will literally get attached to like Main protagonist Velvet and Number 2 (Later on called Laphicet) who journey's to take on Artorious after he Murdered Velvets brother Laphicet and the story goes on from there with plot twist
    and etc
    Combat is hard to get used to but here some tips
    -as you press X as a magic user hold it until the meter is full while holding press L2 and it will automatically go to the next arte if it the second atre connects to the first
    -To get the second Mystic arte ( you need 4 BG) as your doing your 4 combos as soon as you know your gonna stop if you have 3 or 4 souls IMMEDIATELY PRESS R2 to do a Mystic burst then keep doing your combos then press L2 and the second Mystic arte should come up :-)
    -Also later on in the game in the menu press L3 downand and another arte sheet would come up with you required to press block+ X,O,Square,Triangle but I don't recommend doing it if your gonna use an arte while blocking and its the wrong one.
    -If you dodge an enemy's attack at the right time (L1+Right stick any direction) a soul would pop out in the field
    -As you are doing an arte press L1 twice to cancel it
    My one issue is the Equipment most Weapons and items have Debuffs :/
    BUY THIS GAME!!!!!!    … Expand
  91. ValkyrieAngel
    Feb 16, 2017
    10
    I never played a Tales game before Berseria. I fell in love with it instantly, I couldn't find one thing I didnt like. Its one of best ps4 games out to date in my opinion
  92. KoolAidColin
    Feb 16, 2017
    10
    I like it its really good, The characters are charming, and the story's good. Combats great too. i enjoyed playing it
    it was a great game not as great as Symphonia but still up there.
  93. Ctsubasa
    Feb 14, 2017
    10
    This is one of the most complete RPG all time, Story, Combat, Music, and Magilou!
    we need ToB 2 now!

    please bandai we need more jrpg like this.

    Is perfect!
  94. izam
    Feb 13, 2017
    10
    despues de haber jugado muchos jrpg desde sega genesis hasta la actual ps4 , debo decir que Tales of berseria es uno de los mejores jrpg en la historia, todo el sistema de juego es una maravilla, que incluye lo mejor de cada tales of, la historia es simplemente magnifica, desde el comienzo te invaden emociones y lo unico que quieres es acompañar a Velvet en la busca de esa codiciadadespues de haber jugado muchos jrpg desde sega genesis hasta la actual ps4 , debo decir que Tales of berseria es uno de los mejores jrpg en la historia, todo el sistema de juego es una maravilla, que incluye lo mejor de cada tales of, la historia es simplemente magnifica, desde el comienzo te invaden emociones y lo unico que quieres es acompañar a Velvet en la busca de esa codiciada venganza.

    Historia politica, de amor y de valores. este juego es simplemente perfecto.

    MASTERPIECE!    … Expand
  95. Magnanimous14
    Feb 10, 2017
    9
    Berseria effectively captures the best mechanics of the Tales series and absolutely shines in the narrative. The characters feel fully formed, voice acting is strong overall, and the story moves forward at an excellent pace. If you are also into analysis of literary themes, this game gets way deeper into human nature than many reviewers would like to admit.
  96. SaitamaOnePunch
    Feb 9, 2017
    10
    Game totally blew me away. The story is spectacular, velvet the protagonist is a total bad ass.. . .the story has a dark vibe and is pretty deep. Got really attached and emotionally involved with all the party members. Graphics are decent. Combat is awesome. Super fast and fluid, smooth as hell really and its pretty beefy in depth. In all honesty this game smokes FFXV and i liked that gameGame totally blew me away. The story is spectacular, velvet the protagonist is a total bad ass.. . .the story has a dark vibe and is pretty deep. Got really attached and emotionally involved with all the party members. Graphics are decent. Combat is awesome. Super fast and fluid, smooth as hell really and its pretty beefy in depth. In all honesty this game smokes FFXV and i liked that game a lot. This is one of the best RPGs ive ever played. The story is so good and the game is huge with tons of narrative and new areas. If you want a JRPG dont bother with anything else, this is one of the best games ive played in a very long time. Another masterpiece from Bandai Namco.… Expand
  97. Renzokuken
    Feb 6, 2017
    8
    Well I just got finished with the main story, took me about 60 hours with some sidequesting inbetween:

    The good:
    Great combat.
    Amazing characters.
    Amazing story
    Magilou
  98. Bashie
    Feb 2, 2017
    10
    I've always thought that JRPGs are so close to being the best thing this industry have to offer, if only they could get over the issues that are common to the genre--weak combat systems, story/gameplay feeling disconnected and getting in the way, lack of difficulty or extreme difficulty resulting in a need to grind-- and hell, do I even have to mention what's wrong with the average JRPGI've always thought that JRPGs are so close to being the best thing this industry have to offer, if only they could get over the issues that are common to the genre--weak combat systems, story/gameplay feeling disconnected and getting in the way, lack of difficulty or extreme difficulty resulting in a need to grind-- and hell, do I even have to mention what's wrong with the average JRPG story?

    This is the answer to all of those critiques.

    Tales of Berseria starts off with the same cookie-cutter characters as always, but viciously subverts your expectations about an hour in. These aren't teenagers on a mission to save the world--they're not good people. They don't want to do good things, and they know it. It's not for its own sake, but due to the characters placing a higher priority on their own goals rather than the greater good for the population.

    There's so much more you can do with your characters when you allow them to have cutting flaws like this, and while they hold no punches with just how villainous these characters are willing to be, it never goes so far that it makes them unlikable, never stops you from empathizing with them. You connect with all of these characters no matter what it is they do, and that's no small feat. Tales of Berseria's story would sink with characters that aren't as good as these, and the team for Berseria stepped up and tried this anyway.

    That's not to say there aren't good parts to the story. Everything from the newest mindless FPS to your average smartphone game wants me to look at its deep, gripping story. Usually I skip almost every story I find in a game. Berseria makes you sit up and take notice. While other games use unskippable cutscenes that frustrate players, Berseria uses less intrusive techniques to draw you in, from the opening shot (and the fact that the first cutscene is a beautiful animated movie) to how they introduce skits or how certain highlighted areas on the map that seem to be related to your objective being story-related, fully voice-acted bits of dialogue.

    No matter what you're doing, there's always going to be the option to experience a bit of Tales of Berseria's story, and it's hard not to be taken in just on the little bits that you stumble on yourself, and from there, you're hooked. Good thing, too, as I spent more time experiencing story content than battling enemies. It's not intrusive, since it's almost all optional, but it's just so enjoyable you're almost never going to want to get as much as you can. Unlike other JRPGs that have a bit of story as a 'reward' for slogging through the gameplay, the story is a constant presence for you to enjoy, keeping you engaged in it, unlike in other JRPGs where you can frequently lose focus.

    Combat defies conventions, too, with having a nice solid core based on building your own combos. It's not as complex as it could be at first, but mastering the fast-paced and fluid fighting styles of your characters gives you plenty to do until it adds more in later. Berseria is constantly doing so, too, whether it's new moves or mechanics, difficulty modes, or items dropped from certain enemies that change how the games mechanics work from that point, such as altering certain moves, adding a new difficulty mode, or changing how loot drops work. Not to mention that Berseria always keeps you engaged by letting you change your difficulty at almost any time, and even gives you reasons to choose the higher difficulties, making sure that people have the proper motivation to play at a level that challenges them without becoming impossible.

    Constant small shifts in the combat pile on with a few minigames and subsystems that get added on as you go stuff the game with content. Whenever you think the combat may be getting the slightest bit repetitive, there's always something around the corner to pull you back in. It's good design, to constantly introduce new things for the player to do or manage without overwhelming them, and shows that the devs have a sense of proper pacing beyond the narrative sense.

    When I think Tales of Berseria, I think of content. 70 hours of content that had love put into it and that feels genuinely fun to play through. Even if you don't like something, so much of it is optional so that you can make your own experience without feeling like you need to force your way through anything. All the flaws I could list aren't really flaws, but preferences on my part, and honestly, that's just not enough for me to mark a game down.    … Expand
  99. SpecterWSA
    Feb 2, 2017
    9
    I am rating this game a 9 for many reasons. It's not perfect, but there are not large errors that I have found, and only a few combat exploits (like all action games/rpgs)
    Story; I am 60+ hours into the game, mostly running around completing everything I can. No I am not a completionist, but I do love the voice actinga nd little side quest. You're an anti hero, all she cares about is    I am rating this game a 9 for many reasons. It's not perfect, but there are not large errors that I have found, and only a few combat exploits (like all action games/rpgs)
    Story; I am 60+ hours into the game, mostly running around completing everything I can. No I am not a completionist, but I do love the voice actinga nd little side quest. You're an anti hero, all she cares about is avenging the murder of her little brother- she is willing to use anyone to achieve her goal of killing basically the pope. The people who you meet also have similar one track goals; some for killing someone, others for finding some spell etc etc. Traveling the world with "demons" to kill the clergy is basically the game.
    The story/anime style reminds me of a combination between One Piece, and Seven Deadly Sins. A little bit of humor but its not outstandingly wacky. Very easy to get immersed.

    Characters; Finally an RPG where you're not a group of goody goodies running around being noble. You are "bad guys" anti heroes, with one or two normal rpg archtypes for main characters.
    The main character is like a mix of Daria and Spawn.
    You get a pirate, who's pretty nice; like Sanji from One Piece mixed with Ashton from star ocean (When he isn't a whiny baby)
    A swordsman who just wants to kill his own older brother so he can prove hes the better swordsman- basically Zoro from one Piece.
    A witch, she's the funny **** of the group, usually doing cartoony anime **** but more in the violent dark humored sort of way. Think Rieoko from Tenchi Muyo mixed with Harley Quinn- she looks like Celine from Star Ocean the second story.
    A exorcist- basically a paladin. Shes one of the goody goodies, but shes not annoying. I can't really compare her to other characters, basically the virgin Archtype despite her being battle ready.
    A lil kid who isn't super annoying either (surprisingly) once again another goody archtype, someone who tries hard to please their friends, even if their friends are bad.

    Controversial things
    The dialogue in this game between them is really funny. Unless you're a crybully- it makes fun of dudes and chicks for their stereotypes (that happen to be true). But you shouldnt be playing games where you literally MURDER woodland creatures for experience.

    They censored the early scene where Laphi gets stabbed through the gut, and replaced it with 2 magical blades skewering him over a **** pit. Later in the game you see multiple people get run through, so I dont know what the big deal is. The censorship didn't take away from the powerful scene though, but it did feel more drawn out -draws sword acting like he will stab kid- -stabs ground, does stupid magic thing-

    Skimpy outfits watch people cry about it.

    Battle system is ok, I probably dont understand it as much as I should. You can exploit death by using therion right when you're getting hit, to mitigate the damage you are taking and not get one shotted. Good way to heal too. I mostly use it for stringing combos, but its still fun and challenging on "hard" the next difficulty was too meat spongey in my opinion and I dont wanna hold block for 2 minutes every fight.

    AI isn't too bad, the fighting reminds me a lot of star ocean the second story (one of my fave rpgs)
    the costumes are ok too, im glad there is variety in changing your looks. The weapon gearing system is meh basically farm all the time for stats which sucks cuz a lot of the weapons are ****

    TLDR
    The game is really good, there are a few things that could make it better; but if you care about Good Voice Acting, and listening to the characters opposed to reading 100s of lines of **** dialogue then its great. The story is pretty good, and the characters really make the game for me. They are all interesting    … Expand
  100. rensyphon
    Jan 31, 2017
    9
    This game is a throwbacks to JRPGs you used to play as a kid. The interface is well-polished, with a detailed mini-map that even tells you which NPCs have dialogue for you and lets you know when you've exhausted all new dialogue. The part of the game that really shines is the storyline and colorful cast of characters, which drive the game. The weakest part of the package is the combat,This game is a throwbacks to JRPGs you used to play as a kid. The interface is well-polished, with a detailed mini-map that even tells you which NPCs have dialogue for you and lets you know when you've exhausted all new dialogue. The part of the game that really shines is the storyline and colorful cast of characters, which drive the game. The weakest part of the package is the combat, which can devolve into button mashing, particularly on lower difficulties. It's recommended you change the challenge level to at least "moderate", if not "hard".

    If you've been craving an old-fashioned storyline-based RPG, pick this up.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

80
#80 Best PS4 Game of 2017
43
#43 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
27
#27 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. CD-Action
    Apr 5, 2017
    80
    Despite simple, painfully dull dungeon designs and PS3 era graphics, it’s one of the best Tales games in years. The story is really sound, the combat system is solid and interesting, difficulty levels are properly balanced at last, character development and crafting are addictive and players are introduced into the world at a perfect pace. [04/2017, p.65]
  2. Softpedia
    Apr 3, 2017
    85
    Having played some of the previous Tales games, I can definitely say that Tales of Berseria is the best title in the series. What makes it even more appealing is the fact that you don't need to have played Tales of Zestiria or any other game in the same universe to be able to play the new one.
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  3. Games Master UK
    Apr 2, 2017
    73
    In some ways, this is the most innovative Tales game for years. In others, it's still stuck firmly in the past. [March 2017, p.78]
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