Tales of Zestiria

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 411 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 241 out of 411
  2. Mixed: 91 out of 411
  3. Negative: 79 out of 411
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. aaronnmp96
    Jan 31, 2023
    7
    It could be better, he has charisma and is very well run, the story is a bit slow and the Maps are too big to go on foot.
  2. Gamepro3093
    Dec 26, 2022
    0
    Horrible game. The story is rote and uninteresting and lacks any memorable moments, the characters are one note and boring, the music is completely forgettable, the systems (ie combat, upgrading, fast travel) are unnecessarily convoluted and poorly executed, the environments are big but empty and you’ll be going through them way too frequently. Play Vesperia, Symphonia, Berseria and AriseHorrible game. The story is rote and uninteresting and lacks any memorable moments, the characters are one note and boring, the music is completely forgettable, the systems (ie combat, upgrading, fast travel) are unnecessarily convoluted and poorly executed, the environments are big but empty and you’ll be going through them way too frequently. Play Vesperia, Symphonia, Berseria and Arise and leave Zestiria in the trash where it belongs.… Expand
  3. Neia
    Mar 22, 2022
    10
    Conheci a saga tales of pelo zestiria e cara que jogo,história muito bem contada e persomagens bem desenvolvidos tem alguns problemas mas nada que tire o brilho do jogo
  4. Phuz
    Mar 30, 2021
    10
    First things, first. If you're not slightly Weebie, don't like Anime and generally don't like things associated even slightly with these things, then you are on the wrong review page and will waste your money. People rave about Vesperia. Take those nostalgia glasses off, it's a bit ****, Clunky, with annoying as hell characters.

    People go on about Berseria as if it is some new breath of    First things, first. If you're not slightly Weebie, don't like Anime and generally don't like things associated even slightly with these things, then you are on the wrong review page and will waste your money. People rave about Vesperia. Take those nostalgia glasses off, it's a bit ****, Clunky, with annoying as hell characters.

    People go on about Berseria as if it is some new breath of life in the series and some great, dark story. It is infact very beautiful, the colour palette here was well chosen but it is slow and chessy and boring and those dark themes, sorry? Am I missing something? Just filled with annoying characters like Vesperia and a slow burn of a story.

    Now Zesteria is the only Tales of game that I actually think, oh, I wouldn't mind playing Zesteria tonight. Berseria, Symphonia and Vesperia (the only other three I own) I just think, oh I should try these again and see if they get better. Zesteria I think oh, I've not heard that lovely OST in ages, I've not seen those vibrant characters, I've not wandered around that nicely designed city. I want to go back rather than feeling an impusle to go back to try and justify the money I spent/wasted on the games.

    It's not a masterpiece but it is a great effort and I think the OST is amazing at times. I also think it just works. The individual parts are not great but they all work great together. I really think this pisses on the other Tales games I own and I also had some Tales games I couldn't get into at all and exchanged. So I've played 5, or 6 and this was my favourite.

    A quick rundown

    Graphics - I thought were stunning. The game world was plain but the design and colour choices were perfect. Side note here, I was playing tonight long after this was originally written. My girlfriend commented on how nice the graphics looked. She has as far as I remember never said that about any other game and she has seen me play hundreds.


    OST - I still play one of the songs on youtube every week, roughly 5 years after getting this game.

    Dialogue and VA - usual cheesy, crappy Yankee/Jap junk.

    Gameplay - fun.

    For me when I have a game I never delete to free up HDD space and I listen to the OST after many years and I still go back and play it again (something I rarely do outside of 2D fighters). It is a damned good game. I bought it in the sale at about £8 and it has been worth every penny.

    I know 7.2 isn't a bad score but this game is a lot more enjoyable than so many games rated more highly. Zesteria is like the Tales game it is cool to hate on and the reality is, it **** all over the so called best Tales games "classics".

    New note. I am still not even half way through this. I have put it on and off for years and I still love it and after 35 years gaming it is right up there in my favourite games. I am about to side line it again to play Arise but unless my PS4 blows up, I will be 100% back to this game again.    … Expand
  5. Reekum
    Nov 20, 2021
    4
    As with many other games, theres something good beneath all the trash in this one.
    Battle system is ok. Better to play in normal and just use attacks, defense, dodge and free movement than to care about the insane amount of gear buffs and passive abilities. History is so, so at the beginning but seriously drags towards the middle and third act is a lot of padding with even worse    As with many other games, theres something good beneath all the trash in this one.
    Battle system is ok. Better to play in normal and just use attacks, defense, dodge and free movement than to care about the insane amount of gear buffs and passive abilities. History is so, so at the beginning but seriously drags towards the middle and third act is a lot of padding with even worse storytelling and petty dilemma, tries to hard to not be good vs evil and turns out repetitive and ridiculous which is the main reason why i give such a low score, I just wanted it to end.    … Expand
  6. Dustofwarfare
    Oct 28, 2021
    4
    I really loved Tales of Berseria, which I actually played through first before this, and....this didn't really do it for me? The characters were too saccharine and a bit too bland, the story didn't grab me and I found the combat boring and glitchy. There were some nice moments -- I LOVED Edna -- and I liked seeing the connections to Berseria, but honestly, this one was a miss for me. II really loved Tales of Berseria, which I actually played through first before this, and....this didn't really do it for me? The characters were too saccharine and a bit too bland, the story didn't grab me and I found the combat boring and glitchy. There were some nice moments -- I LOVED Edna -- and I liked seeing the connections to Berseria, but honestly, this one was a miss for me. I liked Berseria much better, both in terms of gameplay and character/story.… Expand
  7. Adriella01
    Aug 30, 2021
    8
    For an jrgp it's a really good game, because many jrpgs are a big flop. But this games does a lot of things right. Smooth interesting combat, nice story, you have the freedom to walk in an open beautiful world. Most NPCs are also part of the story and sidestorys, which makes them important (Not like in SAO where most are just decoration lol?).
  8. Lwkasmax
    Aug 14, 2021
    7
    Great story and characters despite some cliche and the devaluation of the character alisha. combat with camera issues and overly complex character progression system
  9. Stefanobed
    Apr 13, 2021
    10
    The best of the serie . Funny gameplay ,amazing story ,great journey . Simply The best
  10. Ingleberg
    Mar 30, 2021
    1
    easily the worst game ever made in this budget range. please never release a game again
    ridiculously convoluted battle system thrown at you with myriad and unending popups that you can never view again (i hear maybe towards end-game, so good luck)
    repetitive boring combat environments completely devoid of texture or furniture almost at all boring characters, boring setting, horrible    easily the worst game ever made in this budget range. please never release a game again
    ridiculously convoluted battle system thrown at you with myriad and unending popups that you can never view again (i hear maybe towards end-game, so good luck)
    repetitive boring combat
    environments completely devoid of texture or furniture almost at all
    boring characters, boring setting, horrible UI, horrible music, and HP bullet sponge bosses that make you want to tear your hair out
    buy a copy and immediately burn it
    the only satisfaction i got from this steaming pile was from deleting it    … Expand
  11. SplitMind
    Dec 22, 2020
    4
    I played this after the excellent Tales of Berseria, however this was a massive let-down in comparison.

    Firstly, the waypoints, or lack thereof. It is absolutely bewildering how many times there was simply a mission to go somewhere but absolutely no waypoint on the map to guide you. A simple solution to this is resorting to online guides, but I don't get how such a fundamental mechanic    I played this after the excellent Tales of Berseria, however this was a massive let-down in comparison.

    Firstly, the waypoints, or lack thereof. It is absolutely bewildering how many times there was simply a mission to go somewhere but absolutely no waypoint on the map to guide you. A simple solution to this is resorting to online guides, but I don't get how such a fundamental mechanic in any game is absent or at least inconsistent here.

    Secondly, the large empty arenas and severe lack of fast travel. These two are interconnected, as a pleasant and stimulating environment means you don't mind exploring like in Skyrim, however in ToZ this is inane, and combined with a lack of a waypoint, adds to the frustration. A fast travel mechanic between save points would have resolved so many issues.

    Thirdly, the stupidly messy and convoluted RPG mechanics. There is a difference between depth and convoluted messes. Zestiria falls into the latter. For the first few hours of the game that I played I was encountering walls of text after almost every battle detailing yet another game mechanic. Much of this 'depth' also seems very undermined by a battle system that boils down to button-bashing.

    I haven't even gotten to the story or graphics. These are just fine but also a bit bland. The game would be much better for me if the game arenas were smaller and more compact, rather than this faux attempt at an open world.

    Overall, this is not the RPG you were looking for. By now there are a plethora of options on the PS4, many of them better than this.    … Expand
  12. Jmart8
    Jun 21, 2020
    8
    Just got introduces in the tales of games and came to this one right after Vesperia. It is clear that the game is inferior and the characters are less memorable but to a very marginal level and it doesnt destroy at all the strong points it has. As fot those, storywise it is even more interesting in my opinion than Vesperia and most games Ive played in the recent years since it reflects onJust got introduces in the tales of games and came to this one right after Vesperia. It is clear that the game is inferior and the characters are less memorable but to a very marginal level and it doesnt destroy at all the strong points it has. As fot those, storywise it is even more interesting in my opinion than Vesperia and most games Ive played in the recent years since it reflects on right and wrong, war, trust and convictions to points you might even doubt yourself. It is mildly enjoyable gameplay with a lot of options(maybe too many) and it stilllacks fluidity. Not the best choice as a first tales of games but its an enjoyable ride… Expand
  13. Nathan1423
    Jun 12, 2020
    6
    6 is giving it the benefit of the doubt. Easily the most boring opening hour and a half of any game I've played. Combat feels clunky. Seems auto-mode focused. Seems a little too easy. Maybe this game would be good for very young people like around 10-13. Voice acting is decent. Script is generally poor although conceptually decent. I tried so hard to play this game for more than an hour6 is giving it the benefit of the doubt. Easily the most boring opening hour and a half of any game I've played. Combat feels clunky. Seems auto-mode focused. Seems a little too easy. Maybe this game would be good for very young people like around 10-13. Voice acting is decent. Script is generally poor although conceptually decent. I tried so hard to play this game for more than an hour and a half but I literally could not. Might be good as a first video game for a young person.… Expand
  14. HabarB
    Apr 17, 2020
    0
    I've been trying to like this JRPG because I'm a fan since the '90s so I picked it up again after I dropped and uninstalled this 2 years ago -- but now I've really lost patience and love for it because of:
    - the overly complicated combat and game mechanics,
    - persistent hand-holding and tutorials (just let me the player figure out the game) - the music is forgettable: I can't even    I've been trying to like this JRPG because I'm a fan since the '90s so I picked it up again after I dropped and uninstalled this 2 years ago -- but now I've really lost patience and love for it because of:
    - the overly complicated combat and game mechanics,
    - persistent hand-holding and tutorials (just let me the player figure out the game)
    - the music is forgettable: I can't even remember how any of its BGM sounds like now after playing for 9 hrs.
    This JRPG is a solid example of making a simple and outdated game design disguised into something sophisticated by placing much too many rules and terms just for the sake of making everything seem the game has depth.

    Heck, Tekken 7 and Soulcalibur 6's are more easier to follow and play than the battle/fighting system of this super otaku (Japanese for nerd) product. I'm not too sure now if I'll try it again the 3rd time after 2 years.    … Expand
  15. phoenixsaturn
    Nov 14, 2019
    4
    A game that unfortunately fails to live up to the high standards of its predecessors. Tales of Zestiria is an ugly, buggy mess of a game with forgettable characters and a frustrating plot.

    Despite now occurring in the overworld battles are nothing to write home about, mostly involving entering into Kamui form and mashing to overwhelm opponents. The main characters, Sorey and Rose,    A game that unfortunately fails to live up to the high standards of its predecessors. Tales of Zestiria is an ugly, buggy mess of a game with forgettable characters and a frustrating plot.

    Despite now occurring in the overworld battles are nothing to write home about, mostly involving entering into Kamui form and mashing to overwhelm opponents. The main characters, Sorey and Rose, cannot be removed from the battle party, and with the combination of the aforementioned Kamui mode the Tales Series' typical 4 player co-op does not function properly in this game. The transition is also buggy and you can often get trapped inside walls or behind rocks in battle mode, meaning you'll have to rely on your CPU allies to end battles and free you if you fall victim to this glitch.

    The story is incredibly frustrating, relying on tired anime plot cliches to attempt to advance it. The heroes will have you rolling your eyes while the villains will bore you with their cookie cutter molds of personality. The Tales Series' typical attempts at subverting some of the story elements are present, but executed very poorly in this installment. I would not recommend this game and would suggest either skipping right to Berseria or going back and playing one of the series' older installments.    … Expand
  16. xXDFGVv
    Nov 9, 2019
    10
    Tales of Zestiria was a great game! The storyline and gameplay was fantastic, not to mention the beautiful art style!
  17. senblade
    Oct 20, 2019
    5
    Вымученная и жалкая игра с огромным потенциалом, - погрязшая в штампах, кривом балансе и многих других проблемах бюджетных жрпг игр.
  18. Goodplayer
    Jul 17, 2019
    10
    Tales of Zestiria is truly one of the best video games of all time. It's a totally charming game from the beginning to the end, with handsome characters, great gameplay, good graphics, and nice story.
  19. NairbYeldarb
    Jun 19, 2019
    8
    I really enjoyed Tales of Zestiria. As a whole, it’s definitely a good game, despite its low production value. If you can get past the fact that it’s not a AAA game, the experience is very wholesome and entertaining, and the fun, although unnecessarily complicated combat system kept me engaged until the end. The thing that drew me in though was the beautiful character designs andI really enjoyed Tales of Zestiria. As a whole, it’s definitely a good game, despite its low production value. If you can get past the fact that it’s not a AAA game, the experience is very wholesome and entertaining, and the fun, although unnecessarily complicated combat system kept me engaged until the end. The thing that drew me in though was the beautiful character designs and visually pleasing anime aesthetic. The game expands on this by really getting to know each of these characters through animated skits (which are a staple of the franchise) you can trigger at inns, discovery points on the map, or at save points. These are all very satisfying to watch and range from conversations between two characters to ones that feature your entire party, and while most expand on lore, many are pretty funny. Edna in particular is a total troll with some brilliantly devious lines. The things that are wrong with this game are indications of laziness on the developers’ part and mainly technical/visual. One, the world feels very small compared to the world of, say, Vesperia. Even though the zones themselves are expansive. Second, a lot of the environments are just, bland. I found it hard sometimes to become fully immersed in the world, especially when I look up at the sky and it’s blatantly copy pasted with the same cloud everywhere I look. Maybe some don’t notice this type of thing but to me it’s like OCD, really gets to me because it shows laziness not lack of budget. However, I still had a good time galavanting around the game’s wide open spaces purifying hellions, and there are also numerous cities and towns which they did a pretty good job on. It feels somewhat lived in with exceptions to the blandness in a couple of uniquely pretty zones. The general progression through the game is linear with lots of optional dungeons and bosses along the way, and of course extra things off the beaten path. You’ll do a fair amount of backtracking through previously explored areas also. The story seems basic and cliche at first but definitely gets a bit deeper as you get towards the end with heavy themes of duality and the spectrum of morality. While I kind of lost interest in the second half and wasn’t too impressed with the villain, the final dungeon and boss battle were pretty awesome and the ending was fantastic, wholesome and touching, left a smile on my face. One thing I love is how a big focus in the story is Sorey and Mikleo’s relationship and for once the main character isn’t getting chased by all the females of the group (or vice versa... although you do get a party member later on who fits the cliche anime perv bill). It was super refreshing. Combat is pretty solid, I had a lot of fun to where I didn’t really ever want to skip battles. The only thing is it’s very complex and the game dumps complicated information about it on you constantly. The skill progression system is a bit weird making you fuse weapons of the same name together in order to get more skills.... which you have to stack in certain ways to power up your stats.... I still didn’t have my head wrapped completely around it by the end of the game but honestly it didn’t really matter because this game isn’t that difficult and you can breeze through the whole thing on normal if you don’t skip too many fights. Anyway if you want a charming, wholesome anime fantasy adventure with fun combat, and don’t mind the graphical/environmental issues, this is a good time and I’d recommend it for any jrpg fan.… Expand
  20. TheRedHood1
    Feb 4, 2019
    6
    This games if not very good to me. I don't like the combat and how they changed the Tp system I think it is stupid that you have to stand there while you wait to do more combos and it runs out so quick but to say I had no fun with it would be a lie. I do not like the main character for many reasons and his partner Mikleo but the other like Edith are shining examples of good party membersThis games if not very good to me. I don't like the combat and how they changed the Tp system I think it is stupid that you have to stand there while you wait to do more combos and it runs out so quick but to say I had no fun with it would be a lie. I do not like the main character for many reasons and his partner Mikleo but the other like Edith are shining examples of good party members but most of the others just felt like stereotypes that did not go anywhere. The story was good up until one point where it just started to annoy the ever living crap out of me. And that stupid water dungeon is one is the worst things ever and is one of the worst dungeons I have ever played and ruined the games for me.… Expand
  21. leejaku
    Jan 6, 2019
    2
    Literally one of the worst games an JRPGs I've played in my entire life. Map exploring feels like a ps2 game, combat system is totally broken and chaotic due to the worst possible camera, items and skills are so confusing that having beaten many other jRPGs myself and my friend ( playing co op ) wasn't enough to understand even a bit. Play other games
  22. Irisen
    Dec 6, 2018
    6
    This game is average by all means. The graphics are meh, the plot is incredibly unoriginal and the characters are not complex in any way.
    However, it does have some novelty in its dungeons and in the way you can use the different Seraphims' powers. Despite the lack of originality in most of its aspects, Tales of Zestiria remains an entertaining game to play, if you have nothing better to    This game is average by all means. The graphics are meh, the plot is incredibly unoriginal and the characters are not complex in any way.
    However, it does have some novelty in its dungeons and in the way you can use the different Seraphims' powers. Despite the lack of originality in most of its aspects, Tales of Zestiria remains an entertaining game to play, if you have nothing better to do. I enjoyed it but, objectively, it's not that good.    … Expand
  23. SaintJames012
    Jul 19, 2018
    5
    Zestiria is a boring, tedious, and uninteresting tale of a naive blank-slate of a main character who goes on an epic quest to defeat the literal being of Chaos. Honestly, Zestiria is not that bad of a game, but from a studio that brought about such colorful cast of characters like one sees in Tales of Vesperia, it is easy to see why Zestiria is such a bland title. The combat and gameplayZestiria is a boring, tedious, and uninteresting tale of a naive blank-slate of a main character who goes on an epic quest to defeat the literal being of Chaos. Honestly, Zestiria is not that bad of a game, but from a studio that brought about such colorful cast of characters like one sees in Tales of Vesperia, it is easy to see why Zestiria is such a bland title. The combat and gameplay is what you would expect from a tales game, a smaller rendition of the dungeon you walk through in a 4vAll button masher that is oh so satisfying once you learn the combination of moves to win fights. The story itself is not bad either, offering the story of a young boy who is deems the savior of the world despite being obviously too young and naive to actually fulfill the role adequately. The majority of the story is his tale of growing both physically and mentally to rise up to achieve his duty. The major problem with the game is the lack of a powerful cast of characters. Let's be frank here, the main roster is weak when compared to others like Vesperia. In a game that ranges at anywhere from 45-120 hours, the strength of the cast is a major factor in whether or not a game can work, and to be honest it does not work here well at all. Unlike other rosters that featured characters of different backgrounds, ages, experiences, and whatnot, the roster this time around share a lot of similarities, not only in character creation, but also how their characters react. Almost every single one has an air of angst about them that has little difference between the characters. While Mikleo and Edna are inherently different characters, their portrayal and interactions are not that different from each other. In addition, the difference between Sorey and Alisha are pretty minute as well when it comes to interaction and chemistry. The game is simply not that interesting both in characters and world compared to other titles. While the game is not bad, it is not that good either. It sits at the crossroads of competence and monotony, overshadowed both in the past with Vesperia, and the future with Berseria.… Expand
  24. LiteralLlama
    May 18, 2018
    7
    Tales of Zestiria, I was weary of this game because of the reviews but after playing it, I feel compelled to write one. It feels that people either hated it or loved it and it's hard to tell who to believe. But I'll do my best to break down what to expect from this game.

    Gameplay It's not too good, it becomes extremely repetitive once you get an idea of how to play. Zestiria combat    Tales of Zestiria, I was weary of this game because of the reviews but after playing it, I feel compelled to write one. It feels that people either hated it or loved it and it's hard to tell who to believe. But I'll do my best to break down what to expect from this game.

    Gameplay
    It's not too good, it becomes extremely repetitive once you get an idea of how to play. Zestiria combat system is extremely complex with several different elements that's impossible to grasp in the beginning. It's similar to Tales of Graces but with a lot of emphasis on using the right move and weakness. But this emphasis is what hurts the gameplay the most.
    One of the mechanics in the game is the rock, paper, scissors game or martial, hidden, seraph art system. One overpowers the other and is weak to the other. There is armatization in this game which gives you the ability to use hidden and seraph arts. Despite this one over the other system, these two arts are the strongest types giving you the best range and stagger on enemies. If one doesn't work, you switch to the other. If you spam this system, you can end fights pretty easily. The advantage you have over enemies is so overbearing, you essentially perma-stun them until you recharge and it's is pretty easy to stay charged. Exploiting this weakness essentially nulls the extraordinarily complex combat system.
    It's fun for a while but it loses its charm pretty fast.

    Exploration
    Dungeon crawling and world wandering is okay. Most puzzles don't take a whole lot of thinking. They tend to be tedious, no proud "Ah ha!" moment. There's a system where you can discover unique locations while you traverse giving you a skit but they're few in numbers. The game does a good job adding sidequest moments that are decent detours. I will say that the OST or music is pretty good, one thing I really did like.

    Plot - Characters

    The characters were not bad, they're likable but half of the cast remained static until very specific moments. There wasn't any build up to really know the characters. There's no progression and it feels like certain characters were meant for a single moment. You don't get to really know these characters in the end. The attachment wasn't there. Without that attachment, the big moments didn't hit very hard.
    The main character was weak. They were trying to create the naive, innocent, but just guy. He came off too heavily as the just guy and now you have your cliche superhero. Wasn't awful but he never really felt like a believable character. There wasn't a wholesome bit that made him feel true. Cliches killed this kind of character making him stale.
    There is also this huge bit that weakened the plot a lot. I don't know if there was conflict between writers or if they just thought it was a good idea. But there are two heroines, one that sort of just disappears from being a major plot point to a side character, and then the main one. This weird switch creates this dynamic which weakened the main heroine and completely trashed the second one. They tried to juggle both but it didn't work. It feels forced and unnecessary.

    Plot - Story
    The foundation had so much potential but ended up being weak. This was because of this spiritual matter point did not deliver well. If you worship a spirit, it will bless you. If you don't, you are stuck with poverty and disease. This was shaky from the start. To save humanity is to save people from themselves and get them to believe in spirits. For this to be successful, both of these point have to be good. There was a bunch of saving people which worked but the next step of involving spirits was bad. "i lost hope in people, but I promise I won't again since you kicked my ass," the spirits you meet are the least interesting things you'll encounter. This step didn't work making the entire human and spirit relationship feel a little pointless. It hurt the story as a whole.
    There were a lot of technical story telling that damaged the plot. You will get explanations on the foundations of the story that feels forced and unnaturally convenient. Things that do need a bit of explanation are not there. The Zestria world is complex and lack crucial details for it to make sense. How are Shepard's create and why was the (blank, for the sake of spoilers) made it impossible to have any other?
    There were moments that were pretty good. But there weren't many, not enough to be able to overlook the major flaws in the story.

    Verdict.
    Seven seemed generous when I reread what I typed. I enjoyed the Tales series, it has a special place in my heart. That made it hard to give it a six which is close to unplayable in my brain. There's so much to talk about but not enough time. I'll say this much, if you like past Tales game a lot, you'll be able to overlook most of these flaws and have an enjoyable experience. It still has the same Tale charm that drew me in at first. If this is your first one, it is highly unlikely that you'll enjoy this game.    … Expand
  25. Grownia
    Apr 23, 2018
    7
    Overall a good JRPG.
    Graphics : 6/10. Mostly pixelized and old tech but art is good. Cities are well drawn. Characters are well drawn too. Monsters look alike to each other.
    Sound : 9/10. Voice act is really good, both in English and Japanese. Effects are well done. Soundtrack is sometimes awesome but mostly ordinary. Gameplay : 7/10. Combat is button mashing in start and most of the    Overall a good JRPG.
    Graphics : 6/10. Mostly pixelized and old tech but art is good. Cities are well drawn. Characters are well drawn too. Monsters look alike to each other.
    Sound : 9/10. Voice act is really good, both in English and Japanese. Effects are well done. Soundtrack is sometimes awesome but mostly ordinary.
    Gameplay : 7/10. Combat is button mashing in start and most of the game. There are lots of mechanics including block,dodge,commands, spells etc. and you have to use all of them properly in higher difficulties. But in normal difficulty you just smash and smash. To say in my first playtrough in normal difficulty i mostly set all of my characters to auto combat and watch it , especially near the endgame. It is a long game with repetitive places which bores the player after some gameplay time. It would have been perfect to finish the story in 30 hours or so. It is just so long and becomes dull near endgame.
    Story : 7/10. Story is fine. Some bold moments and talks. Most original thing is this is the first game with gay main protagonist. Characters interactions are very good, mostly funny, sometimes sad. Other than these this has the same old save the world while being super good theme.

    Buy it if you love JRPG. This is a solid and good one at all. If you can play it on higher difficulties with lots of free time devoted to this game.    … Expand
  26. Toastclaimer
    Feb 20, 2018
    6
    The plot is a standard fantasy afair; nothing really unexpected is going to happen. The combat is unique but somehow manages to be both overly simplistic and overly complex at the same time leading to countless frustrations; there's so many figures to pay attention to and attack mashing is the best way to win. The best thing Zestiria has going is the characters which are unique from eachThe plot is a standard fantasy afair; nothing really unexpected is going to happen. The combat is unique but somehow manages to be both overly simplistic and overly complex at the same time leading to countless frustrations; there's so many figures to pay attention to and attack mashing is the best way to win. The best thing Zestiria has going is the characters which are unique from each other and at least try to be interesting and well developed and avoids overly used tropes. Overall Zestiria is a flawed game; but not a bad one. Avoid it if your not made about JRPGS though as it comes packing all the standard affairs warts and all… Expand
  27. gq_foine
    Sep 3, 2017
    7
    UPDATE: After 45hrs+. While, I disagree with the most of critics and users alike on this game. I believe this is a solid 7+ or higher rating. Not the best Tales game, but I think this should have received a much better score.. I own most of all of the tales series.. I loved Xillia as well as Symphonia. I think the story is absolutely great playing over 45hrs into it! The graphicsUPDATE: After 45hrs+. While, I disagree with the most of critics and users alike on this game. I believe this is a solid 7+ or higher rating. Not the best Tales game, but I think this should have received a much better score.. I own most of all of the tales series.. I loved Xillia as well as Symphonia. I think the story is absolutely great playing over 45hrs into it! The graphics are updgraded PS3 style. And could have been better but absolutely love the Anime Cut scenes! The couple of problems in the game is the Battle game mechanics. Its really hard to get into since you keep smashing "O" button and it quickly takes you to the page that you exit out of so you don't know what you received. They should have done a better job of the battle clearing stages. Also the camera angle can be challenging and not too sure why I have problems soo many times trying to get the camera angle to adjust properly. But those are my gripes about the game. Otherwise disregard ratings that give this less than 7.. This game I think is great.. And IGN and other critic reviewers are wrong to give it anything less than 7 on this game!! It's a great game not the best.… Expand
  28. Nel
    Aug 7, 2017
    5
    TAles of zestiria is an jrpg games which means that they are usually grindy, but this game is not very grindy, but instead you have to take long hikes for no reason between destinations that they only tell you one thing, and then you have to walk all the way back, which gets very frustrating. Also the description on items is not to be trusted.
  29. Vectus
    May 11, 2017
    10
    I think the hate this game gets in undeserved. looking at the story as a call back to classic ps1 and snes rpgs its a nice welcome call back in a sea of convoluted messes that jrpgs have become and the game play while not the best in the series is quite amazing when experienced as a single player
  30. Editman3
    Apr 8, 2017
    6
    Game is good but my issues are
    -Story is way too straightforward and Lacks in-depth
    -Characters are forgettable at times
    -Worst Camera I've seen in battle of an ARPG
    -Gameplay that could use some improvements
    -Dungeons Looks the SAME
    not bad but the camera, and Weak story lands this game at a 6/10
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
5
#5 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 59
  3. Negative: 1 out of 59
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 3, 2016
    63
    Tales of Zestiria is just bad and lazy entry for a 20 year old series. [Jan 2016]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 5, 2016
    75
    Tales of Zestiria had a good chance to surpass Vesperia as my favorite Tales title, but the weak plot left me wanting more. On the other hand, the combat system is currently tops, so that's a plus. Overall I still enjoyed my time with it, and would recommend it to Tales newcomers. Just come to it for the combat (and not the story) and everything will be roses.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 16, 2015
    70
    Beyond its puddle-deep characters, Zestiria is a decent addition to the series. [Christmas 2015, p.86]
See all critic reviews »