Tales of Arise

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 727 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 543 out of 727
  2. Mixed: 73 out of 727
  3. Negative: 111 out of 727
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  1. Coxy4454
    Oct 3, 2021
    6
    So the game play is pretty great! The graphics are good and there's a lot of fun different mechanics. THE STORY IS STUPID! THE CHARACTER DIALOGUE IS TRASH!!! So much emotion! The dialogue makes a Spanish soap opera look bland - angst, tears, preachy, self righteousness you name it. I also hate how they push the dlc at you all the time - it's even advertised in a scrolling banner at camps.So the game play is pretty great! The graphics are good and there's a lot of fun different mechanics. THE STORY IS STUPID! THE CHARACTER DIALOGUE IS TRASH!!! So much emotion! The dialogue makes a Spanish soap opera look bland - angst, tears, preachy, self righteousness you name it. I also hate how they push the dlc at you all the time - it's even advertised in a scrolling banner at camps. So if you can push through those two things you've got a great game with many hours of enjoyment (at least 40). If you like the "Tales of" games or are looking a jrpg to dig into you'll love the game play - but the way the story and dialogue is going I kinda want everyone , good guys and bad - to just explode half the time. This review done at 28 hours, 2/3rds the way through the story.… Expand
  2. Quetzalty
    Nov 3, 2021
    10
    This game has been an incredible step forward for jrpg's. Tales of Arise has shown a wide depth of stunning visual themes, above par voice acting, and a fun new combat system similar to the likes of Xenoblade. The story, both overall as well as individual journeys, flow together to form one expansive masterpiece. Very excited to see how this franchise builds upon this success going forward.
  3. SmartBR
    Sep 18, 2021
    7
    The most good looking of the series, but far from being the best...I was expecting to play hundreds of hours, took me only 60hs. Totally disappointed with the end/post game.

    - Music is mediocre; - Few types of monsters with different skins; - AI is terrible, Tactics menu is worse than ever - Combat is the same Tales Formula with some few tweaks to make it simpler (wich I disliked).    The most good looking of the series, but far from being the best...I was expecting to play hundreds of hours, took me only 60hs. Totally disappointed with the end/post game.

    - Music is mediocre;
    - Few types of monsters with different skins;
    - AI is terrible, Tactics menu is worse than ever
    - Combat is the same Tales Formula with some few tweaks to make it simpler (wich I disliked). Negative point to the simple dodge system (just like Ys 8) and no block (except for Kisara;)
    - Played on hard from start, a few challenging bosses fights but overall the game is easier than the latest titles;
    - Done eveything in 60 hours on hard mode (playing slowly, trying to enjoy everything)...it´s too short compared to other Tales. Trophies, End/Post game are pathetic, with very bad difficulty balance compared to the main story, people will just lower difficulty to get 100%;
    - Making the game easier (with stupid paid DLC´s giving huge benefits) and allowing you to make 100% in one go at any difficulty, destroyed the New Game+, wich was the most interesting feature of the the franchise    … Expand
  4. LasseRon
    Sep 28, 2021
    7
    A good game that overstays it's welcome. I really liked the games first 20 hours, but it quickly got way to repetitive, and the story is really bad.
  5. Cless
    Sep 28, 2021
    10
    A step in the right direction for this long running franchise. I'm an old fan of the series since Tales of Destiny on the PS1. However, I've fell off the series during the PS3 era. But with this entry, I feel it's the best way to evolve the series without losing its identity. Everything feels fresh. And the gameplay was especially refreshing. Good story, good cast.. those aspects canA step in the right direction for this long running franchise. I'm an old fan of the series since Tales of Destiny on the PS1. However, I've fell off the series during the PS3 era. But with this entry, I feel it's the best way to evolve the series without losing its identity. Everything feels fresh. And the gameplay was especially refreshing. Good story, good cast.. those aspects can definitely be better but it's good and serviceable. Graphics are great and gameplay is non stop fun. This will be a good entry for new comers and fans alike.… Expand
  6. Tailed-Raven
    Sep 11, 2021
    10
    This the best tales since vesperia, it finally feels like the fast paced tales game they've been trying to make with zestiria and berseria. The soundtrack is one if not the best in the series backed by easily the best visuals. GG Bandai Namco GG
  7. kazpersc
    Sep 17, 2021
    9
    Amazing game, one of the best jrpg in year, fun combat and great story, Is a must play.
  8. Froulito123
    Oct 10, 2021
    10
    Great game with plenty of content to keep you playing. Fluid battle system and a story that few won't like. Truly an exelent addition to the tales series.
  9. Philson08
    Oct 12, 2021
    10
    Absolutely worth the money. Great story and great atmosphere. Best tales game ever made, period. I hope they will continue with tales games like this one in the future.
  10. terahead
    Sep 12, 2021
    10
    Everything that ever needed improvement in Tales is here. This title has been blowing my mind and really is in the same league as DQXI. I am so proud of what BanNam achieved here. Don't miss this game.
  11. PrinzVonLicht
    Sep 12, 2021
    10
    Soy nuevo en esta saga a pesar de que soy amante de los JRPG y la verdad al comenzar a jugar este me ha dolido no haberme hecho fan mucho antes. No hay que decir más que todo en este juego es espectacular: el combate, el arte, la música, el diseño de personajes y la historia. Lo mejor es que hasta una persona que no le gusten los RPG debería probarlo.
  12. Tidis1991
    Sep 13, 2021
    10
    Un gran juego con un sistema de combate que recuerda ágil y entretenido. La historia aunque no sorprende está bien.
  13. Solski0
    Sep 13, 2021
    10
    Fantastic game. First time playing a game in this series and absolutely loving it
  14. Dark063
    Sep 13, 2021
    10
    This game is a gem. Game of the year in my opinion. Just go buy it now! The combat, the music, the environment. Everything in this game will be worth your time.
  15. Slapyomama
    Sep 13, 2021
    10
    Its a great rpg. I fell in love with turn based, but this makes me not miss turn based one bit its super challenging.i just killed the 2nd lord and really am pacing myself I don't want this one to end.It also makes me want to go back and finish all the other tales games I left partially finished. Not to mention its gorgeous on ps5.
  16. 1ManRev
    Sep 13, 2021
    10
    For the longest time, I've felt like I needed to play an RPG that scratched the proverbial 'itch' if you will. Even masterful games such as FF7 Remake, Witcher 3, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and others really weren't igniting anything in me that kept me engaged for even half an hour. On a whim, I decided to purchase Tales of Arise and try it out. Man. Let me tell you. One of the bestFor the longest time, I've felt like I needed to play an RPG that scratched the proverbial 'itch' if you will. Even masterful games such as FF7 Remake, Witcher 3, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and others really weren't igniting anything in me that kept me engaged for even half an hour. On a whim, I decided to purchase Tales of Arise and try it out. Man. Let me tell you. One of the best purchases I've made this entire year in terms of gaming. The cast of characters are so intriguing, and each of them have dynamic and thoughtful backstories and motivations. The voice acting cast is absolutely fantastic. Honestly in a world where most people skip cutscenes or speed through dialogue, doing so in this game would be a complete disservice to the amazing plotline, and even yourself for missing out on some of the really thought and feeling provoking interractions and story arcs. The battle system is the icing on the cake here, with a near seamless combination of tactical and free flowing combat that feels somewhere between vintage RPG and Devil May Cry. Every single time I play this game, finding a stopping point seems harder and harder, as the impulse is to keep playing to see where the story is going next. Plus, you cant help but to feel emotionally invested in the characters and their goals and motivations. If I could rate this game higher than 5 stars, I definitely would… Expand
  17. Martinii
    Sep 14, 2021
    10
    Best game ever Nice Nice Nice 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
  18. Skyhammertrue
    Sep 16, 2021
    10
    Best tales of so far,true next Generation version, gorgeus graphics and haptic in dualsense
  19. Cliverosefield
    Sep 27, 2021
    10
    i can say whthout a doubt that this is one of the if not the best tales to date good likeable characters
    music combat is so good
  20. CLAWS
    Oct 15, 2021
    1
    Exp from mobs is lowered x2 for ONE level difference. Is no gring here, PM of this project is ... worst game of the series
  21. KB5K
    Sep 23, 2021
    6
    If you like PS3-level graphics and overplayed, prototypical JRPG tropes, then you'll love Tales of Arise.
  22. GamingNinja
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    I'm impressed..
    The pacing is perfect, the rpg mechanics are perfect, the story and characters are great.
    The music is fabulous
    U can tell this was made by developers who know their RPG's.
    Only downside is Launch DLC... and NO lipsyncing for English.. sad Could have been perfect.
  23. sex69
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    The story is interesting and above all, the female characters are pretty. And the systems are fun and open world. Sleeping, inns, fishing, and farming are fun.
  24. Mohammednasser
    Sep 19, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Good game .. i like boss fights in the game Im not into the story… this is first tales game to me… Expand
  25. Potnoodle999
    Oct 25, 2021
    10
    Excellent game. They really stepped it up with this one and have made the best in the series. Love the little chats between the characters all the way through, great moments of character development and the overall plot is great. Graphics are so good and the tales series finally feels like a premium rpg here, combat can be button marshy but I still thoroughly enjoyed, best rpg I’ve playedExcellent game. They really stepped it up with this one and have made the best in the series. Love the little chats between the characters all the way through, great moments of character development and the overall plot is great. Graphics are so good and the tales series finally feels like a premium rpg here, combat can be button marshy but I still thoroughly enjoyed, best rpg I’ve played since ffvii remake and since a while before that one too … Expand
  26. NoradZero
    Sep 24, 2021
    9
    The game is very good but not perfect. I would have loved to see after ending events of what happened between the characters that would have concluded the story a bit farther. The combat is not balanced, some boss was a lots harder i had to actually drop the difficulty. The AI is not that good, your friendly characters will not avoid danger. I feel the game was made so that you have toThe game is very good but not perfect. I would have loved to see after ending events of what happened between the characters that would have concluded the story a bit farther. The combat is not balanced, some boss was a lots harder i had to actually drop the difficulty. The AI is not that good, your friendly characters will not avoid danger. I feel the game was made so that you have to take DLC at one point.. if you don't you will easily have to grind a lots. Other than that i really liked the game, the characters developement are really amazing, i felt sad to lets them go at the end.… Expand
  27. Masa102
    Nov 7, 2021
    8
    This is the best entry in the Tales series since Symphonia. The combat is fantastic, the story has some really interesting concepts and the game feels very polished and well balanced.

    It loses a couple of points because the dialog is repetitive, most of it feels like it was written for children (I don't need the same thing explained to me 15 different ways), and the game overstays its    This is the best entry in the Tales series since Symphonia. The combat is fantastic, the story has some really interesting concepts and the game feels very polished and well balanced.

    It loses a couple of points because the dialog is repetitive, most of it feels like it was written for children (I don't need the same thing explained to me 15 different ways), and the game overstays its welcome towards the end - the hardest enemies are just damage sponges so it got old for me by the end.

    But overall I loved this game, if you like JRPG's or any of the other Tales game this is a must have..    … Expand
  28. jfallen1990
    Sep 23, 2021
    10
    This is my second Tales game (first was vesperia). What an amazing experience! It was really great to learn about the characters in your party and the story had me hooked. No spoilers here. I was worried whether i was going to enjoy the gameplay, Let me give you relief knowing its very enjoyable. You'll find your own style with normals, artes, boosts, dodges and strikes. A piece of adviceThis is my second Tales game (first was vesperia). What an amazing experience! It was really great to learn about the characters in your party and the story had me hooked. No spoilers here. I was worried whether i was going to enjoy the gameplay, Let me give you relief knowing its very enjoyable. You'll find your own style with normals, artes, boosts, dodges and strikes. A piece of advice do not just do the main story quests the world is rich and the side stories are entertaining. Highly recommended… Expand
  29. Starward
    Oct 1, 2021
    8
    Tales of Arise is a very solid JRPG. The story is kind of basic however the characters are interesting enough to keep the story engaging. The combat is where it shines though, there are many mechanics that allow combat to be deeper than the surface level appearance it has. Although the lack of currency from battles makes healing items scarce, and the boss design is often poor and higherTales of Arise is a very solid JRPG. The story is kind of basic however the characters are interesting enough to keep the story engaging. The combat is where it shines though, there are many mechanics that allow combat to be deeper than the surface level appearance it has. Although the lack of currency from battles makes healing items scarce, and the boss design is often poor and higher difficulties they can be pretty spongy or just outright annoying. I recommend this game if you're a fan of Tales or craving a good, but not amazing, JRPG experience.… Expand
  30. olisper90
    Sep 17, 2021
    10
    This is one of those games that u can feel its made with a lot of passion and love and it rly shows. Its hard to find a game that makes almost everything perfect, but this is one of them.
    The combat is a perfect evolution to the series and its the most fun i had playing in a jrpg, the music es amazing, visualy is mindblowing how pretty a game can be and the story is rly good (even though    This is one of those games that u can feel its made with a lot of passion and love and it rly shows. Its hard to find a game that makes almost everything perfect, but this is one of them.
    The combat is a perfect evolution to the series and its the most fun i had playing in a jrpg, the music es amazing, visualy is mindblowing how pretty a game can be and the story is rly good (even though the writing could be improved), but what rly carries the show are the characters. If u want to play the game make yourself a favor and read every dialog (i mean the little chats u can have on the road or camping) and do the secondary quests, because in situations like those is were the characters shine the most and get a lot of development, that way u will empathize more with the cast and the story will have even more impact on u. There are some rly cool things hidden behind secondary quests too that u dont want to miss.
    Although the microtransactions suck a bit (its not such a big deal as some ppl say) and the writing could be improved, the game knows what it wants to be and took all the time needed to make the most out of those ideas, the result Is a game that does everything right and makes u wish it would last a bit longer.    … Expand
  31. rhenriques92
    Nov 7, 2021
    9
    Played it for 65 hours and got the platinum,
    Pros:
    Story Combat Crafting Content Character and world development The game reward you for learning mechs and for exploring Cons: The last 5 hours or so of the story can feel like it’s dragging on until you get to the final boss, but mostly because the game gets you invested in the characters and you just want to get to the point… There is one    Played it for 65 hours and got the platinum,
    Pros:
    Story
    Combat
    Crafting
    Content
    Character and world development
    The game reward you for learning mechs and for exploring
    Cons:
    The last 5 hours or so of the story can feel like it’s dragging on until you get to the final boss, but mostly because the game gets you invested in the characters and you just want to get to the point…
    There is one missable for crafting one weapon that if you are trying to complete crafting all the weapons you probably sell the weapon that is required to build the next and if you sell it you will need to start ng + to get that weapon!

    This has been my favorite game this year! Granted I have not played returnal    … Expand
  32. iMustang
    Oct 4, 2021
    9
    A beautiful end to a beautiful journey; after playing for nearly a month, I finished Tales of Arise last night. The nearly 5 year wait to play this game was well worth it. This game is a true work of beauty from beginning to end, giving us a world filled with vibrant colors and majestic environments that always create an exciting feeling of exploration. This color extends to it's wonderfulA beautiful end to a beautiful journey; after playing for nearly a month, I finished Tales of Arise last night. The nearly 5 year wait to play this game was well worth it. This game is a true work of beauty from beginning to end, giving us a world filled with vibrant colors and majestic environments that always create an exciting feeling of exploration. This color extends to it's wonderful core cast who I loved each and every one of equally, to the point that if you asked me to pick a favorite I'm not sure I'd be able to. Each one is so delightful and watching them grow along the journey meant more to me than the story itself, in fact this may be my favorite full cast of any Tales game yet. Getting used to the change from anime to CG for skits and most cutscenes was an adjustment, but the creators really managed to capture the same anime-style feeling of the preceding games even with the all new style. Speaking of style, this game was stylish in every since of the word. Flashy combos and designs, a new fast paced combat system that still feels familiar, and all sorts of elements that could only be described as 'Something that feels new, but is still a Tales game.' Despite having one of the darkest premises yet, this game still found a way to stay fun and light hearted all the way until the end, leading to an ending I was extremely satisfied with. I have so many praises for this game, and very few complaints. Tales of Arise is now my 4th favorite Tales game of all time behind Graces, Berseria, and Abyss. I loved my journey with these guys, and I can't wait to see what journey the Tales series takes us on next!… Expand
  33. arglebargle82
    Oct 13, 2021
    9
    Very entertaining entry into the series, although it feels a bit different from your standard Tales game at first and keeps that thread going until the end. Reasonably straightforward trophies as well, I don't platinum many games due to the requirement of difficulty levels meaning multiple play-throughs, this is able to be accomplished in a single play. I look forward to the next entry as always.
  34. Rene69
    Nov 25, 2021
    10
    Juegazo espectacular!!de principio a final,muí buena historia y personajes,un mundo increíble y bonito,combate muí chulo,este jrpg está por encima de xenoblade 2 o otros jrpg de los mejores..,para mi goty 2021
  35. yaqubian
    Nov 30, 2021
    6
    Its an okay game with many fun mechanics, but it also has many problems. I'll list the pros and cons below.

    Pros: - Great graphics/artstyle - Really fun and engaging combat with great boss/monster mechanics - Decent story overall - Great skill/arte system - Good worldbuilding from NPCs - Great voice acting - Nice, fitting music - Love the locations/environments Cons: -    Its an okay game with many fun mechanics, but it also has many problems. I'll list the pros and cons below.

    Pros:
    - Great graphics/artstyle
    - Really fun and engaging combat with great boss/monster mechanics
    - Decent story overall
    - Great skill/arte system
    - Good worldbuilding from NPCs
    - Great voice acting
    - Nice, fitting music
    - Love the locations/environments

    Cons:
    - Basically same story formula is used for each party member intro and the enemies with varying severity

    - Characters confirm the same lessons and what we already know way too much, and there are too many 'I wonder', 'what if', 'so many questions, lets ask around' situations that mostly go nowhere, they need to stop repeating things that we addressed ten times just to pad the story/dialogue, its lazy and repetitive

    - Reminiscing scenes are mostly either characters bickering at each other, characters repeating information we already learned but in different ways, and characters going through stuff then being supported by rest of party multiple times and with basically the same dialogue each time

    - Shionne (not a big fan of tsundere, especially when its overdone)

    - Dialogue is bland, same generic lines are used with each new boss or new party member

    - Great outfits are locked behind expensive DLCs, and in-game outfits are mostly the same but just with different colors

    - With how great the game looks and what the PS5 can do, mixing anime scenes into the cutscenes is jarring and tends to ruin an otherwise great cutscene

    - No photo mode, or way to change camera positioning

    - No option to skip boost strikes or finishers (I don't need to see the same lengthy animations 200 times) and setting input queing to short is not a solution especially when you get all characters with one boost strike/finisher after another

    - No option to turn off or reduce ally battle effects, there are some bosses where visibility is an issue, I can't properly see what the enemy is doing if my allies and spamming flashy skills all the time, so I then have to rely on hearing, I have no idea why they've done it like this

    - Forced reminiscing, for example there are times when the party disbands and you are required to talk to each of your party members to continue, but as I've said they just repeat facts we already know, and lessons we have already learned/went through many times, its just so unnecessary.

    Despite the many cons, I rated this a 6 because the pros outweigh the cons much of the time, especially the combat, so its still an okay game that is worth playing through.    … Expand
  36. Luahanseng
    Oct 10, 2021
    9
    Completed : Oct 10, 2021
    Playtime : 58hrs
    Completed in Platinum Trophy After completing this as my 2nd tales game, i am surprisingly disappointed that its story phasing, and plot has a lot of resemblance similar to my 1st tales - Vesperia. now i am worried with other tales i hope this is not the case. But i got to say they got a lot of things right in fact perfected particularly its    Completed : Oct 10, 2021
    Playtime : 58hrs
    Completed in Platinum Trophy

    After completing this as my 2nd tales game, i am surprisingly disappointed that its story phasing, and plot has a lot of resemblance similar to my 1st tales - Vesperia. now i am worried with other tales i hope this is not the case. But i got to say they got a lot of things right in fact perfected particularly its combat, graphics, and has one of if not the best replay value and content of a JRPG to date. the dialogue though, it is not the best and many times the characters are awkward. overall from the get go you know that this a big budget game they really did not hold back on this game. its not a perfect game but it is an amazing game and experience. it is very fun and addictive you wouldn't notice that your sre already in 50 hour mark.

    Character development/dialogue 8/10
    Graphics 10/10
    Gameplay 9/10
    Battle system 10/10
    Story / narrative - 7/10
    Progression - 9/10
    Replay Value - 10/10    … Expand
  37. cid33
    Sep 19, 2021
    9
    Has everything you would want from an Jrpg.. nice well paced story, Great visuals, excellent voice acting. satisfying game length and post content. minus points for the worst LOD/Popup i have seen in years, characters and other things appear very Close to camera
  38. Ivanx666
    Sep 16, 2021
    9
    Великолепная игра, приятная графика, боевая система просто огрнь, к покупке обязательно
  39. PeinLankaster
    Sep 12, 2021
    10
    Изумительная игра. Лучшая часть серии Tales. Персонажи отлично прописаны, мир выглядит шикарно. Графика заглядение, как будто бы на картину смотришь, нарисованную кистью.
  40. erlendia
    Oct 24, 2021
    10
    The Fighting, the story and the characters, just wonderful it’s just… *chef’s kiss*
  41. Serbinator84
    Sep 21, 2021
    10
    So beautiful and amazing story i love this game
  42. WYY
    Sep 20, 2021
    10
    Being an old timer fans for Tales Series, the new direction they took for Tales of Arise is welcoming, it still feel like previous Tales game but with much higher budget and care they took to develop this title. The only downside is the monsters variety is repetitive.
    Combat - 10/10
    Music - 10/10
    Story - 10/10
    Gamplay 9/10

    Its a Master Piece Tales game that will be remember forever.
  43. Juanchito006
    Oct 18, 2021
    9
    Tales of Arise is an amazing game, you can tell the passion the developers had when making this game!, If you are a JRPG and ANIME fan then this game is essential in your collection, I´m getting to 97 hours with it playing in the second hardest difficulty, finished the story and still doing some side activities to get that precious platinum!! Amazing soundtrack, the story has some veryTales of Arise is an amazing game, you can tell the passion the developers had when making this game!, If you are a JRPG and ANIME fan then this game is essential in your collection, I´m getting to 97 hours with it playing in the second hardest difficulty, finished the story and still doing some side activities to get that precious platinum!! Amazing soundtrack, the story has some very good and interesting twists, characters have good progression and development and the combat is fun and addictive. This game gave some of the coolest and most exciting battles in a JRPG, some of them can be really intense !! I´ll not give it a 10 because I was expecting more from the ending and when you play in the hardest difficulties the dodge system can be a little clunky and the AI of your companions sometimes are not very intelligent and they die too much unnecessarily. Other than that the game is brilliant and definitively one of the best from 2021 and I have played a lot!! Don´t sleep on this game!! It´s beautiful (there´s a chapter that I´ll never forget because of the emotional immersion that I had , feeling sadness and then rage while doing this dungeon, it was superb)… Expand
  44. yangfanhong
    Sep 22, 2021
    8
    This is a classic JRPG. The story, battle system, art and music are all excellent.
  45. Spartacus_637
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My overall rating is 8.5, the game is good, it has the best gameplay in Tales Of series, the world and the characters I liked.


    The story at the start was mysterious and kinda good for that, but when everything will be clear it will become "Meh" , btw it is good overall, the music wasn't catching except few OSTs tbh. I prefer Berseria and how it ends with it's cast rather than Arise.    … Expand
  46. Calebc131
    Oct 25, 2021
    10
    Wow!!!! This game is seriously amazing, if you're here reading reviews thinking of whether or not to by it this year for $60 or 5 years from now when it's on sale for $20 just buy it! I was a bit sketchy about buying it at first because of the anime aesthetic that the game has because I'm not into anime at all, and the only other JRPG I've played is the Final Fantasy 7 Remake but all theWow!!!! This game is seriously amazing, if you're here reading reviews thinking of whether or not to by it this year for $60 or 5 years from now when it's on sale for $20 just buy it! I was a bit sketchy about buying it at first because of the anime aesthetic that the game has because I'm not into anime at all, and the only other JRPG I've played is the Final Fantasy 7 Remake but all the reviews were great so I figured I'd give it a shot and I'm so glad I did! The story is very engaging, but it takes a back seat to the characters you meet along your 70+ hour journey and every character that joins you gets extremely fleshed out it feels like you're all really growing together and form a family with each other. The combat is pretty slow for the first 20 hours of the game, it's still fun but it's definitely way, way better once you get deeper into the game and get way more abilities to use, which is good because you're going to be fighting a WHOLE LOT of the time in Dahna. I've never played any of the other Tales of games before but this game is definitely one of my favorite games of all time now. I'm just very upset they said there's not going to be any story DLC or a sequel to it coming at all :( but hey maybe that will change since it got such great reception from the people!!… Expand
  47. Gabrielguti
    Sep 14, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. At first the game seems cliche but the story has dark tones later. Later it becomes original and interesting.
    Combat gets better as you progress. In fact, it might be the best combat system of all the rpgs I've played. Bosses are unreal. Music is awesome. Character development is good after some chapters! There are lots of p    … Expand
  48. JWil
    Oct 8, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Tales series isn’t as popular as the Final Fantasies of the world but nonetheless this installment has the best of the classics along with the new and fresh battle system that is a blast to play. I got it for XB1X. Leveling up is handled nicely once you get it. It breaks away from the traditional way and if your stronger than the monster you won’t get as much. However if your a few levels below a monster you will get a lot more XP. You can chain battles together. The monsters were reused quite a bit but that’s not something I’d RPG lovers are strangers to anyway. The weapon can be made and crafted with material you get from monsters. The setting is basically a slave world so it makes sense that you’d have to make your own weapons and you aren’t able to just buy one already made and nice for you traditionally. The story and characters develop very in depth, and the blend of story gameplay is superb. Toward the end there was so much story and dialogue and me RPG senses were kicking in that the end is near. I must say at that point I was getting a bit impatient due to time constraints and other adult responsibilities so I ended up skipping a fair amount of cutscenes and conversions (with the rb button) so I could just beat it. I’m glad they out the option to skip if you needed to. If it was up to me I’d skip nothing but I had to. It’s a grand story told by a cast down and downtrodden people who were robbed of their history which is something we don’t see all the time and is personally relatable to me. I hope you enjoy this game as much as I have, and I hope the Tales series gets more love out there. Peace!… Expand
  49. Lihey
    Oct 22, 2021
    10
    Шикарная игра!! Все в духе серии,очень интересно было играть!! 10 из 10 !
  50. HyruleKratos
    Nov 3, 2021
    10
    Just my game of the year so far, incredible visuals, soundtrack, combat, characters and story. I love every single aspect about it, it has become one of my favorites rpgs. What an amazing evolution the franchise has experienced.
  51. Eciliass
    Sep 26, 2021
    10
    I put this game up there with Persona 5 and FF7 remake for me. All games that I just HAD to get the platinum for!
  52. Jonathanacolon
    Oct 2, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. positives: The game's gameplay is great, I like the level of customization, the story to an extent is enjoyable, the game is lengthy and it has substance. Cons: It's filled with unnecessary plot twists and long periods of dialogue without gameplay in between and it is not necessary. A great game in my opinion; builds on the premise it had in the beginning, Vs. throwing a game-changing plot twist near the end of the game and dedicating drawn-out dialogue in order to explain everything that happened in one go. There's also a lot of reiterating in the dialogue and it gets annoying.… Expand
  53. Fraise1611
    Nov 27, 2021
    5
    The game is ok-ish, not worth 79€. I kind of liked the main story, and the manga world spirit. The evolution of characters are RPG classics but efficient.
    I disliked the dialogues, too much, too long, too often and too childish. It is really unbearable after few hours of game. It is good that we can skip it.
    Progression is linear and the fights are really repetitive, but I found some boss    The game is ok-ish, not worth 79€. I kind of liked the main story, and the manga world spirit. The evolution of characters are RPG classics but efficient.
    I disliked the dialogues, too much, too long, too often and too childish. It is really unbearable after few hours of game. It is good that we can skip it.
    Progression is linear and the fights are really repetitive, but I found some boss fights really nice and epic.
    I was really happy to finish the game to finally move on…    … Expand
  54. Straight-truth
    Dec 23, 2021
    0
    After years of using Metacritic I made an account because I feel so betrayed by having believed all the positive reviews I read of this game before buying it. This site has gone terribly downhill due to this era of video game companies paying for fake reviews, and I'm starting to feel like Metacritic is just some aging used car salesman who will try and sell any piece of trash on behalf ofAfter years of using Metacritic I made an account because I feel so betrayed by having believed all the positive reviews I read of this game before buying it. This site has gone terribly downhill due to this era of video game companies paying for fake reviews, and I'm starting to feel like Metacritic is just some aging used car salesman who will try and sell any piece of trash on behalf of anyone who gives them money to do so. Tales of Arise is packaged as a brand new awesome JRPG with hundreds of rave 10/10 reviews, but so many of the reviews are from people who clearly have not played this game for any substantive amount of time, so here's the cold hard truth of a game 45 hours in:

    What starts off great, in fact just shy of fantastic, peaks at about 15 hours in, and then steadily declines with each continued hour of play until by the time you're 40 hours in, you feel you'd rather clean toilets at an all you can eat buffet for those 40 hours. The story feels written to the level of laziness you'd expect from one of those 600 lb beasts who patrol the aisles of Wal-Mart on an electric scooter whilst eating chicken nuggies. No character development whatsoever. In fact, negative character development. There are five lands you venture through, and most characters say virtually the same stupid things about the world dynamics at each juncture, to the point where you think the character maybe has a learning disability... and then you realize oh wait it's just a video game character, the person with a learning disability is clearly the idiot who created these characters and wrote all their dialogue.

    The battle system started off great, and seemed to have a lot of potential with how many skills there are and all that, but it quickly became a tedious button mashing endeavor that's a hodge-podge of all the popular JRPG battle modes (think a crappy dodge/parry from YS, combined with the skill usage of FF7 remake, mixed with the partner combos of the classic Chrono Trigger). The problem with the battle system is two-fold: 1) there is no diversity of enemies. You fight red wolves, then blue wolves, green, and then orange, etc., along with color variations of plants, winged gargoyles, etc. I've killed 1400 wolves that could fill a rainbow. 2) Over time, most of the skills that seem cool end up being completely useless, because some of them take so long to either charge, or have long animations, that are easily disrupted in the chaotic battles with lots of enemies, so you inevitably resort to the two best quick hitting skills. So basically you mash the same two skills 4 million times to the same ten enemies with different colors depending on what region you're in. Don't get me started on the broken targeting system, where sometimes main character Alphen will just start swiping in the weirdest directions anywhere but the target I'm locked onto.

    As far as navigating the world, it's a painfully linear map, where you go down winding narrow paths with different weather and colors, picking up crystals and treasure chests that are easy to find, there's no area that feels unique whatsoever, and it's honestly a horribly underpopulated world compared to some of the other great games out there. The giant capital cities feel tiny, and the world feels increasingly smaller the more you explore it, to the point where you feel like you're more on a small prison island and not a big country. Imagine being in one of those tiny Smart Cars with a capped speed limit of 35 mph, driving around the farmlands of Nebraska, and that will feel more majestic than traversing the realms of Arise. It feels like you walk two-three blocks from region to region.

    If you're still reading this, I'm guessing you're really doing your research on this game, or you're like me and going how the hell did this have so many 10/10 reviews, it's an injustice! This game really is a 4-5 out of ten, but I needed to give it a 0 to offset so many of these garbage fluff reviews. To be honest, this should not even be in your top 20 game radar, and unless you've got nothing else to do but kill 50-60 hours, play anything but this. Xenoblade Chronicles 1+2, YS VIII&IX, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Persona 5 Royal, Octopath Traveler, right here is a list that will come with 600 hours of playtime easily well spent above this one, and my guess is most of you already played these. Arise could have been a great game had the developers put actual effort into it, but it feels like a mega-corporation gave them stringent deadlines, they had an alright concept, and just grinded out to get their paycheck, rather than deliver something fans would love for decades. Forgettable bosses, forgettable characters, no fun side quests or worth side stories, just a hodge podge of mediocrity.

    And that's the straight truth.    … Expand
  55. Blahblahuser
    Sep 14, 2021
    7
    Bamco does it again with another mediocre Tales game RPG.

    1. Mediocre generic music check - sounds almost the same from zone to zone (either they don’t pay Sakuraba more and he ain’t having it or he has checked out long time ago for this series and is on autopilot). This isn’t new to this series and is expected the music has always ranged from average to mediocre, but this one takes the    Bamco does it again with another mediocre Tales game RPG.

    1. Mediocre generic music check - sounds almost the same from zone to zone (either they don’t pay Sakuraba more and he ain’t having it or he has checked out long time ago for this series and is on autopilot). This isn’t new to this series and is expected the music has always ranged from average to mediocre, but this one takes the cake. The only decent Tales game with nice music is Zestiria, and only because multiple artists contributed to the score among them the amazing Go Shiina.

    2. Terrible cliched story with so many predictable turn of events you swear they were checking off cliche points to add to the game. Among this the characters lack depth, and are pretty uninteresting blabbing the same dialogue on repeat with each other, and I am talking about the story here not the nonsense they repeat while you are exploring cause that’s expected.

    Overall a pretty average and not worthy of purchase game unless you are desperate for RPGs, and even then I would wait for a discount. The main points of RPGs are characters and story, and this series has a reputation of delivering mediocre results on both counts including this one. What’s worse than playing this game is discussing critically it’s faults with others who are fanboys and can’t see anything but rainbows. It’s no wonder this series has never achieved the popularity of other RPGs when Bandai Namco doesn’t even try.

    The only saving graces are the decent graphics, and the combat system which while decent it’s nothing revolutionary. It’s almost like Bandai Namco just focuses on combat, and throws whatever else on the game to drive the combat and forgets that this is an RPG first, and the combat should be secondary. It’s sad because one of my greatest joys is playing a game with amazing music and this series fails time after time. Well I say no more Bandai Namco I ain't giving you money for less than great results.    … Expand
  56. Supernerd47
    Sep 15, 2021
    4
    The only thing this game really has going for it is the combat, and even that is little more than button mashing.

    The story is only decent.
    The characters are stock standard anime/JRPG tropes.
    Music is completely forgettable.
    Graphics are a mixed bag. Characters are a high resolution but have the animations of a PS2 game, and the environments are pretty flat with TERRIBLE pop-in.
  57. adrenilinmatt
    Sep 11, 2021
    10
    This game makes all previous entries look like they came from the 1800's. An amazing leap for the series, a beautiful experience. Amazing visuals, like you've never seen in a Tales game before. Characters are potentially the best since Symphonia and Vesperia. This is an absolute masterpiece in my eyes and SHOULD be experienced by any JRPG fan. And as for you Tales of fans, you're about toThis game makes all previous entries look like they came from the 1800's. An amazing leap for the series, a beautiful experience. Amazing visuals, like you've never seen in a Tales game before. Characters are potentially the best since Symphonia and Vesperia. This is an absolute masterpiece in my eyes and SHOULD be experienced by any JRPG fan. And as for you Tales of fans, you're about to be gifted one of the most mind blowing experiences in your gaming history. This is how you take a franchise into next gen.

    Everyone else should be taking notes. 10/10    … Expand
  58. Narug
    Sep 11, 2021
    10
    This is my first Tales game. I wasn’t feeling it at first, but then I loved the first boss. The next area was kinda too linear for my liking, but after that, I enjoyed the game all the way through. That’s when the characters started showing more of themselves.
  59. Mutlaq
    Sep 19, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Jrpg game with action fighting fantastic and impressive It's beautiful … Expand
  60. slothjaw
    Sep 27, 2021
    3
    This game's story is awful. Characters say and do things that don't make sense constantly, the dialogue sounds unnatural (either due to mistranslation or plain bad writing), and the society the game is depicting feels like it was constructed by a middle-schooler taking their first civics class.
    The game is basically all about classism and tyranny but it clearly doesn't actually understand    This game's story is awful. Characters say and do things that don't make sense constantly, the dialogue sounds unnatural (either due to mistranslation or plain bad writing), and the society the game is depicting feels like it was constructed by a middle-schooler taking their first civics class.
    The game is basically all about classism and tyranny but it clearly doesn't actually understand these topics. You kill some tyrant and BOOM, everything is better. What about his second in command? Who's going to take over leadership? How are these subjugated people going to learn how to create some semblance of a fair and functioning society? Don't bother thinking about it because the writers sure didn't.
    This lack of effort extends to the characters too. They act in ways that don't make sense for people of their background. You can pretty much sum up every character in one sentence.
    Overall I'd say this game is beyond mediocre; It's straight up bad. If this is the "Best JRPG of the year" then they sure aren't what they used to be.    … Expand
  61. jimrock9
    Oct 13, 2021
    5
    I guess I'm in the minority, but I think the storyline is near unbearable and I'm struggling to finish the, presumably. last stage with about 35 hours in. The bad guys are just bad guys for little reason other than they are evil, with each just a different type of evil. The protagonists besides Shionne drive me crazy, with exception of about 3 minutes of Rinwell at the end of the 4thI guess I'm in the minority, but I think the storyline is near unbearable and I'm struggling to finish the, presumably. last stage with about 35 hours in. The bad guys are just bad guys for little reason other than they are evil, with each just a different type of evil. The protagonists besides Shionne drive me crazy, with exception of about 3 minutes of Rinwell at the end of the 4th stage. The little skits are extremely repetitive to each other and within it self.

    The combat is great, the CP usage is interesting, available tactics are lacking. Descriptions of each of the artes are minimal as to what they actually do and what the difference between the stars are besides doing a increasing damange - but how much, who knows? The game certainly looks great on the PS5, but I guess I'm more interested in a superb story - like FF10, than the combat.    … Expand
  62. Kyokushin
    Sep 13, 2021
    9
    Been playing for about 9 hours now and i must say up to now it's a bloody good time! Fast, detailed, complex and strategic combat. It's not as buttonmashy some tales games can be and it really makes you pay attention (playing on Moderate).
    Some bosses almost made me pay for being lazy.
    Great visuals! Love the atmosphere! Makes you want to continue just to see what dungeons or towns are    Been playing for about 9 hours now and i must say up to now it's a bloody good time! Fast, detailed, complex and strategic combat. It's not as buttonmashy some tales games can be and it really makes you pay attention (playing on Moderate).
    Some bosses almost made me pay for being lazy.

    Great visuals! Love the atmosphere! Makes you want to continue just to see what dungeons or towns are next! Story wise it's of to a good start. Great cast of characters(only downside is that there are a lot of very young people.. Where are all the "older" people besides Zephyr? But i guess that's just JRPG for ya)

    Overall it looks quite promising!!    … Expand
  63. Zelvh
    Oct 24, 2021
    0
    Поиграла совсем немного и слава богу что не стала тратить больше времени на эту унылую игру...Единственное что мне понравилось это дизайн главного героя...Самое большое для меня огорчение в этой игре это диалоги между персонажами, они правда глупые и детские если не сказать грубее, почему то большинство аниме игр этим грешат, это китч, не понимаю почему такая идея еще умерла...Поиграла совсем немного и слава богу что не стала тратить больше времени на эту унылую игру...Единственное что мне понравилось это дизайн главного героя...Самое большое для меня огорчение в этой игре это диалоги между персонажами, они правда глупые и детские если не сказать грубее, почему то большинство аниме игр этим грешат, это китч, не понимаю почему такая идея еще умерла...
  64. LeTsDoThIs
    Sep 13, 2021
    10
    This was my first dip into the Tales series, and I wasn’t disappointed. Fantastic game and looking forward to trying the others out too.
  65. Jmaneater21
    Sep 20, 2021
    0
    This game is a hollow shell if the effort they used to put into tales games. Tales of symphonia is so much better than this game. The dialog is horrible. I cannot emphasize that enough. There is absolutely no character development where it needs to be and I cannot bring myself to give a **** about this story. They give you a overpowered weapon before you reach your first boss. You pull itThis game is a hollow shell if the effort they used to put into tales games. Tales of symphonia is so much better than this game. The dialog is horrible. I cannot emphasize that enough. There is absolutely no character development where it needs to be and I cannot bring myself to give a **** about this story. They give you a overpowered weapon before you reach your first boss. You pull it out of crystal's **** The enemy's have no variation at all. They give you a quest to defeat a level 40 plus monster before your even level 10. There are pop ins. The game doesn't look nearly as good as the trailers. Stupid owls instead of hidden chefs. No different npc dialogs from different characters like the old games. This is a lazy game and I wasted my money because of the 10 out of 10 reviews for this game. It's garbage and there are many better jrpgs.… Expand
  66. shiftyman
    Sep 21, 2021
    0
    Absolute trash in every sense of the word, easily the worst tales game yet, a lot of fake 10/10 scores, no way is this an improvement on Tales of Berseria,
  67. MACBX
    Oct 9, 2021
    7
    Finally finished the game after 80 hrs (a month or so) and it really left me feeling mixed.

    Specifically, the game's quality drops significantly in the latter half -- so much so to the point that a combined rating doesn't make much sense. The first half of the game was a 9 or even 10 out of 10 -- it was just that great. The build-up was great, combat had surprising depth, and the story    Finally finished the game after 80 hrs (a month or so) and it really left me feeling mixed.

    Specifically, the game's quality drops significantly in the latter half -- so much so to the point that a combined rating doesn't make much sense. The first half of the game was a 9 or even 10 out of 10 -- it was just that great. The build-up was great, combat had surprising depth, and the story is a marvel to behold (for JRPG fans at least).

    The problem is the latter half. It had the same great foundations, but everything is much rougher and felt really rushed to meet the release date. You'll start to notice that enemies are less well-tuned and same enemy types will appear much more often, almost to where the combat will start to annoy you. You will also notice the drop in writing quality, a few gaps in storytelling that's unnatural if you're really invested (which I was). And the best way I can characterize the story's biggest reveal (without going into spoiler) is that it's unbelievable even in JRPG standard. If I have to give a score to the latter half, it's a 5, if not 4. Overall, I could finish the game only because of how much I loved the first half.

    So my final score is 7 out of 10, which is quite a bit lower than 9.2/10 user score it currently has. But it make sense because, judging by trophy completion percentages, most player abandoned the game before the quality degradation is noticeable and people only really like it stuck to the end.    … Expand
  68. PaleNielsen
    Apr 15, 2022
    9
    I never really liked tales games since ps2 days and the modern ones like Zestria, I fall asleep playing it and bought Vesperia on Switch recently but never really played it.

    This, however, is quite different at first I thought I'll get tired or somehow forgot about it but it's addicting from start to platinum. I beat the game on hard difficulty and it's the best thing ever. The 2nd boss    I never really liked tales games since ps2 days and the modern ones like Zestria, I fall asleep playing it and bought Vesperia on Switch recently but never really played it.

    This, however, is quite different at first I thought I'll get tired or somehow forgot about it but it's addicting from start to platinum. I beat the game on hard difficulty and it's the best thing ever. The 2nd boss was hell to me and died a lot of times because I lack resources at that time but after it everything is easy. Even the fishing is fun.

    The combos in this game are really well thought of. Some spells or skills really jive with other skills/artes to fill up the break gauge and aerial combos for the main character is amazing but I like the mage more though some spells are a little bit overpowered the thunder wall and celestial hammer carried me at the last section of the game super OP also the Ice aerial skill is incredible you'll stay in the air a long time.

    The story is okay for me probably a 7/10 and it's a little bit predictable. The OST is really good from the intro to the battles everything is amazing it even has different intros when you reach a certain part of the game.

    I'm really glad I tried this I was skeptical of buying it on launch because of my past experience but this was really great.

    9/10    … Expand
  69. Matt2790
    Aug 10, 2022
    5
    This is the worst, dumb, simplistic and bland story I've ever played in an rpg, only the last quarter gets kinda interesting. I really forced myself to play it. Repetitive combat with tons of enemies everywhere, and once you get the full party, you realize how shallow, messy and repetitive combat is. Doing the same strategy over and over, seeing the same combat cutscenes for 50 hours.This is the worst, dumb, simplistic and bland story I've ever played in an rpg, only the last quarter gets kinda interesting. I really forced myself to play it. Repetitive combat with tons of enemies everywhere, and once you get the full party, you realize how shallow, messy and repetitive combat is. Doing the same strategy over and over, seeing the same combat cutscenes for 50 hours. Characters speaking too much nonsense dialogue during the time you're not fighting. Simple and poor side quest design which, which in fact are merely fetch quests. Poor and lifeless cities. Rushed and disappointing ending. This has been my first Tales experience and didn't quite enjoyed it at all. Will play others anyway, can't judge an entire saga by one bad game… Expand
  70. guiletheguiles
    Dec 21, 2021
    8
    It took some time, but Tales of Arise did click with me!
    This is the second game in the franchise that I actually finish and although I expected a little bit more from it, I'm amazed with how it slowly became a game that I just couldn't put down.
    This is a gorgeous game! The environments, enemies, character design and combat effects are great. It's a stunning experience featuring    It took some time, but Tales of Arise did click with me!
    This is the second game in the franchise that I actually finish and although I expected a little bit more from it, I'm amazed with how it slowly became a game that I just couldn't put down.

    This is a gorgeous game! The environments, enemies, character design and combat effects are great. It's a stunning experience featuring soothing scenarios and bleak dungeons.
    While I initially didn't like the main cast, I ended up loving them towards the end. Character development is strong, well-constructed and pays off in the conclusion. By the end of the game I was almost part of the group and I think the more mature approach in the writting is the reason.

    The story is also beautiful! It is a very long game, but throughly well-paced (except for the second half) and genuinely well told. There are so many nuances to each thing you uncover in the story and so many surprises and plot twists that it's hard to talk about it without spoiling anything. But trust me, it is a very deep and beautiful story, with nice character interactions, a good message and a charming ending.

    But the true highlight of Tales of Arise is the combat. My god, it is fantastic! Fun, fast, addicting and a bit confusing, but powerful! It's definitely one of the best battle systems I've ever played in an Action JRPG game. It might not be as tactical as the likes of Vesperia, but it's definitely more engaging.
    You get to feel that through boss fights. They're epic and amazing. Each one plays differently and you have to adapt to it. It's a shame that with so many things happening at the same time, battling a few of them (especially fights against the lords) can be quite confusing, with some of them being damage sponges. But they're great, nonetheless.

    And while I may be gushing over this game, it does comes with a few notable flaws.
    The worst one is how generic it may seem at first. It actually took me a long while to finally get hooked, but when it did it hit hard! I'm not sure what it is, but there's something holding this game back from being truly incredible, in my opinion.
    Maybe it's the soundtrack. Good JRPGS are synonymous with fantastic OSTs and this one is just extremely forgettable. Side quests are also a mixed bag. Sometimes you're facing an incredible tough optional boss fight, sometimes you're cooking or collecting hidden owls. It's unbalanced.

    I also disliked how they approached the second half of the game. It cuts the pacing of the entire story, slows things down, throws a bunch of exposition on you and stops stuffs you with a lot of dialogue. And I do mean A LOT OF DIALOGUES. It gets really boring before it picks itself back up again.
    AND WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THE MONEY IN THIS GAME? EVERYTHING IS TOO EXPENSIVE!

    Tales of Arise brought back the feeling of experiencing a good traditional action JRPG. It is quite a journey and one that I won't easily forget. Took a while to convince me, but I'm really glad it did.    … Expand
  71. DrZomboid
    Nov 9, 2022
    7
    Good jrpg but last third is just filler, with boring detailed story.

    I remember that Vesperia vas also long and boring at some point.

    So I rushed trough game and it was pretty difficult even on very easy in 32hrs...
  72. DigitalCaffeine
    Dec 8, 2021
    10
    Currently still in progress as of writing this. (12/8/2021)

    I had to stop playing to come leave a review because this is currently one of the best RPGs I've played in years. I was hesitant to buy it after being recently burning by Dragon Quest, but I'm so glad I took the chance. The dialogue helps to build the characters' relationships and doesn't feel like meaningless banter. The    Currently still in progress as of writing this. (12/8/2021)

    I had to stop playing to come leave a review because this is currently one of the best RPGs I've played in years. I was hesitant to buy it after being recently burning by Dragon Quest, but I'm so glad I took the chance. The dialogue helps to build the characters' relationships and doesn't feel like meaningless banter. The combat is simple at first, but gradually gets more complex. Without spoiling anything, I think the 2nd major boss fight is one of my favorites of all time across any game. I can already tell I'm going to play again when I finish it.    … Expand
  73. Sabrewulf1
    Nov 9, 2022
    10
    Firstly, unlike reviews saying this is for fans of the tales series, I call bull. I have tried and failed to get into anything previously. Besaria, vesperia, never touched the sides. I love ajrpg, but never could. This, this is right up there with YsViii. Slow starter, trickles a decent rpg system. Combat is smooth, intricate and a decent challenge at higher levels. Music is fullyFirstly, unlike reviews saying this is for fans of the tales series, I call bull. I have tried and failed to get into anything previously. Besaria, vesperia, never touched the sides. I love ajrpg, but never could. This, this is right up there with YsViii. Slow starter, trickles a decent rpg system. Combat is smooth, intricate and a decent challenge at higher levels. Music is fully orchestrated, all main characters have a decent backstory, full if twists. The graphics although still behind triple A are the next level for JRPG. Pop in let's it down a bit but doesn't detract. The game takes to the first boss to get truly hooked, but it has that special thing...the ability to hook you in. Its one you keep playing til end game at least. Worth every penny on ps5 and definitely best of the bunch of elysium and scarlet nexus.… Expand
  74. itachi737
    Feb 4, 2022
    9
    Amazing game. The story is really nice. There is a lot of talking between your party and none of it is interactive, but I really enjoyed it. It allows you to explore the relationship between your party members and helps you get attached to the characters. The combat is good too. Overall it's one of the best games I played this year.
  75. dr0nzer
    Sep 18, 2021
    5
    I haven’t played a tales game since berseria, and was excited to jump back in based on what I saw; Tales of Arise has exceeded my expectations
    Story is phenomenal, combat is solid and smooth, games systems is great and has a lot of depth.
    World is wide linear, which I’m okay with as everything has been solid and allows for some exploration whilst not breaking pace with the story too    I haven’t played a tales game since berseria, and was excited to jump back in based on what I saw; Tales of Arise has exceeded my expectations
    Story is phenomenal, combat is solid and smooth, games systems is great and has a lot of depth.
    World is wide linear, which I’m okay with as everything has been solid and allows for some exploration whilst not breaking pace with the story too much. Soundtrack is great and English voice isn’t terrible. Characters are not lame in dialogue and less cheesy.
    The game doesn’t spam you with sidequests and the rewards helps towards growing your characters power level which makes them worth doing.

    My only negative is the sheer amount of dialogue, sometimes i just want to get straight into it but often it can be anywhere between 5-20mins of “chain” dialogue and skits before you get control of your character again during zone/story key points. Late game there was so much dialogue that i ended up doing other stuff like cleaning the house, checking emails etc whilst the game was playing in the bg, just slap on headphones and keep the controller handy…. Seriously i am not kidding or exaggerating!

    If it wasn’t for the fact that the late game felt more like a visual novel with sections having up to 45mins of chain dialogue at a time, I would have given it a better score, i wanted to play a game, not listen to an audio book.

    Some games suffer from bloat in sidequests etc, this game suffers from too many cut scenes, seriously it’s insane.    … Expand
  76. arh3399
    Apr 20, 2022
    8
    Really good game. Love the characters and the world. The combat is fun and fluid. Took me 60 hrs to clear the story with doing all the side quests. Def worth the pick up if you like JRPGs or action rpgs. That said, there are times where it just gets too cut scene heavy at the end and it starts to feel like the characters are saying the same thing over and over and it can really drag.Really good game. Love the characters and the world. The combat is fun and fluid. Took me 60 hrs to clear the story with doing all the side quests. Def worth the pick up if you like JRPGs or action rpgs. That said, there are times where it just gets too cut scene heavy at the end and it starts to feel like the characters are saying the same thing over and over and it can really drag. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it top to bottom.… Expand
  77. Tortor
    Aug 8, 2022
    2
    As a huge fan of Tales Of games, this was just awful. The characters are what really carry these games usually but all of these fools are just so painfully boring. Honestly can't think of anything to grab onto to enjoy any of these characters, they feel like tropes and nothing else. Like puppets playing a part rather then actually characters to relate to. Tropes also extends out to theAs a huge fan of Tales Of games, this was just awful. The characters are what really carry these games usually but all of these fools are just so painfully boring. Honestly can't think of anything to grab onto to enjoy any of these characters, they feel like tropes and nothing else. Like puppets playing a part rather then actually characters to relate to. Tropes also extends out to the painfully generic plot and step by step type delivery. It leaves very little room to wonder where the plots going to go when it constantly reminds you the steps needed to get there. Only fun thing about this was the combat. It was nice and flashy. Combats hard to enjoy though when that's really all there is to this game.

    Tales of Berseria absolutely moved me, this game moved me to turn off my Ps5 after generic plot line #187 popped up.    … Expand
  78. bullshark
    Feb 21, 2022
    10
    some of the best gameplay in modern gaming with all the quality of life perks (like instant saving, fast travel) you could ever want. Graphics are fantastic while maintaining the anime-esque quality of the NPCs and playable characters, and the story is profound, the themes relevant. The English dub is fantastic with great acting, colorful personalities, laughs. There's always something newsome of the best gameplay in modern gaming with all the quality of life perks (like instant saving, fast travel) you could ever want. Graphics are fantastic while maintaining the anime-esque quality of the NPCs and playable characters, and the story is profound, the themes relevant. The English dub is fantastic with great acting, colorful personalities, laughs. There's always something new to find, tons of challenge and reward, and uncensored too (as Bandai advertised). Warning: you will wanna play more Tales Of games after this.… Expand
  79. Kingdomhear
    Sep 27, 2021
    5
    Ma tutti questi 10 il giorni stesso dell uscita?? Ma la gente gioca prima di dare i voti ? ...il tales perfetto...storia personaggi eccellenti ...ho giocato tutti i capitoli di tales usciti in europa ...e francamente non me la sento di dare più di 5... personaggi sottotono..storia allungata e confusa sul finale ..
  80. AigleAveugle
    Dec 5, 2021
    4
    This game is for children or teenagers.
    Its shallow, unimaginative and immature.
    Combat is a total failure, too much things going on and way too fast. Everybody is screaming lightning bolt or something all the time. Enemies takes all the screen space. Items feel like cheating because the balance is broken. Boss are just bullet sponge with 100k health. There is absolutely no depth    This game is for children or teenagers.
    Its shallow, unimaginative and immature.

    Combat is a total failure, too much things going on and way too fast. Everybody is screaming lightning bolt or something all the time. Enemies takes all the screen space. Items feel like cheating because the balance is broken. Boss are just bullet sponge with 100k health.

    There is absolutely no depth here. I regret the time I lost playing this.

    Gets a 4 because of straight Japanese culture and design of visual. The rest feels like 1980.    … Expand
  81. Sweeb
    Sep 12, 2021
    10
    This game was amazing. Square enix can learn a thing or two. A good storyline with good character development and a complete game. Dont need 10 DLCs two year later to get the full experience. RPG of the year.
  82. ashwathama199
    Oct 18, 2022
    8
    Having OKkish characters with voice acting slightly better than that in regular anime , a story line which seemed as if 'twas made by 2 drunk men in jail with nothing better to do, unbalanced soundtrack ( most of them are boring, the only epic one is made stale by being played again and again in almost every 2nd fight), a battle system which reminds you of good ol' days with PS2 and GodHaving OKkish characters with voice acting slightly better than that in regular anime , a story line which seemed as if 'twas made by 2 drunk men in jail with nothing better to do, unbalanced soundtrack ( most of them are boring, the only epic one is made stale by being played again and again in almost every 2nd fight), a battle system which reminds you of good ol' days with PS2 and God Hand (but that also gets stale inevitably, with overrepititive fights against same 4 enemies with almost no weakness and giant health pools, being repeated again and again in the end), Tales of Arise was overall a mixed experience. With that being said it is the first and the last Tales game I will ever pick up. Due to it's satisfactory combat the game is enjoyable, at least for 40 hrs, till the 2nd half of the game starts, after that you can throw the disc in a trash can, piss on it and set it on fire.… Expand
  83. marvsfontanilla
    Jan 26, 2022
    9
    Story: 8
    Graphics: 8
    Sound: 9
    Gameplay: 9
    Game Time: +60 Hours (Main Story + Extra)
  84. RodStrokes
    Dec 7, 2021
    5
    1st playthrough - Medium ; 2nd Playthrough - Hard ; Total Time: 81 hours
    How can i define Tales Of Arise? the latest entry in the series provides stunning graphics, beautiful landscapes and engaging combat, but what about the story? and the rest?
    Lets talk about what Tales Of Arise succedes first, the game has a nice combat, feels good to play it although it becomes remarkably boring and    1st playthrough - Medium ; 2nd Playthrough - Hard ; Total Time: 81 hours
    How can i define Tales Of Arise? the latest entry in the series provides stunning graphics, beautiful landscapes and engaging combat, but what about the story? and the rest?
    Lets talk about what Tales Of Arise succedes first, the game has a nice combat, feels good to play it although it becomes remarkably boring and uninspired in the later stages, the little things like the finishers and new skills help the game stay fresh for a while until it inevitably becomes boring again.
    The graphics are amazing, the landscapes look fantastic and full of life and beauty, the characters look amazing, their expressions are masterfully animated, you can feel the emotion that the characters wants to portray and so on and so forth.

    Unfortunately there isnt much positive things i can say about Tales Of Arise, now on to the negatives, the story is absolutely a mess, its bland, not original, which in it of itself its not a problem, but its bad and not original, the game is so surface level at explaining how things develop.

    Every single region its just a place where you do a couple of missions and bye, there is no remarkable characters in any region, there isnt a motive to come back aside from some mini bosses and some filler quests.
    The characters are some of the most uninspired, bland, personality-lacking ones ive ever seen, Aside from Shionne And Alphen, which are the protagonists, the rest of the cast fails miserably in developing connection with the player, maybe 1-2 party members have a good story but thats about it.
    The combat is mediocre at best, dont get me wrong, it is satisfying, it is engaging, it is phenomenal, for a couple of hours. after a while you will find youself spamming the same set of skills, doing the same things, not needing to adjust your playstyle at all, no matter what you do you will always end up defeating the enemy, so why bother? there is no incentive to get strong because the game is so easy and lacks challenge, you dont feel challenged at any point in Tales Of Arise, just spam a set ammount of skills and youre good, no big deal, the combat is so bland that playing the game for the second time was a pain, i found myself constantly just trying to get pass the enemy hitboxes just to not trigger a fight because you dont do ANYHING different.

    Ambiance: While the game does look fantastic and the graphics are phenomenal, the ambiance is a totally different aspect that cant be "bought" with good graphics, the regions are just so bland, they are so cliché and so outdated, it doesnt evoke any sentiment, its just a region, its just a let down really. if the awesome graphics could be combined with good ambiance, it would make the perfect atmosphere and even make the story better, but that doesnt happen.
    Bosses and Villains: they are just bosses, they dont have ambitions of their own, they dont have objectives, they are just there to fill the role of a villain, they lack story, they lack personality, everything, the villains are arguably the worst part of this entire game. their designs are bland, just like the rest of the game.
    Last but not least, the plot devices used in this game are ridiculous, characters will just let things be THE WORST POSSIBLE until they finally decide to act just so the game has a longer play time, and even when they try to do something it obviously turns out for the worst, never for the best, proving that its just a bait for people to think that the characters have some sense and some type of intelligence of their own, when it reality everything in this game moves around plot devices and dumb decisions and dumb characters.

    Overall Tales Of Arise is a overrated and painfully mediocre game, however, if you are looking for a plain story where you dont have to think too much or pay attention to anything, a gameplay that is fun for a little while, beautiful graphics, and some fuses of excitement and romance, go for it. BUT IF you are looking for a Great RPG with great story, great music, great ambiance, deep characters, profound dilemmas and engaging combat with actual difficulty, Tales Of Arise is NOT for you.    … Expand
  85. bashimon
    Mar 17, 2022
    8
    I can only recommend this game.
    Graphics (9/10): The graphics are very nice. I'd say the best Anime graphics yet in a game. The style definitely blurs the less-detailed areas and if you really zoom into the textures (except the characters), you can see imperfect details but it's really nothing you really see. Also, the performance on PS5 is amazing. During some fights later in the game,    I can only recommend this game.
    Graphics (9/10): The graphics are very nice. I'd say the best Anime graphics yet in a game. The style definitely blurs the less-detailed areas and if you really zoom into the textures (except the characters), you can see imperfect details but it's really nothing you really see. Also, the performance on PS5 is amazing. During some fights later in the game, there are easily a hundred effects at the same time and I still always kept the 60 fps.
    Story (8/10): It's good, but I'd compare it to DQ11. Most of the things happening remind you of other games or animes, there are a few unique aspects and it is a fun to enjoy story, but it's not the best.
    Gameplay (10/10): I love the combat system that has a LOT of variation and mechanics. Playing this game on "hard" forces you to really understand them. It's also the best real time combat system I've seen so far in a JRPG. Can't be compared to the previous entries or FFXV at all, it's really superior.
    The bonding with your companions makes fun, the optional dialogues are always enjoyable and there really is nothing I can complain about. Every character feels different during combat too, even though I preferred to not switch the character during fight. I usually used different characters in different chapters.    … Expand
  86. HiimKai
    Jun 20, 2022
    8
    Tales of Arise is a fantastic JRPG with fun gameplay, interesting story and fun characters. Coming to the franchise as a newbie and wanted to give this a try as a big fan of JRPGs.

    The story is interesting and very anime, but in a good way! The anime tropes of a main character with a mysterious background is done decently and the overall journey the characters go through was compelling.    Tales of Arise is a fantastic JRPG with fun gameplay, interesting story and fun characters. Coming to the franchise as a newbie and wanted to give this a try as a big fan of JRPGs.

    The story is interesting and very anime, but in a good way! The anime tropes of a main character with a mysterious background is done decently and the overall journey the characters go through was compelling. The manga style cutscenes were a welcome change for me as well.

    Gameplay and combat was quite fun. Combat has so many options and it was satisfying to pull off cool combos and air juggles. It reminds me of Devil May Cry but not as deep. The special moves with other party members were a spectacle but may get a little repetitive towards the end for some people. Additionally, you can play as the other party members, which is great for varying play styles and variety in general. Special shoutout to the boss battles too, most of them were grand, unique and a great challenge.

    The main downsides I think were the side quests and enemy type variety. Most side quests I found to be repetitive fetch quests like “kill x amount of enemies in this particular area”. It would’ve been great if the side quests weren’t as repetitive. The enemy variety were not great and were mostly the same in every region in the game just reskinned into a different colour to suit the scenery/climate of the region.

    All in all, it’s a great JRPG, I would recommend it, and it has been out for a while so you could probably find it for a great price.    … Expand
  87. Kindlar
    Mar 7, 2022
    9
    This game was so much fun to play, and one of the best Tales games I got to play in a while.

    I enjoyed the story and found the combat to be fun and a blast. The characters are ever but as colorful as we have come to expect from a tales game. The interactions between them in the campfire scenes also add, while interludes in the past I would probably skip. Lots to love. Combat was    This game was so much fun to play, and one of the best Tales games I got to play in a while.

    I enjoyed the story and found the combat to be fun and a blast.

    The characters are ever but as colorful as we have come to expect from a tales game. The interactions between them in the campfire scenes also add, while interludes in the past I would probably skip. Lots to love.

    Combat was quick, responsive, and I really enjoyed the difference in the characters styles and how they worked together.

    The story was a joy, and I loved the greater messages it imparted and was happy to discuss the themes with my son as he player.

    If you have enjoyed tale sin the past, but found the last few entries to be a bit lacking, I think this will revitalize your enjoyment of the series.    … Expand
  88. vvv123
    Dec 19, 2021
    4
    I liked the music and visuals. But I could tell the story/characters would be bland and the combat was quite repitive. I didn't feel the extra dialouge scenes added anything substantial to the story. Other JRPG's are able to hook me sooner.
  89. hector_bcn98
    Oct 31, 2022
    9
    +
    Jugabilidad que debe marcar las bases del futuro del JRPG.
    Gran duración y postgame.
    Audiovisualmente potentísimo para no ser un AAA.

    -
    Diálogos y secuencias para aburrir.
    Arquetipos japoneses que de vez en cuando avergüenzan bastante.
    Defectos gráficos como popping que no se debería pasar por alto. Falta pulido visual.
  90. Dom007
    Jan 6, 2022
    10
    Addicting and fun, one of the best jrpgs I've played in years. Definitely deserved best rpg at the game awards and thankfully it got it.
    Combat is brilliant, visuals are outstanding, level dsign is good, soundtrack is good and the battle theme is amazing, the storyline is very interesting and overall decent although it does have some pacing issues later on, the characters are also very    Addicting and fun, one of the best jrpgs I've played in years. Definitely deserved best rpg at the game awards and thankfully it got it.
    Combat is brilliant, visuals are outstanding, level dsign is good, soundtrack is good and the battle theme is amazing, the storyline is very interesting and overall decent although it does have some pacing issues later on, the characters are also very interesting and have fantastic designs, the side content is very varied and enjoyable.
    9.5/10    … Expand
  91. Rising333
    Jul 1, 2022
    4
    This game is an enormous disappointment and I'm baffled at its positive reviews. I feel compelled to at least warn others as to what they are getting if you waste money on this.

    This is essentially a linear walking simulator in which you spend just as much time reading dialog ue and being interrupted by a nine style party dialog ue scenes as you do walking and engaging in the boring    This game is an enormous disappointment and I'm baffled at its positive reviews. I feel compelled to at least warn others as to what they are getting if you waste money on this.

    This is essentially a linear walking simulator in which you spend just as much time reading dialog ue and being interrupted by a nine style party dialog ue scenes as you do walking and engaging in the boring combat.

    The game chose to make armor sets and costumes two different thing to compell microtransactions as well as be lazy and not have to have a different design for each armor you equip.

    The game also compels microtransactions by making even grinding to level up extremely tedious.

    To call this game an open world rpg is just an outright lie. All progression is locked behind linear progression of the story in terms of the skill trees. It will become quite clear early on just how far from an rpg or even an action adventure game this is. It may look pretty but it plays like a mediocre game from the early 99s

    It's merely a playable movie of a very generic, extremely repetitive and half baked anime. If that's your thing have fun.    … Expand
  92. Melkiades
    May 14, 2022
    10
    ToA viene a ser el clásico JRPG mega-evolucionado en todos los aspectos. A nivel artístico es una absoluta maravilla, para quedarse embobado contemplando los paisajes que ofrece su vasto mundo. El sistema de combate supone un refinamiento del ágil combate de la franquicia Tales Of, situándose a la altura de Ys en este terreno. Es verdad que no hay zonas o mazmorras muy complejas pero laToA viene a ser el clásico JRPG mega-evolucionado en todos los aspectos. A nivel artístico es una absoluta maravilla, para quedarse embobado contemplando los paisajes que ofrece su vasto mundo. El sistema de combate supone un refinamiento del ágil combate de la franquicia Tales Of, situándose a la altura de Ys en este terreno. Es verdad que no hay zonas o mazmorras muy complejas pero la variedad de escenarios, el carisma de los personajes, los momentos épicos, compensan sus pequeños defectos. Arise ha superado, pulverizado mis expectativas. No lo he terminado aún y ya estoy deseando ver cómo será su próxima entrega. Le otorgo un 10/10 por considerarlo el mejor JRPG actualmente disponible en el mercado, y por cuánto me ha fascinado en su plano artístico.… Expand
  93. soahknam
    Feb 19, 2022
    10
    It is my first game in the series "tales of.." and I was fasinating, its gameplay is very good and agile, the story is very good, its music spectacular and visually enchants. it is a game that you should not miss, a masterpiece.

    GAMEPLAY: 10
    STORY: 9
    MUSIC: 10
    VISUALS: 9

    PERSONAL SCORE: > A MASTER PIECE
  94. GameforGamers
    Mar 2, 2022
    10
    this game is absolutely fantastic, if you need a RPG with a lot of content than this is the one.
  95. TheRealBando
    Apr 17, 2022
    10
    One of my fav JRPG’s… haven’t played any of the tales games before but deffo worth checking out if you like the genre
  96. Melavin3
    Aug 29, 2022
    9
    I kinda loved this game. The art and graphics are beautiful. I like the characters and story though the story kinda got a bit worse in the last third of the game. I loved the ending. I really connected with the characters and their relationships. The gameplay was fun enough but nothing special. I can't really decide if i want to give it a 9 or a 10. But for now i'll leave it at a 9.
  97. Nitroso
    Jan 29, 2022
    9
    As a newcomer to the Tales series, I went into Arise with no prior knowledge or expectations and was completely blown away. The combat starts off a little slow, but as you unlock more party members it becomes fast, fluid, and fun, with each character bringing a unique combat style to the table in battles full of flashy effects and gorgeous "Boost Strike" team combo attacks. My main issueAs a newcomer to the Tales series, I went into Arise with no prior knowledge or expectations and was completely blown away. The combat starts off a little slow, but as you unlock more party members it becomes fast, fluid, and fun, with each character bringing a unique combat style to the table in battles full of flashy effects and gorgeous "Boost Strike" team combo attacks. My main issue with this game is a lack of interesting villains, but the excellent main cast (especially the main couple) more than make up for it overall. If you're looking to scratch that oh-so-rare itch of good anime/JRPG Action-Adventure Romance stories, then this is the game for you.… Expand
  98. majorgamer
    Feb 19, 2022
    6
    i've played this game for at least 5 hours and it doesn't get good. graphics and sound is good but gameplay is just average at best, nothing new if you've played final fantasy before accept that this is much worse than a final fantasy game
  99. Notorioustk
    Nov 4, 2022
    9
    Loved it! Not my favorite tales game but still pretty good! If you’re a fan of action games or RPG games with long drawn out stories and colorful dramatic characters you’ll love this game!
  100. CheetoPhingers
    Jan 27, 2022
    9
    Entertaining action RPG with anime style action scenes. The only reason I deducted a point is because sometimes the story is a little silly and I wish that there was multiplayer. Definitely nitpicking with that complaint.
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Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
17
#17 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 76
  3. Negative: 0 out of 76
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 19, 2022
    85
    The latest entry in the Tale series offers everything loyal fans could have expected, but also has a chance to enamor many newcomers. The story about two heroes from the opposite sides of a conflict joining forces is surprisingly multi-layered, the combat is flashy and satisfying, and the journey leads you across beautiful, varied regions. As for the flaws, I need to mention problems with map legibility and the necessity to grind, but fortunately both issues are occasional. [12/2021, p.68]
  2. Gamersky
    Dec 2, 2021
    85
    Tales of Arise achieved steady progress under the traditional JRPG framework. With a solid plot and refreshing battle, a very good JRPG experience has been created for players. Although the overall quality is very high, the game still has some problems in character creation and story logic, which prevents it from reaching the peak of the JRPG category.
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  3. We Got This Covered
    Nov 3, 2021
    90
    Tales of Arise offers fast and fluid combat and an epic story, paving the way for the first great JRPG of a new console generation.
    Read full review
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