Tales of Berseria Remastered

Tales of Berseria Remastered remains a fantastic JRPG, driven by its gripping revenge story and rock-solid real-time combat. The remaster adds smoother performance and visual upgrades, but little in the way of actual new content. If you’ve never played it, this is the best version to jump in. Veterans, however, may notice that there’s little reason to return.

Tales of Berseria was the last mainline game before the franchise was reborn anew with Arise, and you can certainly feel its age. It retains a lot of the bad habits from the games of the 2010s, such as inconsistent visual quality and linear dungeon designs. It doesn’t help that while a handful of quality-of-life improvements have been made, they aren’t enough to justify a full repurchase. Thankfully, what carries the JRPG is the rest of the experience. The combat is fast-paced, fluid and highly engaging. The story is darker and more mature with a likable cast of characters. And of course, the soundtrack from famed composer Motoi Sakuraba helps immerse the player into the world. Tales of Berseria is one of the best Tales games out there, so it’s a shame that Bandai Namco has done little in adapting it for the next generation.

Tales of Berseria Remastered makes this harrowing adventure much easier to experience, but it still doesn’t do enough to fix the issues that plagued the original release.

On the PlayStation 5, Tales of Berseria feels less like a traditional remaster and more like a simple port. While it remains an excellent game in its own right (and perhaps one of the best in the Tales series), the struggle is real in recommending it to those who can simply play the PS4 version and not feel like they’re missing out on anything novel.

Tales of Berseria was one of the most innovative titles in the series, if only for its cynical narrative that challenged the player's perspective with far from trivial themes and twists. But already in 2016, Bandai Namco's game suffered from technical limitations that a remaster can only partially address. That being said, we obviously recommend Tales of Berseria Remastered to fans of action-packed JRPGs who have never played it or who feel bereft of the series, awaiting better times.

Tales of Berseria Remastered marks the return to form of a major opus, prioritizing efficiency over spectacle with a version that provides the necessary comfort to fully enjoy the journey without betraying its DNA.