Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 183 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 123 out of 183
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 183
  3. Negative: 23 out of 183
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  1. bashimon
    Jan 12, 2021
    7
    The idea to port this game to the Nintendo Switch was good. The graphics are not bad at all, they fit into the roster of other Switch games graphics-wise. It runs smoothly in 60fps and has an interesting story, that get's a bit complicated and weird at times but all such aspects are presented in a pace that one can understand what is going on (in comparison to e.g. FF13 that throws manyThe idea to port this game to the Nintendo Switch was good. The graphics are not bad at all, they fit into the roster of other Switch games graphics-wise. It runs smoothly in 60fps and has an interesting story, that get's a bit complicated and weird at times but all such aspects are presented in a pace that one can understand what is going on (in comparison to e.g. FF13 that throws many terms like N'Cieth etc. on you without explaining them at all). The story is very JRPG-like but overall interesting, the combat system was a bit boring in the beginning, but when I understood it it was quite funny, even though on "Normal" difficulty, you can do most fights without even looking at your display. Would definitely recommend to play this game on "Hard". If you like other JRPGs and have no issue with a real time fighting system, there's a high chance you will like this game. I played neither leisurely nor quickly and needed around 52 h to beat it, but I probably not explore everything that is in the world, but around 80% I think.… Expand
  2. Jahoodi
    Mar 19, 2020
    5
    I am a newcomer to this series, and purchased the game (digitally, sadly) based on the multitude of positive reviews. I had just finished Dragon Quest XI and was looking for another JRPG to get into. Perhaps this game was good when it was released a decade ago, but I would strongly discourage anyone from picking this up today. It feels like the combat was designed with the endgame in mind,I am a newcomer to this series, and purchased the game (digitally, sadly) based on the multitude of positive reviews. I had just finished Dragon Quest XI and was looking for another JRPG to get into. Perhaps this game was good when it was released a decade ago, but I would strongly discourage anyone from picking this up today. It feels like the combat was designed with the endgame in mind, in the sense that the gameplay for the first 20 hours is a joyless, unfair, poorly designed slog. And this is really what it comes down to: the combat system that has been inexplicably lauded by so many reviewers is just plain bad. Enemies don't telegraph moves in time for you to respond; getting hit results in a lengthy stagger state that allows enemies to hammer on you (meanwhile, enemy stagger states are short or nonexistent); boss battles are poorly placed and poorly designed from the very start of the game, making you face enemies with far greater move-sets than you as soon as you are becoming accustomed to the controls; the character movement is sluggish and unresponsive. It is certainly possible that I just "don't get it," but man what a horrible experience it has been to try and play this game. Spend your money elsewhere.… Expand
  3. Neatqt
    Feb 25, 2019
    7
    Cast: 10/10
    Story: 6/10
    Fun: 8/10
    Gameplay: 4/10

    Recommended
    ----------------------
  4. greenprell
    Aug 14, 2019
    5
    Extremely story heavy with frequent cutscenes and asides, which makes the game engaging but tiresome to the point of absurdity.

    The combat is frustrating and poorly explained. It can be fun, but I felt like I was 'dealing with it' all the way to the end of the game, rather than enjoying it. Another frustration is that the game progression is very imbalanced. At several points you may    Extremely story heavy with frequent cutscenes and asides, which makes the game engaging but tiresome to the point of absurdity.

    The combat is frustrating and poorly explained. It can be fun, but I felt like I was 'dealing with it' all the way to the end of the game, rather than enjoying it.

    Another frustration is that the game progression is very imbalanced. At several points you may be happily fighting through incidental battles only to run into a boss that kills your entire party instantly. This can be quite infuriating, especially since most bosses are buried deep in maps / dungeons, so retreating to grind is time consuming and risky since you're probably nearly out of resources.

    Additionally, this game is apparently full of secrets and side-quests, but they're impossible to discover without a walkthrough. Another thing I shake my head at with this game.

    I'm given to understand that some people really like these 'Tales' games. If you're one of them, I'm guessing you'll like this one. But if you're like me and you were looking for a fun action JRPG, this may look like one but it plays like something else entirely.    … Expand
  5. runeasgar
    Jan 29, 2019
    5
    I think people with a lot of nostalgia for the Tales series are biasing reviews for this game. By modern standards, it has incredibly clunky controls and pretty awful music/sound design. I'm 13 hours in and the story still isn't even remotely motivating. I do not think this is a good game. It's an "ok" game. Certainly not worth $50. Maybe $30.
  6. VTL
    Dec 9, 2019
    7
    Un buen juego, con un gameplay super entretenido en batallas dinamicas y con mucha personalidad y con una historia que empieza realmente muy floja pero que va augmentando llegando a ser una historia buena. La verdad que me lo pase bien pero algo cuesta arriba ...
  7. AllySky
    Jun 24, 2019
    6
    This is a fantastic game for the switch and deserves a pick up. It has great characters, a beautiful world and story surrounding it all.
  8. D3t0x15
    Sep 5, 2019
    5
    What a game ...(what a shame...) symphonia, xillia 1 & 2,berseria, zestiria, grace and abyss are better than that and that's why:

    With a plot twist worse that in vampire diaries, where you can clearly see that some characters are complete a**hole and will betray you the first second after they are introduced. It's the first tales of that i complete in automatic combat because of the    What a game ...(what a shame...) symphonia, xillia 1 & 2,berseria, zestiria, grace and abyss are better than that and that's why:

    With a plot twist worse that in vampire diaries, where you can clearly see that some characters are complete a**hole and will betray you the first second after they are introduced.

    It's the first tales of that i complete in automatic combat because of the slow controls (I've started auto mode after 14 hours of playtime)

    Not enough fan service. ( cool Aizen references tho )

    A sorcerer ring that hit ennemies 1/5 times like in symphonia (5 years after symphonia),

    No tracking for quest

    The way to get more clothes is s**tty (my opinion btw)

    A main character that doesn't have a little bit of charisma ( SPOIL: just two times when he murder some dudes, will not give the names for the... SPOIL )

    Repede has more charisma than 3/4 of the characters and he is a DOG . Exceptions for me are Judith and Patty. Karol is a cry-baby, Rita should shut the "fudge" up more often and show some respect for others, Flynn needs to be hit so freaking hard in his pretty baby face and Raven ..... oh Raven did he ever take a shower in his life ?
    For Estellise, I think that she do her job perfectly.... ( a dumb princess that take so much sh*t in the face that she begin to think after 3/4 of the game ....Hourra !! )

    I personally think this game is trash because he is the only one tales of game on Microsoft console,and to not discourage new player of the serie, they have made this game, easy, with no depth and a little bit of fan service for those who where crazy to buy a xbox360 for this one game.

    that's why I gave this game a score of 5 .... ( It hurts me a lot but I had to do it ....even legendia is better for me. but Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World is definitively the most sh**tier of the tales of )    … Expand
  9. Phishion
    Jul 25, 2020
    6
    Obviously, no matter how highly rated the game was at the time, without the addition of emotion, it will inevitably have traces of age after 10 years, and after about 20 hours of play, I really couldn't play it any longer, the counter-intuitive combat system, lame perspective and map design, and dragging plot are so out of place today, but the creative little theater design makes theObviously, no matter how highly rated the game was at the time, without the addition of emotion, it will inevitably have traces of age after 10 years, and after about 20 hours of play, I really couldn't play it any longer, the counter-intuitive combat system, lame perspective and map design, and dragging plot are so out of place today, but the creative little theater design makes the character portrayal of the game reach a height that other similar works cannot reach. The music, to be honest, belongs to a very average level, can be listened to, far from excellent, can't understand why someone can score 8, 9 points, every episode of the town NPCs will also have a change in character dialogue, can see is seriously do the game, the plot in today's look moderate, may be more in line with the tastes of teenagers, the male lead is not pretentious some breakthrough, the female lead has been apologizing and let me feel some stereotypes. It may have been a masterpiece in its day.… Expand
  10. ket
    Aug 24, 2023
    6
    I want to give Tales of Vesperia an 8/10, but I just can't. In my 80+ hours of gameplay so far the game has crashed on me a good 3-4 times, one of those times actually sent my Switch crazy and it wouldn't turn back on for a minute or two (and no my Switch isn't overheating or has anything wrong with it - its just this game) so really I should be penalising the game heavier than I am, muchI want to give Tales of Vesperia an 8/10, but I just can't. In my 80+ hours of gameplay so far the game has crashed on me a good 3-4 times, one of those times actually sent my Switch crazy and it wouldn't turn back on for a minute or two (and no my Switch isn't overheating or has anything wrong with it - its just this game) so really I should be penalising the game heavier than I am, much heavier.

    Outside of those crashes gameplay can also be furiously frustrating due to a horrible leveling system that unless you have special items takes an eternity to gain even one level, how would you feel for example if your character needed around 35,000XP to level up and the best normal fights you could find in the game gave you about 700-1000XP? The same is true for learning abilities, some take a LOT of effort to learn, probably more than they should, and what makes this incredibly grinding is the sheer amount of abilities to learn meaning you always have a ton of weapons kicking around you'd rather not. Why couldn't armour pieces also have abilities to learn instead of everything being only learnable from weapons? As you get into latter stages of the game it is truly absurd just how many weapons characters have to learn abilities from.

    The story in the game is decent enough but written very child-like despite the game touching on really rather adult theme topics at times and I've also seen numerous spelling and grammar mistakes in the text. A lot of puzzles are also completely nonsensical and feel like they were designed that way just for more padding, something the game definitely doesn't need. This game does not respect the players time.

    The difficulty spikes between normal enemy encounters and bosses is jarring to say the least, one boss essentially just kept spamming his limit break on my entire party with an AOE that covered the entire battle area forcing me to grind out more levels for 3 hours. Your gameplay is fundamentally broken if you can spend 10+ hours grinding away at levels and abilities only to reach an end of chapter boss and STILL be under leveled for the encounter.

    Story pacing in the game is also an issue with too much of the game left to you chancing upon it rather than it being part of a constructed narrative to increase enjoyment value. For example you can upgrade your ship but you aren't told this is possible to do at any time and you'd miss out on some deep sea treasure searching which to me seems a rather freaking important side task mechanic when you just want something a bit different to do rather than blindly following the story but you'd miss out on this unless you happen to bungle into the NPC on a chance return visit to Halure and talk to him to kick off a side quest with multiple rather obscure steps.

    Another problem the game has is with logging side quests, you can find an NPC and be told about something, but you then have no journal to tell you what items you need if it's that kind of side task or even anywhere to just keep a record of NPCs who have given you a side task to do.

    Tales is a game that is a 40-60 hour or so experience dragged out into one that's 100hrs or more and depending on your tolerance will either wear out it's welcome, or have you feeling extremely jaded and just wanting it to be over. Final Fantasy IX did and does do everything Tales tries to do infinitely more competently. Buy that instead.

    6/10, and Tales is lucky to be getting that considering I strongly suspect this game almost killed my Switch due to a bug in the games code. I really can't recommend this game mostly down to the disrespect the game has for the players time forcing manual backtracking, absurd levels of grind, and all manner of padding tactics possible to artificially drag out the games length. I've never seen such disgusting methods used in any good RPG. Go buy any number of countless other GOOD RPGs instead like Final Fantasy, Xenoblade, Bravely Default, etc.    … Expand
  11. rrafemi
    Oct 29, 2019
    7
    El juego es entretenido sin mayores pretensiones ni pretender ser un referente en el género. A consecuencia de ello, la historia se mueve en exceso lenta, parece que le cuesta avanzar y el desarrollo es tremendable plano, siguiendo el mismo patrón de principio a fin. Que viene a ser, llegar a localización, hablar, posada, charla nocturna, dormir, siguiente ciudad y vuelta a empezar.
  12. pmasterfunk
    Feb 18, 2021
    5
    I first laid eyes on this game back in 2008, and I was super hyped. Over ten years later, the definitive edition goes on sale for Switch, and I finally have a chance to play it.

    Meh. I've tried, but I'm just not much of a Tales fan. Tales of Phantasia blew my teenage mind back in the late 90s when Dejap released a fan translation that I played on ZSNES, while I listened to Limp    I first laid eyes on this game back in 2008, and I was super hyped. Over ten years later, the definitive edition goes on sale for Switch, and I finally have a chance to play it.

    Meh.

    I've tried, but I'm just not much of a Tales fan. Tales of Phantasia blew my teenage mind back in the late 90s when Dejap released a fan translation that I played on ZSNES, while I listened to Limp Bizkit and Korn. Good times, my dudes, good times.

    Seriously though, I enjoyed ToP, and it was definitely a tour de force back in the day. I've since played other Tales games, but I've always come away feeling somewhat indifferent. For Vesperia, I'm less indifferent, and more irritated. There's stuff to like about the game. It's reasonably pretty, even in 2021, with good character and enemy designs. There's a lot of content, so for people who enjoy the game, it can last forever. The voice acting is pretty good. But that's about it for me.

    The action is not great, which I should have suspected given the word salad "Evolved Flex-Range Linear Motion Battle System". Regular attacks have very short range and are pretty slow, so hitting moving enemies is oddly difficult. Enemies have really long invulnerability frames when knocked down, which bogs the action down. Pressing up makes the character jump instead of just moving forward, which is mostly useless and sometimes makes high attacks or using techs activate jumps instead. Enemies have tons of HP, so even mooks can take a while to defeat. Bosses vary wildly in difficulty, from pretty easy to practically impossible (Gattuso, you bastard). Status effects are practically an afterthought, and only seem to show up in boss fights.

    The fixed camera in cities and dungeons feels old and restrictive. Aiming the Sorcerer's ring is terribly frustrating. I also always run out of cash. Micromanagement of equipment is pretty tedious. Just about any weapon may be necessary for creating better weapons later, so I just ended up hoarding all my stuff in fear of missing out on an important item.

    Apart from the characters and enemies, the visuals are kinda bland. The lighting is really flat in most locations, making backgrounds really uninteresting. Lots of dungeons have identical rooms that make navigating them confusing. Most locations are pretty bare in background details, so they don't have much personality.

    I'm not a big fan of the music, but I'm sure some people like it.

    So what about that story? Well, it kinda sucks. It's not the worst, but the pacing is horrendous, the plot is mostly delivered in exposition dumps, and the pace constantly stalls for all sorts of dumb reasons. "This person can't see us you today, so let's randomly go walk in the desert in the meantime". "Let me tell you the most important secret we have kept hidden from you since your bi-- AAACK I'M DEAD". "I have so much to tell you abo- AAACK I'M DEAD". "I have multiple personality disorder - AAACK I'M DEA- oh wait, I'm back!" The cut scenes involving action are probably the worst I've seen in any video game. Bad composition, weak and stunted choreography, and poor music and sound effect choices make these downright painful to watch.

    Further slowing the pace are small dumb decisions. I don't need to be told "Karol has left the party", only for him to join up again two minutes later to be told "Karol has joined the party". The game constantly slows down to let you walk from one cutscene to the next. It's bloat.

    I also hate the trend in japanese media to make up dumb words. Why call this magic rock a blastia? What is a Cyano Ciel Apatheia? How is it related to Aer Krenes? Formulas do what? Why is the leader of the guild called a Duce instead of just "boss" or "president"? Are the good guys the l'Cie or the fal'Cie? There's a guy called Duke, is he a Duce ? I'M CONFUSED BECASE DUCE LITERALLY MEANS DUKE

    The main cast varies pretty wildly in likeability. Yuri is a pretty good MC, even though I feel like his moral dilemma doesn't get much of a resolution. He often sounds disinterested in the team's dilemmas. Estelle is pretty flaky for most of the game, but she's still pretty likable. Karol is kind of annoying, but in an endearing 12-year-old way. It does break my suspension of disbelief when he is having a profound existential crisis about his powerlessness in the face of complicated world-wide geopolitics. Repede is a dumb name for a cool dog. Raven is alright for a while, but the old man jokes are kinda weird for a 35-year-old guy. I mean it's not THAT old, is it? Judith is real pretty, but she's kinda bland otherwise, and the mysterious femme fatale thing fells kinda thin. Patty? Why is she here? But the worst is Rita. I hate everything about Rita. I hate her tsundere shtick. I hate her dialog. I hate her motivations.

    For me, this game was lots of frustration and not much payoff. If you're not a Tales fan, I'd suggest avoiding this one. It plays fine on Switch, if you're still interested in buying.    … Expand
  13. Foxazoxi
    Sep 6, 2019
    7
    The story is great and characters are impressive. The combat system is not my type but it got better and better by keeping playing it.
  14. SwitchOnly
    Dec 20, 2021
    5
    I can't say it's bad, but it certainly wasn't what it appeared to be from the eShop details. Honestly, it was my mistake. I didn't realize that it's predominantly fixed-camera with a linear game path. Anyone expecting an open world exploration rpg will immediately be frustrated. I couldn't get past it.
  15. Ventuski
    Apr 6, 2022
    6
    As a Tales game is good. I've had some problems trying to complete it, since every time I want to recap I find myself lost about what I have to do next. Not very friendly if you plan to play casual from time to time.
  16. ifman13
    Feb 15, 2023
    7
    Historia 6/10
    Personajes 7.5/10
    Gameplay 9/10 Música 7/10 El segundo Tales of que juego, tras phantasia. La historia es quizás su punto más flojo, que aunque no es mala, puede parecer predecible o algo inspirada en otros rpgs. La mayoría de los protagonistas cumplen los típicos clichés, pero en este caso el protagonista destaca, realmente tiene carisma, cabe destacar su relación con    Historia 6/10
    Personajes 7.5/10
    Gameplay 9/10
    Música 7/10

    El segundo Tales of que juego, tras phantasia. La historia es quizás su punto más flojo, que aunque no es mala, puede parecer predecible o algo inspirada en otros rpgs. La mayoría de los protagonistas cumplen los típicos clichés, pero en este caso el protagonista destaca, realmente tiene carisma, cabe destacar su relación con su amigo de la infancia Flynn, y los dilemas morales que se plantean acerca de la forma que tiene cada uno de afrontar los problemas.

    El sistema de batalla es muy variado y profundo, realmente me ha sorprendido, jugarlo en el máximo nivel de dificultad ha sido desafiante.

    Story 6/10
    Characters 7.5/10
    Gameplay 9/10
    Music 7/10

    The second Tales of I play, after Phantasia. The story is perhaps its weakest point, although not bad, it can seem predictable or somewhat inspired by other rpgs. Most of the protagonists fulfill the typical clichés, but in this case the protagonist stands out, he really has charisma, it is worth mentioning his relationship with his childhood friend Flynn, and the moral dilemmas that arise about the way each one has to face the problems.

    The battle system is very varied and deep, it has really surprised me, playing it on the maximum difficulty level has been challenging.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best Switch Game of 2019
46
#46 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019
52
#52 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Switch Player
    Apr 17, 2019
    80
    Tales of Vesperia still holds up as a game that is absolutely charming and enjoyable to play, with a multi-faceted cast of characters and a story of intrigue. It’s a JRPG that deserves your attention, even despite its tangible flaws.
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  2. Nintendo Insider
    Mar 22, 2019
    90
    Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is one of the best RPGs to grace the Nintendo Switch. It’s a lengthy adventure that will keep players absorbed from start to finish. With new content and new characters, those looking to double-dip will more than get their money’s worth. The added joy of having Tales of Vesperia on a portable device elevates to new heights as you can now enjoy all it has to offer at any time and in any place. If you missed out on this gem a decade ago, it is time to rectify that mistake and immerse yourself in one of the finest RPGs to release this decade.
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  3. Worth Playing
    Feb 26, 2019
    80
    All in all, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is a solid remaster of a fun and enjoyable JRPG. It has its flaws and foibles, including a relative weak final story arc and a somewhat inconsistent battle system, but it's one of the most popular Tales titles for a reason. It's plenty of fun to play, and fans of JRPGs will easily overlook the flaws for what is a genuinely enjoyable romp through an old game style.
    Read full review
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