Tales of Ariseis one of the most anticipated games of the year, as Bandai Namco promises to re-invent the franchise and take it in a different direction. The newest entry in theTalesfranchise in five years,Tales of Ariseis preceded byTales of BerseriaandTales of Zestiria,both of which brought unique changes to the franchise. AlthoughTales of Ariseis separate from the two previousTalesgames, their impact could be a lot more influential than what many fans might expect.
Despite the fact thatTales of Zestiriareceived mixed reviews and criticism, it introduced some interesting mechanics that would later be refined and simplified inTales of Berseria.As both games were designed with the PS4 in mind, they presented a modernized take on theTalesformula that will likely influence the design ofTales of Ariseto an extent. Even if it isn’t clear whatTales of Arisewill keep or discard, there’s a lot of ways it could be impacted by previousTalesgames.
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How Tales of Zestiria Should Impact Tales of Arise
WhileTales of Zestiriahas often received criticismfor its environmental interactions or poor dungeon design, its real issue was in its overly complicated mechanics. The equipment system and item fusing were interesting concepts that had a surprising amount of depth to them, but required players to invest a lot of time to maximize its potential. Furthermore, while the battle system introduced new mechanics,Tales of Zestiriahad one of the worst AI designs in the franchise. Enemy intelligence became a constant source of annoyance throughout the game.
That said,Tales of Zestiriastill managed to take the franchise in a new direction and helped setup a number of fundamentals that would be refined inTales of Berseria.The character interactions inTales of Zestiriaare executed well andTales of Ariseshould take some influence from the side skits in developing its characters.Tales of Arisecould also benefit from taking the ambition behind the upgrade systems inTales of Zestiriabut tempering them so that they don’t feel as convoluted.
How Tales of Berseria Should Impact Tales of Arise
Tales of Berseriafared much better than its predecessorby introducing a darker narrative and simplifying many of the mechanics found inTales of Zestiria.The combat system inTales of Berseriawas far simpler thanTales of Zestiriabecause weakness combos were easier to achieve and the Break Soul mechanic allowed players to facetank a lot of damage.Tales of Ariseseems to want to attract newcomers to the series as well so having a simplified combat system likeTales of Berseriacould help a lot. On the flip side,Tales of Berseria’scombat rarely offered a challenge or difficulty spikes soTales of Ariseshould look to balance the combat more.
In particular,Tales of Berseriastands out in the franchise due to its tone and protagonist, Velvet. Starting off as a tale of revenge, the game goes in a darker direction than typicalTalesgames and the narrative arc is one of the most compelling ones in the series.Tales of Arisesimilarly features characters with troubled backstoriesand utilizing some of the storytelling elements found inTales of Berseriacould strengthen the overall narrative. Western fans typically enjoy these darker narratives more and withTales of Ariseaiming to appeal to a worldwide audience, it’s important to replicateTales of Berseria’sunique tone.
Tales of Arisereleases on September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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