Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsThe must play JRPG of 2021, and my choice for RPG/game of the year
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2021
TL;DR: From my own personal enjoyment, I’d give it a 10/10. If I’m being more objective and taking my personal experience out of it, I’d still give it 9.5/10. In my opinion it’s the must play JRPG of 2021, especially for JRPG newcomers. There were many good JRPG’s this year, SMT5, Scarlet Nexus, etc... but this was the one I enjoyed the most. Tales of Arise is worth the $60 price tag, and if you can find it for less than that, grab it. I already wish I could play it again for the first time. Enjoy
Note: If you’re someone who likes having outfits and planning on buying DLC, you’re better off buying the digital ultimate edition or the digital deluxe edition of the game. Although you can still buy it all separately for physical copies. If you wait for a sale, you can find the ultimate digital edition for around $45. It includes all DLC, minus a few exceptions (Level skips, SAO, etc..)
This was my first Tales game, and it really surprised me. The combat is really fun, smooth/fluid, (Not sure why people are saying it’s turn based, combat is NOT turn based) and it has gorgeous animations; the graphics are good and the story is worthwhile, even if there are some cliche moments and overused plot devices like amnesia. There’s also a lot of character development with all of the party members, and I found the party members to be plenty likable. I also really enjoyed the theme of romance between the party members, which is something I’ve yet to experience before Arise. Each party member has their own love interest, not just the protagonist. But the development between Shionne and Alphen was great, I couldn’t help but root for them. It’s a very polished and fun experience, and I can honestly say that Tales of Arise is my game of the year. I haven’t enjoyed a game as much as I did with Tales of Arise in a very long time, probably since playing the original Persona 5. Some of the themes are actually somewhat similar too, and it reminded me a lot of Persona 5 in the best ways. So much so that I platinumed Tales of Arise, and normally I couldn’t care less about getting a platinum, but this game was just that much fun. I’d also consider Tales of Arise to be newcomer friendly too, even if you’ve never played a JRPG.
Expect to drop anywhere from 50-100+ hours depending on whether or not you’re a completionist; whether or not you bought the double XP boosting artifact, and whether or not you actively searched for more XP boosting artifacts during your playthrough. These do however carry over in New Game Plus, so it’s definitely worth the effort. I got the Platinum for Tales of Arise in around 65-70 hours. You could also buy level skips and jump up 30+ levels in no time, which would drastically shorten your play time. There’s many ways to go about it, just do what feels right for you. If you’re short on time, you at least have the option to skip all the grind in favor of enjoying the story. I opted to buy the double XP boost Artifact that was like $3, and it was worth every penny. I opted to skip the level jumps though, it seemed like it would take the fun and the challenge out of it for me. They’re also expensive, and they don’t go on sale like all the other Tales or Arise DLC.
My only criticism would be that the pacing in the second half of the game feels a little off, and there’s an info dump at around the halfway point signaling the second half of the game that can feel a bit overwhelming. It can also be quite a grind, more so than most JRPG’s. If you don’t want to spend hours and hours grinding, I’d suggest spending the $2-$3 for the double XP artifact, and actively search for artifacts while playing for further XP boosts. Another criticism I have is that some of what’s considered DLC feels like it should’ve been included in the base game; such as these paid double XP boosters.
This game has a lot of dialogue, so if that’s something you don’t want, steer clear of JRPG’s, not just Tales of Arise. The game isn’t perfect, but with how fun it is, and with all the quality of life and ease of use that’s built into the game, this is an overwhelmingly great game. There’s also a ton of after story activities when you finally finish, and I’d say it has a high replay value. It already has a New Game+ available for future replays.
If you’re a fan of SAO, the optional paid DLC is actually pretty fun. I’d say it’s definitely worth it when it’s on sale, that is only if you’re a fan.
Edit: 11/3/2023: A new sequel DLC has been announced, which takes place one year after the end game events. I’m very excited about it, as I hoped for some kind of follow up or epilogue. I highly recommend this game.
