You have two things to keep track of as you fight: AP (artes points) and CP (cure points). If you time your evade/guard just right, you perform a perfect evasion/guard, nullifying any damage and giving you the opportunity to counterattack by pressing attack. The right trigger acts as your defend/evade. Your regular attacks are executed using the right bumper, while all your artes are on the face buttons. The controls are a little different than previous games and it did take me a few battles to acclimate to them. Jumping and attacking in the air also causes characters to unleash different normal attacks, which is a nice touch and adds some variety to how you play and what moves you want to chain together. You can string up to three normal attacks together, but this limit can be increased once you learn certain skills. ![]() That isn’t changing the action is still fast-paced and combo-driven, where you swap between regular attacks and your artes (special moves that cost points to use). Tales of Arise isn’t open world, but it certainly feels grander than any other Tales game.Ī strength of the series has always been its fast and fluid action combat that’s focused on chaining up combos and pulling off flashy moves. It appears that Bandai Namco is packing a lot into the zones, so they don’t feel like big, empty spaces like in previous games. I played the demo three times, and each time I found a new discovery, whether it was a hidden area or treasure to unearth. Later, I found a hidden stream, which had a waterfall with a small cave housing a valuable chest. Bandai Namco said it will talk about this feature more at a later date, but so far it looks like what we’ve come to expect from these types of systems, offering stat boosts in battle, like giving you more attack power for a certain duration.Īlternate paths are all around if you seek them out. At one point, I came across a small farm with cows, pigs, and horses grazing, and of course, the cows provide milk to use in cooking recipes. This includes stumbling upon special treasure chests, where I found valuable materials, such as accessories and better weapons. From items such as ores for crafting to ingredients for recipes, there always seemed to be a reward for taking the time to explore. What stuck out about the world to me – outside of the breathtaking watercolor-like aesthetics – was just how much is hidden off the beaten path to discover. The demo took place about 10-20 hours into the main story, when you finally have all your party members. ![]() The demo did, however, highlight part of the game’s third region called Elde Menancia, which looked more rural, focusing on nature’s beauty with forests, streams, and even a hidden waterfall for good measure. The hands-on demo didn’t offer much in terms of story or character personalities, outside of allowing us to see protagonists Alphen and Shionne bickering. I wasn’t sure what side Tales of Arise would land on, but after going hands-on with the game, I feel much more confident in Bandai Namco’s new vision for the series due to some smart tweaks to combat and a new interesting world that begs to be explored. Change is scary and risky, as developers try to toe the line between retaining the elements that fans cherish while also evolving the formula in different and interesting ways. Any time a long-established series uses the word “reinvention,” it’s hard not to be skeptical. Tales of Arise is being called a “reinvention” for the venerable, if stuck-in-a-rut, franchise. While Tales’ strongest features are its character interactions and the fast and fun action combat, it’s struggled this last generation to both appeal to modern gamers and provide something new and exciting for its longtime fans. I’ve been a longtime fan of the Tales series whether it was watching Symphonia’s Llyod confront his naivety or seeing Abyss’ Luke realize he’s kind of a jerk, I love how the main characters become better versions of themselves through the bonds they build.
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