The highlights of the first chapter of Tale Of Arise

Tales of Arise landed on Game Informer ‘s covers this month as part of our RPG edition. In it, we delved into our hands-on time with Tales of Arise and spoke with members of the development team about what to expect from this reimagining of the long-running RPG franchise. If the problem hasn’t appeared on your doorstep yet, don’t worry! Today, we provided a breakdown of what really caught our eye and impressed us as we played the entire first chapter of the game. That September 10 release date is right around the corner, so here’s a taste of what looks the most promising.

The two worlds are full of mystery and conflict

Tales of Arise begins by introducing you to two very different worlds and how they intersect: Rena and Dahna. Technologically advanced Rena has ruled Dahna for the past 300 years, but this was not always the case. The two once coexisted, with Rena regarded as a paradise and domain for the gods, while the lush Dahna was once believed to be “indestructible” and “eternal”. Then Rena proved that not true, using her superior technology to wreak havoc and nearly annihilate Dahna. In an instant, the beauty of the land was stripped away, and Rena depleted its natural resources and forced its inhabitants into slavery.

When Rena conquered Dahna, its leaders divided the land into five different kingdoms, giving each leader the opportunity to rule as they saw fit. The first chapter of Tales of Arise focuses on Orbus Calaglia, who is ruled by a tyrant named Balseph, the lord of the Fire Master Core. It is as large and fiery as you might expect on the surface, and the wasteland it overlooks is filled with scorched terrain, oppressive heat, and dust storms.

Common themes in previous Thales games include nature and coexistence, touching on racism, loss, and social decline. However, Arise’s opening is a brutal and terrifying look at what happens when power and greed spiral out of control, as you watch the people of Dahnan suffer like slaves under the ruthless oppression of Renan’s soldiers. As we learn the basics about these two worlds, it is clear that there is a complicated story here and that something must change to ensure a better future for all. Bandai Namco keeps a lot under wraps for you to find out about these two different lands, and I liked feeling like it was constantly piecing together the truth.

Alphen and Shionne’s relationship is intriguing

The two characters at the center of this adventure are Alphen and Shionne, and they couldn’t be more different. Alphen is from Dahna and spends his days as a slave responding to the harsh demands of Rena’s soldiers. He has a strong sense of justice, as shown in an early scene where he stands in front of a lash intended for a child who falls short of expectations. This encounter is also where we learn that you cannot feel pain.

Shionne’s backstory is a bit more complicated and she keeps her letters close to her chest about her upbringing and her current situation. Where Alphen cannot feel pain, Shionne can only cause it. It has a curse, where anyone who touches it is wrapped in thorns that electrocute them. Shionne is from Rena too, but based on her running away, it’s clear she’s not in a good position there. Her curse and checkered past have left her protected, and she is quick to give Alphen a hard time whenever she can. Their relationship is full of jokes and putting themselves in their shoes, somewhat similar to Aybss’s Luke and Tear, but their opposing lifestyles also bring up different sides of the current turmoil unfolding between the two worlds.

I loved watching this dynamic, as you not only learn about the world through their different points of view, but you also see both characters come to understand each other and grow. Throughout the story, the characters Identities and beliefs will be put to the test, and it will be interesting to see how Alphen and Shionne change throughout the adventure.

Creative freedom in the way you build your party members shows promise

The way you learn new skills has been changed to provide more customization for your characters. Better yet, the new system implements the legacy “Titles” feature. Titles – names that can be assigned to your characters once unlocked by certain in-game events – have been a part of the series from the beginning, first appearing in Tales of Phantasia on the SNES. Since then, they have been used in different ways throughout the series, such as providing special effects or abilities to party members when equipped.

They are becoming much more meaningful in Tales of Arise by linking directly to the progression system. Titles like “Escape Artist” or “Speed ​​Chef” open up access to new abilities and stat upgrades for characters, which you can unlock by investing the skill points you earn and leveling up. Each skill costs a certain number of skill points, giving you options like getting new arts like Sonic Thrust, speeding up the charge on a special attack, or preventing KO. Each title has five different abilities associated with it, and you get an additional stat boost for unlocking all the abilities within one. You can switch between multiple titles or focus on one at a time.

“This part of the game is really designed so that the player can have some freedom to make their own decisions,” director Hirokazu Kagawa told us. “You may find it difficult to decide, ‘Okay, what is more optimal?’ ‘What is good?’ ‘Where should I [focus]? ‘And that’s exactly the process that we want people to go through. Whatever choice they make, it is designed to suit various styles of play. You can really adjust it to your liking and still be successful. ”

As someone who loves to build characters, I am excited about this system for the potential for customization. I paused on the screen many times, wondering if I should save my SP for KO prevention so I can withstand a deadly attack or if I should have access to more gear for better combo options. I even wondered if I should focus on just one title to get the stat bonus, but I continued to be swayed by the variety of mixes and combinations of a myriad of different ones. This system has a lot of potential, but time will tell how comprehensive and satisfying it is. Like many other items, Bandai Namco is trying new things and they seem like smart innovations.

Character bonding is still front and center

A great strength of the Tales series is building relationships between group members. Bandai Namco is not reducing this in the slightest. In fact, the development team designs the world map with the characters and places to interact in mind. “The center of everything in world map design is always character building and revealing more to the player about the character, be it dialogues, actions or different activities. So we always make sure we can play the character by building the world around him. “ Producer Yusuke Tomizawa told us, pointing out various scenic spots that you can find in the game where the characters will react to your actions and the places you go.

The show’s best bonding moments, which fans know best as “parodies,” are also making a comeback, but they’re getting better. Parodies are no longer just portraits of characters with dialog boxes; now, they feature 3D models in comic-style interactions, similar to what we saw in Scarlet Nexus, Bandai Namco’s recent action / RPG game. The cartoon feel of the skits is gone, making them feel much more immersive.

I’m glad to see that the emphasis on character interactions hasn’t diminished; if anything, it appears that Bandai Namco has only added more moments for dialogue between the party. In fact, even in the dungeons, Kagawa said he expected more jokes and character interactions that add comic relief.

Dungeons have more decision making and better puzzle implementation

The first chapter takes you to a few different dungeons, but they are mostly smaller matters. However, the final dungeon in the first chapter is called Glanymede Castle, and it is a vast structure that represents the burning region and style of its ruthless leader, Balseph. You are basically climbing a colossal tower, trying to find a key to turn the elevators back on. However, Bandai Namco added some cool puzzles to keep things interesting.

Burning walls block certain locations, and you can spend CP to melt the flames. This choice creates an interesting dilemma. Do you spend CP to find better items and gear, or do you keep it since using CP means depleting your healing resources?

Kagawa says that not all dungeons make you choose to use CP, but a good portion will. “The idea behind the CP resource is that we really want the player to think about their choices and formulate strategies,” Kagawa said. “Developing a game plan is something that we think is a very pleasant and satisfying experience. We have the player put their choices on a pendulum or scale. Are you going to use CP for battle and survival, or are you going to use it more for exploration and object hunting? ”

I liked this feature as the risk and reward part made exploring more attractive. Time will tell if your welcome is spent after a few dungeons, but I liked having to make a few additional decisions about how thoroughly I wanted to explore. This also got me thinking about what else the dungeons will offer to make them memorable beyond the boss fights, prompting me to ask about riddles.

Dungeons in the Tales games have generally had some kind of puzzle, whether you’re moving boxes or tapping switches in a particular order, but recent entries have marked those items. When I asked him about the puzzles, Kagawa had an interesting response: “There will be some puzzle elements that you might be familiar with if you played the previous entries,” he said. “But we wanted to make sure these puzzles didn’t feel out of place within the overall context of the world. So we took great care in designing these puzzles to make sure that they felt realistic and believable and that they were not completely eliminated or felt alien to the world. ”Kagawa also confirmed that since Tales of Arise characters can swim and jump, the team incorporated that into some of the dungeon puzzle solving elements as well. Color me intrigued!

---

Do you want to see the game in action? check our last new game today. You can learn more about Tales of Arise in our latest cover story and find out more about the battle system and world exploration enhancements in our previous hands-on preview.