The graphics are pleasing to the eye, if a bit cheap in places. The story has a dark tone to it, but the "skits" (many of them optional) are often quite numerous or even Tales of Berseria is a modern JRPG that's pretty satisfying. The story was the strongest part for me, sure there's portions of RPG filler, but the core story is emotionally moving in places, in a way that few games are. Tales of Berseria is a modern JRPG that's pretty satisfying. If you like action games and good stories, you cannot pass this up. If you don't like anime, you can pass this up but I very very strongly encourage you not to. If you like anime, you cannot pass this up. If you like jrpgs, you cannot pass this up. (I dislike extremely difficult puzzles but when they're very easy like in this game its hard to really even call them puzzles) There are also a fair amount of things to do other than the main story (which is rather long.) Overall, if you like Tales games. The only thing I thought that could use work in this game was the dungeons since the puzzles were very lacking in thought. The gameplay switches it up from your average Tales game, but I never got tired of it. In fact, it may make you start to like anime like the previous Tales games (Symphonia and Abyss) have done to me. (I am also a kingdom hearts and YS fan.) If you like anime, or even if you don't like anime, there's still an 80% chance you will like this game. Also, if you, like me, love action gameplay rather than turn based gameplay, this should be ridiculously high on your radar. If you, like me, play jrpgs mainly for the story, this game should be very high on your radar. The story is amazing, and the characters compliment the story very well. Tales of Berseria was done very very right, in fact, it has replaced Tales of Vesperia as my favorite Tales game. If you, like me, play jrpgs mainly for the story, this game should be very high on your radar.Īlso, if you, like When Tales games are done right, they are always my favorite video game series. You've played this before quite a few times.When Tales games are done right, they are always my favorite video game series. Despite all the praise it's still a Tales game fresh off the conveyor with all the flaws and bumps lovingly preserved. SFX is flashes and animated inserts, sound is nothing to write a review about.
The sublevels are small to account for the engine's limitations and when a really big open level shows up it looks like a Quake map with lots of rectangular building blocks glued together with no environmental detail or objects. And technically the game is stuck somewhere in mid-2000s. There are a plethora of "artes" your characters can learn but you are limited to 4 artes per combo level so you either set up the most effective combo all around and mash a single button until you get calluses, start every battle with painstakingly reassigning artes to fit your present set of enemies or say "Eh, whatever" and set combat difficulty to "Easy", saving yourself a few hours. The combat is quite complicated and nuanced but gut-wrenchingly boring. A swordsman who looks carefree but is actually totally absolutely amazingly powerful, a clumsy kid whose primary role is to invoke warm feelings, a really grimdark fighter who is both grim and dark, a comic relief happy go lucky magician girl who, of course, will magically save you when a deus ex machina is needed. The supporting cast, however different and "edgy" they might look are all the stereotypical ones. Velvet is all "dark", "really evil" and "revenge-driven" but she's extremely prone to not killing important enemies, being needlessly chatty when butt-kicking is due and turning into a damsel in distress when the plot demands it. Yes, it has rave reviews but it still follows every "safe" cliche that has plagued the genre for the last 10 years.
It is a good JRPG in that it does all the necessary fanservice and "unexpected" plot twists but as a game it is really bland. It is a good JRPG in that it does all the necessary fanservice and "unexpected" plot twists Tales of Berseria is a painfully mediocre game. Tales of Berseria is a painfully mediocre game.