Tales of ARISE Review Summary

Well-developed and likable characters: The characters are charismatic, well-written, and have depth beyond the game's plot. They are engaging and grow as the story progresses, making them memorable and likable.

Engaging and fun combat system: The combat system is fluid, enjoyable, and offers a variety of ways to fight. It is intuitive, beginner-friendly, and becomes more satisfying as players progress and master the mechanics.

Stunning graphics and art style: The game features beautiful and visually stunning graphics, with detailed environments and character designs. The artistic style is highly praised, creating an immersive experience that stands out in the series.

Compelling and well-developed story: The story is engaging, well-written, and features surprising plot developments. It is memorable and enjoyable, with a strong narrative that keeps players invested.

Excellent soundtrack and music: The soundtrack is very good, with memorable songs that complement the game's atmosphere. The music enhances the overall experience and is highly praised by players.

Story is confusing and poorly written: The story is criticized for being confusing, hard to follow, and poorly written. It starts well but becomes dull and suffers from common storytelling issues.

Enemies are too resilient: Enemies are often described as too tanky and having too much HP, making battles tedious and repetitive.

Dialogue is repetitive and poorly written: Dialogues are criticized for being repetitive, dry, and boring. The writing is often described as atrocious and poorly executed.

Characters lack depth and personality: Characters are often described as dull, bland, and lacking depth. Players feel no connection to the characters due to their lack of personality and chemistry.

Side quests lack interest: Side missions and quests are criticized for being boring, uninteresting, and monotonous, lacking depth and variety.

Story-driven gameplay with cinematics: The game is heavily story-driven, featuring in-engine cinematics and a complex storyline. The storytelling method includes comic book-style and hand-drawn anime-style cutscenes.

Complex combat system: The combat system is a blend of real-time and turn-based mechanics, with combo mechanics and various abilities. It includes ground and aerial techniques, as well as special moves that enhance the gameplay experience.

Variety in visual and interactive content: The game includes various types of cutscenes such as comic book-style, hand-drawn anime-style, and 3D cutscenes. It also features skits and character interactions that add depth to the narrative.

Character and story progression: The game features a robust progression system that includes character development and story progression. Players appreciate the quest-based progression that drives the narrative forward.

Side quests and additional content: The game includes side quests that mostly involve fetching items or defeating monsters. There is also additional content and DLC available for extended gameplay.

Game is lightweight and stable: The game is described as lightweight with no bugs or freezes, and it runs smoothly on various systems, including Intel onboard graphics.

FPS drops in certain locations: The game generally runs well but experiences significant FPS drops in specific areas, affecting even high-end PCs.

Pop-in textures and LOD issues: There are noticeable pop-in textures and Level of Detail (LOD) issues, which can detract from the visual experience.

Draw distance and clipping issues: There are problems with draw distance and graphical clipping, affecting the visual consistency of the game.

Frequent screen darkening and loading issues: Players report issues with the screen darkening unexpectedly and problems during loading sequences.

Not recommended for purchase: Multiple reviewers explicitly state that they do not recommend buying the game, even at a discount.

Recommended for specific fan groups: The game is recommended for fans of anime, grinding, action RPGs, real-time combat, character development, and the Tales series.

Recommended for RPG fans: The game is recommended for those who enjoy RPGs and are looking for a recent title with substantial content.

Other game recommendations: Reviewers recommend other games such as Tales of Arise, the Atelier series, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest over this game.

Recommended for adventure and characters: The game is recommended for those who enjoy good adventures with great characters and gameplay.

Steam Deck: The game has a mixed reception on the Steam Deck. While many users report a positive experience with smooth performance and enjoyable gameplay, there are notable issues with stability, controller support, and UI text size. These issues can significantly impact the user experience, leading to a range of experiences from seamless to problematic.

Monetization: The game has significant issues with its monetization practices, particularly concerning DLC. Players find the DLC overpriced and bundled in a way that forces them to buy unwanted items. The game design seems to intentionally create difficulty spikes that encourage purchasing DLC for advantages, which is seen as unethical. Intrusive advertisements for DLC within the game disrupt the gaming experience, and essential content is often locked behind paywalls. These practices are widely criticized as anti-consumer and predatory.

External guides: The game has several significant issues that impact the user experience. The most frequent complaints involve excessive dialogues and cutscenes, which users find redundant and tedious. Additionally, the game's difficulty balance on the Normal setting is seen as too challenging, making it less enjoyable. The navigation system is also criticized for being poor, requiring external guides to complete certain objectives. These issues collectively contribute to a frustrating and less enjoyable gaming experience.

Initial engagement crucial: The game needs to capture the player's interest within the first hour, otherwise, it is unlikely to engage them later.

Lack of compelling development: Players express skepticism about significant plot twists or character development occurring later in the game if they haven't experienced it early on.

Time valuation over money: Players feel that their time has become more valuable than money, implying that the game needs to respect their time investment.

Suitable for young players: The game is considered appropriate and playable for elementary school children around the ages of 9 to 10.

Questioning delayed gratification: The idea that players need to persist until they reach the enjoyable part of the game is seen as a fallacy and a coping mechanism.