Japanese game developer Bandai Namco has redeemed itself from its misgivings in the role-playing game “Tales of Zestiria” with the release in August of last year of “[easyazon_link identifier=”B01HQGWBZ2″ locale=”US” tag=”masterherald-20″]Tales of Berseria[/easyazon_link]” for the [easyazon_link keywords=”PlayStation 4″ locale=”US” tag=”masterherald-20″]PlayStation 4[/easyazon_link], the PlayStation 3, and the PC.
While it may not be groundbreaking for a role-playing game, it has certainly turned things around and became the franchise’s engaging return to form after the rather dismal showing of its predecessor game, “Tales of Zestiria, reports iDigital Times.
“Tales of Berseria,” which is the 16th game in the franchise, actually takes place in the distant past of the same overall world as the “Tales of Zestiria” and there are loads of little Easter eggs that linked the two games.
The new game starts off in a familiar tone featuring a tragedy in a small country hamlet that leads to a teen hero embarking on a quest to save the world.
Along the way, the teen forms together a ragtag band of allies and everyone learns about the power of friendship and fight some monsters in order to fulfill the mission.
A strikingly dark and grim game
While there are plenty of lighthearted skits interspersed throughout the exploration of new towns and dungeons, but the overall mood of “Tales of Berseria” is strikingly grim.
The series’ first solo female protagonist, Velvet Crowe, is plagued by nightmares of the traumatic event that kicks off the story and wholly consumed by her quest for vengeance.
As the story progresses, Velvet’s death toll mounts, and so does her guilt, doubt, and despair. Along the way, Velvet’s surrounded by an equally anti-heroic squad of allies featuring a cursed pirate, a self-absorbed witch, and a half-demon swordsman hell bent on killing his brother, to name a few.
Each of the supporting party members has their own narrative arc, made all the more vivid by the series’ trademark solid voice acting and intricately detailed storytelling.
The group’s journey to overthrow the tyrannical religious government known as The Abbey proves a lot more unsettling and thought-provoking than previous entries in the Tales series, and while the atmosphere can seem oppressively heavy at times, “Tales of Berseria” certainly never feels plodding and aimless in the way “Tales of Zestiria” often could.
There are numerous points where the game goes unabashedly into info-dump mode, and seemingly every few paces triggers another skit. Many of these are optional, but it’s hard to tell which ones are important to the central plot and which are just fluff, so gamers would probably end up watching most of them on their first go-round.
A more balanced combat system
Another thing going for the “Tales of Berseria” is its combat system, which also feels less cluttered and more balanced overall. There are plenty of options for stringing combos together that don’t require ninja-grade fighting game skills.
New features and additions to the established Tales formula mostly enhance the fun and replay value of the “Tales of Berseria.” For much of the game, the gamer would have a boat at his disposal, one of the perks of befriending a pirate.
About halfway through the story, the party establishes a home base in an abandoned island facility. “Tales of Berseria” allows the gamer to expand and customize his home base to display his collection of pirate treasures and even rehome some NPCs sympathetic to his cause.
Notwithstanding the game developer’s shortcomings, “Tales of Berseria” delivers fans another solid entry in a reliably strong and justifiably beloved series. It’s a refined and refreshingly dreary mashup of everything that worked in Xillia 1 and Zestiria and manages to improve upon both.
The story of “Tales of Berseria” is long and punctuated with both predictable and unexpected plot twists, the writing can swing from tender moments to cringe-worthy ones, and the real-time combat is engaging but becomes stale near the end.
As with the previous Tales games, the best way to get to know the characters is through optional skits. There are fully voiced conversations between the gamer’s party members that show off some of the game’s best writing and also some of its worst.
They can be funny, serious, awkward, witty, random, or just boring. In one entertaining scene, Rokurou and Magilou bet on whether or not Velvet will break before the journey ends, while in a far-too-lengthy skit, Eizen drones on about his pirate creed.
Critics believe that the standout character in “Tales of Berseria” is Eleanor. Unlike the rest of the team, Eleanor is virtuous. She tries to help people and do what she thinks is right. But after she follows Velvet and her crew into an otherworldly dimension, Eleanor’s forced to work with them in order to escape.