In lieu of Tales of Arise dropping in September, I figured it was appropriate to review perhaps my favorite Tales game of the series, Berseria and its very wicked tale of revenge and strife. So let’s dive headfirst into the world of Tales of Berseria and take a look at how it holds up five years later.
Story: The world of Berseria is pretty much in a state of chaos, Daemons run rampant across the land and the fabled “Daemonblight” which causes this is, the main cause of the chaos. During the time of strife and Chaos, a man known as Artorius or Arthur as Velvet knows him is planning to bring the order the world desperately needs by reviving the Empyrean, Innominant. To do this however requires a specific sacrifice, Velvet’s brother, Laphicet, thus setting the chain of events off in-game and be the driving force for Velvet’s revenge.
Players take control of Velvet and go along with her on a journey of revenge, betrayal and intrigue as each life she takes makes her stronger due to her becoming what is known as a “Therion” which eats the Malevolence in the world. During the course of the story, you learn about the world as it unravels and shows its many mysteries, including how it works in-game.
Gameplay: In terms of how the game handles itself, it’s probably one of the most enjoyable iterations of the Tales series I have had the pleasure of playing, with combat that is enjoyable. Controlling the characters and even customizing how they look in cutscenes is very fun, with each character able to wear costumes and such like every other Tales game.
Being able to choose your character and play style on the fly also adds to the enjoyment factor and if you love a specific type of combat such as spell casting, there are a few choices for you. Overall as far as the gameplay goes, it is solid, enjoyable and fast-paced, like a Tales game should play.
Audio: They did not spare any expense for the voice cast in this game and it shows, with familiar names like Erica Lindbeck, Brina Palencia, Cristina Valenzuela and many more in the main character cast, this is one of the best voice casts in recent memory of Tales games. Each VO is so detailed but there are a few minor mistranslations in the game’s script, but these are minor nuances and can be overlooked as the main feature in this department.
Music in game is probably some of the most memorable the series has ever put out, the game’s various tracks flow nicely and provide an atmosphere for the overall events in-game, with some tracks having dark/light tones to them. Overall both audio departments are very solid and enjoyable, one of the best things that a Tales series can offer in terms of replayability.
Overall: If you are looking for a Tales series game to get into first, this is a good choice. Returning fans of the series will love this entry and the fact it offers so much of what is loved about the series, good gameplay, story, music all blended into one fine package. A real gem in the series and the fact it can offer so much replayability lends to perhaps the best current-generation entry of the Tales series until Arise comes out in September. A must-have for sure, it can be picked up on multiple platforms such as Xbox/Steam/PS4 for rather cheap these days.