14 DAY TRIAL // 
The latest game in the Tales series is an emotional roller coaster for both veterans and newcomers to the franchise. Developer Bandai Namco reversed the traditional formula that made the Tales games so popular among JRPG fans and provided players with a new premise.
Unlike previous Tales titles where characters are driven by the need to save the world, in Tales of Berseria the protagonist murders everyone and everything that stays between her and the object of her quest: revenge.
Tales of Berseria proves that playing evil characters can be just as rewarding as playing good protagonists. In fact, the change in attitude as well as the polishing of the combat mechanics make this the best title in the Tales series.
More importantly, anyone can play Tales of Berseria regardless if they've played or not a previous game in the same series. However, you plan on finishing the latest Tales game, you'll have to really free your agenda and prepare for an epic ride, since you'll be playing for well over 40 hours to finish it.
Story
Despite the fact that Tales of Berseria's protagonist is evil, developer Bandai Namco has decided to make the transition smoother as to not confuse players. There's a certain flow of the story that needs to be followed before you get hooked, but if you go past the first two hours, you'll hardly want to stop from playing.
The game starts quite intriguing as Velvet, the main protagonist, and her brother Laphicet are saved by Artorius, her brother-in-law, from a horde of demons that spawn at certain period of times to wreak havoc among the human population.
These events are known as Scarlet Night and can't be stopped, but the damages can be limited if preparations are made. Unfortunately, Velvet's sister and her unborn child become pray to the demons and Artorious can't save them.
The game fast forwards several years and we're now in the shoes of a rather content Velvet, as she's taking care of Laphicet and Artorious, now living in a peaceful small village. All fine and dandy until the Scarlet Night returns and everything turns into chaos.
In order to prevent another Scarlet Night, Artorious sacrifices Laphicet during a mystic ritual, which turns Velvet into a demon. As she's consumed by the Demonblight, Velvet grows a huge demonic arm, which allows her feed upon other demons.
These unfortunate events set the stage for the adventures ahead, as Velvet Crowe starts forming her party of misfits to avenge her brother's untimely death at the hands of Artorious.
Gameplay
The battle system featured in Tales of Berseria has been polished and slightly improved over the previous titles. If you've played other Tales games, you'll immediately recognize the so-called Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS), which now offers more room to move around targets by rotating the camera. You'll now be able to roam freely during battles and take advantage of the game's Soul Gauge system.
If you haven't played another game in the series, you won't have too much trouble understanding the combat system. Soul Gauge is in fact a bar of five small dots that determines how many actions you can perform in battle.
The number of dots you have at your disposal may vary, as you can lose some when performing special attacks or getting hit. On the other hand, if you exploit some of the enemy's weaknesses, you will gain more dots. The more dots you have, the more special attacks you'll be able to perform, and the faster the battle will end.
“Triggering various Artes has been my preferred task throughout the game, as they look no short of awesome.”
Each character you have in your party gains new skills and “magical artes” as they level up. You can customize each character's combos from the menu to make them more situational.
You'll also loot lots of equipment along the way, which you have to become proficient with in order to use it at maximum potential. Overall, the combat system allows for fluid combos, a well-designed flow that makes every fight a real pleasure rather than a torture.
Graphics and audio
Tales of Berseria doesn't impress through looks, but the game survived well, even though it's been initially launched in Japan on the PlayStation 3 platform. The power of the PlayStation 4 allowed developers to improve the graphics a bit, and that's noticeable in the open world.
Unfortunately, things are pretty much different when it comes to dungeons. For some reason, they haven't received the same attention from developers, so they look rather dull and lacking any visual richness. The same goes for most of the towns you'll be visiting throughout the campaign.
Where the game really shines is the way characters have been drawn and given life. Most of them look stunning, which makes you love them even more, despite the fact that they're pure evil (but not in a sadistic way).
Tales of Berseria allows players to select either English or Japanese for the audio language. Although at times the English voices sound a bit cringy, if you don't understand Japanese, it's not really worth using this language (not even for the flavor).
The Good
- Enticing story
- Lovebale, unforgettable characters
- Nice scenery
- Solid battle system
The Bad
- Bleak dungeons
- Sloppy localization
Conclusion
Tales of Berseria is a new story set many years after the happenings in Tales of Zestiria. With a little bit more work on the graphics and localization (voices), Tales of Berseria could have been a stellar game.
Nevertheless, the story and combat mechanics make up for anything faulty, so I can't recommend it enough to those who love JRPG games. Finally, a game where playing the villain feels kind of … right.
