If you’re a fan of Japanese role-playing games. one of the hottest title drops of the year is handily Tales of Arise. This seventeenth (!) main entry in the long-running Tales series has shown a clear commitment on Bandai Namco’s part to impress a wider audience. And there’s good news on that front: with a bigger budget, flashier visuals, and all-around excellent art design, Tales of Arise has a pretty good chance at doing just that. In fact, the quality of Tales of Arise animation on display here is the best we’ve seen since at least Tales of Vesperia. But, impacted as much by the COVID-19 pandemic as anything else in the video game industry, Tales of Arise was originally planned for a 2020 release date before being bumped all the way back to this September.
With its revamped September 10th release date fast approaching, Bandai Namco is beginning to pump the gas on Tales of Arise‘s promotional campaign. Excitement is high across the Tales fandom in light of largely positive media reception to a recent closed-doors gameplay demo. Tales of Arise news has carried with it a sense of momentous positivity from that day forward.
Ever since that demo, each week brings us fresh morsels of news, with this week delivering the Tales of Arise opening animation. This is a bigger deal than some may understand — Tales games have a long history of including lavish animations. Fans look forward to Tales series animations for their ability to convey the epic scope of a game’s story.
Tales of… Regret?
The Tales of Arise animation is chock full of easily identifiable “anime moments.” My favorite of these moments being a character who appears hopelessly outnumbered, thereafter accomplishing swordplay feats that would likely break someone’s legs in real life. The animation also treats us to glimpses of gorgeous locations as well as extended glances at major characters. Multiple characters appear to have a chip on their shoulder, which is part-and-parcel with many anime-infused JRPGs. Unraveling their pasts and helping them to find a better future is at the core of the Tales experience.
One thing that stands out to me is the use of the first-person perspective early in the trailer. Around the 17-second mark, Tales of Arise co-protagonist Shionne stares at her hands in horror. Considering that Shionne is cursed with inflicting pain upon anyone she touches (why does this remind me of Rogue?), it stands to reason that she may have more than a few skeletons in her closet. Will Shionne’s tragic past play a vital role in the game’s present-day setting?
Mark Your Calendars, JRPG Fans
The Tales of Arise release date is September 10th for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms. Check out one of its breathtaking cinematic trailers here and prepare yourselves for what will surely be a 70-plus hour quest — just the way I like ’em. Keep us bookmarked for all the Tales of Arise news to come!
