Battles have a more cohesive flow.Ī few other nice features include how Artes are conveniently hotkeyed to the Playstation 4's face buttons and can be swapped out at any time, more responsive blocking and dodging, and the ability to spend points tied to the Blast Gauge meter. I really like this new system because it adds a bit of sensible strategy to the gameplay without feeling like I'm being forced to conserve or use up energy just for the sake of it. Although the Soul Gauge will replenish over time, I found it much more fun to hurry the process along by pounding souls out of an enemy while trying to avoid a similar beatdown. Depleting a character's Soul Gauge allows enemies to more easily deflect attacks, while maxing out a character's Soul Gauge allows you to activate Break Souls, a temporary state where a character's combo limits are ignored and they can use a unique set of skills – such as Velvet's hard-hitting Consuming Claw-to take a bite out of the enemy's health and inflict a status effect. A variation of the Linear Motion Battle System that lets you run around a 3D battlefield returns, but now instead of using a move-governing mechanic, each action is tied to a character's Soul Gauge, which depletes every time a party member performs a special skill (Arte) in battle. While Berseria flips the script on Tales' normally sunshine-filled stories, the brawler-inspired combat stays pretty much the same, with a few welcome tweaks that make it feel smooth and responsive. I can barely remember the names of any Tales heroes that came before Berseria, but I feel like I'll remember this motley crew for a long time to come. ('If you die, you die alone,' the pirate growls ominously during one very tense scene.) Each character is given sufficient time in the spotlight and with each other, which allowed me to invest in their well being as individuals and as a group. I smiled whenever Rokurou and Eizen disagreed to agree, laughed at Magilou's tactless jokes, and held my breath nervously whenever Eizen and Velvet clashed over what to do next. Then, as their personal tragedies unfurled and the characters indulged in the usual dialogue skits Tales is known for, I began to understand their growing camaraderie. Even then, the ties that bind them threaten to come undone as their search for the truth behind the theo-political machinations of a tight group of elites collides with their need for personal vengeance.Īt first I had a hard time believing the people Velvet kidnapped, cajoled, or manipulated into following her had reason to stay by her side as long as they did. Only the fragile Malak (spirit) Laphi and the earnest Exorcist Elenor keep this ragtag group anchored in hope and distinct from the actual villains. These characters reflect just how emotionally broken their world has become in the face of multiple calamities.

Nor is there much hope of redemption for the memorable company she keeps, which includes the enraged pirate Eizen, the mouthy and detached witch Magilou, and the fratricidal demon Rokurou. There's no real sunny side to the anti-heroine Velvet Crowe, who drives the plot with her unquenchable thirst for bloody vengeance on the man who took everything from her. Instead of the cheery, can-do spirit I've come to expect from the series, Berseria fully explores the darkest parts of the human heart. By the time the credits rolled on this 45-hour long action RPG I still wasn't sure what the answer was, but I knew this: Berseria is the best Tales game I've played, and my favorite to date.īerseria's greatest strength lies in its ability to tell a different kind of story from those of its predecessors. 'Why do you think that birds fly?' This riddle is posed in the first hour of Tales of Berseria, the emotionally ragged semi-prequel to Tales of Zestiria that ripped my heart out again and again with its cautionary tale of a woman so bent on vengeance that every road she follows leads to perdition.

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