![]() Then there’s the combat, once again this game’s strongest asset. ![]() These little nuggets help keep you from getting bored along the way. It makes the process much simpler and easier to keep track of. Berseria even improves greatly upon its predecessor’s skill system, where you learn skills directly from your equipment. You’ll quickly get access to your very own pirate ship, which you can send out on expeditions to gather recipes, trinkets, and neat little treasures which reference past games in the series. You can collect Katz souls to unlock new accessories and take on hunts known as Code Red Daemons. Luckily there are lots of distractions that prevent these issues from dampening your experience too much. Most of it fits, but there’s really very little to distinguish this soundtrack from most of its predecessors. Motoi Sakuraba alone returns to score Berseria, but there’s absolutely nothing that stands out as wonderful. Perhaps just as tired as this game’s dungeons is the music. It’s disappointing, almost like the series has forgotten how to make a good dungeon. The dungeons are sadly not as colourful or varied as the fields, each one a series of corridors, either within a cave, some ruins, or a forest. It’s a lovely change from many of the grey and murky sights of some of the previous entries. One particular area I remember fondly is the tropical island, where the waters are crystal clear and the sun beams down on the sandy beaches. ![]() While there are still remnants of the game’s origins on PS3 (the game was also released for PS3 in Japan), the game runs at a silky smooth 60FPS, and I didn’t experience any slowdown throughout my journey. Gone are the open fields of Zestiria, as we’re given a series of much more streamlined, busier areas. I found there was a lot more to do in Berseria’s world than in past games. At the beginning of the game, they might feel like a group of outcasts forced together, but by the end, there’s a real sense of friendship between them. The party balances out perfectly and together make for a wonderful group to spend hours with. Eleanor’s strictness and righteousness clashes with Velvet’s anarchy and disregard for order a situation that not only creates friction within the group but also serves as a way for each character to develop and evolve. The cast each have their own quirks which make each and every one of them unique and lovable - Eizen is afflicted by the Reaper’s Curse, a curse so unlucky he’s never flipped a coin and landed on heads. This motley crew include the gentle spirit (known as Malaks) Laphicet, the carefree warrior daemon Rokurou, the pirate Eizen, the mad capped witch Magilou, and the strict and reserved Eleanor. The beauty of the best Tales of games is that they can put 6 clashing personalities together and make them work as a cohesive unit. Berseria throws together a group of complete opposites and somehow makes them work. The cast are also an intriguing and excellent bunch of misfits. It feels as though Namco have hired a new set of writers to breathe some much-needed freshness into the Tales series’ narratives, and it shows here. There are even tonnes of links to Zestiria that improve upon the lore of both games, as well as tempt me to go back and play the previous game. ![]() Velvet’s journey for revenge sees her develop not only as a character, but also touches upon themes like self-improvement, free will, and belief. It’s much less rosy than Graces, and much darker than Xillia 2. 3 years later, and now with a demonised arm, Velvet swears to kill her brother’s murderer and anyone who gets in her way. The story follows Velvet, who is seeking revenge after her brother was murdered in front of her eyes on the night of a crimson moon. Tales of Berseria is a slightly different beast compared to previous entries. 50 hours after first picking up the game, and I can tell you my doubts were wrong. I lost faith in the series, and understandably, lost interest in Tales of Berseria, which was cited to be a distant prequel to the aforementioned. Then I realised something - good combat and lovable characters will not keep this franchise alive forever. I tried to return to it a few months after finishing it and found myself hesitating. At the time, the combat kept me hooked and I enjoyed the interactions within the party. I was fairly generous in my review of Tales of Zestiria.
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