The highly anticipatedTales of Arisepromises to take the franchise in a new direction when it releases in September this year. Over the course of the past few months, Bandai Namco has showcased numerous character reveals, gameplay mechanics, and introduction to the narrative. One of the biggest differences withTales of Ariseis its revamped combat system that has been streamlined to attract a new audience.
Although theTalesseries has featured complex combat systems with intricate mechanics over the years, the recent entries have suffered from overcomplicated mechanics and a steeper learning curve for players new to the franchise. As a result,Tales of Ariseis purposely moving towards a clean slate that is accessible for all kinds of players and it’ll likely function as a testing ground for futureTalesgames.
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Streamlining the Combat in Tales of Arise
Tales of Arisehas had a few developer message videos which give fans insight to the development process and how certain gameplay elements have evolved or changed. One of the morerecent videos takes a look at the battle system inTales of Ariseand how the characters are designed to match the tempo of the fights. While previousTalesentries likeTales of BerseriaandTales of Zestiriafeatured intricate combat systems with a lot of depth for veterans, newcomers might find the mechanics difficult to understand.
One thing thatTalesgames tend to do is build off of previous iterations of the battle system and though the intention is to create a new experience, the games often become increasingly complex. At the same time, a lot of these mechanics are also a vital aspect of theTalesseries and simplifying the wrong ones will make the game feel out of place. Striking a balance between the mechanics in the combat system is important and it seems thatTales of Arisewill retain many of the core ideas from previous gameswithout complicating them.
How Combat Has Evolved in Tales of Arise
During the developer message video, the team mentioned howTales of Arise’scombat was revamped to be more accessiblefor everybody. New features such as the counter edge reward players for maneuvering defensively while the boost attack and boost strike mechanics help provide a steady tempo that culminates in a characters' special attack.Tales of Arisealso focuses on making the combat feel smooth and instinctive rather than overwhelming. There’s a healthy balance between timings and intuitive movement so players aren’t just relying on a single kind of attack.
Although theArtes system hasn’t been fully revealed forTales of Arise,fans have seen previews for characters' Mystic Artes and the story has revealed astral energy which can be harnessed by Renans into Astral Artes. The Artes system in previousTalesgames could be obtuse at times and together with the mechanic of enemy weaknesses, newcomers to the series would be faced with a steep learning curve.Tales of Arisehas streamlined these concepts to flow better with the rhythm of combat. AsTales of Arisemoves the franchise to a new direction, the combat system will undoubtedly be expanded upon in futureTalesgames and their mechanics.
Tales of Arisereleases on September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
