Tales of Arise is the series’ first outing on next gen consoles, boasting next gen graphics, as well as new mechanics. The revised battle system will draw from Tales of Grace and allow party members to tag-team enemies with powerful “Boost Strike” crossover attacks, at the expense of the game’s longstanding capacity for multiplayer. The latest trailer revealed two new party members, Dohalim and Kisara, who round out the series’ standard six-person adventuring party, as well as glimpses at the mysterious hooded swordsman who appears to be the game’s antagonist.
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The game’s premise focuses on two nations, Dahna and Rena, that are being forced out of balance and into conflict with each other, which recalls a similar dynamic present in Tales of Symphonia. Furthermore, Tales of Arise’s leading man, Alphen, a Dahnan warrior working with Renan allies, recalls the protagonist of Tales of Vesperia, Yuri Lowell. Finally, all three games feature a heroine gifted with powerful magical abilities serving as a focal point in a conflict with potentially-apocalyptic stakes.
Tales of Arise: Two Worlds’ Fates Hang in the Balance
A clash between two opposing civilizations is hardly a novel conceit for fantasy games, but what sets the Tales series apart is how it characterizes the combatants and underlying nature of the conflict. Instead of an Evil Empire facing off against plucky rebels, the two factions are generally more nuanced, possessing both good and evil qualities, with unique views and culture. Rather than contrived malice or thirsty imperialism, the root cause of their war is usually existential, or contrived by a scheming interloper who plays the role of the villain.
So it was in the classic Tales of Symphonia for Nintendo’s GameCube. The hero of Symphonia, Lloyd Irving, accompanies his childhood friend, Colette on a pilgrimage to restore magical energy to their world of Sylvarant. Along the way, they discover that drawing energy to Sylvarant will doom the parallel world of Tethe’alla, which competes for the same magical energy. Neither world is at fault for the predicament, and the evil organization, Cruxis, is responsible for setting the two worlds at odds with one another.
Tales of Arise admittedly departs from this premise by framing Rena as a clear aggressor, which uses its superior technology and magical prowess to dominate and enslave Dahnans. But the new Summer Game Fest trailer warns of “a balance in jeopardy,” and Tales of Arise’s heroine, Shionne, who is a native Renan, has allied herself with the repressed Dahnans. Even though her motivations are shrouded in mystery, Shionne’s seeming benevolence suggests that both nations are capable of good and evil, and at the very least, peaceful coexistence can be achieved. Or at least, it might be, if not for the insidious influence of some shady third party that is hitherto unrevealed.
The “Turncoat” Hero in Tales of Arise
Bandai Namco has released a few details about Tales of Arise’s adventuring party, including the fact that Alphen is a native Dahnan who lost both his memories and his ability to feel pain, while Shionne bears a hardship known as ’the Thorn.’ Even though Alphen hopes to liberate his fellow Dahnans, a stray line in the trailer, “The Renans… Seems the rumors of you running with them are true,” implies that there are those who view Alphen as having turned his back on his people. Even though Alphen is a Dahnan who harbors a bitter grudge against the Renans, and hopes to lead his people to liberation, his countrymen may regard him as an outsider or outright traitor.
This set-up is not dissimilar to Yuri Lowell’s back story in Tales of Vesperia, widely regarded as one of the finest titles in the series. In Vesperia, Yuri is a former Imperial Knight who grew up and trained alongside Flynn before abandoning their order in favor of working with mercenary guilds. Flynn starts out as an anti-hero, hoping to change the game’s oppressive, Dahna-like Empire with politics rather than the rash actions of the guilds.
While it is unclear whether Alphen will have a rival character from Danah like Yuri’s former comrade Flynn, Alphen seems to have a mysterious connection to the hooded figure seen at the beginning of the Summer Game Fest trailer, as evidenced by his shocked expression when they cross swords.
While the hooded swordsman exudes serious Sephiroth vibes and seems more like an antagonist than a rival character, it would be fascinating if he proved to be a Dahnan native whose attempts at liberation go too far, putting him at odds with Alphen. And if the two share a past, the parallels to Vesperia would be strong indeed.
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The Magic Heroine in Tales of Arise
Colette from Symphonia, Estelle from Vesperia, and Shionne from Tales of Arise all seem to modeled after the same archetype: a woman burdened with magic and destined to change the fate of the world. Colette is the literal Chosen One of Sylvarant: the only person capable of completing the journey of world regeneration. Estelle is a noble-born woman who is later revealed to be a Child of the Full Moon, who can use magic without technological assistance — at the expense of potentially poisoning her planet.
Shionne is a Renan noble who is afflicted by the Thorn, which causes pain to all who touch it. Additionally, thanks to her noble bloodline, Shionne can use Astral Artes, as shown off in an earlier trailer.
Again, powerful magical women are a staple trope in fantasy games and literature, and there are several other women in the Tales series who occupy similar roles. But with the accompanying themes of two nations struggling to find harmonious existence, and the hero who is perceived to have turned his back on his fellow comrades, one cannot shake the sense that Tales of Arise is drawing lessons and influence from two of the Tales’ series greatest preceding hits.
Tales of Arise is releasing on September 10th for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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