Tales of Arise is inheriting a long legacy of action-focused JRPGs that have a strong cult following across the world. The series has typically blended an action-centric main gameplay style in with traditional JRPG mechanics and themes. Many fans are excited about the newest entry in the series, Tales of Arise, as the next in the storied series. One feature of its story that's been revealed in recent trailers seems to have another Western parallel, however. The astral energy that has been shown to permeate all living things and is also the font from which magic power is drawn in a way that seems uncannily similar to the Force that powers so much of the Star Wars universe.
Fantasy and sci-fi worlds are often built around a singular narrative conceit that powers so much of how the world's technology or magic works: the Mass Effect fields in Mass Effect, crystals in Final Fantasy, and the Force in the Star Wars canon. As fans learn more about the upcoming Tales of Arise, the core magic drawn from astral energy is starting to look more and more similar to the aforementioned Force. Permeating all living things as a base but also being able to be utilized for more powerful effects is something the Force shares with the concept of astral energy in Tales of Arise.
Astral Energy Seems To Serve the Same Purpose as the Force in Tales of Arise
While Star Wars definitely doesn't own a monopoly on the idea of a natural energy that inhabits living things, the Force is largely the most well-known among the sci-fi/fantasy concepts that serve that purpose. Followed even by a close second only perhaps by the idea of the Weave in Dungeons and Dragons lore, the Force is known as an energy that exists within everything in that canon.
Even inanimate objects belie the energy of the Force. Tales of Arise looks to be channeling a similar concept in its idea of astral energy. The newest trailer for Tales of Arise shows off its protagonists being able to channel that energy into both devastating magical effects and more subtle manipulations of the world around them.
The Tales series has been long-running, so it's only natural for an amount of parallel thinking to occur when developing its myriad of worlds. The Tales series are each their own game in much the same way as the bulk of the Final Fantasy titles. As such each game largely creates its own world with its own mythology inherent. With the tightrope act of maintaining such a cult-classic series, Tales of Arise is already being held to high expectations, but in how it incorporates this theme may make or break the franchise.
Many fans have already drawn the parallels between astral energy and other similar concepts like the Force. However, through clever implementation, Tales of Arise could still stand out from the pact. After all, despite its similarities to the Force, no Jedi has ever been able to channel the Force into so clearly destructive magic as what was on display in the newest Tales of Arise trailer, not 1:1 anyway.
Tales of Arise launches September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.