The highly anticipated Tales of Arise promises 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 with Tales of Arise is its revamped combat system that has been streamlined to attract a new audience.
Although the Tales series 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 Arise is purposely moving towards a clean slate that is accessible for all kinds of players and it'll likely function as a testing ground for future Tales games.
Streamlining the Combat in Tales of Arise
Tales of Arise has 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 more recent videos takes a look at the battle system in Tales of Arise and how the characters are designed to match the tempo of the fights. While previous Tales entries like Tales of Berseria and Tales of Zestiria featured intricate combat systems with a lot of depth for veterans, newcomers might find the mechanics difficult to understand.
One thing that Tales games 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 the Tales series 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 that Tales of Arise will retain many of the core ideas from previous games without complicating them.
How Combat Has Evolved in Tales of Arise
During the developer message video, the team mentioned how Tales of Arise's combat was revamped to be more accessible for 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 Arise also 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 the Artes system hasn't been fully revealed for Tales 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 previous Tales games 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 Arise has streamlined these concepts to flow better with the rhythm of combat. As Tales of Arise moves the franchise to a new direction, the combat system will undoubtedly be expanded upon in future Tales games and their mechanics.
Tales of Arise releases on September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.