Tales of Arise is the most recent installment in Bandai Namco's Tales series, a brightly-colored action-JRPG franchise, well known for mercilessly interrogating fantasy and sci-fi genre conventions. Although previous titles in the series are known for having anime-style graphics and playful writing, the series also has a reputation for stepping into some surprisingly grim territory. Tales of Arise takes full advantage of this legacy to present an unflinchingly dark look at the unfair world it's created, all while fitting neatly into the JRPG formula.
JRPGs have often delved into dark and mature subject matter, but due to the structure of these games, those themes often surface toward the end of a given title. In other words, discussing the actual themes of many JRPGs means sharing spoilers by default. However, some JRPGs — including the iconic Final Fantasy 7 — don't bother with pretending that the stories they tell aren't going to dark places. Tales of Arise starts by establishing that the main characters' home planet has been conquered by invaders and the worldbuilding only gets darker from there.
Tales of Arise: An Occupied World
Most games in the Tales Series take place in a relatively low-tech fantasy world which eventually comes into conflict with another world boasting a higher tech level and a more corrupt society. However, Tales of Arise puts a sci-fi spin on this by bringing in the concept of an alien invasion, and then having it play out uncomfortably like historical real-world imperialism.
At the beginning of the game, the planet of Dahna has already been invaded by the neighboring planet Rena, and the Dahnans have been enslaved for 300 years. Players take on the role of the amnesiac Alphen, the rebel Renans known as Shionne and Dohalim, and the Dahnan freedom fighters Law, Rinwell, and Kisara, in order to free the Dahnans from their oppressors.
Dahna is not a cyberpunk dystopia like Final Fantasy 7's Midgar, but it can hit on a similar brand of frustration and hopelessness. The people of Dahna are being pointlessly worked to death so that noble Renans can win a contest. Their planet is infested with invasive monster species that make travel dangerous.
Beyond that, each individual Dahnan has a spirit core implanted in them to harvest the astral energy their bodies give off when overworked. The main storyline and side quests allow players plenty of time to get up close and personal with the consequences of Renan misrule. The result is a world that keeps the trappings of a standard JRPG plot — heroes struggling to free a conquered fantasy land — while focusing on themes that some might find uncomfortably familiar.
Fighting Against the System
Tales of Arise isn't the first time a video game has touched on issues of colonialism, invasion, and imperialism, but it may be one of the most up-front about it, especially since the narrative-heavy structure of an RPG allows it to explore the society Rena has created in great detail. While Dahna and Rena aren't direct parallels to existing nations or cultures, they do fit a certain pattern that has been seen time and time again throughout history.
Rena, the technologically-advanced aggressor, is exploiting Dahna to its destruction, and the inhabitants of Dahna are fighting back in as many ways as they can. While Tales of Arise doesn't present all Renans as evil or even antagonistic, the game does make it clear that Renans like Shionne and Dohalim are heroic despite the system they live in, not because of it. Dohalim especially only comes into his own after he resolves to tear down the system that gave him power.
Previous Tales Series titles like Tales of Berseria may have introduced players to grimmer worlds and more brutal heroes, but Tales of Arise may be the most uncomfortably relevant games in the series so far. One of the central themes of Tales of Arise is that hierarchies are oppressive, period, and whoever is at the top tends to be arbitrary--a theme that may hit especially hard in the political climate of 2021. The main cast all fit neatly into existing JRPG character archetypes, but this only makes it easier to see how their roles parallel the lives of people in the real world. All together, Tales of Arise is a dark tale that nonetheless fits the JRPG mold perfectly.
Tales of Arise is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.