Tales of Berseria
Best RPGs of Q1 2017
If you’ve been looking for a very classic-styled JRPG with a darker tone then look no further than Tales of Berseria. Berseria trades up the “happy-go-lucky, let’s save the world” themes of other Tales Of games for a revenge-fueled, werewolf-ridden nightmare wherein doing the wrong things for the possibly right reasons is the only way to get things done.
The main character this time around is Velvet Crowe, a human-turned-Daemon with the ability to absorb other Daemons or humans or really whatever she wants. After an incident three years ago leaves her orphaned and alone, Velvet embarks on a mission to hunt down the man responsible at any and all cost. Not only does Berseria’s world feel fleshed out and interesting, but the cast of characters who accompany Velvet on her crusade are actually very deep with their own personal traumas and unique personality quirks.
Tales of Berseria continue’s the series action-styled Linear Battle Motion System, however this time anything that served to weigh it down has been replaced by an incredibly fluid and free-roaming system. While it seems very similar to Tales of Grace’s setup, mapping artes and building combos has never been so easy or effective. Enemy weaknesses come into play in a way that provides an edge in combat for adaptive players, but doesn’t pigeon-hole those who aren’t and the new Break Soul mechanic is definitely a fresh take on the old Overlimit system.
With Velvet acting more like a strong anti-hero at times and a far cleaner battle system, Tales of Berseria puts together a complete RPG experience that builds on its predecessors’ successes while fixing most of their shortcomings.
