Best RPGs of 2021
Winner: Tales of Arise
Staff Writer Cameron Waldrop: Before Tales of Arise, there had been a 5-year gap since the previous game in the Tales series. While this was a long wait, seeing what Tales of Arise turned out to be and the scope of the game, it makes sense.
Tales of Arise is the first game running on the Unreal Engine, which made characters and locations simply pop. While there are certainly some growing pains that could be expected with entirely changing the formula of a long-standing series, all of the important Tales beats are still hit. You still get to experience the characters’ interactions and personalities in mini-cutscenes, cooking once again plays an important role.
Tales of Arise delivers the same level of quality expected of a Tales game while also making a game completely befitting bringing the series into the new generation. It is obvious the things that the developer was able to do with the new engine. Combat flows perhaps the best it ever has, with artes tied into button commands that blend them seamlessly into combat.
If you want a game that delivers on being a JRPG that gives all of the action expected while still making sure you get the supremely anime story, Tales of Arise is entirely the right choice.
