096
REVIEW
INFO
FORMATPS4
ETAOUT NOW
PUBBANDAI NAMCO
DEVBANDAI NAMCOTALES OF VESPERIA:
DEFINITIVE EDITION
This classic JPRG will steal your time
T
he Tales series has a magnificent
history, its colourful games forming
a different part of the JRPG spectrum
from titles such as Final Fantasy and
Resonance Of Fate. Of late JRPGs have made
a triumphant return to form. This makes now
the perfect time for Tales Of Vesperia, on
PlayStation for the first time since its Japan-
only release over a decade ago.Yuri Lowell’s tale begins with a theft – of a
blastia core, a magical device with the ability
to control the elements. All around the world,
people have come to rely on these, as they
provide resources such as drinking water and
invisible shields that keep monsters at bay. The
absence of the core has worrying consequences
for Yuri’s home, a poor part of the imperial
capital, and so he goes out to find it.
Throughout the roughly 50-hour long
adventure, there is, of course, way more to the
plot than petty theft. Unable to turn a blind
eye to any injustice, the seemingly aloof Yuri
discovers a network of political corruption with
potentially apocalyptic consequences.
Tales Of Vesperia uses a real-time combat
system. In practice this means you take down
fiends by mashing the attack button with your
main character while your other party members
make decisions automatically according to setparameters. The ability to
block, plus several special
attacks called artes, ensure
you won’t need a replacement
DualShock by the time you’ve
seen all the game has to offer.
In the chaos that ensues, it’s
difficult to develop any sort
of strategy, particularly during
boss battles, which are prone to
spikes in difficulty.TELL TALES
Instead of clever combat,
the strength of a Tales game
lies in its worldbuilding and
characters. Vesperia might just
have the best of both: Yuri
Lowell is near irresistible, an
idealist who acts the cynic.
He’s slightly more mature than
your average JRPG protagonist,
which makes him the calm
centre of the group. Thanks to
the sheer wealth of content,
each of his party members isn’t
simply one more character to
fill out a battle roster, but a
person whose backstory you
slowly uncover. With each bitof dialogue, including so-called
“skits” (optional chats that are
a mainstay of the Tales series)
you learn a lot about the world
of Terca Lumireis and get to
listen to your party’s takes on
events throughout the story.
The story arc takes time to
truly ramp up, but there’s much
to see in the meantime, from
underground dungeons to cosy
countryside towns, all lovingly
rendered. Tales Of Vesperia was
a lovely-looking game when it
first released, and this remaster
helps its charming anime
character design really stand
out. Cute and never overly
ambitious, it strikes a beautiful
balance between the slow
forming of friendships and
rather audacious adventure.JRPG WHIZZ @yourkyotowifeVERDICTEvery battle is a
jumble of characters,
voices, and flashy
attacks clamouring
for your attention.Short on innovation but
engaging and full of character,
Tales Of Vesperia is one of the
best tales games and sits well in
the collection of any JRPG fan.
Malindy Hetfeld