PC Gamer - UK (2021-12)

F

romtheveryfirst
cutscene,Talesof
Arisemakesit obvious
thatit’sa JRPGthat’s
grimandserious.
Sure,mostRPGsinvolvesomekind
ofnefariousvillainwhoisuptono
good,butTalesofAriseopenswith
a kidina slavelabourcampabout
tobewhippedbeforea mysterious
maninanironmaskintervenesand
takesthatbeatingonhisbehalf.
Whatfollowsisanentiregame
aboutanenslavedplanetrisingup
tofightbackagainstthe
extraterrestrialhumanswhohave
oppressedthemforthreecenturies.
It’snotexactlyfunstuff,butthat’s
whatmakesit good.

Tales of Arise is an ambitious game
that grapples with tough questions
even when it sometimes fails to find
meaningful answers to them. There’s

anearnesthonestytoit thatI just

don’tfindina lotofotherJRPGs.

Thatironmaskedsaviourends

upbeingAlphen,theprotagonist

whohaspredictablylosthismemory

butunpredictablycannotfeelany

painwhatsoever.He’sa naturalfoil

toShionne,a fugitivecursedwith

magicalthornsthatwoundanyone

whotouchesher.ButI’mequally

enjoying secondary characters like

Law, who struggles with the fact

that his shitty father was also a

beloved hero of the rebellion. All of

these characters are united by the

fact that, in some way, they’ve been

slaves their entire life to a race of

people from beyond their planet.

Their only value is in the astral

energy found in their bodies, which

these oppressors want to harvest in

a practice that’s as pointless as it is

unbelievably cruel.

TALL TALES

It’s ugly stuff, but Tales of Arise

strikes a balance by making its

characters feel human. They’re

flawed, endearing, and surprisingly

opinionated. It’s rare that JRPGs

have much interpersonal conflict

between the party, but Arise is full of

TALESOFARISEisa resplendentJRPGwithfantasticcharacters

“An ambitious game that grapples

with tough questions”

TALES OF ARISE STRIKES A

BALANCE BY MAKING ITS

CHARACTERS FEEL HUMAN

TOP: (^) Tales of Arise is
bleak, but its
characters are
lovable.
TOP RIGHT: (^) Optional
cutscenes really shed
light on inter-party
drama.

EXTRA LIFE

STEVEN MESSNER

THIS MONTH

Spent too long dressing up

mycharacters.

ALSO PLAYED

Sable, Spelunky