With Tales of Graces F Remastered releasing this January, it is only natural to look to other games in the series to satiate our appetites. With a history dating back to the 1995 Super Famicom classic Tales of Phantasia, the series has no shortage of options to play. Here are three choices for those who want some action RPG greatness before the remaster launches.
Tales of Vesperia Remastered
This fan-favorite Tales game is often considered a masterpiece. With its combo-heavy battle system and a huge number of playable characters, it has incredible depth that still keeps players coming back for more. Starring the 21-year-old miscreant Yuri Lowell, the game presents a story of order and chaos in a world steeped in corruption. The politics of the world of Terca Lumireis are a major focus, with the empire failing its lower-class citizens to the extent that many discard their citizenship (and therefore their protection in this monster-filled world) to join guilds with consistent laws.
Vesperia’s biggest draw is undoubtedly its characters. Yuri is a smarmy anti-authoritarian who revels in causing trouble, to the extent that he’s upset when the bounty on his wanted poster isn’t high enough. It isn’t just him though; the way the cast bounces off each other is splendid. The naive princess Estelle, the hot-headed mage Rita, and the goofy but relaxed Raven are just a few examples of beloved characters that inhabit this world. These characters are always fun to be around, and they all face a tragedy that causes them to reshape their worldviews.
Tales of Hearts R
This PlayStation Vita exclusive is often overlooked, yet is one of the most fun games in the series. Its combat is similar to Vesperia’s, using a side-view of the characters and focusing on performing combos. What sets it apart is how fast-paced and crazy it gets, especially with many characters with weird and wild movesets. Despite being so obscure compared to most other 3D entries in the series, Hearts is a contender for the best in terms of combat.
Its story follows a teenage boy named Kor Meteor who rescues a girl named Kohaku Hearts. In the process, he accidentally shatters her “Spiria”, which contains her emotions. This sets him on an adventure to find Kohaku’s emotions and restore them to her body. The elephant in the room here is the translation- While it is easy to understand, the writing is rushed to the extent that it is barely passable. Even so, this fun romp is a great way to invest your time, as this story about emotions is worth experiencing regardless of the translation quality.
Tales of Berseria
2016’s Tales of Berseria is one of the series’s newer titles, with a combat system more similar to Graces F‘s. As usual, it emphasizes combos with various characters, but its protagonist Velvet Crowe particularly stands out with her demon arm. This allows her to absorb enemies which results in different effects depending on the enemy’s type. Tales always does a great job of creating unique characters, but rarely are the protagonist’s abilities this distinct.
Berseria’s plot is one of vengeance, in which Velvet angrily pursues Artorius the man who sacrificed her younger brother and left her locked up in prison for years. The sacrifice in question was not in vain, though, as Artorius’s actions saved the world. Many characters come to question such a motive- Is it okay to murder an innocent child if it means saving the world? Velvet’s stance is a clear no, as her rage drives her to bring down the world’s hero.
Tales for Ages
The Tales Of series is filled with many great games, so even if one of the above does not sound appealing, there is likely a game for everyone. Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Berseria are particularly easy to recommend, as they are readily available on modern platforms. Tales of Hearts R is currently only available in English on the PlayStation Vita, making it a harder sell, but those with access to the handheld would be doing themselves a disservice to not check it out. With the remaster of Graces on the horizon (a game previously only available on PlayStation 3), hopefully, Hearts and others will be re-released as well.
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