Of Final fantasy To Dragon quest Passing by Fire emblem Where Secret of Mana, the Japanese role-playing game, or J-RPG, is a real success in the world in general, and in France in particular. Its specificity, and the distinction with the Western role-playing game, is due to “a more linear story, more developed characters,” explained Raphaël Lucas, author of The history of the RPG: Past, present and future (Pix’n Love), at the end of Final Fantasy XV. But today, it is above all the aesthetics and the tone of the story that really make the difference ”.
Perhaps less well-known but with a dozen iterations, the franchise Tales meets this definition perfectly. The last episode, Tales of Arise, was to be released in 2020 for the 25 years of the series, but has been postponed because of the Covid and is arriving in early September to better take advantage of the next gen.
A universe rich in fights and characters
For 300 years, the celestial planet Dhana has lived under the yoke of her twin sister Rena, who enslaved its population and plundered its natural resources. Alphen, an amnesiac warrior in an iron mask, and Shionne, a young runaway with strange powers, will lead the revolt and change the fate of both worlds. If the pitch of Tales of Arise is a classic, even a cliché, of theheroic fantasy, the story gradually unveils a real wealth of characters, intrigues, as well as emotions and reflections. The player is thus invited as much to dream of elsewhere as to question his world.
Tales of Arise has made a name for himself thanks to his dynamic and spectacular fights – and combos – (who said messy?). However, he is not afraid to chain the cutscenes and dialogues for more immersion in the universe and empathy for the characters. Fans of Persona will appreciate. The others will have to take their troubles a little patiently, or will be able to enjoy the graphics that do justice to the next gen, thanks to the “atmospheric shader” technology and its japanime rendering.
Afters the remake of Final Fantasy VII on a PS4 at the end of its life and while the new FF XVI, Dragon Quest XII and Persona 6 are announced but not for a few years, Tales of Arise stands out as the essential J-RPG of the next gen.
With a million copies sold in a week in the world, it is already the best-selling game of the series.