Tales of Zestiria (PlayStation 3)

Story:
In this game, you play a young man named Sorey who is very enthusiastic about exploring ruins and studying history. He and his close companion, Mikleo, live in a protected place called Elysia. Elysia is inhabited by Seraphim, kind of spirit people, who cannot be seen by the average human. On day though, their peaceful life is interrupted when they find a human girl in the nearby ruins. Shortly after, a hellion (someone or something corrupted by malevolence) arrives and kills one of the villagers. Sorey, upset by what happened and curious to see the human world since he himself is a human, leaves the village with Mikleo for the world below.



Before long, Sorey finds himself in a position to purify malevolence and to help save the continent which is currently infested with hellions and about to go to war. He will also have to face the Lord of Calamity and his minions.



Gameplay:
This game play much like a lot of other Tales games. Four characters will be in battle at a time, and you will take control of one of them. You attack by pressing O and can use arts (skills and magic) by pressing X along with different directions on your analogue stick. Actions use TP, which is replenished during and after battle. You can replenish it by guarding or doing other such, non-offensive actions. Without TP, your character cannot attack. You can also issue basic commands like "go all out" or "focus attack" by using the right analogue stick. A menu can be pulled up using triangle and square will block. You can also "armatize" by pressing L1, which will merge two of your characters to make one, much stronger character of a certain element. By pressing R2 and O during a combo, if you have enough BG points, you can perform special moves.



Arts can be learned via titles, so make sure to check your titles often for when they're maxed out. Equipment in this game will come with certain auto skills that range from improving stats to preventing ailments. There are 50 in total. You can combine this for different effects like stacking, or lining them up Bingo style, for added bonuses. Equipment that is the same can also be fused to make new support skills and strengthen the weapon or equipment.



There are a number of sidequests in this game to complete, and you can speak to your partner outside of battle to get some ideas or get their thoughts on happenings. You can rest at the Inns for skits, and you'll gain a lot of accessories to decorate your character appearances. Characters also have support skills outside of battle that have them doing things like cooking or finding money. You can search for creatures called Normin to give you skills on your equipment. Once you have Lord of the Land, you can have them grant you supports as well.

World:
The world of Tales of Zestiria is the most open I have seen in a Tales game so far and is rather massive. Luckily they allow you quick travel to other areas you've visited. It does come at a fee though, but especially later on it won't matter too much. There are a lot of really interesting and pretty areas and a large variance. There's a lot to explore. Dungeons, however, often look very similar and are quite linear.



Characters:
(Ordered from favourite to least favourite)
Lailah: Known as thelady of the lake, Lailah becomes Sorey's 'Prime Lord' and helps him to purify hellions. She is a fire seraph who jokes around a lot and makes a lot of bad puns, but she is also very sweet and caring. Having been around for a long time, she is also very wise, but prefers for Sorey and the others to find their own answers rather than just giving it to them.
Rose: A young woman who travels with a merchant group called the 'Sparrowfeathers'. She has a very laid back and playful disposition, but she isn't afraid to do what she needs to and can always make the hard decisions.
Sorey: The protagonist of our adventure, Sorey loves old ruins and history, but is a bit naive aside from that. He has a very pure heart and believes in helping others. He has a great respect for people in general and wants to make the world a better place.
Edna: An earth seraph, Edna has a strong distaste for humans and a very snarky attitude. She loves to troll people and make fun at their expense. She is a very intelligent woman and she hopes to one day be able to save her brother, who has been very strongly corrupted by malevolence.
Mikleo: A water seraph who grew up with Sorey. He's a bit more serious although still naive, which sometimes can make him a bit of a butt monkey to Edna. He's usually a critical thinker and does everything he can to support Sorey in his journey.
Zaveid: A wind seraph who likes to hit on the ladies and is an old acquaintance to Edna's brother. He kills hellions instead of purifying them and causes the group some trouble. He does have some deeper feelings though and can set aside his pride when he needs to.
Alisha: A young knight who wants to do everything she can to help her country in a peaceful manner. She does her best to resolve conflicts peacefully and is trying desperately to prevent a war. Kind-hearted and always open to learning.
Dezel: A wind seraph, Dezel is more of a lone wolf who will only work with others if it helps him further his own goals. He knows a ridiculous amount of trivia and facts about the world around him and seems to have a soft spot for dogs.

Overall:
Overall I quite enjoyed Tales of Zestiria. I loved the characters and there isn't one I didn't like and the story was very interesting. The gameplay was fun and not too complicated and I liked the armatization and the discovery points and being able to talk to my traveling companion. The world was beautiful and the characetrs were endearing to me. There were a few issues though. The writing could get cheesy at time, but my biggest gripe is that they aren't very clear on what's happening all of the time. I'm not sure why this is, but I'll often be lost in the conversations and won't have realized a critical piece of information until a good while later. The dungeons could also be really repetitive and boring. Overall though it was a very good game, I will definitely play it again, but there have certainly been better Tales games. Still, would recommend to a Tales fan and has a lot of great qualities.

Verdict:
LIKED IT A LOT