Veteran players and fans of the Japanese rpg style are no strangers to Namco Bandai’s Tales series of games. For those well accustomed to the style of the games, they’ll find few surprises here, while new players will be introduced to the hallmarks of the series, an intuitive and fun real time combat system, a fantastic art style, and a entertaining (if clichéd) plot. These elements coalesce in the latest installment to provide an entertaining game that is well worth the money for any relatively interested rpg fan.
The most obvious positive to the game is the outstanding art style that looks fantastic throughout. The detailed anime stylings permeate the entire game, from the character detail to the world at large, Tales of Vesperia is definitely a game that’s easy on the eyes, excepting the occasional over use of the bloom effect. The art is clean and simple, but that’s not a bad thing. For all that, the game doesn’t lack any detail in the environments or characters, and the animation style looks good and is consistent throughout. Along with the visual style, the music and other sound effects provide a moody companion enhancing the mood effectively for every scene and fight.
Players will assume the role of Yuri Lowell immediately upon entering the game, a typical ex soldier type character with a heart of gold who rescues the shut in noble who has no knowledge of the state of the outside world, Estelle. Other characters include the bossy know it all mage Rita, and the plucky Karol, a kid who’s desperate to face his own fears and prove his worth. Despite the somewhat cliché nature of the cast, the characters are fun, likable and memorable, due in part to the overall superb voice acting. The environments are well laid out and not too huge, so it’s not some long toil in and of itself to find a town on the overworld map, or a merchant in the towns.
Truly, it is the strength of the character’s personalities and the little moments in the plot that deliver memorable moments for the player. Some of the best parts in the game are the little skits that are mainly just talking heads with some occasional movement. The voice acting here lends then a sense of importance where some people would just gloss over these parts. Some strong character development occurs during these scenes and the player can laugh as Estelle tries to befriend Repede or as Rita carries out her abusive big sister role to Karol. The voice actors are effective in conveying a lot of emotion, and it really pays off.
Enough with all that, let’s get to the real meat, the gameplay. As I’ve said before, anyone familiar with anything in the Tales series, the combat is going to be very familiar. It’s still the real time combat you’re accustomed to with a weird linear/3d mix. Players move on a linear plane relative to their target on a 3d battlefield, with the option to free run available. Combat is done simply, one button to block, one button to attack, and one button for special moves, it’s very easy to get into, and most battles can be handily defeated by some light button mashing, although harder fights will require some blocking. Furthermore, to earn any decent amount of grade (points accumulated in battle to spend on certain things on a replay of the game) you’ll have to play fairly well, dodging blows and defending allies. Also, the bosses are a very tangible step up over the random encounters.
To mix up the combat here and there, there’s an overlimit gauge, which lets players fight without any attack lag, and burst attacks, both of which feel very satisfying and powerful when activated. Furthermore, there are fatal strikes that can let players follow up a special attack with a powerful finishing blow if they are fast enough to follow up with a quick press of the trigger. Both of these effects can mix up the game and help the characters exude a real sense of power.
Your computer allies handle themselves pretty well, automatically casting abilities in accordance with an overall strategy, and automatically using hp/mp items and life bottles (think phoenix down), which you can cancel before they use if you’re trying to conserve items. You can also bind some of their abilities to immediate use to have a little more control over their actions.
The game includes a bunch of other genre standbys, from the occasional riddle to solve using various collected clues, the Wonder Chef, for obsessive people who need to hunt down every instance of some inane collection quest, and level based puzzles involving your trusty Sorcerer’s Ring and a variety of directions to get launched.
While Tales of Vesperia doesn’t bring a whole lot of anything new to the genre, it does represent a layer of polishing and fine tuning of an already well developed formula. As such, it’s easily recommendable to any fan or someone who’s trying to find a good entry level rpg. Between the voice acting, the art and the gameplay, there’s a little something for everyone.
