Alphen and his team are obviously not the only ones to dare a revolution. Bandai Namco seemed to be just as determined to make the great comeback of Tales of, and the result is as good as expected, if not better: Tales of Arise is one of the best 3D episodes of the saga, the one that brings out all the quintessence of a 25 years old series, and not only for its particularly clever game system. For once, the scenario maintains a very good tempo most of the time, and the way all the elements fit together, from the smallest mini-game to the interactions between the characters, gives the feeling of a perfectly mastered work. Without particularly shining on a technical level, the game finally benefits from a production resource worthy of its ambitions, which translates into an artistic consistency at all times. It's a pity that a certain form of redundancy sets in, due to a bestiary that is far too recycled to take full advantage of the system. Nevertheless, this is one of the best JRPGs of the last few years.
Translated with
www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)