Tales of Berseria Remastered Review

Tales of Berseria Remastered came out in 2016 under the famous Bandai Namco label. It is now back as part of the Tales of Series 30th Anniversary Remastered Project. Tales of Berseria Remastered is a special game in the series' past because it is the sixteenth mainline game in a series that has defined action JRPG combat for decades. It takes place before Tales of Zestiria in terms of story, but it stands on its own in terms of theme.

Longtime fans were surprised that Tales of Berseria Remastered was revisited before other games in the series' timeline. But it makes sense when you think about how easy it is to access and how the story stays the same on modern devices like Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.

Tales of Berseria Remastered doesn't try to be a new version of the first game.

Instead, it streamlines, improves, and brings back to life a darker part of the series for a modern audience. There is one emotional engine at the heart of Tales of Berseria Remastered. Get even. The story is about a young lady called Velvet Crowe whose life falls apart during a terrible rite that destroys her family. Velvet turns into the demon-like Therion after her brother-in-law Artorius betrays her and vows to destroy the order he builds.

Tales of Berseria Remastered leans straight into moral gray areas. Velvet is not the typical hero she seems to be. She is driven by anger and revenge, and she isn't afraid to play the bad guy to get what's right. This change in tone makes Tales of Berseria Remastered different from many of its brighter siblings and makes it one of the most emotional games in the series.

Tales of Berseria Remastered's real story is held together by its secondary cast. The clash of ideas between characters like the naughty Magilou and the moral Eleanor makes the conversation more than just exposition. The series is known for its skits, which help characters get to know each other better and build a sense of family that tempers Velvet's anger with compassion.

Nevertheless, the main storyline of Tales of Berseria Remastered occasionally fails to live up to expectations due to the presence of popular JRPG tropes. New information is revealed at regular intervals, and the antagonists do not always possess the level of depth that is required to equal Velvet's level of emotion.

It is due to the unnecessary tale padding and the fact that the same tasks are repeated over and over again that Tales of Berseria Remastered feels like it is longer than its main conflict indicates it should be. In the game, the Liberation Linear Motion Battle System is utilized for the combat elements of the game.

The conflicts that take place in real time take place inside constrained locations, and you chain assaults on button grids that can be altered. Different characters have different kinds of weapons, different elemental preferences, and different combo structures, which allows you to alter your approach while you are engaged in combat.

The grid-based arte layout provides you with the ability to select your individual rhythm and strategy for the game.

The use of each face button allows for the creation of a one-of-a-kind fighting style, which can be utilized against foes in the air, enemies with armor, or enemies with low health. Tales of Berseria Remastered is built on this kind of personalization, which encourages you to experiment with new items rather than focusing just on fine-tuning your gameplay.

In Tales of Berseria Remastered, there is a method for mastering equipment that is comparable to the way that you used to learn new skills before. Once they have been mastered, weapons and armor will grant passive skills, which will make swapping gears more appealing. As the bonuses continue to accumulate, it is possible that they will not feel like significant changes because they are accumulated gradually.

Stories of Berseria Remastered gives you the opportunity to visit villages, tunnels, and fields that are only partially available to the public. You can even see foes in these areas. In spite of the fact that Notorious Monsters are not required, they do present a major challenge, and the collection of Katz Orbs enables you to obtain cosmetic rewards.

People are kept interested through the use of ship excursions and side events, although not all of these activities are worth the time they require. Due to the fact that it places a greater emphasis on combat mechanics than environmental puzzles, Tales of Berseria Remastered is not your typical puzzle-heavy role-playing game hybrid.

The addition of a tactical layer is achieved by making sure that Soul Gauges and Break Souls, which are mechanics tied to Velvet's daemon powers, are properly maintained. You are able to take advantage of the weaknesses of your enemies, which allows you to acquire additional resources and maintain combo cycles.

Tales of Berseria Remastered honors players who are both aggressive and aware. Overextending leaves characters open to damage, while carefully chaining increases the chance of stun and elemental advantage. Combat rarely seems unfair, but on harder levels, where enemies are stronger and do more damage, you have to pay more attention.

Tales of Berseria Remastered is strong because it flows well. Animations change smoothly, response holds the same, and the sheer number of assets offers a broad range of play styles. Switching control between party members in the middle of a fight adds to the strategic nuance and keeps things from getting boring.

However, repeat shows up during long game sessions.

As you practice, the pleasure of chaining combos can turn into rhythmic button recognition. Tales of Berseria Remastered lets you change a lot of things, but the feeling of growth doesn't always feel like it's changing dramatically beyond small improvements.

Normal battle wins give you experience, but Tales of Berseria Remastered adds the Grade system to control your extended growth. You can spend grade points you earn in battle in the Grade Shop, which you can now reach earlier in the remaster. This will let you get bonuses like more experience or more resources.

Because of this recalibration process, there is a significant change in the tempo. You can get the impression that Tales of Berseria Remastered is either simplified or ridiculous, depending on the perks that you select. These options facilitate the process of exploring new things and make things simpler for professionals.

In order to maintain a consistent level of difficulty throughout Tales of Berseria Remastered, beginning players should exercise caution. Character models in Tales of Berseria Remastered are rendered in cel shading, and the game's environments are filled with watercolor. The game retains its anime-style appearance.

During skits, character pictures maintain their expressiveness, depicting the slight changes in emotion that are necessary for relationships to function well. The addition of the Costume downloadable content enhances the possible customizing options for the entire squad. The enhancements to the quality of life make things more understandable by making the lighting and the interface more distinct.

Nevertheless, the graphics in Tales of Berseria Remastered are not significantly improved over the base game. There are certain platform versions of the game that have lower constraints on the draw distance and frame rate, and the textures and patterns of the surroundings and dungeons are a clear indication of how mature the game is.

Field passage benefits from a small speed boost for moving and the ability to start fast travel earlier.

One of the most criticized parts of the first version has been fixed with these changes. Still, Tales of Berseria Remastered doesn't bring new visual ideas to the next generation; instead, it chooses security over spectacle.

Motoi Sakuraba created the music for Tales of Berseria Remastered, which keeps the game's themes consistent. The tracks go back and forth between sad piano themes and high-energy fight orchestrations, which adds to the tonal duality between anger and vulnerability. There's no doubt that the music sounds like Tales.

Voice acting is still one of the best parts. Fully voiced skits and cutscenes make the character interactions appear more real, especially Velvet's subtle passion and Magilou's comedic tone. Tales of Berseria Remastered makes sure that the sound experience stays engaging, even if there aren't any major remixes.

In the world of remasters, Tales of Berseria Remastered stands out in an interesting way. It's neither a full rebuild nor a port on the outside. Instead, Tales of Berseria Remastered makes the game easier to access, combines downloadable material, and speeds things up by introducing thoughtful changes to the quality of life.

Tales of Berseria Remastered is the best way for beginners to start following Velvet's story. For returning players, the value varies depending on which platform they like best and how much they want to improve things instead of inventing new ones. Even though Tales of Berseria Remastered may not feel very ambitious, it does have an engrossing anti-hero story and a framework that is enjoyable to play.