With the highly anticipated Tales of Arise arriving in September this year, Bandai Namco has recently released a number of character introduction and gameplay trailers. Giving fans a glimpse into the clashing worlds of Rena and Dahna, the trailers reveal aspects of the storyline as well as give insight to the backstories of characters.
One of the main protagonists, Shionne, recently appeared in a character introduction trailer that showcases her gun abilities and Astral Artes. During the first section of the trailer, players also get some insight into her backstory, as it's shown that Shionne has a curse where she electrocutes anybody who touches her. Called the curse of thorns, Shionne is unable to touch anyone else, something that could play an interesting role in the narrative of Tales of Arise.Â
Shionne's Curse in Tales of Arise
Tales of Arise recently released an introduction trailer for Shionne that sees her imprisoned and being interrogated by Zephyr, the leader of a resistance group called "Crimson Crow". Zephyr notes that anybody who touches Shionne gets electrocuted regardless of whether she wants to hurt them or not. Furthermore, it's neither poison nor magic which causes this effect, something that leads Zephyr to speculate that it's the reason why Balseph is after Shionne. One of Zephyr's followers comments that it's a useful ability, which angers Shionne who views it as less of an ability and more of a curse.
Although little else is revealed about Shionne's curse throughout the rest of the trailer, it seems like it'll play an important role in the overall narrative. It's unclear how serious the curse's effects are on others, as it's never specified whether it maims people or actually kills them. However, an interesting aspect to note is that the main protagonist, Alphen, has lost the capability to feel physical pain. This might play an important role with Shionne's curse throughout the Tales of Arise story. Notably, Tales of Arise trailers have emphasized how Alphen and Shionne are opposites of one another but are nonetheless drawn together with a common goal. Lacking the ability to feel physical pain seems to be a natural way to circumvent the curse's negative side effects.
The Role of Shionne's Curse in Tales of Arise
Little else has been revealed about Shionne's curse so far in Tales of Arise. Given her Renan bloodline and ability to use Astral Artes, it's strange to see her revolt against her homeland together with Alphen. Nonetheless, it seems that her curse plays an integral role in this decision, as Balseph seems intent on hunting Shionne down due to her thorns. Balseph is described as the power-hungry ruler of Calaglia who uses Dahnan slaves to collect fire astral energy.
Undoubtedly seeking to gain further power, Balseph's pursuit of Shionne for her curse is likely tied to her reasoning behind joining forces with Alphen. Of course, Shionne's true intentions remain unknown and there's probably more to her backstory that explains why she's aiding the Dahnans instead. That said, Shionne's curse of thorns seems to have an integral role in both her backstory and motivations, which will become clearer once Tales of Arise finally arrives. Until then, fans will have to continue to speculate about how Shionne's curse will tie into the game's overall story.
Tales of Arise releases on September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
