Tales of Arise will be arriving in September 2021, and with Bandai Namco's promise of reinventing the franchise, the game looks to attract a new audience alongside Tales veterans. Although Tales games usually feature separate narratives and combat systems, they also sometimes share characters or settings.
Newcomers to the franchise might be wondering whether they need to play the previous game, Tales of Berseria, before starting Tales of Arise. As Tales of Arise will function as a fresh start for the Tales series, it's unlikely that it will share any story threads from previous games. Nonetheless, Tales of Arise is built from the foundation of previous Tales games and their combat systems, which means there's plenty of reasons to revisit certain titles.
Narrative Connections in Tales of Arise
Although much of the narrative of Tales of Arise has yet to be revealed, it's clear Bandai Namco intends to reinvent the franchise with the game. This implies the story will likely be new and not feature important connections to previous Tales games. The previous Tales game, Tales of Berseria, shared interesting connections with its predecessor Tales of Zestiria as they take place in the same setting during different time periods. While there was speculation that Tales of Arise would similarly feature elements from previous games, it seems that the worlds of Dahna and Rena are completely new.
The idea behind Tales of Arise seems to turn the series into a blank slate as Bandai Namco resets everything and builds a new foundation through the combat system and narrative. It's likely that future Tales games could be connected to Tales of Arise through its setting or characters. However, the chances of Tales of Arise sharing common elements with previous Tales games is slim, as the aim of the game is to introduce new players to the franchise.
Which Tales Games to Play Before Tales of Arise
While Tales of Arise is intended to be a reinvention of the franchise, there are still plenty of reasons to play previous Tales games before its release. Over the course of 25 years, the Tales games have continually evolved their mechanics and some of these will act as the foundation for Tales of Arise when it releases. General recommendations for the Tales series usually start with games like Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Abyss, and Tales of Vesperia due to their excellent stories and character development. In the case of Tales of Arise, however, it's also important to note that Tales of Berseria and Tales of Graces are influential for the game's fundamentals.
Although neither game is necessary before Tales of Arise, they offer insight into how the game will feel. Tales of Berseria showcases how a modern Tales game's combat and exploration mechanics feel. It's not the best game in the franchise, but older Tales games will feel completely different when compared to Tales of Arise. On the other hand, Tales of Graces offers fans insight into the combat system, as Tales of Arise is based on its fundamentals. Often cited as one of the best combat systems in the franchise, Tales of Graces shares a similar evasion and counter system found in Tales of Arise. While no game is required to understand Tales of Arise, there are a number of previous Tales games which act as great set-ups for newcomers.
Tales of Arise releases September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
