While Tales of Arise won't be releasing until fall, it remains one of the most anticipated titles of 2021 given Bandai Namco's promise of a new direction. Promising to evolve and revitalize the series, Tales of Arise aims to be a game that can appeal to a global audience while not neglecting its Japanese fans. As a result, the development of Tales of Arise has taken a different direction from previous entries in the series.
Whereas previous Tales games were designed to be cross-generation games, Tales of Arise is designed with modern hardware in mind. As a result, the development team behind Tales of Arise abandoned their in-house engine in favor of Unreal Engine 4 which would allow for a graphical update to the series. While it might not appear to be a big change, the emphasis on exploration in Tales of Arise will benefit greatly from the improved graphics.
Graphics in Previous Tales Games
Over the past few years, one thing that the Tales series has received criticism that it doesn't develop the games with modern hardware in mind. For example, Tales of Zestiria was originally released on the PS3 before being ported to the PS4 and PC later. Similarly, Tales of Berseria was released as a cross-gen game between PS3 and PS4 but it underutilized the graphical power of the PS4, leading to criticism from reviewers. While Tales of Arise will have a cross-generation release between the PS4/PS5 and Xbox One/Xbox Series X, the game itself will be developed with the PS5 in mind.
During interviews, the team behind Tales of Arise have confirmed that the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions would give the better overall experience. Having switched over to Unreal Engine 4, the character models and environments will benefit from a graphical boost and will make use of the 4K capabilities. Furthermore, players can choose between focusing on performance for 60 FPS or focusing on graphics for the 4K experience. Alongside the confirmed usage of the haptic feedback on the PS5's DualSense controllers for mechanics such as elemental magic, it appears that Tales of Arise makes good use of the features on new-gen concoles.
Reflecting These Changes In Tales of Arise
Though these changes might not appear to be a big deal given that Tales of Arise is still a cross-gen release, it's important to note that the gameplay will benefit greatly. While Tales of Arise isn't an open-world game, it's designed to incorporate exploration as a big component in the game. With actions such as jumping or swimming in the overworld, it's important that the action remains smooth outside of battle as well. The improved graphical quality will help the environmental design come to life and players will have a better time immersing themselves in the world.
Although the graphics have been overhauled for Tales of Arise, it's also important that it maintains the sense of tradition from previous Tales games. As a result, the team behind Tales of Arise also used a unique shader which would follow the traditional anime-styled design of previous entries instead of going a photorealistic direction. Certain aspects of the game are more realistic through lighting and atmosphere but it's balanced by the familiar, fantasy approach to world design. Character models and expressions have also been updated which should help make the narrative and side skits come to life. With its unique focus on the newest generation of hardware, Tales of Arise stands out from previous games in the series and aims to evolve the franchise to new heights.
Tales of Arise launches September 10, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
