Tales of Arise Review: An Amazing Experience and Possibly the Best JRPG of 2021 

Went ahead and updated the title so it stops bamboozling people on RU-vid TV

The cel-shading style is a welcome look that I wish more modern games would try out, especially if it would look generic otherwise. It used to be a cheat to polish boring visuals, but these days it's just a gorgeous design choice when done well.

It’s been so long since a game has been so good that I can’t put it down and want to stay up all night playing. For over a year now I get bored after a few hours with most games and I was worried I was losing my love for gaming but this game is soooo good. It’s my favorite tales game aside from abyss. I’ve spent the past few days playing it nonstop. It’s so nice to have this much passion for a game again.

Cowboy has such a voice dawg. The way he paces his script and explaining mechanics always has my ear opened and turns mind Into a sponge. This guy can go on talking about a guide to eating beans and I would just be all in for it.

After almost 60 hours I finished Tales of Arise. This was my first experience with a Tales of game and I must say I am in awe. This has been a truly magnificent journey for me. The scale of the story took me by surprise. It was epic. By far my best game of 2021. L.E: I've just started Tales of Berseria and I'm liking it.

Loved your previous playthrough on the Tales series, glad to see your take on the latest in the series!

Taking my time with it so I haven't been to the town you're showing at 2:30. WOW that is utterly beautiful, and the amount of detail given is just amazing. Those hanging potted flowers are such an "extra" kinda thing that wasn't "needed", but the town is 100% more beautiful and "lived in" thanks to them being there. Huge props to the devs. My favorite RPG of the last few years so far.

Great review, can't wait to play along with your series. It's been such a long time since I played a Tales game and this looks stunning. Can't wait to play this one!

As always, so much quality content! This isn't necessarily a game for me, but Cowboy does an amazing job, making it enjoyable to watch. I still can't get over the AMOUNT of content you push out every day/week/month/year - it's unreal. Well done as always!

Hey Cowboy just wanted to say thank you for recommending Tales of Arise. I was skeptical but man this game is so good and so much fun. Love all your content. God bless you and your family.

Excellent review! I am really looking forward to playing this on the PS5 when my copy finally arrives - hopefully next week.

The last Namco Bandai JRPG game I played was *Eternal Sonata!* This game looks really great. I'm glad you mentioned this: I hope it'll be possible to turn off the voices when they shout _every single move_ during battle!

Never played a Tales game but thanks to your review and tips, I’ve just ordered and looking forward to playing. Thank you very much

Thank you cowboy for being really honest can't wait till Friday to play it hope you and your little family are safe and well :)

This game is just something else it's so bad ass so engaging from the artwork and battle story just drew me in and this is my first tales game I'm so happy

This review made me buy this game! I noticed with you make videos of similar games I play like all the souls games so I know you have good taste! You just got a new subscriber!!!

Just finished Elden Ring (Platinum PS5 175 Hours) and was looking for a JRPG. Perfect timing thanks mate. I've been gaming for 45 years and not stopping anytime soon :)

I absolutely loved the demo of this game, and made me start Tales of Vesperia. With the help of your Let’s Play I am now 23 hours into ToV and I love the game. Just ordered Tales of Arise and gonna start that one once I finish Vesperia. Keep up the good work Cowboy 💪🏼

Thanks for a great review! Can’t wait to play it. Going to follow you through the game play ….thanks for sharing.

I've been a fan for 17 years and the hype for Arise is real! Love the excitment and the love the game is getting few days, makes me happy cuz this series deserves the recognition 😭❤ Arise looking phenomenal and check all the list as an old fan while changing stuff for the best! Also the art style is like nothing i ever seen! Its very beautiful and charming, nowdays you see fantastic looking games but they are... kinda dull? Here its artistic, the lighting and everything is stunning! Not to mention the insane battle effects! Look gorgeous

Great review, thanks Cowboy, haven't played a Tales game since Symphonia on the GameCube. 2021 really is the year of the JRPG, so much that I have some fatigue by now, Persona 5 Strikers, (Nier Replicant), Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Scarlet Nexus, Monster Hunter Stories 2, I need a break before starting another one, but if I do it will be this (or Shin Megami Tensei V)...

My first Tales game was Tales of Vesperia it was an amazing game I pumped like 200 hrs into it around 2009. I haven’t played many since only the last two before this one Berseria and Zestiria which weren’t too bad either pumped for this one. All tho I have a hard time believing anything topping Vesperia. Great review cowboy.

Great review as always, Cowboy. Tales of Arise is my fourth Tales game (played Abyss, Vesperia and Berseria, Vesperia is my favorite, but Arise is awesome, too! After beating Arise; I'm really looking forward to playing Symphonia next, which I never got to play on Gamecube. Tales is the best JRPG franchise IMO.

Game of the year? Ok, ill get into it. I LOVED Berseria. The story was awsome. I hope that his story is as good.

Cheers for the in progress review. Really interesting.

Never played a tales game, but this game was so good. I loved everything about it. The story, gameplay and characters were so good. I couldn't put it down until I completed it. 💕

Fighting cowboy, you need to do some audio books man. I would pick your voice over so many others out there.

The Ending Credits was.. it made me smile then almost cried 😭 the Adventure and Journey they took, TALES OF ARISE was one off the most memorable RPG I’ve ever played 👍

I have been wanting this game for months! Can't wait! I also can't wait to play this alongside the let's play series just like I did for scarlet nexus. Gonna be so much fun!

5 hours in and loving it. Combat is fun and intuitive, looks great and the story is engaging.

Having did all the side quests, completed all the story and beat all the bosses. This is my favourite tales game by far.

The hype is real, cannot wait, this will keep me busy for a while

My first Tales game that I ever tried was Berseria. I liked the game for the most part except the combat system. I honestly struggled to understand it because I had never experienced one like it before. I feel the combat system from what you have showed us is a similar but more polished version than the one that was presented in Berseria. I will definitely look into getting this game when it goes on sale -- and who knows, maybe I will give Berseria a second chance as well.

I love your videos man you do a really good job in your presentation and deliverance keep up the good work definitely got a sub from me !

TY CB my daughter pre-ordered it for me looks amazing great review.

Dropped a like for the algorithm and seeing the title i already know you loved it, not gonna watch until after i played so im sorry cowboy but i will be back after i beat it!

Im 12 hours into Beseria. Decided to buy that and see if I like how the series plays before i made a decision to buy Arise. I'll buy it most likely.

I’ve been reading manga most my life, quite used to attack moves being called out. I just got this game and I’m excited to jump in

I just beat this game last night. I dabbled in Bersaria or however it's spelled but never really completed a Tales game before. I really enjoyed my time with this. The balance and combat pacing was extremely well done in my opinion. Whether I chose to fight everything in a zone or run past a couple zones worth of enemies, I never felt like I either came out too far ahead that everything was a joke nor did I get too far behind and had to go back and farm. The story pacing on the other hand is probably my biggest gripe. I wont spoil anything don't worry. I'm really just talking about like the characters during the random world skits elude to how much time is supposedly passing, like how in-game it takes like days to get through a cavern for your characters, but playtime only takes about 10 minutes. Ya'know, that kind of stuff. Just felt like there was a gap there that wasn't bridged well enough to make me believe they just spent a week slogging through some mountain or cavern. Other than that I loved the game.

Man I've installed this game yesterday and played maybe 1 hour only. This is my first anime-like game in a years and so far I'm amazed by the story and how the game works smoothly. There is a long time since I've dedicate my time to a game (since The Witcher 3) so I really hope that this game will keep me entertained until the end. Nice review btw 💪

This is cool to get a review upfront. I've been contemplating this one because it looks phenomenal, but, I've never really played JRPG's & don't know how much I'd enjoy them, despite being an RPG fan. I did play Octopath Traveler & *thoroughly* enjoyed that experience beginning to end. That's the only JRPG I've played.

AMAZING REVIEW! I would have kept the spoilers on the additional cast of characters out... But agree with you none the less GAME OF THE YEAR FOR ME TOO! Hands down so many things to do here in this game - Cooking, Crafting, finding owls, Gameplay battle mechanics, Amazing story, Great cast of characters! 10/10! It's the best Tales game for me!

Such an amazing game. I had a lot of fun playing tales of arise and I even got platinum it recently without burning out. Kisara's gameplay was like parry souls. The combat really hit to me, it was so engaging. I love almost everything about this game.

Thanks so much for this review. You definitely helped me decide whether I want to play this game, and the answer is YES

Installing it now. Can't wait to play. First tales game!

I'm not an anime guy but I love RPGs. Rented this through Gamefly for the hell of it. Day-um! Incredible so far! Hitting the "purchase" option for sure now.

The only criticism I'd have for the game would be the frequency of the voice lines during combat, they're non-stop at times when performing combos but then again, I suppose you can just mute the voices in the settings if updated. Overall stunning looking game :D

when the skit came on I couldn't pay attention to what Cowboy was saying, that little exchange was actually pretty interesting!

On my firetv youtube app the title cuts off after "an experience i can't recommend" and then you go ahead and praise the game in the review left and right. I was plenty confused until i looked up the whole title, to say the least 😂

My first Tale's game and it is an eye opener for what to play next!

We (fiancee and I) bought this the day it dropped for our PS5 and I'm just getting around to playing it. What's funny is we also bought Tales of Vesperia the same day for our Series X as it is my favorite Tales game to date. We decided to swap consoles today and she's about to play Vesperia for the first time and I Arise.

Once again Cowboy you've steered me to an awesome gaming experience. Thank you

Nice vid... my only suggestion is lowering the game sound just a little more so its not as distracting. Mostly during the battle scenes.

This is one of the greatest RPGs of 2021 by far :D. Played this and i have longed for a rpg just like it, it had so much good, story, gameplay, amazing characters

Hi Cowboy I would love to get this game but I have such a backlog it's crazy I mean literally like two hundred games on my PlayStation I know it's a bit excessive but I can be a hoarder when it comes to things I love.... thanks so much for your review and I'm looking forward to the walkthrough!

This is going to be my first JRPG I ever played so excited

This review even got me more hyped! I hope my pc doesn't crap out while playing this game, since I've been getting the random "black screen, no signal" crash while playing lots of games :-(

I've never been a Tales fan but I might give it a shot.

Tales has needed this for-bloody-ever. ❤

Im mid way through the game and love it, Im a huge fan of the Tales franchise and this one took the cake in many ways

Thanks again cowboy. You just sold me this game over biomutant. I guess I'll just catch biomutant on their next sale. I got to play the tales demo and fell in love before I even made my first movement in the game but I've also been looking at biomutant for a few weeks now so I've been on the fence. But thanks to you the decision is obvious. Thanks for all your hard work and your infinite hours of gameplay.

Tales of symphonia was my first tales game and I loved every minute of it still can’t find a game like it, this one is close but I loved the monster aspect it had its hard too find a game like it

I loved tales of vesperia. Going to get this now!

Just started playing game yesterday and like it alot

I love this game bro. It’s crazy fun. I’m playing in PC

This is definitely gonna be GOTY since Elden Ring is not getting released till next year. Recently beat Tales of the Abyss, my 1st Tales game, which was great! Bought ToB on sale which I'm gonna play next along with your walkthough. I'll play this one as my third in the series, by then the price might be lower as well.

This ended up being my favorite since Symphonia, Legendia and Abyss. I loved it!

Man I'm so excited for this

I wish there would be a preview clip on all the available artes in the artes menu so it's easier to figure out which artes chain better with other artes..also wish we could toggle the target lock on/off instead of instant auto lock-on when combat initiates..still it's a great game though..it's on par with Final Fantasy 7 Remake for me..

I have never played the tales games before so to hear that we don't have to play past games is great because I can jump right in to arise

Well this made my mind up. Ordered it

This game is on sale rn on the PS Store and i'm thinking on picking it up since i'm s huge FF fan, but there's one thing that bothers me...can you shut them up in the settings? So they don't keep yelling the abilities they're doing?

Last Namco-Bandai Jrpg I played was Xenosaga series lol. Arise does look good though.

The art and style of this game are amazing.

I really liked the game alot. I had more fun with this one than any of the other tales games.

1st tales game I've played since ToDestiny. I'm loving Arise.

I feel like the graphical and detail jump between Berseria and Arise is bigger than Vesperia to Berseria.

Played Tales since the PS1 era, and I can say this is one of the best Tales game ever

What I loved about nioh 2 (the game that introduced me to this channel) was the variety of builds to sample/create. Would I get a similar feeling from Arise? Are there ways to significantly modify each characters fighting style?

great review but the background game sound is far too high, I can't hear your deep voice over it at some points

How's the PS4 version vs the PS5? Is it just a better graphical look cuz that really won't stop me from getting this.

I agree with basically everything you said here. And side note, it’s Zestiria. Zes-tear-ia

I adore this game! I’m only a few hours in and I’m already in love! Really on par with Final Fantasy and other masterpieces of the genre!

Nice review my man

I’ll get this game when it’s on sale.

i played and loved Tales of Symphonia back in the day. Just downloaded this game and so much so psyched for it than Elden Ring

Is the base game still worth it or only go for deluxe or ultimate edition??

You forgot SMT V ? Not to mention PlayStation showcase is happening tomorrow, there is decent chance that they have big titles to release this holiday season.

Thanks to this game, I was able to put down Genshin Impact for good, since that game was getting extremely boring, yet, I couldn't stop playing it without enjoying it in the slightest. But then I finally got Tales of Arise and it was so good in all of the aspects, that I don't think I'll ever come back to Genshin again since ToA set a different bar on my enjoyment for games. Amazing Story, well written characters, great soundtrack, fun combat system, subquests that aren't annoying or that don't feel like chores, stunning visuals. Even if you're not familiarized with Tales of games, I think this one is the perfect start and I 100% recommend it.

Bandai namco have come a long way since the early tales games

I'm glad it's a good game. Loved the series previously. My pre order is coming tomorrow 🥳😄 x

Glad to say we are now in a time where game devs won't have to hold back on the visuals...I mean look at this game and a lot of next gen games😁👍

You were able to exchange party members during battles since Xillia 1

Good review but the sound mixing for headphone users is kinda messed up. I couldn't focus on your voice, it is soft and reserved but the characters are way too high pitched and loud. Good review but I wouldn't mind it if you just changed the sound mixing or release the script or something along those lines.

I'm torn, I recently started getting into jrpg's (have always like RPGs), and I liked the tales of arise demo. However, I haven't had too much time to play, im still playing skarlet nexus and physconuts 2. But I want to play tales as well, just not enough time. Lol

My homie cowboy. You have me buying another game because of your reviews. 💯

i have no problem with characters shouting movesets, for two reasons.. 1. i think it adds depth to the fight, as they are desperately trying to stay alive. 2. i'm used to playing dynasty warrior and samurai warrior games and grown accustomed to hearing shouts during battle.

Half way through the game and without a doubt it's a 10/10 BUT SO MUCH TALKING! Like man I zoned out so much.

You know, I think you would actually really enjoy Kiseki series (Legend of Heroes), while the combat is turn based instead of ARPG style (Well, minus the newest game that will release soon-ish in japan... And probably in few years west... Considering they got 4 games coming west in next 2 years), the story and characters in it are as far as I am concerned unrivaled in terms of quality, when even NPCs have actual story, personality and important lore to tell, it really says a lot Combat itself can be pretty challenging and interesting, depending on difficulty and how well you are able to adapt to it since it is bit of a unique one, you certainly can get some really OP combinations but generally you can have good challenge from the game as long as you don't abuse some less balanced things But the main appeal is the world building, characters and story, where Tales is for most parts series focusing on separate games, Kiseki is basically opposite, it is segmented in three 'arks', but each one builds up continuous story with the climax being in 4th game of 3rd ark (And than there is 'new' story basically in the upcoming game, there is one more between it but that one will release west 2023 so who knows what it will be like), it starts with Trails in the Sky 1,2 & 3, which are... Well, old, they are from PSP era believe it or not, but while graphics are old school story and characters are already amazing, and you meet the 'big bad' in 2nd Sky game, and than you meet him continuously till in the 4th game of 3rd ark you finally have the confrontation with him, series really thrives on the big build up and story building (If you actually talk to every NPC, which you should, even NPCs have interesting lore to tell, you can get between 80 and 130 hours for each of the games really) I dunno if turn based combat is that much of your thing (I know you did some turn based stuff but let's be honest, you are way more of a action combat oriented guy), but if you really want JRPG with great story, world building and characters, I cannot recommend the Kiseki/Trails/Legend of Heroes series more and it certainly would be interesting to see someone like you take the series on

I've never played a "Tales" game, but if RPG's are your thing though, like it is mine, would this be a go, or do I really need already be familiar with the series?