Tales of Vesperia

As a fan of the role-playing game genre, it is great to see that the genre continues to thrive on the Xbox 360 with a number of console exclusives that are either astonishingly distinctive or comfortably familiar. Hardcore RPG fans like me were also glad to see Japanese classics such as the Tales games make it to our shores. So when Tales of Vesperia was announced for the Xbox 360, the fan boy in me couldn’t help but cheer its arrival. Thankfully, Namco Bandai Games does a brilliant job of bringing us a familiar yet charmingly enjoyable role-playing game.

Tales of Vesperia tells the tale of a young man named Yuri Lowell who lives in the lower (thus poorer) quarter of the city of Zaphias. Having once been an Imperial Knight of the city, he is well trained in the artes (which is what this world calls specialties) of combat and thus uses his skills as a swordsman to stand up for those in the lower quarter. One day, in search of a con artist that made out with an important device that helps regulate the lower quarter’s water supply, he is arrested by the Imperial Knights and meets a cute sheltered girl named Estelle. Estelle is in search of an Imperial Knight named Flynn who just so happens to be Yuri’s childhood friend so off they go on a quest that will take them out of the city and into a great adventure.

While it might seem like the story and feel of the game is traditional, by-the-number RPG fare, Tales of Vesperia has a lot of personality and you will actually care about the main characters to the point that you’ll be happy to follow the intricate-yet-likeable story to the very end. The sarcastic Yuri might have been utterly annoying in other RPGs but his sarcastic comments will actually put a smile on your face and you’ll like how he comes to regard his companions as friends rather than just travel companions. Even Repede, Yuri’s trusted canine companion, has his own unique personality. It’s a blast watching Estelle try to win over the pooch throughout the game during short cut scenes that can be accessed by pressing the Back button. These short scenes are played out via portraits of the characters speaking and they’re actually fun to watch.

Aside from a likeable cast of characters and a good story, Tales gives you the freedom to interact with its world anyway you like and you can even pick and choose your battles. One of the best things about the Tales games (well, in my opinion, anyway) is the fact that there are no random battles so you can avoid confrontations by going around an enemy or staying away from their line of sight. Say you would like to reach an area right away and don’t want to get stuck in a battle … just avoid coming into contact with an enemy.

When you do go into battle, you also have the freedom to attack and form your own strategy for combat. The real-time battles allow you the chance to move around on the battle arena and attack or block blows. You can pull off powerful combos as well as lethal attacks depending on your weapon and the artes assigned to said weapon to deliver a specialized blow. The computer controls the other characters in your party and they do a decent job of backing you up during combat as well as heal party members in need of a health boost. You can switch strategies in mid-battle, allowing you to place the characters that pack quite a punch (like Flynn) up front while the healer (Estelle) can be placed in the back to heal the others.

Aside from the fact that you can add artes to your weapons and learn new skills that will help improve each character for battles, there are small touches that help improve your character. Yuri introduces cooking to the other characters and starts with simple recipes and moves on to more elaborate dishes. There are side quests aplenty and even battle objectives called Secret Missions that offer you extra rewards by successfully completing a battle-based objective such as not using a healing item during a fight or block an X number of blows without being hit.

The game is also quite lengthy and there is a lot of the world map to explore and discover on your own. Of course, what’s an RPG without side quests or collecting new companions to accompany you on the main quest? This Tales game is more a traditional RPG so those expecting something far more unique will be a bit disappointed by its old school feel. Just about the only feature that real separates this from past Tales games is the fact that you can have up to three friends join you in battle via co-op or online play.

Tales of Vesperia looks like a really good anime series thanks to the slick cel-shaded graphics. Most of the cut scenes contain fluid animation that makes the anime-styled characters really come to life and the backgrounds are simply gorgeous. On the other hand, there are times when the animation becomes a tad stiff like role-playing games of old. Still, the game contains some good graphics all around and the visual effects do justice to the overall look of the game.

Joining the great graphics is a cinematic soundtrack that does a great job of conveying emotion at the right time in the game. It’s sweeping enough that it drives home the feeling that you are watching an interactive anime show. There’s even an opening theme song - which is great, by the way - much like a Japanese animated series. Even the voice acting is top notch so expect some great quality sound in this game. I highly recommend you play this game with a good sound system.

Tales of Vesperia for the Xbox 360 is like a good friend you haven’t seen in a long while whom suddenly pops up again to show you a good time just like in the old days. Sure, your friend’s idea of fun hasn’t changed but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a very good time. Tales feels familiar and won’t change the way we look at the role-playing game genre but it is still a fun game that is sure to please fans of the genre that are looking for a truly gratifying RPG for the Xbox 360.

Review Scoring Details for Tales of Vesperia

Gameplay: 8.6
The real-time battles aren’t incredibly complex so battle will come naturally and will actually feel welcome thanks to the freedom on the battlefield. The game weaves a story that’s not just easy to follow but also quite entertaining. The quests in the game are actually fun and there are some fun gameplay elements.

Graphics: 8.5
The graphics can be a bit inconsistent throughout but that’s not to say that it isn’t downright gorgeous. The slick cel-shading makes everything from the backgrounds to the characters look like you’re watching an excellent anime.

Sound: 9.0
The voice cast does a great job with the more than decent dialogue and the sound effects work wonderfully in the game. The cinematic score happens to be the biggest highlight that would make the perfect soundtrack to any anime feature.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Some battles can be finished within a minute while others can take several minutes in real-time. There are puzzles in the game but they aren’t hard to figure out. Meeting some secret mission requirements might be a bit challenging at times.

Concept: 8.8
Mix in a cast of very likeable characters you will certainly care about, a decent battle system and a fairly deep story with a lot to see and do and you have a role-playing game worthy of the Xbox 360. Battles can be shared with friends and there are a few elements here that work well despite not being original (e.g. cooking).

Multiplayer: 7.0
Up to three friends can join up during battles to help you take on the more powerful enemy or monster in the game and sometimes having a friend take control of a character is far more effective than letting the computer AI take command. At least you can strategize with friends.

Overall: 8.8
If anything, Tales of Vesperia is one deep and enchanting role-playing game that manages to weave a good story and keep you hooked from start to finish. It certainly isn’t a revolutionary RPG but with a wonderful cast of characters and a good story, it’s hard not to find yourself thoroughly enjoying everything about this engaging game RPG fans will come to love.