Tales of Arise - Favorite Characters, Scenes, Subquests, Battles and More As Voted by Japanese Fans from Weekly Famitsu

How did Tales of Arise fare among the Japanese audience? The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu tells us through their player survey.

Three months after the release of Tales of Arise, Weekly Famitsu held a player survey that covered topics about the game. Garnering a total of 963 respondents, here are some of the favorite things about Tales of Arise among the Japanese player base.

Voters' Demographics - Gender

There seemed to be an almost equal division between males and females from the voters.

Voters' Demographics - Age

Majority of votes were under the 20 to 30 year old age group.

How would you rate the game overall (1 to 5 star ranking)?

• ★★★★★ - 495

• ★★★★ - 328

• ★★★ - 68

• ★★ - 33

• ★ - 24

Half of the voters gave full marks for the game, praising it as one of the best RPGs they've played in a while, as well as the graphical improvements, characters, and story. One of the lower ratings cited the somewhat imbalance between enemy difficulties, as well as the heavy usage of items (probably for CP).

Which character did you enjoy playing most in battle?

The voters praised Alphen for his ease in making combos, his strength, as well as his stylishness in battle, especially with the Blazing Sword. Alphen aside, our magic users are also in the lead. Rinwell's ability to combo as well as magic charge feature was praised. The same was said for Dohalim's rod extension.

Which character did you like best in Tales of Arise?

Though the list mentions mostly the main cast, there were people who responded with "I like all of them" or the cameo characters.

Similar to the results of the recently concluded Tales of Character Popularity Poll, Dohalim tops this list, but not far behind are Shionne and Alphen. Voters praised the fact that despite being the "older" supposedly more mature character in the game, Dohalim still had room for character growth and an opportunity to show his weaknesses. Also, he looks good. Shionne was praised for being a strong character carrying a huge burden with her, but also having adorable sides (i.e. her love for food). Alphen was described to be a solid character who still fit in as a "young" character that needed guidance, but at the same time also guided the younger party characters. His straightforwardness was also a plus.

Which episode of the Main Story left a huge impression on you?

1. The Night Before the Departure to Lenegis - The scene where Shionne tells the whole truth behind her thorns to the party. Voters loved how Shionne finally broke down and expressed her feelings to her friends, with Alphen embracing her and the addition of "Hello, Again" to the background.
2. The Fight with Vholran up to the 2nd Opening - Defeating Vholran as the last lord, up to the sudden playing of the 2nd opening. This part brought relief to players that the game wasn't over just yet, and the 2nd opening by Ayaka was a wonderful addition. It was also reminiscent of how the older games handled dividing the main games into two solid arcs.
3. Zephyr's Execution - One of the voters wished he was playable all throughout. Alas, it was not meant to be.
4. In Front of Almeidrea - The scene where Law stops Rinwell from attacking Almeidrea with rage.
5. Regained Pain and Memories - The scene where Alphen talks to the party about his regained memories.
6. Menancia's Ideals vs The Reality - The scene where the truth behind Menancia's treatment ward is made known to Dohalim.

Which is your favorite Subquest or Skit?

1. The Great Pancake Contest skit - The skit where Rinwell, Shionne and Dohalim have a pancake making contest, with Kisara as the judge. It's one of the most hilarious parts in the game, and we uploaded it awhile back on our YouTube (check above).
2. Her Place - The subquest where Kisara feels as if she's no longer needed by the party since they've all matured. Dohalim comforts her, and sort of proposes? It's unclear.
3. Farewell, Mage - The subquest where Rinwell and party save a man who heavily discriminates against Rinwell being a mage, but Dohalim defends her.
4. Their Future - The subquest where Dohalim weds a Dahnan and Renan couple, with Shionne missing the bouquet toss. Alphen to the rescue! Sort of.
5. The Dive at Aureum Falls - The hilarious scene where Dohalim dives down the waterfall with Law and Rinwell.

What was your most memorable scene in battle?

1. VS Ganabelt - Specifically when he started casting Indignation.
2. VS Vholran - Looking back, players found this a cool fight to start off the Sovereign vs Sovereign thing that Alphen and Vholran have.
3. VS Dohalim - A simple fight, but one player laments he/she used up all of the items they have.

Favorite Arte?

1. Incineration Wave (Alphen)
2. Dragon Swarm (Alphen)
3. Demon Fang (Alphen)
4. Shooting Star (Rinwell)
5. Crescent Flash (Dohalim)

Favorite Boost Strike?

1. Radiant Genesis - Dohalim and Rinwell - The combined power of light and dark, Dahnan and Renan artes is cool, says one player.
2. Red Hot Burning Strike - Shionne and Law - It was nice to see a Boost Strike pay homage to one of the older artes in the series.
3. Impact Cross - Dohalim and Alphen
4. Flaming Swing - Alphen and Shionne

Lastly, what more do you want to see about the game?

This was in no particular order:

• Additional story DLC, or DLC of character episodes
• DLC about Vholran or Alphen's pasts
• Hootle pancake merchandise...?
• Multiplayer
• Figures of each character fighting the Lords, i.e. Rinwell vs Almeidrea, Law vs Ganabelt
• Some players say the game was concluded beautifully, but a sequel is always welcome
• Anime adaptation

This article comes from the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, which currently has Alphen on the cover and features a huge spread on Tales of Arise, as well as a bit on Tales of Luminaria. We only translated the important bits since this is a paid magazine.

Source: Weekly Famitsu, can be purchased via Amazon JP (physical) or BookWalker (eBook)