What a day! Tales of Arise will release worldwide September 10, 2021 (Japan gets it earlier by a day), with confirmed releases for next-gen consoles. Plus we have two new trailers, two new characters, and a whole bunch of screenshots!
Just announced, Tales of Arise will be releasing for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One on September 9, 2021 for Japan and September 10, 2021 worldwide. The PC Digital release via Steam will be released on September 10, 2021 for all regions. You've read that right, next-gen releases for the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X have also been announced! Players who will get the PlayStation 4 version will be able to upgrade for free to PlayStation 5. Players with the PS4 physical edition won't be able to upgrade if they have the PS5 Digital Edition hardware. For Xbox, it will be a Cross-Generation Double Pack that contains Xbox One and Xbox Series X versions.
Players will be immersed in the story of Rena, the star that has been ruling the Dahna planet with an iron fist for the past 300 years. Renans have been depleting Dahna of its natural resources, enslaving most of the planet’s population in order to do so. This tale follows the fight to free Dahnans of their fate and will be experienced through the eyes of Alphen, an iron-masked Dahnan fighting to free his people, and Shionne, a girl from Rena, who’s on the run from her countrymen. They will be joined through their journey by various characters, such as Rinwell and Law, that will help them in their fight for freedom.
Tales of Arise apparently applies an “Atmospheric Shader” which adds a new touch to the graphics, making them look like hand-drawn. This will enhance the players’ immersion, along with a vivid new world where they will explore numerous biomes. Combat has also evolved adding more direct effects and attacks, to provide a better sense of spectacle and more direct player feedback based upon their actions.
“We want Tales of Arise to represent a new milestone for the Tales of franchise,” said Yusuke Tomizawa, Producer on Tales of Arise, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. “The game has a new artistic direction, making the most out of the Unreal Engine and our newly developed “Atmospheric Shader” to push the graphics quality, and make players feel like they are in a painting. With a story that is more mature and hits on more essential themes than previous games we hope players will be fully immersed in Alphen and Shionne’s journey. We can’t wait for you to be able to play the game later this year.”
A new trailer featuring the release date, as well as two new characters, has been released in English. Check it out below:
Check out the new main visual below:
The game's main concept is 継承と進化 (inheritance and evolution), with the characteristic genre being "新たな時代を生きるすべての人に贈るRPG" which translates to "An RPG for all people living in a new era"
You'll find one of the new characters in the trailer familiar - the one who was introduced as a sneak peek last year. Famitsu has posted an exclusive sneak peek of the new characters. Their information is below as translated (note: English name romanizations not yet official except for Rinwell):
Rinwell
リンウェル (Rinweru). Voiced by: Sayuri Hara (JP)
- Rinwell appears before Alphen and Shionne as if she had collapsed. She appeals for help from Cyslodia's resistance group, wherein she will be working with Alphen. Despite being a Dahnan, she is able to use powerful astral energy that supposedly only Renans can use. She is a long range attacker who uses spells in battle.
Hootle
フルル (Hururu). A Dahnan baby owl that travels together with Rinwell. It is close to her heart.
Law
ロウ (Rou). Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (JP)
- Law is a young man from Calaglia. Despite being Dahnan, he is an active member of Rena's police organization called 蛇の目 (literally "Bull's Eye"). He confronts Alphen and the others when they arrive in Cyslodia. It's a wonder how he'll be joining their party. In battle, Law is a brawler-type who uses hand to hand combat.
Additional information and new screenshots have also been added for Alphen and Shionne:
Alphen
A Dahnan youth who is a slave in Calaglia. He has lost both his memories and the sensation of pain. He is called "Iron Mask" because of the mysterious mask he wears. Holding anger due to the circumstances of his fellow Dahnans, he meets the Renan Shionne. Shionne plans to overthrow the governing Surd and free the Dahnans from the Renans. Since the two have similar goals, they team up together.
Shionne
A Renan woman who is cursed with "Thorns" to inflict severe pain onto anyone she touches. She meets Alphen while she is being pursued by her fellow Renans in Calaglia. She joins with Alphen for her own purposes, allowing him the use of the burning sword within her.
A couple of areas in the game have also been introduced. The once rich land of Dahna has now been divided and is being ruled by the Renan governing body? Surd, and the magical or spiritual power for Dahna is being limited.
Orbus Calaglia
Known as the "Country and Blaze and Ashes", Calaglia is a barren land full of rocks and sand, Flames blow up from the ground, and smoke blocks the sunlight. The place is surrounded by huge machinery for fuel refinement, which is mainly run by manpower.
Cyslodia
Known as the "Country of Brilliance", Cyslodia is a harsh country where it snows continuously. Under the Renans, the people have to constantly protect themselves not only from those governing them but also from their fellow countrymen. The artificial light that illuminates the country is actually made possible by the labor of the Dahnan slaves.
An exclusive environment trailer from IGN shows how these new areas look:
As for the last of the trailers, the Europe branch has shared this 7-minute English gameplay trailer that shows Alphen, Shionne, and Rinwell in battle, along with these two areas:
One other (side) character who was shown was Viezo (ビエゾ, biezo), one of the generals from Rena who control the Dahnan slaves. He collects fire elementals and imposes hard labor on the Dahnan slaves. He appears to care for the Renan people, but behind the facade is an impatient man who seeks to be better than his other fellow generals.
Other screenshots also released include a look at possibly shots from the game's animated opening, confirmed to be by ufotable. Bandai Namco says the game will have the most amount of animated scenes so far:
Given the announcement of releases for the next-gen consoles, Bandai Namco has also listed the differences between the different versions of the game:
PlayStation 5
- Loading times in between battles are faster, making adventuring more smooth
- With performance priority mode at 60FPS and graphic priority mode at 4K.
- Supports DualSense haptics.
Xbox Series X
- Loading times in between battles are faster, making adventuring more smooth
- With performance priority mode at 60FPS and graphic priority mode at 4K.
PC Digital (Steam)
- With performance priority mode at 60FPS and graphic priority mode at 4K.
Pre-order DLC Bonuses
The list of pre-order bonuses here is so far for Japan only. But knowing how the game is being handled, hopefully this'll also be available for the West. The West will be getting these pre-order DLC bonuses.
- Alphen and Shionne costumes (with a hair ornament for Shionne, see above)
- Archangel One Wing attachment (4 types)
- Early Start Cooking and Ingredient Set
Japan Special Editions
Pre-orders in Japan for these special editions begin on April 23, at 10AM Japan Standard Time.
PlayStation 4 and 5 versions (Physical):
- Regular Version: 7,980 yen (8,778 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software)
- Premium Edition: 11,800 yen (12,980 yen with tax)
- (Special box, "Tales of Arise" software, large format art book, 2 metal pin badges, 2 stickers, acrylic figure with background, 5 postcards)
- ASOBISTORE Figure Edition: 15,980 yen (17,578 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, Figure (Alphen / Shionne))
- ASOBISTORE Collector's Edition: 19,800 yen (21,780 yen with tax)
- (Figure (Alphen / Shionne), special box, "Tales of Arise" software, large format art book, 2 metal pin badges, 2 stickers, acrylic figure with background, 5 postcards) - pictured below
PlayStation 4 and 5 versions (Digital):
- Regular Version: 7,980 yen (8,778 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software)
- Deluxe Sound Edition: 9,800 yen (10,780 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, Series battle BGM pack)
- Deluxe Costume Edition: 11,500 yen (12,650 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, costume premium pack, costume set 3 types: "beach", "school life", "Sengoku kimono")
- Ultimate Edition: 13,000 yen (14,300 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, costume premium pack, costume set 3 types: "beach", "school life", "Sengoku Kimono", successive series battle BGM pack)
Xbox One/Xbox Series X Versions:
- Regular Version: 7,980 yen (8,778 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software)
- Deluxe Sound Edition: 9,800 yen (10,780 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, Series battle BGM pack)
- Deluxe Costume Edition: 11,500 yen (12,650 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, costume premium pack, costume set 3 types: "beach", "school life", "Sengoku kimono")
- Ultimate Edition: 13,000 yen (14,300 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, costume premium pack, costume set 3 types: "beach", "school life", "Sengoku Kimono", successive series battle BGM pack)
PC (Steam)
- Normal version: 7,980 yen (8,778 yen with tax)
- ("Tales of Arise" software)
- Deluxe Edition: 10,000 yen (11,000 yen)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, Costume Premium Pack, Item Premium Pack, Travel Premium Pack)
- STEAM version Ultimate Edition: 12,500 yen (13,750 yen)
- ("Tales of Arise" software, costume premium pack, item premium pack, travel premium pack, costume set 3 types: "beach", "school life", "Sengoku Kimono", collaboration costume pack)
Japan will also be getting Famitsu DX Packs and Dengeki Packs, pre-orders for which also open on April 23.
So far, pre-orders are only available for the West via the following:
Tales of Arise
is now available at the following shops (Note: Please keep in mind that we may receive a commission when you click on our links and make a purchase. This, however, has no bearing on our reviews and comparisons.):
North America:
- Bandai Namco Store - Collector's Edition | Regular Edition
- Amazon US - Regular Edition
- Amazon CA - Regular Edition
- BestBuy - Regular Edition
- Play-Asia
Europe:
- Bandai Namco Store - Collector's Edition | Regular Edition
- Amazon UK - Collector's Edition | Regular Edition
- Amazon France - Collector's Edition | Regular Edition
- Amazon Germany - Collector's Edition | Regular Edition
- Amazon Spain - Collector's Edition | Regular Edition
- Amazon Italy - Collector's Edition | Regular Edition
- Play-Asia
What do you think of Tales of Arise so far?
Tales of Arise is the latest mothership title (new classification: original title) of the Tales of Series which was first announced during Microsoft’s Press Conference in E3 2019. The game was released for the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC Digital via Steam on September 9, 2021 for Asia and Japan and September 10, 2021 for the rest of the world. The game features use of the Unreal Engine 4 and works on the theme of tradition versus evolution of the series.
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