Tales of Luminaria - Raoul Episode 1 Review: The Self-Described Archaeologist

"We archaeologists...are just a few of the people telling those stories."

I have mixed feelings about this episode. On one hand, I loved the adventure aspect of this episode, but I hate the fact that the mood was ruined the moment Ana-Maria and Charles came into the picture.

Chapter 1 was the only good thing that came out of this episode. I loved the suspense and intensity as I travel into the Mirrormetal Ruins as Raoul. I loved that I have to use gameplay mechanics to dodge traps. There are mimics too, so I felt like I was traversing through a dungeon! I also really liked how there was a giant boulder rolling down a slope, so Raoul had to become Crash Bandicoot and run away from it! It made me feel like I was in an adventure! Like, I am starting to understand how Raine, Sorey and Mikleo feel when it comes to ruins now.

However, that adventurous feeling comes to an end when the noisy pair comes in. Sure, Ana-Maria and Charles do bring in humor, but I don’t really enjoy verbal abuse being masked as humor. Like, these two are constantly assaulting poor Raoul verbally to the point of it becoming asinine. Like, this franchise has a bad habit of equating verbal abuse as humor. You might think I’m overthinking it, but you’d be surprised on how much verbal abuse there is between party members and non-party members.

I also really hate the trope of characters never listening to one another. Ana-Maria and Charles suspect Raoul as a graverobber despite his protests and they never listen to anything he says and make up their own conclusions. My opinions of them were favorable in Ana-Maria’s episode, but it became negative in this episode. I thought these episodes were supposed to make me like characters, not hate their guts. One thing I am glad about is that Raoul actually barks back at the verbal abuse.

Now that I’m done venting, I want to talk about Raoul. Despite being the focus character of this episode, he’s surprisingly very mysterious. He calls himself an archaeologist, but is he one? He has an Embleo, but is not a Federation soldier; he even says that he’s not fit to be one despite having their main power source. Raoul’s Embleo glows yellow instead of the usual green seen in every Federation character. I don’t recall the Travel Record even stating what year he was born in or his birthplace. This means he might not actually be 31 as he claims and he might not actually be Federation born. I’m curious to know what sort of person Raoul truly is, but alas, this game is going to shut down in July, meaning his story will be left unanswered forever.

Like I mentioned earlier, Raoul’s gameplay is fun. I loved the usage of his gameplay mechanics to avoid traps like dodging and spinning his spear. Speaking of the latter, I think that is the best part of his gameplay. I had a blast making Raoul swing his spear around like a lasso. It is a guarding technique, but it can also be used for attacking—that’s what I call versatile. If I had to compare his and Yelsy’s gameplay, I do find Yelsy’s a tad superior because she’s easier to control and her dragoon-esque gameplay is wonderous. Raoul’s gameplay is mainly just spinning spear and that’s about it for uniqueness.

Overall, this isn’t a terrible episode, but it’s not good too. I am curious about Raoul as a character and what the Adventurer’s story has to offer in the remaining episodes it has.

Tales of Luminaria
Tales of LuminariaTales of Luminaria is an upcoming Tales of Series original title for iOS and Android released November 2021. The game was first announced during Gamescom Opening Night Live. Unlike the recent Tales mobile games, Luminaria has been reported to have its own original world with only original characters and no previous Tales characters, as well as an English dub. Unfortunately, the game has announced termination of service worldwide on July 19, 2022.

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About Grace 71 Articles
Grace is an aspiring novelist currently rewriting her novel for the umpteenth time. When not writing or playing Tales games, she stares at her laptop for hours, ruining her eyes in the process, and watching anime and Let's plays. She is also VERY scatterbrained.
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