Tales of Berseria First Impressions

Image from PlayStation Blog

Introduction

I recently started playing Tales of Berseria last week. This is my first game in the Tales series. The game is alright so far, but is a little overwhelming for a newcomer like myself.

Story

I think that the story is really good. I did not expect for it to take a turn so early in, but it got my attention. It doesn’t take long to get into the action and I like that. I’m interested in seeing how the rest of the story plays out. I’m really liking all of the characters so far as well.

Game Play

The combat was pretty good at first, but now I’m neutral on it. You just get so much information dumped on you about different status effects, chaining combos, and special attacks that it gets confusing. I basically button mash at this point when facing enemies. In my opinion Velvet is the easiest to use so I don’t switch characters often.

I’ll admit that when it comes to the weapons and armor skills I’m still a bit confused. I know that you get a skill from equipment after mastering it, but is there a way to view the skills gained? It’s definitely overwhelming in the beginning and I don’t feel as though this particular feature is explained enough.

Negatives

One of the biggest negatives is that I can’t take any screenshots or record any video of the game. I understand that this was most likely done to prevent spoilers, but to this degree it is ridiculous. They should have only put restrictions towards the end of the game rather than the very start.

As I mentioned before it just feels like I’m constantly overwhelmed with information. It’s a lot to take in and try to actually learn. I’m honestly still pretty confused with certain aspects of combat and the different skills and titles. It feels like there is too much for me to customize.

Positives

The biggest positives that this game has are its story and characters. They are fun and unique and the cut scenes between them have had me laughing out loud. I honestly look forward to seeing how these characters develop.

I also like the environments and the over world encounters. Being able to see an enemy and avoid them is something that I enjoy having in RPG/JRPG games. The environments look nice and I would show images, but I sadly can’t.

Conclusion

As of now I think Tales of Berseria is a decent game. I just feel like it gets held back by overwhelming and confusing the player. It feels like every time you finish a battle you’re bombarded with more information. I’m about 4 + hours into the game and I’m still getting messages popping up. I plan on finishing the game at some point, but it will take a bit since Shin Megami Tensei V is coming out this week. What did you think of Tales of Berseria? Thanks for reading! If you see a mistake let me know.

Reach out to me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/realgamerwithg1

Support the Blog: https://ko-fi.com/H2H03GR23