Tales of Berseria Review - BEST IN YEARS? - Tarks Gauntlet

[@Chileno4Live]

You need more subs, my friend! I really liked this review. You touch all the important stuff, stay spoiler-free (also with the footage, although now I know I get some kind of Skateboard along the way) and you narrate the review with a solid voice that's never boring or awfull to listen to. Great job! I'm around 25 hours into the game now and I like it a lot more than Zestiria. I quit that game when I had to do the element trials, way too boring and the story was a joke.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Zestiria was such a let down! Especially for a long time tales fan like me. Also, if you're at 25 hours I think you can expect some more game changing plot twists to come a long the way. It gets REALLY crazy by the end haha. And thanks! All those kind words definitely go a long way with me. I never expect my channel to get huge where I generally talk about a lot of Niche things that might put a lot of people off, but I do hope the content I make is at least useful for niche gamers like myself haha! Thanks for dropping by! It's greatly appreciated!

[@Chileno4Live]

Tarks Gauntlet I can't say I'm a big tales fan. Besides Zestiria, I've played Tales of Graces F and really enjoyed that game. The story was okay, but the combat was really fun and carried me and my brother through the game. Zestiria was the second Tales game I played and it really disappointed me. Luckily, Berseria saves the series for me. And you're welcome! I'm kind of interested to see what kind of games you cover, so I'll stick around and sub to support ya.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I cover all kinds of stuff but I try to focus on things that don't get talked about a lot or get reviewed unfairly. This leads to talking about a lot of fanservice titles and stuff that other people might cringe at, but really there's a bit of everything. Hell, I even reviewed a dating sim for chicks recently. The near-ish future should have the following games coming up: Nier Automata, Dungeon Travelers 2, and Utawarerumono. If I'm lucky maybe I can finally get around to playing Nioh and god eater 2 soon! So many games, so little time!

[@Jman88933]

Tarks Gauntlet If I may chime in, I rented Tales Of Zestiria since it was latest Tales game on PS3. ( Not counting Beseria's Japan only PS3 version ) But I wanted to come in with a cool mind and try to give this game an open hearted chance than everyone else. And my honest thoughts of Zestiria is that although it's not a bad game by any means, it was clear and obvious to tell that the writers and developers put no heart and soul into the game. I agree with everything you said but the point where I quit the game was the Iris Gem Quests. They were so overwhelmingly annoying and long. How in the Holy hell can Namco Bandai could put out the best to what's arguably the worst in story? The story is what I look forward to in all JRPG's, and I can sum up the entire Zestiria story in two words = Cash In. Again, it wasn't terrible but there was no soul or passion, just an uninspired generic story. And don't even get me started on the typical anime characters. ( Besides Edna, I thought she was pretty cool ) I'm soon going to bring back Zestiria to my public library, and this will now be the first JRPG that I refuse to finish. I don't do average games Namco Bandai, sorry lol. Besides I'll just watch the Zestiria X anime if I will ever get curious about the story.

[@miguelgonzalez6495]

Velvet became one of my favorite female protagonists next to Estelle from Trails in The Sky. It's crazy how insanely strong Velvet is. I feel like you could practically solo the game with just her. Lol

[@TarksGauntlet]

You're not wrong. The game was definitely on the easy side. You could probably solo it but it would take a long time haha.

[@ShyBoy6ty9]

Tarks: "Could she possibly be doing more damage to the world by getting the revenge she seeks?" Me, a long-time God of War fan: Those who've wronged you must pay at any cost.

[@creed22solar123]

Dude, when you made the comparison to Lost Odyssey you dispelled all my doubts. Lost odyssey is really one of the best jrpgs and it is tragic how it never made it only because it was an exclusive. I'll try berseria for sure

[@DevaAshera]

I cried at three times during this game too..so I bet they were the same parts~

[@JaydenAlexander312]

I feel like one of fhe most common comments about this game is “if you’re a Tales series fan who didn’t like Zestiria, try this”. But honestly, I loved Zestiria and I ALSO think Berseria is a fantastic game. ^_^

[@TarksGauntlet]

I never mentioned this in the video, but for the long time fans of the series expect some references! It's not important to get them but long time fans will be happy! They referenced ALMOST every tales game ever made! They even made a reference to Grune in tales of legendia! That surprised me! Also tried REALLY hard to selectively edit this so I don't spoil any of it! Even the intro of the game has some serious spoilerfic stuff! Hope you guys enjoy, feel free to drop me some comments and criticism!

[@jasondp3546]

Tarks Gauntlet this game good I loved Vesperia

[@ptbwf]

Tarks Gauntlet Grune is the only main Tales party member to actually die and never return.

[@donovanchilton5817]

This series is very close to my heart, I've had it installed on my pc since its release and i havent booted it up once. I didnt like Zestiria, at all. This video convinced me to finally play it through.

[@donovanchilton5817]

For the record, I, too rage quit Zestiria.

[@TarksGauntlet]

is your profile pic from the 1 episode of that 70's show that Red got high? If so... that's awesome, and takes me back haha. And yes! Definitely play Berseria. I was losing my faith in the series following Zestiria. So glad I didn't quite give up on it yet.

[@donovanchilton5817]

Yes it is lol and thank you, im starting today.

[@keeysOST]

Found this game along with Vesperia on sale for PS4 right now. Definitely buying this and giving it a try. I've heard a lot about the Tales of games but never played one before. Thank you for the review.

[@ptbwf]

We need a new Tales of the World game. Not only are there a bunch of new Tales games since Graces(the original, not even F), there are also a bunch of new characters in the remakes of old games(like Lody).

[@jackieavocado5634]

My first Tales of game was Tales of Xillia I loved it and I loved Tales of Xillia 2 even more (for to story if I'm being honest), I just bought Tales of Berseria yesterday, and I'm loving it's dark story so far.

[@TarksGauntlet]

The intro is pretty extreme (In a good way.) But just wait.. it's come some serious stuff in store for you later.

[@jackieavocado5634]

Tarks Gauntlet I've read Berserk, I'm ready for this!

[@jackieavocado5634]

I finally finished the game...HOLY SHIT THE GOT SO MUCH DARKER THAN I EVER THOUGHT IT WOULD! I cried like a little bitch during some of the scenes, you probably know the one.

[@vegabuster523]

Zestiria wasnt all that great, but Berseria is fucking great game with deep characters, interesting combat and a really satisfying story with a sympathetic villain. (ARTORIOUS!!!!!). Love the vid and keep up the great work.

[@buttp0under420]

I was completely fine with the large number of skits. When you have a cast as absolute dynamite as Berseria's, you can't really give them too much screen time

[@themexdaniel]

I love this game. Breaks my heart. Velvet is best character!

[@Bonebounder93]

im currently playing it and i love it for its story the gameplay is a little bit repetetive but the animation parts and the story is outstanding

[@awesomieRee123]

Great review! I'm a pretty big Tales Of fan and I've had Berseria in the back of my mind ever since it came out. I finally decided to pick it up upon viewing this video, and I can't wait to get into it. This was definitely a useful review, probably the best I've seen, and I thank you for making it. 😀

[@UiloorDr]

Great review mentioning all the good points and bad points this game has. There is just the soul gauge that needs some extra explanation for new players: You steal one soul from enemies if you either stun them or debilitate them with a status condition like burn, which are chance-based, not HP based. (These chances can be increased by targetting weaknesses, maintaining combos, art usage and equipment.). Because of this debilitating moves like Searing Edge and Shell Splitter give souls quicker than others. Note though that this ALSO works against you: if YOU get stunned or debilitated, YOU lose a soul and the enemy earns one. Getting stunlocked is really bad for you in this game so you have to be careful. Also: the max combo you can perform depends on how many souls you have. If you only have two souls, your max art uses are reduced to 2. This way it becomes a lot tougher to maintain chain damage and stun/debilitate enemies, plus I think you get stunned easier when you have less souls. For this reason you CANNOT spam the hell out of the Break Soul unless you have enough souls to do so or are confident you can regain them in the same combo.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Yeah, I tend to review games only after I beat them. Sometimes by the end I can forget a little bit of stuff from the tutorials and the proper names of things. Especially in longer games like this. I settled on using the word "Bezel" in this video haha.. BEZEL! Who even uses that word? It hardly even fits but it done the trick enough for me to go with it haha. Thank for the comment and for clarifying this a bit. It's much appreciated!

[@precious2060]

Thank you for this review. I've been trying to put off playing this game even if I think it looks amazing because I didn't really like my experience with Tales of Zestiria. Because of that I unfairly associated my experience with Zestiria with what I think I will also get when I play this game. But your review made me optimistic about the game and will now give it a try.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Happy to hear it! Zesteria has burned a lot of us.

[@genefactor007]

The snow plowing bit killed me! Hahaha!!! Amazing review! I just subbed by friend. Loved it!

[@TarksGauntlet]

Thanks man! The snow kills me too but in a totally different way!

[@caleboden5087]

Your reference to lost Odyssey sold me. That was the only game I enjoyed on the xbox. That one definitely hits the feels.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Lost Odyssey hit me harder than this but I feel It's going to take a very long time before anything hits me harder than that game did haha.

[@jjordan7521]

Gold man. Watched this last night and went and picked the game up today. Can't wait to dive in

[@kizunadragon9]

Subscribed, this channel needs more support, great review.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Thanks. I tend to focus on JRPG's and some niche (And fanservicey) titles, but I touch on a bit of everything. I hope you like whatever comes next. I got a busy schedule ahead, but things might be slow for a bit while I get my october video's ready.

[@kizunadragon9]

no worries im always on the lookout for JRPG's to play ill take your recommendations after i watch a few more of your reviews

[@amolsol]

Very nice review. I liked it a lot. Berseria is my top game of 2017. Yes, to any who reads, I played BotW, P5 and Automata. Berseria just surprised me. Not because of Zestiria(which I personally love, but is definitely one of the two weakest entries in the main series. And is one you love, Tarks). But it dared to be different and gave me a story and characters that are difficult to forget. As a long Tales fan myself, I place it as high as Eternia, Destiny, Vesperia and Abyss. A game which is incredible in its own series and one that stands together with other games outside of it. Although, will say I cannot agree with you on the world. I thought, for the most part(not including dungeons), the cities and areas were so beautiful and interesting to look at. I never got bored visiting an area and get mesmerized by its design and vibrant colors. But that is just me. Haha. Either way, enjoyed how you still truly love the game while giving the cons about it. You earned a sub.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Nier Automata is my number 1 but I won't hold it against anybody to put such a great game at the top of their list.

[@amolsol]

Tarks Gauntlet I finished Automata recently. That and P5 were so closed to be number 1. Maybe I'll cheat and do it anyway. Cause 2017 was such a great year for rpgs in general. Been debating it for so long. Berseria is truly special and gives off a magic that you do not see in many other games of the genre as much anymore.

[@decusq]

Thank you! I tried Zestiria at 15 bucks and felt it wasn't worth it. Berseria is a bit of a redemption and the story was top notch for me but like you said i would love to see a Tales game developed FOR the PS4 rather then ported to it, and with the PS4's time coming with the PS5 on the horizon I really think the PS4 needs a new Tales game for it. Awesome review, i agree allot with what you said, the rest were nitpics.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Yeah, I do tend to load some nitpicks into these reviews at times haha. Never as anything that should "Make or break" a decision but just to make note of them. Probably why the video's end up so long haha. I thinking PS5 by 2020. We'll probably get a new tales game early 2019, plus the tales of game being developed for the switch, however I have fears that one is going to be an outsourced project.

[@RalphNC09]

At first it was odd, but the music playing in the background of the video just absolutely nails it.

[@MaxMeandering]

Good review. I didn't enjoy Zestiria very much at all, so I was wondering if Berseria was worth picking up. This review was helpful.

[@monopolyman7116]

have you grabbed berseria yet? how is it?

[@monopolyman7116]

yep i bought it already,its really good so far :D

[@jrreogreugerugregreger7486]

As a fellow Canadian, I feel your pain my friend. Our weather across the entire Country is most certainly its' biggest downfall. Well made review btw. I've been waiting for a spare moment to play this finally and I think the time has come.

[@drehkick32]

Lol those deleted scenes were too funny! Tales of vesperia is by far my favorite title of the series, tales of the Abyss comes at a distant second.

[@sownheard]

The skits where great 🥺

[@Mojoanimeo]

Just wanna say, def not a bitch for crying. And I love that you show that actually. The best games in my memory are ones that pulled the most emotion from me. A good heartfelt cry absolutely means the game was done right. I can't wait to play this. I love Tales of games and was going to play some backlog first before this (Vesperia, Symphonia, Zestiria) But I think I may skip ahead to this one. Great review as always!

[@Musica-zt6ov]

I loved how they had characters like zaveid and eizen who are apart of zesteria in the future

[@TarksGauntlet]

Musica if you dig enough you can find some xillia characters too!

[@Musica-zt6ov]

Tarks Gauntlet dang the only tales of games i haven't played were xillia 1 and xillia 2

[@AleksandarAndreev]

I love so much this review, I feel exactly the same way after I finished the game!

[@shaddapforever]

Agreed with everything you said. Well done

[@annebutnotreally2209]

Friend recommended Tales to me so i've been playing it on my pc. Despite the problems I have (disliking the combat, kats orbs, skits, overwhelming enemies) the story keeps pulling me back to it.

[@davidludwig7501]

Just subbed. Nice reviews. Buying this game today.

[@GallantX70]

Nice review! I think I want to buy Berseria more now! And you said only a very few games made you cry a bit, so you should try Final Fantasy Type 0, it's final scene is VERY sad, unless you have no heart and soul, you will cry A LOT... That being said,mit's also a great fun game!

[@JacaboBlanco]

Tales of arise looks so good. Want to play this before it comes out because I know I won't want to come back if I don't do it now.

[@twopeaksnorth8184]

Great review :) thank you! Love the quick costume change haha ;)

[@danielarnold6825]

Stumbled across this review... Honestly best review I've seen in a LONG LONG time #Subscribed

[@TarksGauntlet]

Wow, Thanks for the compliment! I review a lot of different things here but some of the content might strike you as cringy haha. Regardless I hope you like whatever comes next!

[@SheldonKreger]

I don't think I could handle this one. I just don't have the patience for selling all those items and the dense combat zones. Not my kind of game. Glad to see a bit here though!

[@marialourdesdiocera8525]

I know it's a bit late but since he played on normal mode, playing on chaos gives you much better weapons. Weapons will have 3 to 4 more randomized skill. Battles can get tedious since enemy can stun you easily and kill you if you're not careful. Also, playing on chaos can definitely get you better weapons early on but enhancing them can be a real pain since the materials you need to enhance those weapons are scarce and can mostly be found if you lower the difficulty down to simple. If you don't want to do that, you can just play the mini games and grind there. These materials are expensive in the store and they are very hard to come by. They are required to get the best possible equipment in the game. Battles can be avoided by just using a holy bottle that you can buy at the store. Other than skits, there are sub event bubbles all over the world where you can see a glimpse of what the NPC's think about what's happening and their comments about your group. Some of them are funny and some of them are for side-quests. There are places, dungeons and islands that are optional, not a whole lot to them to be honest except for the post game dungeon which has a story related cutscene , a very important one, at the end after you finish it. It is a very good game. The story is worth sticking around for since the main character does have a fantastic character development. The battle system is pretty fun, to be honest, although it can get tedious sometimes. All in all, I hope you play it despite its flaws. Have a good day.

[@thesvc2006]

dude, killer review. i can't believe i'm just finding your channel. new sub!

[@dombuchanan1986]

keyblade zero what you lying for

[@awakenedsoul2638]

In my opinion, The best tales game released for PC. GREAT REVIEW BUB, KEEP IT UP!

[@Safersephiroth777]

I am currently playing it and yeah the game is amazing. Obviously there are faults. For example the one thing that I hate more is Velvet's costume. Fanservice is good but not that in this case.

[@sortedevaras]

2 years later, still waiting for what they will do next. . .

[@Stewiiiii]

easily the best tales game in years. glad to see im not the only person who cried playing this game. I bet i could guess the exact parts you're talking about as well. i disagree with you on the skits. they really help grow the characters even tho there is probably a little to many of them. great review man i hope your channel takes off.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I like the skits for the most part, but a lot of them kind of felt un-necessary, Given that was one of my only big (Big?) complains about this game I'd say they knocked this one right out of the park! It was amazing! Glad you enjoyed the review!

[@vegabuster523]

I agree

[@eroalduin7305]

Oke i guess im interested now Though not right away cause im just coming out of over 300 hours of persona 5

[@alfaucko]

God, it's a relief to hear you say this one's good! I started with Tales of Xillia and loved it, then played Hearts R and liked it. Then Zestiria.... it's also relieving to know it wasn't just me putting that game down 20 something hours into it. As a collector, I have picked up numerous past titles for different systems, so maybe I'll get around to playing them, someday. Gotta go to work to get games, no time to play them! Plus the avalanche of good shit coming out

[@TarksGauntlet]

It was definitely not just you haha! You're not alone! There's lots of reference to zestiria in this game but they're not necessary to get. Having played about the same amount I did though I think you'll get enough of them.

[@alfaucko]

Good, because I took, like, three hiatuses from that game and kept coming back and finding that I wasn't crazy, it's just that mediocre. I wanted to like it, but there's that cut off point where you have to realize you're trying too hard to like it and that ain't right lol. Thanks for the review, late or not, people can bank on these types to be more authentic!

[@TarksGauntlet]

I jacked the difficulty to max in Zestiria to hopefully spark some more fun in it.. It just wasn't good haha. Thanks for the comments man! Always appreciated!

[@paStLife463]

Play it on a mode harder than Hard and then...talk about how easy it is 😂😉And the point is the game prompts you to play on higher difficulty since the rewards are greater.Great review and I agree that this game made me cry along with Lost Od.

[@joesnider880]

Great review! convinced me to buy it, it was on sale on PSN. Loving it so far glad I listened to ya

[@TarksGauntlet]

I'm glad you're liking it. It can be a tad on the easy side but man is it worth the feels!

[@joesnider880]

Yea the combat- so far- seems pretty easy but I got it bc I'm in need of a game with a great story/characters and you emphasized that as a plus so it was a no brainer buying it. anyway thanks for the review, really insightful and helpful in determining whether or not to purchase a game, and +1 sub.

[@theanimerapper6351]

I don't understand how a complaint about the game can be that it's to easy when there are difficulty options. I get you said you don't have time but then that makes it a you problem not a game problem. Good review other than that, bought this game on sale wish I didn't wait so long to play it. Vesperia will probably be my next game in the franchise

[@TarksGauntlet]

I review the game from the perspective of intended difficulty. Normal. Intended difficulty is too easy. This is important to note in a review so prospective players will know what to set their difficulty level at. Besides, why shouldn't anybody criticize any difficulty level for not being balanced according to its title? Normal is below par for normal difficulty. Seems a fair thing to point out.

[@theanimerapper6351]

@@TarksGauntlet I gotcha that makes sense. This is my first comment on this channel so I didn't want to post anything negative especially on an older video, but that part was just bothering me. Thanks for the clarification

[@TarksGauntlet]

@@theanimerapper6351 No worries dude. Thanks for being cool about it.

[@johnarevalo3450]

Hey. What was the other video game that made u shed a tear? I don't believe u mentioned it. Thanks to your video, I'm really considering buying it. Have u did a review on Trails Of Cold Steel 1 for ps4? I'm gonna start that series soon.

[@734ch3r]

Just wanted to say that I just finished Berseria, my first Tales game. Played over 100 hours, doing nearly all side quests and activities. Playing the game mostly on hard gave the battles more of a threat. On a side note, you didn't mention the mini games, probably because you haven't played them to save time, haha. You didn't miss much, btw.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Nah, I take my time with my games. No real schedule on this channel and I bought the game with my own money at launch, so no need to stick to some review embargo time or anything. Just didn't make it into the script I guess. Sometimes I struggle to decide what needs to be mentioned and what doesn't.

[@kitpack5657]

My main problem with the game comes in the battle system and how it's stuns, at times you can use the high stun chance attacks but get no stuns and then you can get 3 stuns in a row in a different combo but then later be glanced by an attack and get stunned and lose a soul on their first attack and it just get relay annoying.

[@TarksGauntlet]

RNG comes with the territory. It's been like that since the 80's. I really can't think of an rpg that doesn't use it for things like status effects. Status effects almost always have to be X% chance of causing Y status, and if they're not the requirement to cause or receive the status effect would need to be incredibly specific to the point where it'd be hard to make any use of. If it was 100% chance than status effects would be OP and game breaking, if it were 0 they'd obviously be useless.

[@kitpack5657]

I don't mind the RNG I just wish it had a buffer such as a min of 2 hits before at least stun effects can be applied to stop people getting stunned by a stray shot from across the arena and it happens annoyingly often. Just a nice quality of life thing like that would be fine.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Kitpack Guess I never really noticed it as much of an issue honestly. At least not outside of the very last dungeon. There where some beetle type enemies there that were terrible for it.

[@AlexRN]

I liked this game quite well but I’m seriously struggling to think of one scene that could make a man cry. I never even came close to choking up. And this comes from someone who bawled his eyes out with the ending of Final Fantasy XV so crying at a JRPG is not unheard of for me.

[@eaglenebula2172]

lol never noticed the specific target bonus dmg thing with Consuming Claw nor that the enemies' amount of souls being displayed within their lifebar which actually confused me when I read that enemies can either gain or drop during early game hints/tutos. And yes no wonder the game seems easy for you since I started playing it in moderate from the beginning and it still didn't seem that challenging til the fight vs Oscar & Teresa when my brother happened to pass by & told me to try on hard so I did & that's when it starts to feel different, at first it feels like the enemies become exaggeratedly too powerful but I think it had more to do with my lack in exp & equipment but then you get used to it after enough leveling & items acquiring so I can only imagine how it is on normal :p and there're at least 2 more difficulties beyond which I haven't tried tbf. I personally loved the scenery, the visuals & the maps in this game even though it's lower than what the console can offer though that didn't prevent me from *maniacally* taking a *thousand* & half screenshots :') it was really a sight to watch for me, I loved the characters, the gameplay, the ost, the story, the skits & dialogues from npcs & probably many other things, I've spent 100 hours in it, read practically every possible line of text except the ones in the library from the menu & done most of the side stuff but to my surprise missed a couple few things I learnt about on yt and I haven't even maxed out any of the characters nor obtained the most decent of equipment, a big chunk of the time I've spent on the game went on touring & sighting, reading npcs' dialogues and wondering which was the least garbage equipment I should wear :p The only 2 or 3 things, as far as I can remember, that I can reproach this game for are how annoying the dependence on souls for attacks can be leaving you useless without, def one of the worst mechanics I've had to face in games and the garbage equipment & stats that you get most of the time even though you can dismantle them and enhance other ones but I couldn't rely much on that seeing the required components without having to go back on tracks to grind enough of them. I also agree that most of the dungeons and several areas feel rather empty or dull, I don't mean necessarily in aesthetics but rather in terms of content & what you can do around. Finally the ending left a huge void inside of me :c Overall Berseria is the first of the series that I've played and is def one my favorites games ever, I def loved it alot I was even willing to replay it again on game+ but unfortunately I don't have enough time so I opted for trying a diff game for a diff experience and that's FFXV :) Also I think it's a bit of a shame that such wonderful game didn't get as much attention from players around the world as it ought :/ def a game I'd recommend 👌

[@noelrobles960]

Not sure if it was your review but after seeing a few I was sold on the game and I gotta say I dont regret it one bit. There was a certain scene that also made me shed a tear and just afterwards a huge laugh when I talk to a nearby npc that says... ""Can you leave me alone for a while? Dont want anyone to see me cry"" Lolz... even npcs cried, very funny. Awesome game, playing it normal for the story but im going back in a 2nd time on Insane, the game deservers that much, probably use other chars too, been only controlling velvet and magi against heavy casters

[@thatmotivatedchris6749]

(12:35) Yesterday I spent 40 whole minutes just deciding which armor weapon and Talisman I should keep because it were thousands of the same thing but then there's a skill which I didn't want to get rid off and then the stats I was trying to find the perfect Armory for every character but that's just a pain to grind through it's basically the whole reason why I drop nioh but I'm not dropping this one

[@AleksandarAndreev]

I also loved "Lost Odyssey", but I wished that there were a bit of twist of showing another higher level more scary antagonist after defeating the obvious one

[@nyc.shyeee]

the thumbnail do be kinda lit tho

[@tajaefindley7678]

this might be 3 years late but thanks for the review got the game right after

[@TarksGauntlet]

Steam sale? It's hard to argue with the price they got it on for now!

[@Zaero111]

passionate enough to cry over a jrpg? subbed!

[@TarksGauntlet]

Man, some of these games really get to you. This one crushed me in a couple places. This is just the first JRPG I had that reaction on camera haha.

[@ajtstvandmusicarchivechann1585]

Great review. Id love to see you do a review on other tales of games. Like symphonia and see how well the older ones hold up.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I'd be massively bias towards symphonia! haha. I beat that game 6 times back to back when it first came out. Still one of my favorite stories in the series and I love lloyds fighting style. That said, there's no "Free running" in battles and adjusting to that again would be a tad tough.

[@ajtstvandmusicarchivechann1585]

Tarks Gauntlet dang dude. 6 times thats crazy. Im a newcomer to the tales games. (Picked up vespetia a few months back and loved it. ) and i want to know how well the old ones hold up

[@TarksGauntlet]

When the game came out I was a lot younger than I am now. I had a lot more free time and a lot less games haha. Really I think most of the Tales of games hold up pretty well. Only ones I just can't get into are Zesteria and Symphonia 2: Dawn of the New World. Mind you the first 3 games are radically different than the rest. They're all sprite based and have 2d, side-on combat systems. Still love them though. If you're looking into the older 3d games Abyss and Symphonia are really high recommendations. Graces F has a great battle system but not my favorite story. Vesperia is probably one of the best all-around games, but Berseria I think is the best Tales of Game since vesperia. Good story, good characters, good world and a good battle system. It has a few issues but nothing crazy.

[@ajtstvandmusicarchivechann1585]

Tarks Gauntlet do you know if the ps3 port is flawed? I do not own a gamecube but i wanted to play symphonia.

[@Pluschan]

You are a man of culture, you like danganronpa and tales of!! my new fave reviewer

[@Jman88933]

Congratulations on earning yourself another subscriber! I loved the way you did this review and it makes me all the more excited to buy this game....if I had a PS4. I'm stuck on PS3 and I'm broke XD. And the PS3 version is Japan only. Rotten luck for me. But overall, I loved this review and I can't wait to see your content throughout the future of your channel.

[@Iychoenk]

6:29 where did you got that outfit?

[@JuJuTy-WintryWindow412]

You said “Everyone in your group has a tragic or nefarious backstory, well what about Elenor? Rokuro literally says she has a pure soul ‘out of the other exorcist’, so what’s her dark past other than a dead mother?

[@TarksGauntlet]

I guess her crisis kind of unfolds in real time as the story goes along. But she was literally a victim of indoctrination and conscription forced to fight for something she didn't truly believe. However she didn't have the perspective to understand the beliefs she held weren't actually her own and was unable to come to grips with that until meeting the main cast. Her whole life was basically a lie up until that point and grappling with that fact certainly fits the bill to me. It's not the general kind of tragedy you can sum up in a sentence and leave an impact with, but looking at her life holistically it's certainly tragic.

[@pablosanches4975]

Note on the souls...You gain souls by inflicting status effects and stuns...Also perfect dodges can as well.

[@artminusme]

My dream mothership Tales of game for namco bandis next outting would have: #1 Art Style/Graphics Engine/World Design in the same vain as Tales of Vesperia but evolved (TOV still the best looking HD Tales game to date) #2 The same writing team from Tales of the Abyss. (Best story in any Tales game, plot & character wise) #3 A RETURNING WORLD MAP/LAND & SEA AIRSHIP ALA TOV & TOTA!!! PLEASE I BEG YOU NAMCO BANDI I NEED THIS!!! #4 Portraited skits brought back. Fully voice acted of course. #5 Keep Production IG for the anime cutscenes they do good stuff. #6 Gameplay/Combat a mixture of Graces f & Tales of the Abyss #7 Completely new sound design team & composer. I think this above anything else has been the key factor on why the Tales series has not completely broken the western market compared to FF, Persona, KH, Pokemon etc. #8 Main theme by j-pop group supercell (Example: The Bravery by supercell) #9 Time management in creating a unforgettable antagonist. Tales of games do astounding with it's main cast & NPC characters but I feel on the antagonist side they have lost their way in the more recent titles. #10 A Fox as a mascot character... Drops mic...

[@TarksGauntlet]

Art Minus Me I agree with all of this. Although I love motoi sakurabas osts I'd love to see go shiina have another shot of it.

[@artminusme]

Tarks Gauntlet Thats a good shout, I'd be down for another Go Shiina ost. Great review btw bud, looking to start up reviews myself, definitely going to catch up and watch the rest of ur videos. I can relate to your Canadian weather living in Vermont lol

[@TarksGauntlet]

Art Minus Me oh boy. Be careful clicking around this channel. Half of its niche RPGs the other half is niche... Other stuff lol.

[@artminusme]

Tarks Gauntlet Im All About That!

[@BigBossCQCLegend]

Great Editing and Review I Subscribe

[@Musica-zt6ov]

Good review dude you earned a sub

[@mikkozak]

Great review! Subbing immediately.

[@SymphoniaFly]

I didn't like the skits in this game as much as other Tales games either. For me, it had nothing to do with the writing of them. I watched all the ones that came up and enjoyed the majority of them, but there were three things about them that really bothered me and I hope don't make a return in the next game. 1) They were too long most of the time. In other Tales games they were short and sweet, but here they just seem to go on and on... Sometimes it works to the skit's advantage. I remember one of my favorite skits was when Rokurou had Kurogane make a bunch of coins that had heads on both sides in an attempt to get Eizen to land on heads for once, and it was really amusing to see all the things that went wrong with it. I literally just had a big smile on my face the entire time that skit played. But for most of the others, the length wasn't necessary and could easily have been trimmed down. 2) I don't like how sometimes you're forced into skits while walking around. If they were important to the plot, I could understand, but a lot of the time they weren't. It was really annoying when I was walking around and trying to get to the next place only to suddenly stop and be forced into a skit. One of the best things about them is that they're optional, so please don't force me into them, game! 3) I really didn't like how they use the skits for actual story cutscenes. It just feels kind of lazy to me. I'm hoping that it's the result of the limitations of the engine or the PS3. I can tell that the graphics are much better than the last games using this engine, so I'm hoping that as a result of them pushing the graphics more, and the fact that it's also for the PS3, they just had to use the skit graphics for some scenes in order to not push it too hard. Hopefully next time it goes back to keeping the skit graphics in the skits and use the character models for story related scenes. I also agree that it was a bit too easy on normal mode, and hope the higher difficulties are a bit harder. And I also really hope they use a different graphics engine next time and then don't reuse it for, like, the next three games like they did with this one. XD I have a feeling that most of the location designs and dungeon designs are as a result of the engine. Maybe I'm wrong, since I know nothing about desiging a game, but I hope that's the case so they can be better in the next game. Other than that, I really loved this game. Definitely a huge improvement over Zestiria. I didn't really hate Zestiria like others do, but I definitely think it's one of the worst games in the series. I honestly think that Dawn of the New World was better than it. XD But it did have a lot of things I liked too. I liked the world it built, I liked the music, and I liked most of the characters, with the exception of one (*cough* Rose *cough*). Oh, and I loved Sergei. Favorite side character right there. Freaking loved that guy. XD

[@TarksGauntlet]

Agree with all points. The skits did tend to come off as filler/padding a lot of the time. They seemed to have gone with quantity over quality. I'd prefer they kept 1/3rd of the skits and put the money they saved into making the towns feel a little more alive. And I know the exact skit you were talking about. it was one of my favorites too! This is the last Tales game they're making on this engine so we'll see what comes next. When they did have cutscenes some of theme were bad-ass. I remember some really cool choreographed fight sequence so I'd definitely love to see more of that.

[@bunker70]

verry good review man!!! keep it up!

[@tiedtothetracks6758]

You just sold me on this game. Brandi Namco should hook you up

[@EXHellfire]

I have just one question. As someone who loved Symphonia, Abyss and Vesperia, but hated Graces f, Xillia, Xillia 2 and Zestiria, does this game have anything for me?

[@EXHellfire]

looks like you talk about that instantly into the video xd

[@flariz4824]

I played Zestiria a couple of years ago and only recently beat Berseria. Good story and cast, not so good on the combat side of the things. Unfortunately Zestiria has it beat in that department by quite a mile. Still a decent game though, especially if you are a story person. If you are focused on gameplay like me then... its alright for 1 playthrough, not much more- Huge contrast with Zestiria which I did 3 playthroughs because, despite some of its flaws, the game was damn fun to play. With Berseria I cant even force myself to start a 2nd playthrough. Too much backtracking (You REALLY could have let us keep the faster travel in NG+..) and the combat is IMO rather dull, easy and repetitive, plus the gimmick (Souls) not a fan of it. Basically, years from now on I will fondly remember Berseria’s characters and story, but I will remember Zestiria when it comes to actual gameplay/combat. (And the OST. Yet another thing Zesty beat Berseria on)

[@TarksGauntlet]

Zesterias ost had some really strong tunes. Iirc, they were mostly courtesy of Go Shiina

[@Jack-nj9pi]

Glad others enjoyed this game but I just couldn't get through the battle system there was so much wrong with it compare to the previous entrys that ticked me off, the small and lack luster fields and dungeons were a snooze, and lastly the lack of real treasure chest and hidden items was the final straw for me. Very surprised you compared the story to lost odyssey night and day for me but hey I've seen folks bash on the latter and I've never understood that.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Luis F My only comparison to lost Odyssey was that both games had emotional enough story segments to choke me up. The nature of the stories in the games are quite different. And your criticisms are fair. What works for some people won't work for all. I liked the battle system but it's not my favorite in the series, and it also tends to make you a bit op.

[@trueblueclue]

>Wears swimsuit to see Velvet's legs. Man of culture gets a like. Good video though.

[@Lacoste9277]

I don't know... I kind of found the ending foreseen. I am not going to say anything other than that, those who played the game and disagree I guess we could have a discussion. But I honestly do think it was foreseen which made the ending a little less impactful to me as it could have been.

[@kmartdamien89]

What is the play order from the 3 games avil on ps4?

[@TarksGauntlet]

Zesteria and Berseria are connected but you'd be fine to skip zesteria. In fact, I'd even recommend it. Zesteria was quite a let down. Vesperia is completely unrelated. It's a bit older so it could take some time getting used to how it does things but after the first couple hours you can easily fall into rhythm with it. So ultimately, between the 2 worth playing, it's really just up to what ever catches your attention.

[@kmartdamien89]

@@TarksGauntlet Awesome alright then I guess I'll skip Zesteira I found the definitive edition of Vesperia I think start with that and move on to Berseria

[@aewilliams1171]

Great review! I've only played Symphonia, its sequel, Vesperia, and part of Abyss, but Berseria has the best story so far. I love how much in the grey area it is by having me question the motives of both sides, yet also understand why. That's some great storytelling there! I'm currently doing the remaining side missions before the endgame and while the story is great, this is far from a perfect game. I personally find the battle system boring and the dungeons to be way too big; exploring gets quite exhausting after a while. I do like the skits but they can be a bit long and don't need to be so close together. The game does feel too easy, especially when you can be nearly ten levels above the main bosses without much grinding. By the way, are there any other Tales games you recommend? I'm curious about Xilia (after encountering a certain someone) and Zestiria (since it's connected to Berseria),.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Vesperia is really high on my recommendations but you already hit that. For the gameplay Graces F has a really good combat system, but if you can get used to how much more dated Abyss is, the story is worth finishing.

[@aewilliams1171]

Thank you. I love playing Vesperia, it's so much fun! I'm still wary about Tales of the Abyss, mainly because I can't stand Luke.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Yeah, it's part of his character development that he starts as a bit of an ass-hat. I think most people feel you on that one.

[@kosterix123]

ok you got me at Nefarious. I wanted to say Shut up and take my money, but is it on switch?

[@ihearvoices9301]

I never played a tales game before..thinking about buying berseria will I enjoy the story or should I play the other ones to get the full story???

[@TarksGauntlet]

You don't need to play any other game. This is connected to tales of Zesteria, but honestly that game can (And should) be skipped entirely. You won't miss anything.

[@xxhuntressx]

I never played a tales game before either, and Berseria is my first one! I really, really enjoyed the game a LOT more than I thought I would. I have a lot of good things to say about it, but I think it's best to just experience the game yourself :) It was $20 on steam, and I definitely got more than my money's worth.

[@Synathidy]

LOL at the end.

[@GreatGrandmasterWang]

It's ok to cry because of video games.

[@gilgamesh310]

I'm about 15 hours into this game, and I like it, but like you, I also find it to be ridiculously easy. I'm playing it on the moderate difficulty, and I'm wondering if I should bump it up to hard. I liked the story, but I don't find it too amazing so far. I like the grey morality aspect of it, but Velvet's constant cries for revenge, can get a bit old. Stories being heavily based around revenge, can end up feeling very simple. Unless they break off into being about other things like the Legacy of Kain series does, which is brilliantly written. I'm not that far in though, so who knows how I'll feel by the end. Interesting tonsee that you're a leg man, like me, too. I don't have that swimsuit yet, but will probably dress Velvet with it when I do. I had Rebecca in The RE0 remaster in the cheerleader outfit for most of the game, lol.

[@TarksGauntlet]

The characters will definitely pull your through. Trust me when I say if you can get invested in the story there's gonna be some major gut punches to the emotions. If boosting it to hard keeps you engaged long enough to see this by all means do it. I was in a similar situation to you with Tales of Zesteria. But when I put that on hard it still couldn't save it. Lastly, I'm not so much a leg man as I am a "Just about everything" man haha. Though I'm an ass-man first and foremost. The other games I've played lately though just desensitized me to the ass-and-titties for a bit. Gotta mix it up some :P

[@frit-yawfsaga3348]

I’d like to see a tales or trails game for the Nintendo switch myself... nothing self serving it’s just my only system and I love the games a lot......

[@TarksGauntlet]

Frit-yawf Saga apparently there's a tales game in development for switch but until I know more I don't want to get excited. It could be another outsourced title like symphonia 2 was.

[@vegabuster523]

I want a Combo port of Symphonia and Abyss on the Switch. I would but that's instantly!!!!!!

[@frit-yawfsaga3348]

Tarks Gauntlet Mm yea the last I looked it said sometime in 2019......🤔 though that was from a questionable sight so🤪🤔🤔🤔 As to any concrete data regards the game..... is not found much of anything😩 if it’s a port?... I really hope it’s one of the better ones! “ not like tales of hearts please 👻” a new one would be nice though........ as to my personal wants etc.. solid in depth gameplay, good combat, really good story, solid character development, good graphics,and I’d honestly really really like voice acting for the full game! not just bits a pieces of it. ”good replay value would always be welcome “ granted it’s a stretch but it would just be my preference and definitely something that would get me to buy the game.....

[@TarksGauntlet]

You know, I still liked Hearts R for what it was. The battle system was a lot of fun to me. But the story and characters... ugh. A lot of the characters were ruined by one of the worst translations in the history of the franchise though. My wants for a new game are similar to yours. I'm flexible on the amount of voice acting. I'd honestly like them to bring back the old style over-worlds and maybe scale back on the skits and add more sidequests instead.

[@frit-yawfsaga3348]

Tarks Gauntlet yea the tales of hearts R was a fun game..... and I agree with your points regards the game. And my wants for a new game in the switch are same.... I really hope I see something when E3 comes around

[@mandoloriansoju3841]

You need to check out Persona 5

[@TarksGauntlet]

I know I do haha. I just don't know when or if I'll ever be able to. So many games and I want to play them all, but I also have to pick my time sinks wisely. When I do get around to it though I have my doubts I'd review it. The game already has mega exposure and I'd probably have nothing new or unique to say about it haha.

[@eriol33]

I am currently playing this, this game surely has a lot of fanservice. Although velvet is a good character, I think his outfit is just sexily too weird for the quest of her revenge.

[@Hamburger-Gaming86]

you remind me of a youtuber i used to watch for reviews years ago called zietgiest :)

[@captawesome42]

Zestiria was definitely a step down but I enjoyed the cast so much that it carried it over the numerous issues the rest of the game had. A tales game lives and dies by its cast in my experience

[@Sam-tw5jn]

Not sure if this is already answered. But if I may ask, why is your play through of this game privatised? I was quite interested in watching them. ^^

[@TarksGauntlet]

Oh.. Did I plug my playthrough? It was my first live stream in full and the quality was just pretty bad with some rather annoying technical issues so I took it down. Sorry.

[@Sam-tw5jn]

Tarks Gauntlet ah I see, alright ^^. great video by the way :)

[@TarksGauntlet]

Thanks! Sorry about the missing stream! But other people definitely have better playthroughs haha

[@animenerd453]

Yeah at the harder difficulty consuming claw is less op

[@GonzaloMartinRamos]

Armatization (SP?) aside, any reason you guys didn't like Zestiria? While not my favourite, I still enjoyed it - Prior to Zestiria I played Tales of Xillia and Tales of Graces F, and really enjoyed both. I actually liked some aspects of Zestiria better, like how you'd get "clues/pointers" from your party as to where to go next - in previous games figuring out what to do next on a side quest was some times cryptic, or required you to remember the whereabouts of some random NPC. Anyway, going to be picking this up now that's on sale on PSN for the Golden Week.

[@TarksGauntlet]

There was a few things. The biggest detriments would be that I found the characters and world to be boring. Sorey felt like an abombination to me. I'd rather Mikleo be the lead but I digress. I found dungeons boring as well, and battle just wasn't rewarding. I tried putting it on the hardest difficulties I could to draw me in and it just didn't work. The story wasn't the worst thing in the world but it was slow and relatively underwhelming and I found myself battling with the camera more than the enemies. Honestly the whole game just felt like it was developed by "The B team" or something. Like a bunch of juniors worked on it. In 20 years (Roughly) of playing tales games this was only the second one to let me down. And while it wasn't a huge departure from the original formula like DOTNW was I really don't see how they could have managed this. Just an over-all cheapness to the game I guess. None of the NPC's in the game move, can't go in half of the buildings or talk to most people. Just felt lazy. Berseria had a lot of those problems too but they made up for it in many other areas. You should check out some of the earlier tales games. Try Abyss if you have a ps2 or 3ds, or even the HD port of symphonia. Vesperia too on 360. Honestly zestiria was the lowest point in the series for me in a long time. I may be harder on it than necessary because the series is so close to my heart but I've come to find I'm definitely not alone in how I feel about it. I wish I could enjoy it as much as some others but I just really couldn't lol.

[@GonzaloMartinRamos]

Thanks for the reply Tarks. It's crazy how different people can be! I would maybe have to play the game again, but while I agree Sorey was not an engaging protagonist, I absolutely abhorred Mikleo, to the point I'd use "cosmetic" items to make him look as ridiculous as possible... I know, I'm a child... lol. To me the story was just "ok", perhaps the lowest point to it was the whole Sorey/Mikleo relationship. It's like they tried for something deep and meaningful and (at least to me) failed miserably. As for combat, I didn't hate armatization, but I certainly didn't care for it...it was more of a "why is this a thing?" kinda feeling. The camera was indeed awful at times, and the dungeons did feel dull - although I kinda get that feeling with other Tales as well. They always feel too boxy and limited. I much rather be fighting enemies "outside" in the open field. Perhaps I have different expectations for the series, since I mainly play them for some "relax/chill out" time - a welcome change from the hectic FPS and more punishing games like the Souls series. As for playing previous tittles, I might take your advice on that - although I must say I find it very hard to play "old" games. I have a very difficult time getting past the dated graphics and animations. I do not own a PS2 or 3DS, but I still have my trusty PS3 so I might check out the Symphonia HD port. Anyway, again - thank you for taking the time to reply, I'm always up for a friendly discussion/exchange of opinions.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Haha. Yeah, we had different reactions to Mikleo haha. I just found he was really similar to some older characters so I just got used to him. If they kept making new souls games I would never take a break from them :P But I'm not much of an FPS guy. And i get where your coming from on it being hard to play some older games (Ever go back and try goldeneye again?) I feel the tales series peaked at vesperia. It dipped a bit with games that were still good like Xillia 1 and 2. Graces F I wasn't huge on but it hit it's low point with zestira and Beseria for me was a HUGE up swing. Most engaging game since the second generation of tales games. I feel like we're in the 3rd gen now. Generation 1 was Snes-Ps1, Gen 2 was PS2 +Vesperia, Gen 3 is when we hit Graces F and the graphics style changed until now. If you play on PC at all I think Symphonia HD is on there as well and you can probably get it SUPER cheap. A lot of people consider it the best of the series, and while I do think it's great I think a lot of those people hold the opinion because of nostalgia, but yeah, we won't always share opinions or points of view. Different opinions make the world go round man, all I care about is if somebody is enjoying the game they're playing. Even if it's not really worth much to me, I'm happy to see it's worth something to somebody.

[@jaye5716]

You play as Not guts to take revenge on not Griffith taking on a loli mage, a noble blood knight, not a totally shota casca, Then Rokuro and Eizen. No but seriously this game caught me off guard, seeing how it was related to zestria i thought i was gonna have to rely on that awful complicated crafting system and underwelming and ugly looking combat system. BUT NOPE! This was as fluid feeling as symphonia and vesperia and rebirth! Combos and artes are finally visibly pleasing again even the magic! (Somewhat) fields are still beautiful zestria can fortunately relate and characters are amazing! Thank goodness for this game!

[@GTPRIME209]

Great review_✍️

[@JohnDoe-ly6bt]

great review! other reviewers better put some respeck on your name!

[@dukenukem7043]

have u played arise yet

[@TarksGauntlet]

50 hours into it right now.

[@dukenukem7043]

@@TarksGauntlet hell yeah, i'm about 45, on the last level now. can't believe how high budget it turned out to be

[@TarksGauntlet]

@@dukenukem7043 After the wedge dropped I got sidetracked for 6 hours doing sidequests only to realize a good chunk were still way out of my level range haha. Should finish the game in the next couple days but will continue after the credits roll to tackle all the optional bosses. They definitely offer a challenge!

[@MarxasThomas]

Velvet aka black haired Milla!

[@TarksGauntlet]

Yeah, My fiance says that a lot too haha. Milla's body was kind of repurposed, but when you find her in game she looks different enough to velvet I think.

[@Aschera]

i liked zestiria's combat... i cant go back to it after playing berseria though. :|

[@NormanReaddis]

I wish we can have a tales of game with the storm esthetics cc2 treament Imagine the boss battles And animations, cutscenes and effects, it will be the most fluid tales of game ever High ougis will have real battlefield backgrounds It's going to be expensive tho but i've been dreaming about it and need to tell someone 😁