Tales of Vesperia | Revo Reviews

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

Tales of Vesperia is definitely a great game and I get why people say it's their favorite, there are certain parts of Vesperia that I think are the peak in the series, but Abyss is still my personal favorite. I'd say Vesperia is arguably a more fun game to play, but I think Abyss is a better overall package, particularly in regards to the writing. I don't think the story in Vesperia is bad, but it fell flat for me and I think you nailed it on the head why, it felt confused, it was building up towards one theme and then it just pivots for seemingly no reason. I think the reason why this happened is because some key members left during development and clearly their absence negatively affected the plot. I agree the combat is great, but I think a problem with it , is that it takes a long time before it gets really good and the game doesn't do a good job of explaining how deep ti is either. My first playthrough, I went through most of the game not knowing how to incorporate altered artes in my combos, not realizing I needed specific skills to really make use of them. I appreciate the depth and that it didn't try to hold the player's hand, but I think it's a little *too* hands off in that regard. Overall solid review!

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah i feel that. it definitely could've explained more in the form of tutorials. a lot of information's in the battle book but who the heck reads the battle book lol

[@sometwithtoomuchfreetim3842]

Daniel Santos i do think Graces F’s childhood deserves criticism as well for having pretty much nothing to do as far as the combat was concerned but it is a valid complaint regardless

[@Tim48367]

Symphonia

[@shadowslash932]

Just bought this game a few months back. I am now on the final few hours of the game. I absolutely love it. Yuri is one of my favourite protaginists of all time.

[@marcosvargas4712]

The ever first game I've played that got me into the series and still love it through this day, what a legend this masterpiece was :3

[@JetblackJay]

I didn't notice Judith's new Voice I noticed yuri I didn't know side characters were also effected

[@JapanFreak2595]

Took me until after I had already beat the game to notice Yuri's and even longer after that to notice Judith. Well it's a good thing I didn't notice at all during my first playthrough.

[@boltinabottle6307]

I thought Rita's new lines were by far the worst.

[@petertilton7004]

@@JapanFreak2595 Yuri was voiced by Grant George, who was Sigurd in FEH. As far as Judith's new va gpes, I don't even know who voiced her originally.

[@theoaremevano3227]

Concerning the shift in impressions on this game I think it does have a lot to do with how the game locks a lot of skills. Not just backstep, but other things some players swear by like Guard Artes. While it's arguable that players need to take initiative with learning combat, Vesperia may have overdone it with being restrictive in the early game. Some special features like Fatal Strike and advanced levels of overlimit are fine to add in later, because they're flashy, special additions to your toolset. Other skills, however, are things that affect the basic mechanics of how you can transition between actions and change the basic rules of the game you start out with. Taking a long time to unlock these can mean players have to get through a significant amount of content dealing with those limitations. Since there obviously aren't direct tutorials for all of these changes, a lot of players would be likely to play through the whole game under the restrictions that they started with. There's a tricky thing when it comes to learning in games and that's pattern recognition. Humans naturally follow any patterns they notice and in a lot of games if you have really obvious "Tutorial Time" moments, people will expect the game to be pretty heavy-handed about any new mechanics, especially ones that have a significant effect on the game. Vesperia has a few and some of them happen pretty far into the first Arc, but it also has a ton of little additions that are easy to overlook. Some skills have virtually no effect on how the game plays, only raising stats and such, but others can totally change things about how the game works and break some of those restrictions players are already used to and that they probably assumed they were just a part of the game's balancing. I played through my 360 copy of Vesperia probably more than any other title thus far, and I picked up a few things, but despite having an avid interest in learning combat, I don't feel like I ever really got Vesperia's extra mechanics without having them directly explained and subsequently troubleshooted by someone; (like "Hey, this doesn't seem to be working" "Oh you have to ......." etc.) I'll admit that Vesperia's heavy focus on aggressive combo building isn't initially my thing since I aim for more defensive tactics a lot and Vesperia really just feels like defense was tacked on, but I do feel like I've played other action games where learning deeper mechanics felt like a more natural process. I fully agree with there needing to be a limit on SP so you can't just equip all skills. What's the point in picking and choosing in the first place if you can just use all of them? XD And everything else in the game I love quite a bit. Even in regard to the third arc, I do love how it begins with Yuri alone. That was a fun part to play through. I think the new voices for the side characters are a lot more distracting than the main characters. I'm surprised you didn't show Leblanc which was just "did the VA director even listen to this character beforehand?" Grant on the other hand sounds pretty solid. At the beginning he sounded like "Yuri, but in a slightly better mood" and by the time I got to Torim Harbor (which is where I put the game on hold R.I.P. :/ ) it was getting tough to tell the difference. I feel like they got the voice dialed in well even though its a bummer they weren't willing to spend the money getting Troy back.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

leblanc's voice was actually different in the 360 original in some of the scenes! the game had that problem even back then and it was hella jarrring haha. but i get the issues with vesperia not teaching enough. reading these comments is making me realize that the game probably should've explained a bit more than it did but that satisfaction of figuring it out simply hasn't been matched yet which is what made me fall for the game as hard as i did. and i feel that there's still a ton to love even without all the fancy cancels and guard artes - just playing with the super chains is so hype and taking that extra step further even more so. i have a lot of patience so the game taking its time opening up didn't bother me as much but i can see the other side of the argument very clearly with you all's input especially and i appreciate it!

[@acgon]

I started to play this game with a friend some time after have finished Zestiria (my first Tales game) and started Berseria, and my biggest complain was the battle system that felt too limited compared to these other 2. Vesperia is so beatiful and has great characters, but I simply could not extend any combos to more than 4 hits and mix the artes so I just thought that it was really impossible until I come to this video and realize that things just don't work the exactly same way. Now I feel like I should get back as soon as possible to try new things.

[@georgef6573]

Its an older game from like 2008-2012. Its good for its time. If you go to it thinking its like something else you wont enjoy it as much

[@SkippytWalrus]

Vesperia is my favorite among pretty much all of them for it's battle system. Maybe because i can just mindlessly mash out 100 hit combos, (mostly due to the definitive editions access to end game materials) but still it's really fun

[@acgon]

@@SkippytWalrus I played the game some more after making this comment, but I still don't enjoy much it's combat system

[@SkippytWalrus]

@@acgon aww, sorry you don't like it much.

[@zeehero7280]

My main issue is how you get interrupted by 1 damage from anything with zero immunity to being interrupt spammed during any arte animations.

[@MageLufaine]

Even though I started with Berseria, I've been really enjoying my time with Vesperia and I've loved a lot about it (I think it helps I went back to games like Symphonia before starting it so the jump to the older combat wasn't too much). My one issue that I wish the DE had done something to fix was the missable sidequests. Even with a guide I accidentally sailed to a part of the world that continued the story and couldn't go back onto the boat and do the sidequests that I had missed and it was a little upsetting knowing I'd missed stuff (although this is a big issue in old JRPGs in general).

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah the sidequests are hella strict, maybe even a little too strict, but hey they're optional so can't hate that aspect too much personally

[@GamersNetworkCentral]

As always, I pretty much agree with everything you say here. Vesperia is my favorite game of all time so naturally I love it to death. Glad you didn't ignore the voicing issues of Definitive Edition. The FPS issues you mention are definitely not present in the PC version if you've got a solid PC which is a blessing. As far as your comments on Act 3 of the story go, I agree, for the most part. I don't necessarily think the plot of Act 3 was at fault though. It makes sense to me that the party has to come together as a more unified group in the end, even though they all had their individual motivations. It's one of the things that makes me like this cast so much more than Berseria's, because I feel like Berseria's cast doesn't have as natural of a coming together by the end of the story. I think having to clean up after Alexei's mess still plays into the idea of justice, because even though they defeated him, someone still has to clean up after his mess and what he caused. I think the storytelling of Part 3 is what's largely at fault. It doesn't move quickly, feels like a fetch quest, and is pretty brief. If they had elaborated upon it a bit more, I think it would've worked nearly perfectly as a unification of the party and resolving the plot as a hole, because the game definitely builds up to a couple of things happening if technology continues in the way it's going. Maybe I'm in the minority on that but I honestly found the slowest and most tedious part of the game the early stages of Part 2 because basically none of it makes sense and by the time it does make sense, you've forgotten it happened in the first place. Edit: Something I wanted to add about the gameplay as well is that, often in newer titles, you aren't punished for spamming the same arte repeatedly and it's pretty boring because it's a very valid way to play the games. Frankly, that's kinda lame. Moral: we love Vesperia's combat. As always, though, love the video, great work, keep it up! Don't be afraid to slow down on these bigger projects, though, I know a lot of us also appreciate the more casual Zaffre streams games and stuff too.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

wow, great taste and nailed it as usual. that's a good perspective of act 3 though and a good way of putting it, i just wish thematically it was more in-line with how things were originally because the writing was some top notch stuff. also thanks for telling me to slow down, i needed to hear that lol. been pushing myself a bit as of late, so it's good to be reminded that it's okay to take things slower. streaming will make a return!

[@jetstar157]

To this day, I still consider Vesperia to be one of the best Tales games in the entire series. I have always loved its combat system and found it to be very engaging, satisfying, and fun. It's arguably one of my favorite battle systems in the entire series and you explained it all very well. And come on, how could anyone NOT love Yuri freaking Lowell?? He's one of the most popular protags and overall character in the entire series! Vesperia is in my top three of favorite Tales games (Symphonia being my first & forever all-time favorite, followed by Abyss). I do agree with you that the third act in the game falls flat, but it didn't take away from the overall experience I had playing this game. Vesperia is a Tales game I can always return to and enjoy no matter how long its been, and that's why I'm so thankful it got a re-release with the Definitive Edition. The cast, the combat, the story, the memories, EVERYTHING about Vesperia made me fall in love with it. And we definitely can't forget the cameo battles! I can understand how it may be hard for some of the newer fans to the series to fall back to the old combat systems of previous Tales game, and I understand this doesn't imply to all new fans. However, I LONG for the old nostalgic style of previous Tales games. Don't get me wrong, I love the newer games and all the new mechanics and combat systems, but there'll always be something about the older games' style and combat mechanics that will forever have a soft spot in my heart. Wow, this got long. Excellent review as always Zaffre. I know I can always count on you to give my absolute favorite game series of all time the love and attention it deserves.

[@Muggshotter]

I remember picking up Vesperia five years ago for X360 when I was looking to get into some new game (franchise). Up until that point my library mostly consisted of action games, fighting games, a couple J-RPGs and plenty of Monster Hunter. This might be "first game bias" talking, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the colorful look (that warm orange menu, dude), existence of features like skits and AI strategies and combat taking inspiration from fighters. There were so many things that this game was executing properly, corroborated by the cast of characters. Yuri and Estelle bounce off of each other in a very adorable way and the skits made me realise I want these characters to interact with each other more. All the traveling they did, all the nights they spent at inns and campsites really let me in on the journey, it's like they're one big family in a way. That's why I'm willing to let Chapter 3's direction slide, the game already sold me these characters over the course of 50+ hours. And if I wanted to indulge myself in gameplay desires, there were the combos like you said in the video. Learning how individual artes, overlimit, Fatal Strike and baiting enemy recoveries work are all features I wish future titles kept around in the same fashion. The skill system and ALL the synthesising scratched that Monster Hunter itch too. It's pure heaven no matter where I looked. Importing the PS3 version after the credits rolled on 360 version was probably the single best purchase I made that same year. The language barrier wasn't too big of a deal, I wanted aaaalll of that gameplay goodness. It also made me love Kosuke Toriumi's voice work, so there's that too. Think I spent over 250 hours on it... those kinds of hours are typically saved for fighters and Monster Hunter on my end, so a single J-RPG just slipping into my life like that is an incredible feeling. It made me look up other PS3 Tales of games and ultimately, it made me a fan of the series (even if it's mostly the HD era). I could gush about this game all day, but the length of your review speaks for itself. Those who love Vesperia are really into it. The more you put in, the more you can get out of it (I low-key love googling up the wiki secrets after credits) but it's also a fine story with very nice characters all around. Vesperia's great~

[@yoshreimi]

This game gets really fast paced by the end and they do it really well. I felt very strong at the end and the spells and voice acting are amazing.

[@118bone]

I've seen a lot of reviews for this game and not a single one goes so in depth in how deep the combat is, which is what interested me the most. Most reviews only talked briefly about the combat and went on and on about story and all that stuff, which is fine, but the combat is the core mechanic of the game. Great review

[@florestin777]

"Yea, not that one" Jk But I'm not too surprised that the new fanbase is as divided as they are tbh. The jump from the newest games to the old Symphonia style can be jarring (seriously, I'm wary imagining how these younger fans would take to the 2D titles if they ever rereleased them on current gen consoles), but Vesperia imo has one of the harsher learning curves for newcomers who dont understand it which makes it worse. It's good that the full gameplay experience opens up fast once it starts freeing you from the exposition parts. I definitely agree w/ your critique that Vesperia centers itself as a character-driven Tales game and many fans, both old and new, who dislike some of the cast missed the point of their development from what I could tell. And this is something I noticed in many JRPGs beyond Tales that people dont get. That "a character you dislike is not the same as a badly written character". If I have to hear people say Rita sucks just cuz she's "toxic" or that Karol is annoying and childish, so that's a negative in their book then they missed the point. Yes, I too don't like Karol, but I get him and his progression. What and why his motivations are as they are, so to speak. It's a shame I don't see people getting that these days. My personal rating: Gameplay - 8 (old Tales fan here, can very much see the evolution of the LMBS, so it's not jarring for me, but I can understand the curve difficulty. Small effects to pacing. Side quest management: good lord...) Story - 7.5 (yea, even after all these years, that last arc and I don't jive well. Also odd, very specific -spoilers so I won't say- moments for characters) Graphics: 9 (looks great with the Definitive ed. Dungeons and towns look the best followed by character models. Bloom might be a tad strong for a few overworld locales) Overall: Vesperia DE may not be my favorite or even in my top 3 Tales, but I can see why people love this entry. I think you put it best in that Vesperia is a title that rewards effort, maybe a bit too little of you dont dive deep into the game, but it has found it's way into many people's hearts so it did something right Quick edit: grammar

[@DriedPlank]

This is just about how I feel about the Vesperia, though Berseria was my first so I'm not an old fan. Went back to play most of the other accessible Tales games in English and now it's my favorite J/Rpg series. I bought a 2ds just for Abyss and a Vita for Hearts, R (and Danganronpa 2 and v3). Vesperia is good but not in my top 3. I loved all the characters and I think it's the best looking one graphically. The battle system is deep and good, but that's where the only thing I really hate about the game comes in, and that's boss tech outs. I would've loved it if it were replaced with the tales of Hearts R combo breaker mechanic or not there at all. I never had a problem with the older 2d movement style, though the older games like Eternia, Destiny and Phantasia are really stiff making them hard to get into (I used cheats with them). But I'm a huge fighting game fan, so it's no different than going from 2d Street Fighter, Guilty Gear style to 3d Tekken, Virtua Fighter style. Symphonia is my 4th favorite tales game and I liked Legendia from the test run I did on it (to the first Mosses boss fight), I need a better PC to run Legendia smoothly. My top 3 would be 3. Abyss 2. Xillia 2 1. Berseria Which brings me to the whole hating a game or calling a character terribly writin because of their personality. I've seen Abyss get a lot of flack and being called bad just because Luke's character starts out like an unlikable spoiled asshole. Funny part is that they don't even finish the game before trashing it. It's just ignorance really. You don't have to like every character, but it would make the the game more enjoyable if you try to understand them and most importantly see the game through before judging.

[@tanookiplayer]

This is the first time I heard a lot of people were mixed on Vesperia. I am clearly biased on Vesperia myself as while it wasn't my first Tales game (that was Symphonia) it was the one I fully owned and I immediately fell in love with the cast, the music & the combat despite one or two bosses that irritated me.

[@mookiestewart3776]

If it’s the first one you fully owned it was your first period. Playing with at a friends house or borrowing a game is not the same as owning it and diving really deep

[@DewMan31]

If there's one thing I miss about the original version that nobody talks about, it's the battle transition where the center of the crack of the screen would be in the same place on the screen where you touched the enemy.

[@mcb2571]

I've been actually playing Vesperia for a few weeks now, about 24 hours now behind and current location being Mt. Temza. While i enjoy characters very much and enjoy combat more or less, it honestly could go better for me because...well you're right, i've been playing wrong 😅 I have played only as Yuri (except couple of times as Rita & Judith), haven't done much with the skills and heck, haven't touched even once to synthesizing. Part of it being the learning curve, like you said, and other part being tiny language barrier, since i don't speak english as my first. I could play my current playthrough as i've been playing it, but then by the end of it i might have bitter taste on it and not sure when to play it next time, if ever again. Or i could restart the game and start learning game from the beginning, but then i'd have to watch all scenes and dialogues what i've seen so far over again, which are too fresh on my memory at this point. Well, i hope i find a way, because i like this game already, and i wanna love it, but right now i don't think i can fully...but hey, now i see the problem, so thank you Zaffre for this amazing video. Here's to the end of the year ahead. 🤗

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah, glad you can give this game more of a shot. was hoping to explain to you all a better way to enjoy the game, and thankfully definitive edition lets you skip cutscenes so hopefully replaying it won't be too bad!

[@mcb2571]

@@ZaffreRevolution Just game back to confirm that i beated Vesperia yesterday after 46 and half hours and...i can't help it, i loved it 😂❤ And i'm 100% sure i love it even more when i play it again and go for the side quests as well post-game and learn the combat all the way. But before that it's time for other Tales games 😎

[@justinturner6199]

Another great review! Vesperia is my 3rd favorite Tales games and you illustrated exactly why its such an amazing game. Keep up the great work

[@corywashington9580]

I loved vesperia! I played it recently and it is my first tales of game.

[@boltinabottle6307]

This is still my favorite Tales game. Berseria is a VERY close second.

[@johankarlsson1776]

You describe my feelings for the game :) The only Tales game I didn't complete and instead watched a let's play of XD The story was easier to tolerate when someone else was also going "why are we doing this?" "What does that mean?" "Where did this come from?!" :P

[@eriksargent4955]

Great review. I got into Vesperia for the first time with Definitive, and I loved it. Loved the battle system, loved the music (I have Fury Sparks on my workout playlist), loved loved LOVED the cast. I appreciate how technical the battle system was - landing a good combo always gave me a similar kind of feeling to landing a combo in BlazBlue or UMvC3. Yuri is also by far my favorite Tales protagonist. I would love ANY Tales rep in Smash, but he would be my top choice. You hit the nail on the head with the things I wish were better - the sound design on the Definitive additions, the story sidestepping the theme of true justice in act 3, and the fact that Backstep isn’t on by default were three of my biggest gripes (I missed the Scimitar at first and was locked out of the place where you could get it for a bit for story reasons). Some of the bosses were difficult for sure, but for the most part you could choose a party that works well against them. That first 1v1 with that one party member was a pain to deal with, though, especially since I missed the sidequest that gives you the item to turn off their stagger-proof armor. It’s a shame too, since that would’ve been such a touching moment if I weren’t salty about the fight lol. That said, the high points of the game far outweigh the lows. Tbh it makes me want to see another gameplay style like this in a future Tales game, since it was done so cleanly here.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

oh i would jump at another game with vesperia's combat at an instant but it looks like ac/cc is here to stay which has its own benefits but like...i miss this lol. maybe that itch will be scratched if they ever re-release the radiant mythology trilogy because i hear those games have a similar battle system

[@cordingdesert9566]

Going to be honest it was hard to tell the difference in the voices... But my my the guard, there was no mistaking that the voice changed.

[@madam1331]

I actually watched a 10 hour youtube video of just the cutscenes of Tales of Vesperia (I know i'm insane for doing that) and when you get cutscene after cutscene with the new and old voiceovers its very noticeable, mostly with Yuri, Judith was kinda hard to tell for me.

[@Evanz111]

The Tales games are some of my favourite and I just found your channel from the Top 10 Tales Companions. I love deep dives into games, so video essays like this are my jam. Subscribed, and rung the bell to see every upload!

[@alexterieur8813]

I was worried you would be fanboying all the video without highlighting the game's flaws since a lot of ppl seem to pretend it's the best tales free, but you really did a good job at presenting both sides of the coin. Can't wait for the Berseria and Symphonia reviews since they are in order my number 1 and 2 !!!!

[@nickcortinas1482]

I've wanted to get into this series so badly, and your review was well made. and I'm actually going to play this now, because it's been sitting in my library.

[@sjceezy]

The Villains Conspiracy and Mechanical Tower! My fav from the OST. Thanks for featuring it in your review!

[@calebook7720]

One thing I couldn’t put a finger on until now is Yuri’s voice in definitive, his voice kinda sounds like ravens now

[@timothyc2346]

I truly appreciate this review! I’ve been a Vesperia fan since it first came out in 2009, and most of my views align with yours. It’s great to see another person who genuinely loves this game, especially for reasons that others may not see.

[@stevenappleman3440]

great video as always and LOVED the music selection for the background of this video. This soundtrack is one of the best in the series and there were so many good songs that you pulled as background. You even pulled one of the lesser known ones, but my personal favorite (the villain's conspiracy and the mechanical tower), and that was great to hear in the video! Great work my dude!

[@EXHellfire]

Vesperia's tech and production value elevated it above Symphonia and Abyss but story wise it was pretty confused about what it even was about. The two other Team Symphonia games didn't have that problem and their narratives were far stronger for it.

[@DriedPlank]

They only thing I hated about Vesperia was the boss tech out system. Yeah, the Side quest style does suck and you'll have to use a guide like in abyss and Symphonia. They made it easier to get into side quest in later titles, like having them be end game material, having them be in a job request list or having them be ongoing optional quest as you progress in the story. Other than that, everything else was solid and it's the best looking one graphically. Though if I had to rank it, it would be number 5 on my list. After Berseria, Xillia 2, Abyss and Symphonia.

[@theoaremevano3227]

I didn't like that either. It just didn't feel like a planned feature so much as the boss would just randomly 'nope' out of your combo, and the combat in general didn't seem to be built with defense in mind. It felt like they built the combat around dedicating your attention to doing these long combos, but then they added a feature that interrupts them and didn't have a specific way to deal with that, or even explain to you that 'teching out' was a thing.

[@Joe_334]

I laughed when Estelle tried to take out Yuri with the royal vase, after he helped her from being taken. It just came out of nowhere.

[@LostOdyssey91]

This is one of the best Tales game ever, i played with my best friend on the xbox the first time and then when the definitive edition was announced we took both a week vacation to play day and night god was that good. Best memories ever.

[@pokemonboy2136]

I feel the main theme isn’t about questioning different ideals of justice, but more blurring the line between hero and villain. The two most obvious examples of this are Yuri and Duke.

[@Chillpanes]

Please tell me I'm not alone that snickered/groaned every time he said "Arise," haha.

[@heyho7204]

My favorite tales fighting system was the grace f one Something about it felt just extraordinarily good

[@moroyoki2000]

I just finished Vesperia's Main story and after seeing a pair of guides MY GOD! There is a ton of things to do. I just played almost 90 hours and feel like this is just The beggining, like in Berseria which I could Say that I mastered after 300 hours ir eaven more. But feels like It will ve fun. PD: I think Raven has a Lot to Say, My favorite character.

[@maxg2335]

Nothing more satisfying then throwing an enemy into the air as Judith and luna ronding them to hell in a combo lock. Such satisfying combat.

[@BaoZakeruga]

Great job explaining all the ins and outs of this game. And you made me realize that everyone I've seen complain about definitive are people that are indeed newcomers that have only played newer tales games mainly.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

glad you liked it! yeah, it's clear that the older games are harder to get to with all the modern conveniences which is lowkey making me worried when even older titles eventually get re-released and people will be saying they aren't good when they have their own values that differ from modern tales. only time will tell i suppose

[@m.a9981]

I wonder where I can find out more info on the development of the game?

[@homesteadhero]

I'm so glad you got to replay through your favorite game! I know how special it is to you, and it was nice to hear you be able to praise and critique it to your heart's content here. I felt you were extremely fair with the points made here! You certainly presented things that ought to have been fixed, while still proving why it deserves a chance. I have to complete my playthrough, but thus far I've enjoyed every minute of it, and I can't wait to be able to love it too! ...yes, even the third act...hopefully.

[@ivanbluecool]

Tales of vesperia was a great game and I loved how yuri didn't care about social rules in some points and just did what he should. I won't say it's my favorite as some in the cast were uninterting to me like Estelle that got more annoying to me each time I replayed the game. Flynn was my favorite in he whole game and I liked his journey the most in story and him and Yuri are great leads. Patty's story addition felt added on but her parts were placed nicely but I wish we could have played with her sooner

[@Ac3YoinkySploinky]

I am very new to the Tales series and your reviews of these games have a damn good job at sucking me into these games. Good work!

[@moudacouldashoulda195]

Vesperia, xillia, grace, abyss, phantasia.... Were awesome

[@anothergamer112]

I first heard of it from the announcement of the rerelease at E3 2018. You were the final nudge I needed to double down and get it. That and I couldn't get into Symphonia so I saw this as giving the series another chance. I loved it to the point I want to give Symphonia another chance. I later got Abyss and Berseria and am looking forward to playing them because of you.

[@StopHim]

Good series & great channel, my dude. Subbed. I just came down with Covid and intend to binge your review archive in bed today. Cheers

[@ikwilgeenkanaalzeur]

The bosses have so much health, you can download some free dlc wich levels up your characters. Helped my frustration with the final bosses.

[@aaronelliottsr.2585]

Hi! New sub here. This is the first game I’ve played in this series but I am truly enjoying it! Your review was very helpful in motivating me to play and master different characters of the game too. Thanks! 👍🏾

[@darkhaven9119]

I just got this for the switch! I can’t wait to play it. I like the new voices a lot and since I never played the original it doesn’t bother me.

[@kingofmonsters14]

at least with the new actors for Yuri and Judith, they sound close enough to the originals. like, if you were just a casual player who didn't know about the behind-the-scenes mess, you'd think they're suffering from a cold when they recorded.

[@vanthadoun1]

everytime I boot up this game I spend about 3 minutes listening to the music intro by Bonnie Pink is so catchy, then the game system and controls is amazing! I was also surprised when the had a companion anime Tales of Vesperia First Strike.

[@lovinani7]

Bought this game last month. Haven't been able to put it down since! This isn't my first Tales of game, that goes to Xillia, but I found myself enjoying Vesperia more in all its aspects. I love the entire main cast, the battle mechanic is difficult but so fun and rewarding, hunting for side quests/titles, exploring the open world, this game just took me back to those old rpg days! I'm happy that I couldn't pick this game up back when it was first released about 10 years back, I was able to experience it in the best way I could. I just love this game!

[@apukami3643]

Good King Vesperia is here!

[@petertilton7004]

Plus, you can craft Karol's starting weapon, so now you can get it and complete the item dex without playing through a second time. A+

[@CGustin]

Love this Game! I still think this is still best looking Tales game still! Looking forward to Tales of Arise!

[@chandlerlowell5]

Weirdly enough what drew me to this game was having a main character in a JRPG that shares a last name with me. My name isn’t very common to begin with so it’s really cool. If you didn’t know, it also fits his character and his skills like “ghost wolf” or “wolf strike” etc. Lowell means “young wolf.”

[@hybrignargeotor6785]

Ooooo and the battle transition is awesome

[@diegog1853]

Just played through the game on switch. It was great! I was astonished by the amount of mechanics, story and voice acting that they put into it, it is a game that truly makes good use of its 50+ hour run time. I tried to get into the combo system, and I did some progress, but I find it frustrating and inconsistent at times. There is no training area or dummy enemy to practice all of your complex combo options for each character, (or at least not presented by the game like as a menu option). And I felt annoyed by how often enemies and bosses just break out of combos randomly or just get pushed away of the combo by party members attacking them. I am all for games being hard to master, but I don't think that also means hard to practice or inconsistent. It is a cool system and I really enjoyed the battle system, I just felt the game is sometimes outright hostile towards helping the player learn how to use it.

[@ShadowXemnas13]

Definitely agree on the Fell Arms bit, mainly because of *how* the secret boss works since it gets tacked on to the final boss fights, so completing the Fell Arms quest makes completing the game much harder. That being said, IIRC you had to complete the game first before certain Fell Arms or areas became available, so I don't think it's actually possible to finish before completing the main story. That or it's just the guide I followed, been a few months since playing it so feel free to point out if I'm not remembering correctly. On the matter of the combo system, yeah there's a lot if depth in it. So much that I only scratched the surface in my playthrough. One issue is that I feel how skills link together isn't explained *enough*. You unlock the skills and there's bits of info in the menus and such, but adding something in the menus like an example combo for each link skill would help make it more intuitive IMO, that way I can understand what does what and experiment from there. They do this for the early stuff as it's introduced, but the later versions you unlock that enable you to link Altered Arts to Normal Arts and Burst Arts to Altered Arts and such...they don't have an example combo attached making it a bit unclear how they work. So I didn't delve into them too far because I wasn't certain if it worked one way or another. Kinda felt like a jigsaw puzzle with only the pieces in the late-game, only put a few together because I clearly understood them. It's certainly fun and engaging, but a few bits are too vague in regards to the in-depth stuff. Looking forward to going back to it sometime, though. Gotta actually beat the secret boss, it is a definite spike in difficulty no matter what setting you're on.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

yeah the necropolis' final boss battle is ridiculous. you might need a guide for what to even do haha. i also wish the game explained its mechanics a bit more as that would've helped people get into combat a bit easier, but it still remains fun to master and when you figure it out, that satisfaction is just so darn good

[@myliege8197]

I love Vesperia because it introduced me to the wonderful voice actor Tory Baker, who in my opinion is the best VA in Persona 4 Animation and FMA Brotherhood.

[@robinsonnox9980]

I had a lot of issues with Vesperia and its combat but your comment on faster/snappier combat not inherently being better resonated with me. In the end, I found it very hard to get into the combat of Vesperia and mastering it but I do think its a valid idea and maybe the "rigidness" (for lack of better word) of Vesperia's combat is a feature, not a bug.

[@ErikCPianoman]

I couldn’t agree more with the newly recorded lines with the VA. Super distracting and wish they would’ve just left them unvoiced tbh. I’d love a patch to get the original va to re-record the new lines.

[@darkhaven9119]

I just got this for the switch! I can’t wait to play it. I like the new voices a lot and since I never played the original it doesn’t bother me. As of rn though my favorite tales game is tales of the abyss, specifically the 3ds port. I also love tales of berseria

[@JDGansGaming]

The new lines and poor audio mixing from new to old audio is only down point for me.

[@Terashi]

Yeah, I'm 6 hours in and as a newcomer I'm having a SUPER hard time getting the hang of combat.

[@BossALKENO]

As someone who came to Vesperia on the Switch, I *knew* Patty was a new addition, but I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t known already.

[@YeetmoSwaggins]

Literally just started it last night. Started with zestiria and berseria. I was completely turned around with the recovery time for every action to the point where I died in the damn tutorial mission getting estelle. Past that, the forced perspective is taking some time to get used to, but the game is pretty good and has a lot of personality to make up for it. I'm hoping it doesnt take long to upgrade movement and attack potential

[@sanders2strong]

troy baker's voice is hard to replicate

[@fascinationproductions5973]

I think it's because many newcomers wants more handed down mechanics or smoothest mind numbing button mashing combat, since many casual gamers don't have much time to earn something that they should learn. But I agree, this game is fantastic and still holds as my absolute favorite, it does a fantastic job rewarding players players for those who want to learn or master the combat mechanics of the game.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i wouldn't go so far as to call the new tales games button mashy...well, maybe some newer ones, but still yeah it's clear that combat systems like vesperia's aren't as user friendly anymore because people don't have the time to learn this which is a shame. will always be my favorite, though

[@dragonturtleab.3036]

So i finished Tales of Vespiria it is my first tales of game and my first Action RPG on the consol and I have to say this: The game captures a feeling long forgotten and I love that it has it's own charm and identity. This game feels satisfying to play (even though there are points in the game later on that drag a bit). The end boss was hard but i felt pretty good to beat him and the managing of tactics during the battle. The MC is one of a kind. I had seen a lot of great Main characters in the last couple of years in gaming and Yuri Lowell is definitely one of them. I agree with the majority of the mentioned stuff in this video and one other thing you videos won't go unnoticed. I'm also planning to start playing tales of symphonia or berseria after I consider playing tales of Vesperia new game+. Anyway nice review and hopefully this wasn't too much text.

[@baddkarmal5605]

Vesperia is the GOAT it's the true symphonia successor IMO.

[@jambofatherandsongaming2692]

F Symphonia

[@princefishyfingers7498]

@@jambofatherandsongaming2692 Symphonia was better

[@Hyp3rSonic]

​@@princefishyfingers7498hmm... idk tho. I think that Vesperia is very flawed, but its still very good. It's probably my least fav tales game, tho. I haven't finished symphonia yet, but the gameplay is very decent, ig. It's not the best of the series, but its definitely not the worst(of the ones I played) but I do definitely prefer Arise, Berseria and Zestrilia for the gameplay alone.

[@ivanbluecool]

Funny for me. Second playthrough I switched from thinking Duke and the monsters he is trying to destroy were the best enemy but after I hated hat story so much as we only fight a couple of them before Duke was the main one but I liked alexie as the main bad guy more playing it more as his build up and back ground dealing was more important in the story sense to me Still gonna say abyss is my number 1 for Luke and his development but vesperia is a top 3 or 5 in my grouping Gameplay wise its a top 3 for me and didn't have o use Estelle much in post game or new game plus as Flynn was faster

[@brytheblueeye1723]

12:48 Yuri and Flynn remind me of Suzaku and Lelouch from Code Geass, here, lol. That was the first thing that came to mind.

[@kiddemiko3072]

I appreciate that you said the story gets muddy towards the end. I remember feeling like I was trying to understand what the red thread was throughout the entire game, and when the final antagonist came out I felt really weirded out about how I didn't see how that was the main point at all. But if I maybe see it all as a group of stories rather than one big story, it's better? I remember loving the characters. The music is good too, and the combat is great aside from the slow movement speed (I played ToS2 first and was surprised ToV, being a later release, felt so much more sluggish - though a lot more polished). Perhaps I should give this another whirl. Just gotta check a guide to see how you get the ability to play as another character. I don't mind locking most of the basic stuff they did lock behind the skill system, but forcing players to play Yuri until they get an item that you couldn't even get right away (iirc) was kinda dumb. This sounded very negative but I do feel I wanna give this another try after watching your video =D

[@tomasdesperes7621]

As a long time fan of the franchise here's what I feel about this game: I wasn't able to play it until now since I didn't own a ps3 nor an xbox360, so by the time I got it I'd already played Eternia, Symphonia, Legendia, Abyss, Berseria and about half of Xillia and Zestiria, and I also had heard that this was the best entry or at the veeery least top three (with ToA and ToS). And I gotta say it went sooo below my expectations it actually frustrated me, but let me explain. My favorite tales game is Abyss by far, and what I love about it is how interconnected everything feels, and I mean EVERYTHING: the plot's consistency, the characters relation to the plot, the world's relation to it, even the sidequests and gameplay in general feel organically intertwined to the story. It's just that good a package to me (I'm extremely plot and character oriented with these games, although gameplay keeps me coming back obviously). This game had such a huge fandom that I always felt bad I couldn't play it because I felt I was missing so much. And besides gameplay and presentation (absolut top of the franchise), I ended feeling I was so NOT missing. The story feels disjointed through the acts, the characters don't feel like a whole in relation to it IMO, sidequests are a drag many times, and villains and side characters are so flat and forgettable they didn't make me feel anything (especially compared to the magnificent "villain" cast that abyss has). I'll elaborate in another comment.

[@tomasdesperes7621]

Some spoilers ahead The good: Presentation: I fell in love with it and it's the best a tales game has ever looked, I'm inclined to say it'll look better than arise but we'll see. Gameplay: also the best of the franchise; the thing is, I'm not picky when it comes to gameplay so even though I think it's the best in the series, it doesn't outweigh the bads. The meh: Main characters: I feel bad for saying it, but the main cast just didn't click on me. Yuri is a really good lead who could have been the best, had he faced more resistance from the rest of the cast, especially Estelle and Karol (I understand Judy, Repede and Raven backing him up, so to speak, for Cumore and Ragow but c'mon, even Flynn forgets about it with a little time). Everyone feels disconnected, they all have different purposes and yet the game forces them to stick together, I just couldn't buy that. Repede is just a mascot (and not the best at it either, Giet from Legendia is much better), he doesn't qualify as character for me (he doesn't even speak or have any elaboration). Rita is constantly getting off track from her main quest (aer krene). Patty... let's say you either love her or hate her. Raven was amazing until the end of second act, for me he died in Baction. I love Judith and feel the game doesn't do justice to her character enough. The bad: The story: what I dont like about it is that the acts feel almost independent from one another, each has it's own villain, each has it's own problematic, and they dont drag on to the next act, it feels disjointed. The first is good and climbs to very good by the end. The second starts a bit slow in comparison but gets so much better by the end (until RAVEN kicks in...). And the third is not bad but comes out of the blue and is horribly paced. I think that's my main issue: so many things coming out of the blue and with no proper explanation or weight (again, RAVEN). Villains and side characters: They have nothing that I care for, neither a purpose nor a connection to the main cast, and since the main villain changes three times through the game none of them get enough time onscreen (especially Alexei oh God). And side characters are either forgettable (the knight duo following you around), or annoying (F$@!ng Sodia). Anyway, the game is good, very good, it just didn't get even close to the masterpiece I was expecting. Sorry for the rant

[@ericmilligan6603]

I played this game twice and had no idea THERE WAS A REPEDE SNOWBOARDING MINIGAME????

[@BronzeLincolns81]

I have it on the switch. Totally enjoyed it and Yuri Lowell is my favorite jrpg main protagonist.

[@nintendoswitchonlineisabad9491]

That thumbnail with Estelle and Yuri is the best 😊😃😁🤟👌

[@enkidu52]

really enjoyed the review, been playing this game lately this is the best review I've seen so far. most reviewers critique the combat imo prolly cause they didn't invest the time/work required to "get" it

[@Ruinred]

I was debating between playing this, dragon quest, or trails of the sky next. Your review has made my desci9n for me

[@darkhaven9119]

My favorite tales game is tales of the abyss and tales of berseria. I’m really excited to play this for the first time though and I’m hyped for tales of arise

[@ansalem12]

The reason Vesperia looks better than Berseria is because when they added the controllable camera to towns and dungeons, they apparently had no idea how to use it to set up a scene or an atmosphere. Vesperia towns and dungeons look good because they knew where the camera will be looking at all times and designed with that in mind. In later games, the 3D camera is janky, they failed to design memorable set pieces that let the controllable camera shine, and the worst offender... you can look up and see the ceiling making every in-doors area feel claustrophobic. Especially buildings with the camera bouncing off the walls constantly. Taverns are like torture sometimes. Basically, you feel the design more than you see it and it feels bad. Although Berseria did have a few good shots. The Scarlet Moon when you're looking for Laphicet in the prologue for example was really well done. Because they knew exactly where the camera would be looking when you got there, they could set it up to take advantage of that. So far Arise looks like they won't have that problem, but I've been wrong about that before so... *fingers crossed* Also Vesperia is the best Tales game in my opinion, except for the story which goes to either Symphonia or Abyss for me. I've always had the same frustrations as you in that regard.

[@calibyrnes3935]

"Requires hard work" is not something I ever particularly want out of my videogames 🤣 But I do adore the game, even if I just tolerate the combat instead of outright enjoy it.

[@jonathanhunter7670]

Ah! I adore this game!! 😁 one of my all time favorite scenes ever in a game is when yuri and estelle talk the night before the final battle! Such a sweet sceme

[@shockwav3xx]

Bought it during steam sales two days ago..paid 10 euro,and really enjoying it

[@mrdarkstar3756]

The battle system in this one was quite different I was expecting Abyss but its significantly more punishing, every character has a "weighty" feel and learning curve. Love the story and cast but battle system to me pales in comparison to Grace's F which imo has the best.

[@JustJulyo]

Tales of Vesperia is probably the only game I got a whole console for. Wouldn't have gotten an Xbox 360 if hadn't heard of Vesperia, or Gears of Wars but that's besides the point

[@shonwolfbark]

I need to play this. this is the one with the dog in it

[@s_guedes]

"You have to work to earn your combo numbers" **laughs in Blah Blah Blah Tidal Wave**

[@BairTheBeagle2047]

Thaaaaat's why in some scenes Yuri sounded like Swaggersouls. It wasn't really much of an issue for me, but it was a little noticeable. Although I didn't play the original so that might play a role in it.

[@scorpiodigit]

This is my second Tales game (started with Arise) and while I'm enjoying it I was spoiled by the combat in Arise. That said, I really like the characters in this entry.

[@bennybeck]

Overall best gameplay of the holy trinity, abyss best story and characters, symphonia most iconic most memorable

[@ZaffreRevolution]

i agree with some of this :P

[@darkhaven9119]

The tales of games are my all time favorite rpgs aside from the persona series. I love these reviews! Thanks for the awesome vids bro

[@Hilversumborn]

Symphonia was the first Tales I played so I’m not a new fan. Graphic wise Vesperia is the best and the combat is amazing. However personally I found the cast to be good but just good and the story was also just good IMO. The villains are hit and miss I like Yeager, Alexei, but Duke and Zagi fell flat for me. Zagi became annoying to me instead threatening. When people say Duke is better than Van, Mithos, Artorius, Gaius, Dhaos I legit get upset cause I can’t understand that. In short I liked Vesperia but I personally felt it missed something from being great, So I was surprised people considered it to be one of best. But I can accept that cause we all have different tastes.

[@soloplayer78]

Duke's voice acting and powerful moves are what makes the game good.

[@civilsky4261]

good review. agreed with a lot in it. i ended up not liking vesperia in the end, but for the most part it was more on me than the game. the exact moment the game lost me was when estelle gets kidnapped and the plot takes a rather dramatic shift in direction. from there it never really recovered. however, because of past experience i pushed through it because i...also really disliked abyss...UNTIL i hit end-game, and found all of the sidequests and costume rewards to be incredibly enjoyable, and so i had really high expectations for vesperia's end game. which is where the biggest problem entered in. as you mentioned, a lot of the dlc outfits are actually the rewards from the end-game sidequests, and having used the dlc not realising it, i ended up ruining vesperia's endgame for myself, and subsequently lost pretty much all motivation to play it afterwards. while i appreciate having immediate access to a nice variety of outfits from the onset, i would have preferred if they hadn't plundered the sidequests for them.

[@AryVT]

Since ToS remaster on switch I started going trough most Tales of games and bought ToV:DE on PS4 for less than 10€ (new) and never played it before because I never owned a X360 or knew about the DE being released in EU, while having played ToS (NGC/PS3/5h on switch to go back to ps3 version for trophy support and no crashes), ToP (GBA), ToE (PSP), ToGF (PS3), ToX1/2 (PS3), ToZ (PS4), ToB (PS4) and ToA (PS5). I must say it's my Favorite Tales game even knocking ToS of it's nostalgia filled throne. The Gameplay and story are so good (I used a spoiler free guide for side-quests) and it's the first Tales of game I 100% since ToS on the NGC. The only character I found boring to play here was Karol cause he's slow or I just couldn't figure him out, Side Quest where a bit to time strickt imo so I had to use a guide. One of my biggest pet peeves with most tales games was the worst I recall in this game *Karol left the party* takes 2 steps for a 2 line scene *Karol joins the party* over and over again, as I'm going trough Tales of Graces F now I notice this too but it's not a full on black screen you have to confirm every time and the 'Auto-text' function makes the scene feel so much natural compared to Vesperia. Ps4 version of Vesperia has 'Auto items' that you mentioned Switch version is missing that you could cancel with the right stick button instead of allow which made the combat a lot smoother I think cause I only canceled a few life bottles when I noticed ressurection was beging cast. I didn't notice the voice difference in scenes but now I know the silent skits where new ones, and as stated I never figured Patty was and added character at all. Overall one of the best games I've ever played and best Tales game imo. Going to try to get ToA on PS2 or 3DS and ToHR on PSvita somehow so I can finally play these too in the future. (I prefer not to emulate games)

[@ned993]

Played it recently for the first time and it replaced Symphonia as my favorite Tales. Battle system takes some getting used to if you're used to modern Tales but overall it was a fantastic experience. Also just saved myself the effort and played it sub.

[@wilnaught8584]

Nice review! Vesperia isn't my favorite in the series, but the strides it made in gameplay and chacter-building are terrific. It along with Destiny's Remake (released at about the same time) were the first times in the series where every character had a fully fleshed and fun move sets. The chains you can pull off in Vesperia are still pretty much unparalleled in the series. It's something that gets lost with CC/AC, but it seems like those are here to stay. I think one of the major things that gets in Vesperia's way (aside from Namco being a cheap publisher and making some seriously questionable decisions re: dubbing) is that there are a lot of moments where the story and characters feel like they end up letting each other down. Along with what you mentioned about the battle system being difficult to master and requiring work, how much the narrative inconsistency matters to you probably has a lot to do with how much people like the game as a whole. [Big Spoiler for late game] Yuri's whole mindset about cutting off infected pieces so they can't harm the whole puts him squarely at odds with Pharaoh, but the game refuses to make anything at all out of how hypocritical Yuri is when he totally shuts Pharaoh down for using his own views about systemic problems against him. That, and the Yuri and Flynn rivalry just kind of evaporates and it's weird. (And you already mentioned Sodia and gave a nod to Zagi being ... ehhhhhh.) Looking forward to the next revoreview. :) /essay ... it's fun to nerd out about this series.

[@ZaffreRevolution]

this is a great comment. i wish they showed that maybe yuri realized him having the same mindset as phaeroh was wrong and him calling out phaeroh could be his big turning point showing how his mindset was wrong. that's what i assume but the game never says it so i can see why people would be like 0_o

[@methedemon]

One of the best RPGs ever made...

[@djgizmoe]

Excellent analysis! And Yuri Lowell is the coolest protagonist in JRPGs. One nitpick: I guess I'm always "that sub over dub" anime guy in the comments, but I'm still surprised at how well-regarded this dub is. I played the game in Japanese (with it's excellent native voice cast), but when I broke down on occasion to check dubbed walkthroughs, I found the English voice cast really wooden.

[@jonathanabgrall6075]

I just picked this game on black friday and i have been completely unable to put it down, its amazing. So the game can garner new fans. Honestly didn't care much for the series until now, i had dabbled in the PSX ones as a kid without really doing anything and i did play and complete Abyss despite disliking most of the characters so i came into Vesperia with fresh, if not slightly negatively biased eyes at first. It still grabbed me completely despite this.

[@doctorcragmire7299]

One character I want to know your thoughts on in this game is Judith.

[@sonicgamer999-]

jesus christ I never noticed the voice changes since it had been literally 10 years since I played the game (counting definitive edition and the original as the same thing in this context)