Tales of Zestria tells the story of the Shepard Sorey and his best friend Milkeo as they go on an adventure to rid the would of malevolence.
My first impressions of the game were filled with excitement since i was coming from playing Xillia. (the first game not the second. I feel like the second game wasn't needed.) I expected the game to be filled with quick fun filled real time game play and a storyline with distinctive characters. Xillia's openings were also done well so I couldn't wait to see what Zestria had to offer. The game's opening sequence was very well done visually with beautiful anime effects and and an action packed look into what the game may have to offer. I only have two problems with the opening of Zestria and it has to do with the music and deceitful tactics. White Light preformed by Superfly is the opening instrumental theme. thats my problem.... Instrumental theme with no vocals. I love the original version of the song so i was disappointed when i only heard a electric guitar. The second thing that bothered me was how the storyline was somewhat different compared to what was shown in the opening sequence. It was mostly concerning the villain and his sidekick. I felt like what i saw in the opening didn't happen in the game and i was waiting for it but it never came. You didn't even get to fight them together in the game. I absolutely love the scene at the end with Sorey standing on the rock with his cape blowing in the wind as he looks toward the sky.
The battle gameplay took a lot of getting use to and I was in such a new territory that it was overwhelming. It felt like all the simple actions that you could do in Xillia such as attacking and casting arts were made more difficult to execute. I was not happy about this and it took time for me to get a good grasp on how to play the way I wanted to. Mystic Arts are still a mystery to me and I played the game in its entirety. Especially when your just human. A lot of times i would use it just by pure luck and chance. It was kind of scary when your battling a boss and your betting to hit a Mystic Art but you don't know if it will work or not. Fusion mode was the best thing about the battle system and probably to only thing you will remember about playing Zestria. It will get you out of a lot of binds and as you get use to how fusion works, you can control the tides of battle in an instant. The last thing i want to say about the battle system will need me to take a DEEP breath before i even touch the subject. THE CAMERA ANGLE! *throws table***** I can't tell you how many times I became completely blind when the camera angle would shift the wrong way. Sometimes you could correct it but if you get caught in battle in a tight space, its like fighting Hellions in the dark.
The world of Glenwood looks appealing with lush green hill sides, warm red desserts, and homely cites and towns just waiting for you to come save them from malevolence. The game's dark feel forces the player and Sorey in the game to remember the job at hand. However, sometimes i felt like i was left out to dry all alone since the game gives off this "go find out where to go next yourself!" or " here's a hint but Its still not going to be easy!" I would end up going online a lot of the time and just using game forums to find out what I needed to do next. It was both fun and frustrating at times. My guess is that the game was made like this to make up for the lack of places to explore as well as lack of storyline. Glenwood seemed really small compared to the world in Xillia. After I traveled to everywhere i need to go, i was like "THATS IT????" I feel like there should be more to see but after awhile, the game just keeps making you revisit the same places over and over again. I wouldn't have minded if I was given a good amount of different places to go to.
The storyline wasn't bad but also wasn't the best. If you are really good at foreshadowing stories then you could guess a lot of the answers to the mysteries that present themselves in the game. I wouldnt say the game is predictable but there is a lot to do from side quests and even a bad ending that you can walk right into if you don't follow the game flow. Main character wise, I didn't hate or like Sorey. I loved his sense of justice to do the right thing in a world full of temptation to be bad. He did what need to be done especially in the end. I also laughed so hard at his and Milkelo's love for ruins(even though I got tired of exploring them.). The rest of the characters that you will meet carry their own personalities that bring the game to life and will have you laughing. I couldn't even take the main villain seriously because they gave him the nickname kitty beard! Some of the character development could have been planned out better(for the villains as well) but it's not something to lose sleep over.
Tales of Zertria is a game that was made for Tales fans and RPG fans. While it has its flaws, the overall product is good enough to give the game a play through. The game gives you a bunch of side quests to do even when you beat the game but I personally knew that I wouldn't revisit the game once I beat it. Have fun playing everyone(THAT FINAL BOSS IS A BITCH... SORRY.) Oh and I'm looking forward to the new tales game and the anime adaption of Zestria. BRING IT ON!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment