Mike Mills

For the longest time, I've felt like I needed to play an RPG that scratched the proverbial 'itch' if you will. Even masterful games such as FF7 Remake, Witcher 3, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and others really weren't igniting anything in me that kept me engaged for even half an hour. On a whim, I decided to purchase Tales of Arise and try it out. Man. Let me tell you. One of the best purchases I've made this entire year in terms of gaming. The cast of characters are so intriguing, and each of them have dynamic and thoughtful backstories and motivations. The voice acting cast is absolutely fantastic. Honestly in a world where most people skip cutscenes or speed through dialogue, doing so in this game would be a complete disservice to the amazing plotline, and even yourself for missing out on some of the really thought and feeling provoking interractions and story arcs. The battle system is the icing on the cake here, with a near seamless combination of tactical and free flowing combat that feels somewhere between vintage RPG and Devil May Cry. Every single time I play this game, finding a stopping point seems harder and harder, as the impulse is to keep playing to see where the story is going next. Plus, you cant help but to feel emotionally invested in the characters and their goals and motivations. If I could rate this game higher than 5 stars, I definitely would.