Did I ever Tales you how much I love the Tales series? Well, I do! My love affair began many years ago on the GameCube when I first delved into this unique world. And now, several console generations later, the Tales series is still going strong and their newest entry is one of the most engrossing yet.

Before I get to that, let me pontificate on what makes a Tales game so fun. The combat! It’s a fast and furious button mashing affair that is big on spectacle. The story! Tales games tend to have complex stories that go beyond simply defeating a big evil guy (although that’s there too). Religion! Tales games also tend to involve interesting takes on religious themes, and this one especially so. Skits! Character interactions in the form of talking heads that provide a deeper look into the characters' relationships, the world and story. Other JRPG stuff! The games also come with all the trappings that JRPGs are known for—beautifully colorful worlds, fantastic monsters, grandiose music, operatic themes and cute stuff. Lots of cute stuff.

Pretty much all the Tales games have these elements, but this one introduces something new—angst! This is one of the darkest games yet, as the main character Velvet is hell-bent on getting revenge for the death of her little brother by the hand of her trusted brother-in-law. In the usual Tales fashion, his horrific death was a sacrifice for a very dramatic religious ceremony. After her brother is sacrificed, she gets turned into a demon, thrown in prison and given plenty of time to get really, really, really bitter. Can't say I blame her! 

The dark nature of the game breathes some fresh air into the series and having your main character as the angry one makes the entire dynamic of the group different. Usually, there’s one angry guy who scoffs at everything, but not the main hero! And half the fun is watching her wrestle with her anger over time as she comes to know and respect her fellow adventurers. Speaking of that, her supporting cast isn’t half bad either. A stoic sword-obsessed demon who lives to defeat his rival and obtain the ultimate blade. A little boy who is discovering his personality after recovering from being a mindless living weapon. A wacky witch! Some kind of hat-thing. A handsome pirate! It’s a really fun group. In fact, I think this is my favorite Tales group yet, and I've played a few! 

Combat is still the fun and frenetic affair the series is famous for. Run around the battle area unleashing combo after combo on whatever you're fighting. But there are some new welcome tweaks, mainly the addition of the Soul Gauge. In order to bust out your super moves, you have to have enough souls to enter the Break Soul mode. You can get more souls by dodging enemies attacks at the right time, finishing them off, or triggering status effects on them. Hitting the Break Soul button and tearing into a bunch of bad guys feels pretty good and looks amazing. But when you manage to keep up your souls and keep it going, it’s quite a sight! You can also jump around from character to character to unleash their abilities too, although I stuck to the main girl because her combat is so fun. 

The biggest flaw of the game is it’s a bit graphically challenged. It’s basically a souped up PS3 game and there are times when you can tell. It’s still beautiful, due to the great art direction, elaborate character designs, and eye-popping colors, but may underwhelm at times. 

The Tales series continues to evolve and add new things to the winning formula that has kept fans coming back to this series for so long. The tweaks to the battle system and great cast make this one stand out from the crowd.

Hint: There’s so much stuff in this game! Watch your inventory so you can sell off what you don’t need or you’ll max out fast.

by Urian Brown