Tales of Berseria dishes out sweet vengeance and dull dungeons

Traditionally, “Tales” is the go-to JRPG series if you’re looking for good-natured, well-intentioned protagonists, cheery characters, and uplifting stories detailing good’s triumph over evil. “Tales of Berseria” chucks all that out the proverbial window by committing to a darker story revolving around an anguished heroine.

This is a brave new direction for the franchise, yes, but “Tales of Berseria” retains many of the elements that unify these games, from the real-time combat system to the colorful anime art style. What follows is an experience that brings plenty of surprises, while managing to convey a sense of familiarity. Longtime series enthusiasts will appreciate this installment as a breath of fresh air. But is what it offers significant enough to draw the non-“Tales” crowd?

Good old-fashioned revenge

“Tales of Berseria” introduces a world held hostage by a supernatural scourge – one that awakens the darkness within humans, transforming them into bloodthirsty daemons.

Teenaged Velvet and her sickly young brother Laphicet are spared grisly deaths, thanks to their brother-in-law, Artorious, who saves them from the daemon attack that destroys their entire village. Under his care, the children are able to have the closest thing to a normal life. After such a tragedy, a new village, a new home, and all the time in the world to dote on Laphicet are all Velvet could have ever hoped for.

Then, the unthinkable happens. Before Velvet even has time to process the calamity that will define her every waking moment going forward, she herself has transformed into a daemon.

After three years of incarceration, Velvet, now a young woman, is unleashed upon the world. And there’s only one thing on her mind, a singular desire as pure as it is vicious: the total obliteration of the man who ruined her life.

As the “Tales” series’ first anti-heroine, Velvet doesn’t give a rat’s posterior about saving the world. She isn’t above sacrificing others’ lives to further her own selfish agenda, either. Driven by vengeance, she’ll do anything to claim it; everything else is a side mission.

Some among her cohorts are just as morally questionable. There’s the daemonic samurai, Rokurou, who also has murder on his mind; Eizen the cursed pirate; and Magilou, a garrulous sorcerer with a sinister streak.

On the side of light, you’ve got a 10-year old boy, and the Exorcist Eleanor, both of whom provide the balance to Velvet’s darkness.

As flat as Velvet’s personality sounds, her interactions with her companions, particularly the boy, pave the way for much character growth. The plot features plenty of gut-wrenching, character-building moments, and through it all, the constant tug of war between Velvet’s daemonic side and what’s left of her humanity is the soul of “Tales of Berseria.”

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Like other entries in the series, your journey in “Tales of Berseria” will be sprinkled with dialogue-heavy skits. These offer insights into the characters and give them opportunities to shine. They also provide the occasional comic relief, preventing this game from turning into a marathon of dourness.

Unfortunately, these skits also highlight the uneven voice acting. While the main actors are generally good, there are times when they could’ve expressed more emotion. They’re nowhere near as bad as the NPCs, however. I hear the Japanese acting is better, but I wouldn’t know – I don’t speak the language.

Hunting daemons

A “Tales” mainstay is its real-time combat, which returns in “Tales of Berseria.” It has, of course, been tweaked, making it faster and more fluid than previous games’.

Enemies are visible in the world; coming into contact with them triggers the combat sequence, which brings you into a battle arena.

To each of the PlayStation 4’s four main buttons, you can map special moves. Mashing a single button unleashes these moves in sequence for a quick and easy combo. Each move possesses a property specific enemies are weak to; knowing when to use which move gives combat one of its many tactical layers.

The number of moves you can perform per combo depends on your Soul Gauge. You start each battle with three Souls, but you can gain more and thus lengthen your combo chain by killing, stunning, or inflicting status effects on enemies. Enemies can steal your Souls, too, so it pays to watch your step.

If you have at least three Souls, you can perform Break Souls, flashy and powerful moves that ignore combo limits. But there’s a catch; performing a Break Soul transfers one of your Souls to your target. Should they survive your assault, you’ll be at a disadvantage, so it’s important to time the use of Break Souls properly.

There’s also the Blast Gauge, which is best filled up by using Break Souls. A single Blast Gauge level allows you to switch your active party member with one in the reserve, while three levels let you perform an even more devastating series of attacks.

Put all these elements together, and combat is far from mindless button mashing. The judicious management of your Souls and Blast Gauge is necessary if you want to keep the momentum of battle going. In the game’s tougher boss fights, it’s the prerequisite to victory.

Each character has their own set of special moves, with more being unlocked as they grow in strength. Additionally, by using equipment (which are dropped by enemies or discovered during your travels), you level up and eventually permanently learn the Master Skills they come with. As you can guess, there are numerous ways to tweak each character’s performance to maximize their effectiveness in battle, and experimentation is a whole lot of fun.

“Tales of Berseria” boasts other smaller systems that add more flavor to the whole package. For instance, you can prepare meals which, when eaten by your characters, provide various perks during battle. Equipment can be enhanced at shops. You can also collect Katz Spirits, which open Katz Boxes that award you with cosmetic items.

It’s not all good

For all its strengths, “Tales of Berseria” has some considerable drawbacks.

Let’s start with the graphics. The opening minutes you spend in Velvet’s village will have you believing this game will look consistently gorgeous. The trees crowned with autumn colors, grass swaying in the breeze, and interplay between light and shadow make for breathtaking visuals.

Beyond the village, things are less impressive. Textures are bland, towns and cities lack personality, and the wilds look generic, so that there’s little to distinguish the game world from hundreds of other lackluster ones.

The dungeons are the worst offenders, and are so bare, dull, and samey you’ll be happy to see sunlight again. It doesn’t help that the dungeon design is often uninspired. These are corridors followed by more corridors, and the occasional branching path. Some throw dumb puzzles at you. Others force you to do lots of backtracking. One dungeon you’ll have to go through more than once.

Like the dungeons, the game world is composed of corridors. This is a linear game that’ll direct you from one point to another, and restrict access to alternate paths until the story makes them available to you. Linearity in an RPG isn’t, by itself, a bad thing; for one, it helps focus the story and keep its pacing even. Anyone used to the open worlds of Western RPGs, however, might find these restrictions to their freedoms off-putting.

Lastly, some will likely be scandalized by Velvet’s revealing attire. I am, however, more upset about how noisy it is. She’s got so many straps and belts sporting huge buckles it’s a wonder she doesn’t lose circulation in her extremities.

You’ll like her when she’s angry

“Tales of Berseria” suffers from some drab dungeon design and mediocre visuals, and its linearity will probably turn off a number of non-JRPG fans.

Still, the game boasts a slew of well-designed elements. Combat is swift, ferocious, and flashy; there are near-countless ways to customize your characters’ strengths through special moves and gear; and a myriad of supplementary systems round out a memorable gameplay experience. Most important of all, “Tales of Berseria” benefits from its anti-heroes and tale steeped in tragedy. After a string of goody two shoes, Velvet is one of the most intriguing “Tales” heroines to date. And while I empathize with her suffering, I’m more than glad she’s as angry, savage, and merciless as she is. — TJD, GMA News

Rating – 8/10

Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 (Japan only), Microsoft Windows