The Tales of series began in 1995 with Tales of Phantasia on the Super Famicom. Currently, there are 17 games in the main series, plus various spinoffs and crossovers with other properties, as well as a few anime adaptations. Bandai Namco has been revisiting old games in the series and porting or remastering them for modern consoles.

Tales of ARISE is the 17th and most recent main game in the franchise, originally released on PlayStation 4|5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC in 2021. It received rave reviews, won various awards, got a big story expansion DLC titled Beyond the Dawn and is now all being packaged together as Tales of ARISE – Beyond the Dawn Edition for Nintendo Switch 2. 

Tales of ARISE takes place in a setting divided between the medieval world of Dahna and the advanced world of Rena. 300 years ago, the Renans, led by Rena’s artificial moon Lenegis, invaded and conquered Dahna, enslaving its population and dividing the land into five isolated realms. The barren and fiery Calaglia, the dark and cold Cyslodia, the Elde Menancia plains, the Mahag Saar mountains, and the Ganath Haros rainforests. Periodically, the “Crown Contest” is held to decide which among the five Lords is chosen to become the next Renan Sovereign.

The Dahnan resistance against the Renan occupation is divided into four independent movements spread across the planet. The only realm that lacks a resistance cell is Ganath Haros, whose Lord subjugated the entire population, regardless of race. Our tale begins with two people, born on different worlds, each looking to change their fate and create a new future. 

Players take control of two main protagonists: first, a man who initially goes by the name Iron Mask, and later, a woman named Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore. Iron Mask has no memory of his past and is bound to wear an iron mask against his will. He gets roped into a dramatic push from the Crimson Crows Resistance movement to overthrow Lord Balseph in the fiery pits of Calaglia.

This is all set in motion when you step in to help free a prisoner from Rena, Shionne, a woman cursed with elemental magic known as Artes, who will lash out with waves of electrical thorns to anyone who touches her. For reasons unknown to Ironmask, he has the natural ability to feel no pain and is now the only person who can physically interact with Shionne, which unofficially binds their fates.

The story and gameplay are brilliantly intertwined as combat and lifestyle elements evolve with the introduction of new characters and the conquest of new areas. Areas are broken up into regions with groups of enemies periodically placed that will initiate a combat sequence if you get too close. During battles, which are done in real time, a small fight area locks you off from the larger region, and the only way out is to fight or escape the battle, but escape isn’t always an option. 

Standard attacks will keep the combos going with the face buttons unleashing devastating Arte abilities that can serve as a plethora of damage and debuff mechanics. Each Arte ability will cost AG points, which will be replenished over time or through perfect dodges and parry actions. As you unlock more characters for your party, you’ll gain unique boost attacks for each character. Certain boost attacks can combine with other characters’ powers for a cinematic finisher, allowing players to experiment and get creative in battle. 

There is a wide variety of enemy types, going from battling common minions to taking on giants and other powerful characters, and they are all brimming with their scales on their bodies, armour, weapons and more. Battles, especially later in the game, are spectacles to behold with all the heroes and enemies unleashing their attacks, wielding their weapons and casting their magic.

The bold outlines of the character models keep them at the forefront during the chaos, making it easier to track your movements. Each new game in the Tales of series has always improved the presentation of its battles, and it’ll be interesting and exciting to see how they look in the next game.

Outside of combat, each region of Danah is affected differently by the astral energy found in that area. Calaglia is hell on earth, with contrasting shades of molten magma and burnt earth, and it was fitting for the doomed feeling of the music at the start of the game. Each region you visit from then on is incredibly diverse and distinct, with its own stories to tell. 

The graphics may look simple in parts, but overall they are bright, colourful, full of life and personality. The Nintendo Switch 2 version looks just as good as on other platforms in docked mode, while quality drops a little in handheld mode, but it is barely noticeable and still delivers the same epic experience. 

The game features side activities such as cooking, farming, and fishing to give players a break from the main game and a chance to relax and unwind before continuing their journey. Cooking can be used to boost stats after each resting point, but unfortunately, the farming and fishing minigames are introduced so late in the game that by that point, players might feel inclined to participate in them.

The game’s soundtrack and sound design work incredibly well with every aspect of the game, whether you’re freely exploring or traversing to the next location, during battles, cutscenes, dialogue scenes and more. They add so much emotion to the storytelling and the thrill of each battle, but simple background noises without music work just as well to let certain cutscenes shine more, especially for crucial plot points. 

The voice cast all do an excellent job in both Japanese and English, and the main characters have great chemistry together. Aside from the main cutscenes, there are also skits with unique conversations between characters, which are entertaining and a fun way to learn interesting facts about them. The voice cast also shines in the anime cutscenes, which are of cinema quality; even non-gamers will find plenty to enjoy in the story alone.

In the Beyond the Dawn story expansion, the story continues a year after the conclusion of the main game. After the battle for the fate of two worlds, Alphen and his party meet a young girl named Nazamil, who is the daughter of a Renan Lord and a Dahnan. Will the six be able to change the girl’s fate who will eventually fall under the curse of the mask? Explore the world again with party members who are bound together by a strong bond. 

Beyond the Dawn feels like a natural progression to the main game. The story-driven narrative eases you back into the world you left behind before ramping up the combat aspect, leading up to a tough endgame. Nazamil is a perfect fit for the main cast, whose journey takes you on various paths. It has everything from the main game and takes around 7 hours to finish, on top of the main game, which already takes 30 or more hours to complete.

Bundling both the main game and story expansion DLC for the AUD price of $69.95, or $89.95 for extra content like more costumes and items, is a fantastic deal for the epic journey and another epic journey on top of that for players to experience. 

Many games have been getting ported to Nintendo Switch 2 years after being released on other platforms, but Tales of ARISE, being bundled with the Beyond the Dawn story expansion, makes it a great incentive for fans to relive an epic story, plus its continuation and a great way for newcomers to get into the game. Tales of ARISE – Beyond the Dawn Edition is an epic story that needs to be experienced at home or on the go. 

Written by: Sammy Hanson