Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

Genre: Action-RPG / JRPG

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Tales of Vesperia is an HD re-release of an Action-RPG that was previously released on the Xbox 360, and then on the PS3, and now brought to the current generation of consoles with updated graphics and added content. It follows the requisite ragtag band of plucky adventurers as they head on a journey through a land where the only thing protecting cities from dangerous monsters are magical barriers keeping them at bay.

While the game’s plot isn’t anything extraordinary when it comes to traditional JRPGs, much of the rest of the game is. The game’s battle system, for example, has battles that take place in real-time on a 3D plane where your party must consider positioning and distance when fighting enemies, and can even combo enemies like in a fighting game. It’s certainly a change of pace from more traditional battle systems, though it can at times feel a bit cheap and even mindless, running around to get behind an enemy while they whiff their attack, and then hitting them with a combo.

The visuals here, while nothing spectacular, are really good, especially the detailed character designs. The music and voice acting for the main characters is also superb, though secondary characters are a bit more hit or miss in that regard.

Ultimately, Tales of Vesperia is a solid Action-RPG that does some things that are unique and inventive while doing others that are very traditional for games in the genre. It’s nothing revolutionary, and it’s not without its flaws, but fans of JRPGs looking for something with a bit more action may find it to their liking.

tl;dr – Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is an Action-RPG that takes a standard JRPG and adds in battles that take place in real-time. It’s nothing game-changing, but it’s a good game that fans of the genre should enjoy.

Grade: B

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