Tales of Ariseis out now worldwide on all platforms except Nintendo Switch, and you probably already know what this article will be about if you grabbed Bandai Namco’s latest JRPG yourself - the particularly intrusive DLC items ads.
Tales of Arisehas several packs of DLCs on sale. Such as costumes and other cosmetic accessories, items including Gald (money) for an early game boost, etc. Nothing surprising there, we’ve been accustomed to paid DLCs like that for over a decade now for better or worse. From theTrails SeriestoTales of, Japanese studios and games have been using DLC as a way to invite fans to support their favorite franchises. Swimsuit costumes, in particular, are pretty much a tradition in these cases.
However, what setsTales of Ariseapart and what’s bothering me and several players are the regular DLC ads the game displays.
Tales of Arisecould be a negative experience for newcomers due to its DLC
Right after booting up, the bottom of the title menu has a scrolling ad for the DLC items. What’s worse though, is that the same DLC ad is also displayed whenever you camp in-game, alongside an option to buy these DLCs. Easily tempted players could be pushed into buying these items.
This is especially alarming asTales of Ariseis purposefully geared towards newcomers. People who might not be accustomed to the series or to JRPGs in general. Some players might be incited to just swipe instead of farming for a bit.
Tales of Arisehasseveral difficulty levels, including one that pretty much makes battles trivial for those who simply want to enjoy the story. However, the majority of players will play in the default Normal difficulty, which is actually pretty hard in the first hours of the game. When you’re very limited resources-wise.
Cure Point system and immersion issues
This is coupled with theCure Points systemwhich might give you a hard time. Many players for example won’t realize it’s much more efficient to deactivate Shionne’s Resurrection Artes and simply buy Life Bottles instead. Cure Points restoration items like the traditional Orange Gels are incredibly expensive in this game too. And can only be bought after around ten hours of gameplay. Yet another push towards buying the DLC.
Last but not least, this is a much more minor issue, but the immersion-breaking side of it all is also worth mentioning. It’s weird to have a DLC ad in your face as the characters are bonding with each other while camping.
Arisehas a pretty good story, nice characters, a fun battle system, endgame content, and even agreat localization. With some of the best Japanese game translators out therebehind it. All my friends are agreeing it’s the first top-notchTales ofgame in a long while, surpassing Xillia 1-2, Zestiria,andBerseriaby far.
It’s a real shameTales of Arisehas that one DLC ad banner thing dragging it down. I personally hope a future update will remove it. I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I’m seeing a JRPG do this with its DLC too, and hope this isn’t the next norm.
What do you guys think? you’re able to always tell me on Twitter@A_iyane07.Tales of Ariseis the first console game of the series in five years. The reception on social media is pretty good so far. Twitter isn’t an accurate reflection of reality, but I’ve seen a lot of tweets praising the game. In Japanese, French, and English. We’ll have the first sales numbers, at least for Japan, next week. Depending on how the game goes, we might get some newremasters or remakes soon.
