Tales of Zestiria

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 6,929 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Tales of Zestiria Game Cover
Tales of Zesteria is a fitting tribute to twenty years of the Tales series, giving you one of the greatest JRPG adventures in recent times.
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Hold on to what you strive for! In a world torn by war between two powerful nations fighting for rule and supremacy, accept the burden of the Sheperd and fight human darkness to protect your world from Malevolence and reunite humans and Seraphim. Together with Lailah, the Lady of the Lake who guards the Sacred Blade, and his best friend Mikleo, the cast will discover soon enough a powerful for…

  • PC
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  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 6,929 reviews
story1,871 positive mentions
grinding474 negative mentions
  • The combat system is fun and engaging, allowing for dynamic battles.
  • The characters are well-developed and their interactions are enjoyable.
  • The soundtrack is fantastic, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The story is predictable and lacks depth, with many plot holes.
  • The equipment and skill system is overly complicated and confusing.
  • The camera controls during battles are poor, often obscuring the action.
  • story5,745 mentions

    The story of "Tales of Zestiria" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it to be generic and predictable, often following typical JRPG tropes such as the "chosen one" narrative. While some appreciate the character interactions and emotional moments, others criticize the pacing, plot holes, and lack of depth, leading to a feeling of disconnection from the story. Overall, it is seen as a decent but flawed entry in the "Tales" series, with some players recommending the anime adaptation for a more engaging experience.

    • “The story is engaging, the characters are fun, and things just feel great in the game.”
    • “With its gripping storyline, dynamic characters, and immersive gameplay, it stands as a shining example of what the Tales series has to offer.”
    • “The story is very well planned and the gameplay/battles are very addicting too.”
    • “The story requires you to be a hardcore fan to enjoy, and even then, it's not that good especially with the ending.”
    • “The problem with the story is that it spends time on useless things instead of revealing the really important parts of the story.”
    • “The story is all over the place and honestly totally forgettable.”
  • gameplay1,731 mentions

    The gameplay of "Tales of Zestiria" is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and frustrating complexity. While the armatization system and dynamic battle mechanics offer unique combat experiences, many players find the multitude of convoluted systems overwhelming and poorly explained, leading to a steep learning curve. Overall, the gameplay is seen as fun and rewarding for those willing to invest time in mastering it, but it can also feel tedious and unbalanced, particularly for newcomers to the series.

    • “The mechanics can be complicated and frustrating at first, but if you take your time to learn them, you will be well rewarded for your diligence.”
    • “What truly sets Tales of Zestiria apart are its dynamic battle mechanics, which allow players to seamlessly switch between characters and unleash powerful combos.”
    • “The gameplay is a lot of fun and there is certainly a lot of content, but as far as Tales stories go, this was a little more on the bland side.”
    • “I liked the system of combining weapons and skills, but it looks pretty useless because you can't even figure out if these skills that you combined work and what kind of skills you combined at all. Bad combat mechanics really don't let you enjoy this process.”
    • “The biggest problem is how complex the combat is because of the ridiculous amount of mechanics the game keeps constantly introducing to you. You don't have enough time to practice a single mechanic to be able to understand how to play this game because the game keeps throwing more and more at you.”
    • “The gameplay is unfortunately very repetitive. The actual gameplay is frustrating and the plot and characters are truly one-dimensional.”
  • graphics1,130 mentions

    The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with many players noting that while the art style and character designs are vibrant and appealing, the overall visual quality feels dated, reminiscent of earlier console generations like the PS3. Some users experienced graphical glitches and performance issues, particularly during cutscenes, but others found the visuals to be satisfactory, especially when played on higher settings or with mods. Overall, the game's graphics are considered decent for a JRPG, but they do not push the boundaries of modern gaming standards.

    • “The visuals, graphics, and character designs were stunning.”
    • “The game's vibrant graphics and enchanting music keep players captivated from start to finish.”
    • “Beautiful graphics, awesome story, and great characters.”
    • “The graphics of the game are a mixed bag.”
    • “For a 2015 game, it feels much older—not just looking at the graphics.”
    • “The visuals are god awful for what was originally a PS4 game.”
  • music1,119 mentions

    The music in "Tales of Zestiria" has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its beautiful and immersive soundtrack, which enhances the game's atmosphere and emotional depth. Composed by notable artists Motoi Sakuraba and Go Shiina, the soundtrack features standout tracks that resonate well with players, particularly during key moments and battles. However, some criticism exists regarding repetitiveness in certain tracks and the occasional mismatch of music with the game's tone, but overall, the music is considered one of the game's strongest aspects.

    • “Still has the best soundtrack of the entire 'tales of' series.”
    • “The music is spectacular and adds a lot to the immersion and emotional aspects of the game.”
    • “The soundtrack maintains its charm even after hours in the same area and tracks fit their associated locations very well.”
    • “The world is beautiful and interesting, but the exploration music ruins even that by being inappropriately hectic and annoying.”
    • “Bland, identical side locations and reused music only add to the feeling that the developers just gave up mid-way through.”
    • “The soundtrack is dreadful; every track feels like it's on a 7 second loop and all of them are super loud and far too epic for no reason.”
  • grinding486 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively tedious and time-consuming, particularly due to the complex equipment fusion system and the need to farm for specific items. While some appreciate the depth and challenge that grinding can provide, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to repetitive gameplay and frustration. Overall, the game is characterized as "grindy," with players suggesting that it could benefit from a more balanced approach to grinding and progression.

    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “They cost too much if you're not farming.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Albeit the story being nice overall, it lacks tension, and the skits are generally only seen when sleeping in an inn or on a save point, unlike past Tales games where you can see them anywhere. On top of this, the game is excessively grindy (most of my gameplay had been either grinding for gald or exp) and with sudden difficulty jumps.”
    • “The game itself is quite long and I wanted to minimize the amount of playthroughs to get all the achievements, but the weapon and skill system forces you to spend hours upon hours grinding to get equipment to handle the higher difficulties.”
    • “The equipment system makes for endless grinding, and it is only in New Game + that you get to experience some of the game's grade shop bonuses.”
  • humor366 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with many players enjoying the witty dialogue and character interactions, particularly in the skits that add depth and charm to the story. Characters like Edna and Lailah stand out for their comedic timing and clever puns, contributing to a light-hearted atmosphere that balances the game's more serious themes. However, some players noted inconsistencies in humor quality and translation issues, which occasionally detracted from the overall experience.

    • “The skits with the characters were so funny and added to the world building so much and got me invested in it.”
    • “The characters are lovable, the jokes hilarious, and Edna is kawaii.”
    • “The characters are quite funny and interesting in their own right; several skits go over the lore, some simply have hilarious moments, and that's what I think the game is best at: it's not the end result, it's the journey.”
    • “Some of Edna's jokes are awfully rude and unfunny, and I think the English translation changed certain things Edna said (I played it in Japanese with English subtitles and have an elementary knowledge of Japanese).”
    • “Puns fall flat because the lines make no sense or are just simply not funny.”
  • character development203 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant lack of depth and growth among the characters. While some characters exhibit moments of development, the majority are described as bland and underutilized, leading to a feeling of emotional detachment from the story. Overall, the character designs are praised, but the narrative fails to deliver the rich character arcs typically expected in the series.

    • “Tales of Zestiria is probably one of the top Tales games for me. I loved the character development and the story was amazing that I just wanted to keep replaying it over and over. The combat I found challenging and fun to defeat calamity before the ending of the game to get the bad ending, and boy was it a challenge.”
    • “The characters of Tales of Zestiria are very likable and their character development during the course of the game is great to watch.”
    • “Engaging storyline with a lot of character development, each character feels dynamic and they have specific interactions with each other throughout the game, which develops a better sense of who you are and who your party members are.”
    • “The characters are also very underutilized, with only a couple of the characters actually seeing tangible character development.”
    • “Character development is stunted and there are only a few rare moments where a couple characters show some growth.”
    • “The characters are boring and cliche with little to no character development, the story is basic and mostly predictable.”
  • optimization184 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, crashes, and a frustrating 30fps cap, particularly on the PC version. While some users have successfully utilized community patches to improve performance, others still experience lag and graphical inconsistencies. Overall, the game is seen as poorly optimized for PC, with a recommendation to play on console or wait for further fixes.

    • “The game is greatly optimized and has mostly all the things you might need in the options menu.”
    • “Optimization: top notch, the game runs smooth on a broad range of systems and specs.”
    • “Optimized beautifully for me, I can't run most modern games on even low settings but I can play this on medium-high with very minimal lag.”
    • “30fps cap and frequent stuttering in combat due to Namco's limiter.”
    • “Tales of Zestiria is a poorly optimized PC port of an already weak entry for this long-running series.”
    • “Randomly crashes, unoptimized for PC, just get it on console.”
  • emotional160 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players expressing deep emotional connections to characters and moments, while others feel detached due to a lackluster storyline and character development. Many highlight specific emotional scenes and character interactions that resonate, yet others criticize the game's failure to maintain immersion and emotional investment throughout. Overall, while there are poignant moments, the inconsistency in storytelling and character growth leaves some players feeling unfulfilled.

    • “Tales of Zestiria might not have turned me into an emotional wreck like Tales of Symphonia, Destiny, Abyss, Vesperia, and Berseria, but it still tugged at the heartstrings, which makes it just as special as other Tales games.”
    • “The lengthy stories, side-quests, and skits all come together to flesh out characters and rope you into getting emotionally invested in them.”
    • “This game is really touching and feels like I had an incredible experience playing it.”
    • “I don't care to go too much in depth, but do not buy this one, too much money for a bad Tales game with by far the worst combat in the series, a boring story, and a very weak story.”
    • “Boring story filled with plotholes, boring main character, combat is meh at best (mash buttons without care).”
    • “Pretty dull and boring story, ridiculously contrived battle system with a dodgy camera and the main heroine leaves in the middle of the story never to return for no good reason whatsoever.”
  • stability110 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and graphical glitches, particularly during cutscenes and battles. While some users have experienced smooth performance, others have faced issues like freezing, camera problems, and unresponsive mechanics, making the game feel unplayable at times. Overall, while it runs well on certain systems, the prevalence of bugs detracts from the experience for many players.

    • “The game runs great, the 60 fps patch/mod really makes battle feel smoother and the game overall is really stable.”
    • “Have had zero issues running the game smoothly, no glitches, or framerate drops; yes, it is 30 fps locked but I never was a framerate snob.”
    • “Runs great on high settings on my HD 5800 series.”
    • “It's buggy from things like not being able to turn in sidequests, getting stuck during battles due to where the invisible circle places, getting stuck on objects or falling through the ground, character models partially disappearing so all that is left is their teeth and hair, AI going completely nuts and entering then leaving fusion repeatedly, camera getting stuck on walls or inside enemies.”
    • “Game is buggy.”
    • “Buggy, broken PC port!”
  • replayability80 mentions

    Replayability in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it lacking due to linear storytelling and combat mechanics, while others appreciate the New Game+ features, side quests, and character customization options that encourage multiple playthroughs. Many reviews highlight that completionists may find significant replay value, but overall satisfaction varies widely, with some rating it as low as 2/5 and others praising it for offering over 80 hours of gameplay. The community patch has improved playability, but opinions on whether it's worth replaying differ greatly among players.

    • “100% replayability: offers options and rewards that make you want to play again after finishing.”
    • “There are a lot of customization options for your characters, battles, and more; very high replayability as expected from a Tales game.”
    • “A lot of extra replayability with extra content after finishing the game, such as cameos, extra dungeons, and secrets, which can easily make someone want to keep playing for hundreds or even thousands of hours.”
    • “Replayability - "meh." 2/5 - the 2 is there if you're a hardcore Tales fan, go for it, but probably would be better off on almost every other title in the Tales series.”
    • “I played it some, and uh yeah good luck without a controller, this game is so complex and confusing... the combat isn't even fun, there's not real replay value to this game at all, it tells a boring story and it's all linear of where to go and what to do.”
    • “The flaws to this game is mainly the lack of replayability and decisions.”
  • atmosphere58 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game is generally praised for its immersive and vibrant qualities, with many noting the effective use of music that enhances the experience, although some instances of mismatched music detract from the overall ambiance. While certain areas and NPC interactions feel lifeless or underdeveloped, the medieval setting and character art design contribute positively to the game's charm. Overall, the atmosphere is described as lively and colorful, with a mix of engaging soundscapes that elevate the gameplay experience.

    • “The atmosphere in this game is quite lively and colorful.”
    • “We find ourselves here in a fantastic medieval atmosphere, in a world where, if there are no seraphim, malice takes hold of the weakest and transforms them into a demonic creature.”
    • “The music is really well done, fitting the atmosphere, and each song has richness and depth that you rarely see with atmosphere soundtracks these days.”
    • “World has no atmosphere and NPCs feel like mannequins.”
    • “It's very dull and lacks atmosphere and memorable places.”
    • “Some of the characters feel a bit off and impersonal for me, which ruins the atmosphere.”
  • monetization16 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for being perceived as a cash grab, particularly regarding the promotion of the character Alisha, who is featured prominently in marketing but has limited gameplay presence. While the game does not include microtransactions, the DLC content is viewed as unnecessary and primarily cosmetic, leading to accusations of deceptive advertising and poor management by the developers. Overall, players feel that the monetization approach detracts from the game's integrity and enjoyment.

    • “Overall, the game is great and enjoyable. The best part is: there are no microtransactions, unless you want to include some of the DLC, which is not needed to beat the game and is mostly used for vanity purposes.”
    • “Alisha was used as a cash grab in a DLC dungeon that provided little payoff.”
    • “This game is just a soulless, lazy, and greedy cash grab.”
    • “Some fans have accused them of plotting this from the beginning to make a shameless cash grab over fans.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

73% average critic score

Buy Tales of Zestiria

Play time

35hMedian play time
49hAverage play time
42hMain story
136hCompletionist
8-70hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 126 analyzed playthroughs

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