#so like ok cool take a dohalim

[moeblob]

(sees Arise fanart by chance) oh dang I should draw someone again O:

[iscabird]

i finished the main story of Tales of Arise last night and i have unsorted thoughts (with as few spoilers as possible)

i never got the hang of the battle system, if i'm being honest. i was overwhelmed just looking up guides on Arise's combat. and unfortunately, i don't have the brainpower to read enemy telegraphs, so i'm unable to consistently take advantage of the new dodge mechanic. i might've been ok if it was closer to Berseria, or even Symphonia/Vesperia. those I could at least handle.

i kept suffering a soft-lock nearly every time i finished a battle, bc sometimes the game couldn't properly shift out of the battle map, leaving the party in a dark void. sometimes the reticle would glitch and set itself in the centre of the battle map, meaning i couldn't hit jack-all for however long it took for the reticle to remember that there were still enemies on the field. this also disabled the Boost Attacks.

it feels like the game really likes hearing itself speak. a lot of dialogue feels drawn-out, to the point where i'm burnt out just from watching the skits. which is unfortunate, because...

...the voicework in the dub is probably the game's strongest asset, I feel. I can think of only one part where the casting choice is a little odd, but i can excuse it bc there's a good in-universe reason for it. there's not a single Kamoana to be heard. it's bliss.

the story was ok, it just wasn't groundbreaking. I noticed it took a few cues from Symphonia, but that's not a bad thing. how many Final Fantasy titles are there, again?

they kill off the Cool Dad Guy in the second town, to facilitate his son's character arc. i understand why they did it, it just sucks.

the font used for the subtitles and text looks really clunky. i wish there was a dark shadow behind the subtitles to make them easier to read. not to mention, half of the text is spelling and grammar mistakes, even in the final dungeon! at least it's consistent...?

i don't remember any of the background music. when i was going through the final dungeon, i filled the monotony by imagining [this track] instead. (also not the first time i've done this--i put Tom Cardy on loop when I was playing Monster Hunter Stories 2, just to alleviate the tedium of playing Monster Hunter Stories 2)

Arise might be the first Tales Of game i've played where i actually liked the Designated Attack Mage, in terms of both character and gameplay. I think it helps that Rinwell has an adorable little owlet friend.

speaking of Rinwell, she's not allowed to strike down the Lord that killed her family, but everyone else gets to have their own vengeance? ok..........................

i like that Kisara is the Sexy Lady Character, but in a subtle, elegant way. she's tall, her armor looks cool, and she's such a mature personality. i want her to carry me in her strong, muscular arms

some of the cutscenes felt awkward, in ways that are hard to really describe? i think the thing that sticks out most in my mind is that when the game introduces Dohalim, it felt far too early for the game to start throwing out flashbacks to his past, in the middle of a dinner scene? i dunno, maybe it's just me.

I like Dohalim, though. he has an interesting dynamic with the party. sometimes to his detriment bc it takes him a while to grow some common tact.

I like Shionne and Alphen, too. but I think I liked Alphen best when he had the full mask on (i know. i know. i have a type.)

I liked Vholran, and i loved his va's performance. the weird thing about him is that his 3d model's face looks cartoonish to me, but that vibe isn't there when he's literally in a 2d animated cutscene? art is wild.

the first boss is named Balseph Erwolsey Teldilys. i am not even kidding. an npc late in the game mentioned him again and i broke for ten minutes just laughing.

addendum 1/?: i almost forgot about the shitty AI settings. Previous Tales Of titles gave you fine, granular control over how the CPU-controlled party acts in battle, like how aggressively they should fight and how much distance they should keep from enemies. Arise, however, gives you fine, granular control over how often the CPU uses items or healing skills, and that's it. so Rinwell, Shionne, and Dohalim, all mid-to-long-range fighters, will think it wise to cast spells within hands range of the enemy. there IS an option to set the party to "keep distance from the enemy," but it stops them attacking. its purpose is to give the party breathing room to heal.