Quick Thoughts - Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

nintendo.com

I have been playing Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch, and I have an immediate confession to make. I started playing Tales of Vesperia right after playing the FFVII Remake, and the comparison between these games is like night and day. To go from one of the most beautifully presented games to a re-release of a game that came out in 2008 is a massive downgrade.

However, that is not to say that Tales of Vesperia is a bad game. Actually, it is quite the opposite. Tales of Vesperia is a satisfactory adventure with a large world to explore, many monsters to fight, and a fully fleshed out story. One aspect of this game that holds up well is the occasional anime-style cut scenes that occur when a significant event is happening. The cinematic anime scenes feel like you are watching an action-packed TV show, and my only problem with these scenes were that they were too rare within the game itself. The game could have benefited from more of these cut scenes.

The combat system is not quite refined, and is a bit clunky, but the system is acceptable. You are defaulted to running either towards or away from a targeted enemy on a 2D plane, but if you hold down the ZL button, you can freely move around the battlefield on a 3D plane. You are also able to add your abilities (called artes) as shortcuts for easy use, and you can quickly switch characters when going into the menu. Of course, in the menu, you can change your equipment and use items. You have to pay attention to how your characters recover from attacking in order to block when your opponent attacks.

To talk about the characters in the party, I do enjoy that most of these characters express themselves through their own different personalities and share their own motivations. The character development in Tales of Vesperia is quite good. The voice acting is okay, but nothing too extravagant. The dialogue feels a bit corny with its many attempts of humor, but it is not terrible by any stretch. Overall, I feel that I was able to enjoy the journey with the characters in the game.

To sum everything up, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is a reasonably solid, run-of-the-mill JRPG, where every aspect is acceptable and nothing really stands out. I paid around $30 CAD for this game, and this game gave me tens of hours of enjoyment. You can get Tales of Vesperia for even cheaper now, and the game does provide good value for money, and decent enjoyment of your time.