While the world does not see huge environmental changes based on your quest completion, I like that the in game NPCs' dialogue changes with your actions. World Building - Little Touches Big Impact While challenging the entire religious hierarchy that serves as the big bad, not only do the crew members come to terms with their identity and personal decisions, but those on the side of the antagonist as well, they react accordingly and there is sufficient payoff for each of the beats, with time and dialogue dedicated to flesh out what has occurred and how the characters are affected. I would also like to praise the game's story for marrying their major plot beats with underlying emotional interpersonal stakes, and doing it well. Her depth as more than a mindless killer surfaces, she smiles more, grudgingly puts up with some of the antics of her crew, comes to care for others again, leans on others for different reasons and fence sitters and simps alike are given permission to fall deeper in love with her. While Velvet's need for bitter revenge never wanes and she is true to her character throughout the entire tale, she absolutely runs the gamut of trials and tribulations thrown her way, with more than once having to confront the fallout of her actions. Therefore, to inject levity and alternative characters for the player to ask questions about, they placed others around her as soon as was suitable, while simultaneously planting the mystery seed that in order for the world to be saved, Velvet's revenge must come to fruition. Granted, the tutorial level at the start paints her as a loving sister in law and sister in a world first learning about the monster threat, who shows signs of her martial artes training while hunting, the writers created a character that not many of us will be able to readily like or relate to. Our impression of Velvet was not a defender the likes of Samus, a hero of good the likes of Yuna, nor a free spirit defending her own right to exist ala Bayonetta, but a wounded, rage filled animal let loose onto the world. ![]() In the early chapters, she sends others to their deaths for her own purposes without blinking, all to serve her own purposes of pursuing revenge having broken out of her cage. It is not often personal revenge serves as the biggest motivator for a protagonist/main character in any story, especially those of the poisonous, burning hatred kind Velvet possesses. ![]() The Story of Malevolence Chapter 1 - Revenge Done Right, Saving The World Her interactions with her crew shine a light on different aspects of her personality, which include her strengths as top tier wife material, cruelty as top tier mistress material, single minded hatred as top tier demoness material. The crew are well designed and stand out from each other easily enough, with strong writing to color how their relationships are not just with Velvet but with each other as well, and I am so thankful Velvet is not a silent protagonist like Adol from Ys or those from the Persona series. These serve to provide characterization for the cast as well as world building, while they are totally optional, your growing love for the members and their quirks, coupled with never knowing what sort of skit can happen next makes it a mystery treat each time the skit option presents itself. In Tales games, there is a unique storytelling technique known as Skits, that will come up at random that's essentially a 2D cartoon, where the cast members involved will hold a conversation about various topics ranging from dietary habits, teenage struggles, heavy breathing and moaning behind a locked door to murdering family (heh). So I might be a little biased, but thirst for Velvet aside, veterans of Tales have also highlighted how well put together this rag tag cast of diverse outcasts are. ![]() Velvet Crowe - First Solo Anti-Heroine of Tales and Her Crew Tl dr: Tales of Berseria is a great modern action JRPG featuring an endearing cast with a mature, multilayered and unique main story that's darker than most and I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a go, especially if you have never played any Tales games before**.** Writing this after completing the story including most side missions I could find, credits rolled at about 82 hours. Back when it first launched, the design of Velvet caught my eye, reviews were highlighting how her story was darker and a real step away from traditional JRPG storylines, and and I was sold, staying on my list since then. Context: Tales of Berseria was the first Tales game for me.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |