I have a lot to thank my mom for, but I’d wager
that my general avoidance of sweets is one of them. It’s not that I have anything against candy
(except chocolate, because I’m secretly history’s greatest monster), but I don’t
go out of my way to get my hands on it.
Same goes for stuff like cake and ice cream; honestly, a few weeks ago I
had Pop-Tarts for the first time in years.
As a result, I’ve never known the pain of cavities. Likewise, I’d imagine that axing the most
heinous of food groups has helped me keep my figure svelte and lithe -- and not
at all comparable to a skin-clad sack of bones.
Still, I know the taste of sweets. I know the effect. There are just some foods out there that are
pure bliss in edible form; I’d count a warm blueberry muffin among them, for
example. Will eating sweets lead to
regret later? Possibly. Probably, if they aren’t eaten in
moderation. On the other hand, sometimes
you just have to indulge and take in whatever you can get. Sometimes you just have to spoil yourself.
That’s what Tales
of Zestiria does for me. Because the
more I think about it, the more I realize I’m absolutely in love with this game.
I’ve been sitting on it for a while. The game came out last year, after all; I
started a playthrough with my brother, but we decided to split things up and
start separate files (for reasons I’ll get to in a minute). The idea was that I’d be able to play and
finish the game at my own pace, but “my own pace” eventually became synonymous
with “indefinitely put on the backburner”.
I still have most of 2015’s greatest hits to parse through -- Metal Gear Solid V, The Witcher 3, and Bloodborne
to name a few -- and I just finished Xenoblade
Chronicles X a few weeks ago.
Maybe I would’ve gotten to Zestiria (and others) sooner, but I have to reiterate: there was a
time when I was seriously thinking about giving up video games. As controversial an opinion it may be, it’s
because I played through all four of the Uncharted
games -- games that made me progressively more miserable, frustrated, and
outright angry the further in I went. I
forced myself to soldier through with minimal pauses (i.e. playing something
else) for the sake of writing about them someday, and to know what all the
noise was about. But when given the
choice between “play Uncharted” and
“do literally anything else, like sleep”, you can guess which one I tended to
opt for. Spoilers: it was the one that
didn’t feature Nathan Drake.
There was a time when it felt like the proverbial
“light at the end of the tunnel” had been blocked off by a wall of mangled
bodies and PS4 boxes (because “greatness awaits”!), but I did eventually break
through. Xenoblade Chronicles X helped immensely with the healing process,
mending burns and broken bones as best it could. Now that I’m done with that, it’s on to Zestiria -- and with it, I’m back in
fighting form. My spirit has been
cleansed, massaged, and offered a steaming plate of blueberry muffins.
Here’s the thing, though: even if I love Zestiria, I don’t think it’s solely
because of its qualities as a game. In
fact, that might be what lets it down the most.
From what I can gather, Zestiria is a contentious entry in the Tales series. There was a
controversy a while back because it advertised one of the main characters --
the young knight Alisha -- pretty heavily.
Come release day, however, it turns out that she sticks around for just
a short while, and then (almost) never appears again…well, except for some
DLC. That’s not a great situation to put
fans in, especially those who bought into the game solely for Alisha. And those
who became her fans through the actual game likely felt burned when she
basically went “lol, bye!”, only to return for real if they slapped down some
cash.
The problems go deeper than that, though. Starting with Symphonia, my brother and I have played through nearly every single
Tales game since via a JRPG rarity:
couch co-op. (Legendia was single-player only, and neither of us had the will to
get through Dawn of the New World or Xillia 2.) The plan was to make it through Zestiria, but the game isn’t conducive
for co-op play thanks to some baffling aspects.
Chief among them: the camera during battles is a mess.
Unlike previous entries, Zestiria has fights take place in a facsimile of whatever area
you’re in. In theory, that means that if
you’re in a dungeon, you’ll fight in the actual dungeon instead of an imaginary
arena that copies its aesthetic. In practice, you’ll fight in arenas where
the camera will consistently get stuck on walls, on the ground, and on
enemies. Given that the franchise
thrives on real-time battles, it’s a serious issue when you can’t see what
you’re doing because a snake slithered too close to you.
By the way, these are camera issues that happen
when you’re playing solo. Imagine how
much those problems are compounded when you’re playing with just one more
person. Congratulations -- you’re still
off by half.
It’s also worth noting that Zestiria is a cross-generational game (and on PC), meaning that you
can get it on the PS3 or PS4. But
whether you’re playing on last gen’s model or with one of the strongest
consoles to date, concessions have still been made for reasons I can’t wrap my
head around. I’m on PS4, so I’d very
much like to know why battles -- and the game at large -- have seen a drop to
30 frames when the PS2’s Tales of the
Abyss could handle 60 despite popping up about a decade earlier. It’s not deal-breaking, but I’m left
wondering what the point of stronger machines is when it’s being outclassed.
There are other issues, too. For reasons known only to the gods on Mount
Olympus, the enemy AI has a habit of running to the opposite end of a map
whenever they feel like it. It’s not as
much of an issue when you’re playing characters with long-range attacks, but
two of the main characters have nothing of the sort -- so if you want to keep
up your flurry of combos, you have to chase them down and hope you don’t get
clipped in turn. And because of the way
the game works (wherein you fuse with party members), you can easily run into
instances where Player 2 gets his control in a fight stolen because Player 1
needs to turn into a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. I know that’s not what it’s
called all the time, but….cripes, what a stupid-yet-perfect name for it.
So in general, it’s hard for me to recommend
playing Zestiria with two players --
and woe to anyone who tries playing with three or four. Even if you’re playing solo, though, it feels
like there are some missteps. The Tales games have always put an insane
amount of emphasis on world-building (sometimes to excess), to the point where
“two different worlds coming together” has become a running theme
throughout. Comparatively, Zestiria’s world feels kind of
ho-hum. It’s fine, sure, but it’s
lacking in the pizazz that other entries have had before it. Given that Zestiria’s in the midst of an age where corruption is spreading
malaise and disasters, it’s not that hard to defend. Still, in the face of the artistry featured
in Xillia’s opening hours alone, it’s
hard to get hyped by Zestiria and its
vaguely-medieval world and just-over-functional dungeons. I’m not done with the game yet, so there
could be some real stunners waiting for me; on the other hand, I’m almost 40 hours
in and I’m not exactly impressed.
That’s a lot of negativity to heap right off the
bat onto a game I supposedly love. But
you know how it is: the more time you spend with something, the more aware you
become of the cracks and faults. Really,
I think it’s a good sign that I have been
willing to stick with the game, even if I’m wary of its issues. There could be more along the way -- and I
suspect there might be, given that my brother believes that the story craps its
pants somewhere down the line -- but for now I’m satisfied. The good outweighs the bad in both story and
gameplay. And since I’m still focused on
that, let’s talk gameplay.
Here’s the thing: Zestiria’s battle system basically turns the game into Kamen Rider: JRPG Edition. Which Kamen Rider? There are plenty of viable choices, but let’s
go with this one for now.
To be clear, it’s not as if being vaguely similar
to Kamen Rider automatically makes it
better (and I’ll explain why Zestiria is
special in a minute); still, the comparisons are easy to draw. The crux of gameplay and story alike is that
Sorey is more attuned to spiritual forces than the average Joe, which means
he’s capable of seeing and talking to the seraphs that walk among the
populace. By extension, that means he’s
the perfect candidate for being the Shepherd (AKA the chosen one, AKA Jesus,
AKA whatever messiah figure you put stock in).
By taking on seraphs as his Lords -- a Prime Lord, who then takes on
three Sub Lords -- he’s able to use their powers as his own.
So the reason why the gameplay is so
multiplayer-unfriendly is because of the interplay between Sorey the human and
the seraphs (and another human who joins later, with much the same
benefits). The humans go all in with
melee attacks and direct pressure; the seraphs can do the same if you want, but
they’ve also got access to magic of both the offensive and defensive
variety. I personally enjoy playing as
the seraphs more, but the nature of the game makes it so that you don’t have to
stick to just one and ignore the rest.
Arguably, that’s the whole point.
Each seraph has an elemental attribute, so you
have to stay mindful of it to exploit enemy weaknesses and avoid pointlessly
wasting your party’s energy and time.
Luckily, you don’t have to be a psychic and set up your party in advance;
a quick tap on the d-pad is all it takes to swap out your fire-based seraph for
your water-based seraph. It’s simple,
but it does add an extra layer of thought to the Tales series, whose battles can devolve into mindless
button-mashing. If you go full ham and
keep whacking a water-resistant enemy with water attacks, you’ll drain your
stamina faster (which means you take more damage) and risk having the baddie
shrug off your blows. Hit his weak
point, though, and you’ll make combo-ing him into oblivion that much easier via
damage multipliers and bolstered status effects.
It’s doubly-important to keep track of enemy
weaknesses, because the game strongly recommends having your human and a seraph
fusing into a single super-warrior. And
it’s not just something to whip out when a boss is stomping your ass; there are
instances in regular battles where you need a power boost to survive the enemy
onslaught. By the same token, there are
times when you need to fight as a party of four, but the important thing is
that you have to manage your seraphs as best you can. They’re your allies as well as your power, so
knowing who to bench is crucial as well as tactically rewarding. And while I doubt anyone’s going to say Zestiria’s as technically complex as,
say, Virtua Fighter 5, it’s still
satisfying to fight it out with rampaging hellions.
It certainly helps that there’s a “Blast Gauge”
that gives you access to extended combos, which by extension packs mechanics
from Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, and Marvel vs. Capcom into one game.
Definitely not complaining about that.
But again, I don’t love this game solely because
of its gameplay systems. I am impressed
by the fact that it integrates its story and gameplay so boldly (for good and
for ill), but for me? The real draw is
what Tales games have routinely
delivered, and what may have reached its apex here with Zestiria: charm.
Without a doubt, Tales of Zestiria is a charming game. It’s warm and cuddly, with more than enough
potential to put a smile on even the most tear-soaked of faces. I know that a lot of people play video games
to have fun, but it’s been a hot minute since I played a game that’s basically
the embodiment of fun. I have a hard time skipping the intro each
time it starts up, because not only is it one of my favorites -- especially with the Japanese
vocals -- but it’s also the best way to get me hyped for the adventure I’m
about to go on (or resume). Seeing Sorey
and his seraph pal Mikleo overlooking a sprawling world always makes me go
“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” internally.
It’s true that a lot of the scenes and images in
the opening imply darker, heavier times ahead.
Having played through a big chunk of the game, that’s entirely
justified. In typical Tales fashion, there’s an examination of
storytelling elements (or JRPG clichés, if you prefer) that follows them
through to the logical conclusion. Sorey
becoming Anime Jesus isn’t just a bunch of fun and games; so far I’ve seen him 1)
get extorted into fighting in a war using his seemingly-divine powers, 2)
become a willing accomplice to murder in order to preserve his image of a
saintly Samaritan, and 3) bear witness to the corruption that’s woven its way
into the offices of organizations large and small -- to the point where the
ex-pope is running an illegal cartel of fake medicine.
And that’s on top of the tireless work Sorey has
to put in saving the populace from the malevolence causing plagues and natural
disasters, while also shouldering the
burdens with a smile on his face so as to preserve the people’s peace of mind and keep himself from becoming corrupted.
Basically, shit’s whack. The
player and the character alike have to confront some nasty stuff and deal with
the ramifications of being a demonstrably-existent messiah -- which is great from a storytelling perspective,
but hardly something anyone would actively wish for.
How do you counteract all that heaviness? With scenes like this one.
Or this one.
Or the skits, the number of which is probably just
a few steps shy of infinity.
Somebody had a hell of a fun time with bringing
this game out -- be it the eastern devs or the western localization team -- and
that sense of fun shines through. Even
if Zestiria ventures into some
serious territory and pushes Sorey onto the brink of despair, it’s got more
than enough content to soothe the soul.
That’s kind of the point, I bet; if you’re going to make something that
can really weigh down on a person’s soul (in-universe or out of it), then you
need something to counteract that heaviness.
Zestiria’s sense of humor goes
a long way towards that. Not every joke
or quip lands, of course, yet the sheer multitude and general quality of them
make up for any misses.
It’s not just about the jokes, though. It’s about the affect. The tone.
Generally speaking, Zestiria won’t
win any awards for the design or aesthetics of its world; despite that, it’s
still a world -- a world that gives players plenty of options to explore, and
plenty of majestic sites for Sorey to uncover.
Though he willingly takes on the role of Anime Jesus, his primary goal before
(and even during) his journey is to find ruins and get glimpses of the past as
spoken of in his favorite books. He’s
already got his mind on adventure, with the learning and self-improvement
inherent within to match. That spirit is
so infectious it carries over into the first battle theme...which I’d listen to
even if I wasn’t writing this post.
It’s impossible to overstate just how important
characters are to a product, video games included. Maybe someday, devs up and down the industry
will understand that and we’ll get actual
characters on a regular basis -- not just cookie cutter archetypes that are
just avatars for violence or revenge.
Until then, Zestiria’s picking
up the slack with its modest squadron of lovable characters. Each of them brings something delightful to
the table; whether they’re viewed individually or as a whole unit, they infuse
the game with smile-inducing charm.
It’s not hard to see how things could’ve gone
awry, but they didn’t. For example: it
would’ve been easy to just have leading man Sorey be some grinning,
pure-hearted cinnamon bun without a thought in his head -- BUT he’s actually
much smarter than his easygoing nature suggests, he’s fully aware of the
circumstances of (and dark side to) being a Shepherd, and he’s got ambitions
that don’t start and end with “doin’ it for da girl”. Hell, it’s looking like he might not even have a girl -- and by extension, doesn’t
have a romantic arc. Instead, there’s
just this refreshing, endearing friendship with his bro Mikleo.
It would’ve been easy to just have Mikleo be the
smart, cool one to Sorey’s dumb, hot-blooted persona -- and that’s their bit on
a surface level -- but there’s more to him than that. He’s got a brain and a sense of maturity
about him, and tries to reason his way through situations…but at the same time,
he’s also the butt of various jokes, can be pretty childish, and despite his
“too cool for school” airs, he’s just as passionate about ruin-exploring as
Sorey. I don’t know if the two boys are
(or will be) the game’s official couple, but whether it’s left implicit or made
explicit later on, the dev team made a really dynamic duo.
The same could be said of the rest of the
cast. They could’ve just made Prime Lord
Lailah a dealer of exposition and a passive hanger-on of a waif, but it’s
impossible not to be enchanted by her honest, ditzy self -- especially when
she’s secretly channeling the spirit of Final Fantasy 10’s Lulu. They could’ve just made Edna into the token
loli, but they kicked the snark into overdrive with her and made her an
unrepentant troll (and The Littlest Racist to boot). Same goes for Dezel, albeit on a different
axis; he’s so committed to the bit of being a vengeful edgelord that it ends up
working like gangbusters. I guess that’s
kind of to be expected when his corruptive, murderous impulses are just barely
held in check by Rose.
Speaking of Rose, she’s good for more than just a
Phoenix Smasher straight out of Paul Phoenix’s playbook. She gets a lot of good lines, but it’s her
general cheer and reactions to the absurdity du jour that make her fun to be
around…and then there are moments where she’ll remind you why she’s the boss of
a deadly assassin guild, complete with a stark
change in voice and mannerisms.
She’s a good replacement for Alisha, but I’m not about to sell the
princess knight short; with nobility and grace in spades, she’s a breath of
fresh air in-universe and out of it -- especially in the former where she’s
campaigning hard to purify the
world. It just so happens that her sheer
pure-heartedness is enough to make her say and do some silly things (like a
fantasy Macarena).
Alisha doesn’t stick around for too long, but even
without the DLC she leaves a decent-sized impact. Arguably, she’s the one who embodies the game
itself. So to reiterate: Tales of Zestiria isn’t just a game I
love because I think it’s funny, or even fun.
I love it because it’s overflowing with -- and pardon the
cringe-inducing pun -- zest. The game itself has its issues, but the
gameplay overall is well above par. The
story goes to some interesting places because it’s willing to probe concepts
and ask “what if” questions. And of
course, the characters themselves are a huge draw -- men and women with
problems and foibles, but a litany of reasons why they deserve your attention,
respect, and even love.
In a world where games can’t always be counted on
to care about charm or charisma, it’s important to recognize the work of games
that understand how important it can be.
These are characters that like each other, like their world, and like
going on an adventure (yes, even the crusty-hearted Dezel). They’re all trying to be more and do more --
a reflection of the devs’ beliefs, alongside effort and skill alike. In the same sense that Alisha tries
steadfastly to brighten her world for the sake of others, so too does the game
try to brighten our world -- all for the sake of anyone willing to give it a
chance. It stumbles sometimes, it’s easy
to laugh at instead of laugh with, and it might be too much for some
gamers to bear.
You know what, though? I don’t need to try and explain; I just hold
on tight. And if it happens again, I
might move so slightly to the arms and the face of the human cannonball that I
need to, I want to.
…Why yes, this post WAS written with the intent to
eventually, clumsily cram
in a reference to JoJo’s Bizarre
Adventure. Can you blame me? Josuke’s freakin’ cool. And his hair is awesome.
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