Tales of Zestiria

Tales of Zestiria doesn't deviate too far from its competent predecessors, but it's not a carbon copy, either. It may have linear dungeons and a less-than-stellar story, but it's open-world exploration, enjoyable customization, and flashy new Armitization feature are enough for it to stand on its own.

Unfortunately, having the camera closer to ground level exposes the sheer blandness of typical Tales environments.

It's got nothing on Final Fantasy at its best, but it's still an excellent example of the genre with some fun twists on RPG traditions.

Tales of Zestiria has some good ideas, but the experience is underwhelming and disappointing

Tales of Zestiria plays by the book in a lot of ways, particularly when it comes to its cast and narrative. But it's still a great entry into the series, and a welcome return for old fans, especially as far as the battle system is concerned. In fact, it's even inspired me to go back and finish both Xillia titles -- that's the magic of the Tales series at work.

Tales of Zestiria is an admirable addition to the legacy of the franchise, boasting a brilliant battle system and a very endearing cast of characters. While it does falter with a few of its fresh ideas, such as its somewhat sparse open areas and its overly complex skill management, it's not enough to detract too heavily from what is otherwise a grand adventure in an intriguing fantasy world. Get through the typically humdrum opening hours and you'll find an addictive RPG with a tale well worth telling.

An ambitious but flawed RPG experience.

An excellent battle system and gorgeous soundtrack create an immersive entry that's a whole lot of fun, but Bandai Namco needs to polish their series a little more.

Predictable moments blended with some absolutely fantastic music and gameplay creates one of the best JRPGs of the year, if not the best. Still, it doesn't reach the heights of past Tales games.

By no means is Tales of Zestiria bottom of the pile, yet as far as all around quality goes — by which the many cogs keep this latest entry circulating; moving with swift, relevant engagement — Zestiria is perhaps the point wherein Bandai Namco really do have a franchise on one hell of a tipping point.