Tales of Zestiria - Review @ IGN

Meghan Sullivan (IGN) likes the combat of Tales of Zestiria, the story not so much:

Zestiria's story is forgettable but the combat is not.

I think of the Tales series as RPG comfort food. It reliably delivers cheerful characters, a story anchored in friendship, and a unique brawler-tinged spin on RPG combat. Tales of Zestiria is no exception, but the big shift to an open world and some flashy new combat moves makes it pleasantly different from its predecessors.

The first and most welcome change is its open world. Zestiria removes the pen that once confined us to narrow corridors of trees and bushes and lets you freely journey through a nice variety of locations that include green pastures, sand-swept deserts, and gloomy swamps. This gives Zestiria’s world a sense of immersion that some of its more linear predecessors lack. Treasure chests and stat-boosting herbs found throughout a typical Tales world are still there, but I like that Zestiria also includes Normin: cute little critters tucked away in  hidden corners that grant special skills to equipment. There are also Lords of the Land, helpful deities that let you do things like fast-travel and replenish treasure chests if you establish a good enough rapport with them. These are all nice rewards for putting on your wide-brimmed fedora and venturing through the landscape. [...]

The Verdict

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.

Score 7.8 Good
An open-world map and fun new combat features make Tales of Zestiria an enjoyable roleplaying game.

    + Open-world map
    + Armitization feature
    + Deep customization

    - Bland story and characters
    - Linear dungeons