The developers at Bandai Namco discuss the production ofTales of Arise, revealing that it originally wasn’t going to be an entry in the long-running series at first. This JRPG was released last year, serving as the seventeenth mainline entry along with being the first worldwide release for theTales offranchise.Tales of Arisemanaged to be a complete revitalization for the series, where it managed to set a brand-new sales record as well as garner positive reviews upon launch.
Fans and critics have praised the game for its stellar combat and unique world design along with its blend of sci-fi and fantasy motifs, with it being hailed as one of2021’s best RPGsto boot. However, it was possible that all of this could have been its own standalone title without needing to lean on theTales ofmoniker at first. As revealed in a roundtable discussion between Denfaminicogamer and the producer Yusuke Tomizawa and Director Hirokazu Kagawa, this was a real possibility during early development.
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According to Tomizawa, the development ofArisehad started with Bandai Namco intending to be its own IP. The “Arise” part of the name was chosen at the beginning, but theTales ofportion was not. The main fear of adding theTales ofmoniker was that the game was aiming to be more innovative than past games in the series, so there was uncertainty about whether the title should be attached and become the next mainline entry.
This is especially evident sinceTales of Arisefeels completely differentfrom the other entries in the long-running JRPG franchise. This sentiment was reflected by Atlus producer Eiji Ishida, who was also at the table, where he felt he was playing something significantly different due to the setting and character designs. The game eventually became a mainline entry in the franchise, but considering how much the combat and other factors were tweaked compared to the older games, it becomes clear how and whyArisemanaged to carve out its own identity.
For the time being,Tales of Arisehas no plans for a direct sequel, though there is likely a project related to this game currently in the works. Earlier this month, Bandai Namco filed a trademark forTales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn, which some speculate to be a spin-off. In terms of otherTales ofgames coming out soon,Tales of Symphonia’s remaster is looking to release next February for Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
Tales of Ariseis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
