#sorey and mikleo have my heart but im really enjoying B’s plot and gameplay loop.....

[genderfluid-chameleon]

Guys I finally finished Tales of Zestiria and I’m definitely a Tales fan now.

So I bought Zestiria for PC back in 2016 I think? (At least that’s my earliest save files) but my laptop could barely run it, and going into Ladylake made Sorey run at the usual walking speed, and the cutscenes took twice as long because it would pause between dialogue to let the animation catch up. So I gave up pretty quickly.

Last year I got a big beefy gaming computer and went back to try again. I got to meet Edna for the first time, but the game kept crashing in the mountains, and even with the quick saves it was frustrating me. It was one of those that freezes the computer too, so I had to turn everything off and on again each time. So I gave up a second time.

I was feeling a JRPG need last February (2020) and remembered that I didn’t have to spend any money to play this one! So I went back to it. It still freezes my computer every once in a while, but after some online adjustments and tweaking, I was able to make it take hours between, rather than minutes. So with plenty of quick saving, I finally beat it!

......

And promptly realized I needed more. I bought and am playing Berseria on the PS4, with the hope that it won’t crash like my PC experiences. Also a friend recommended I look for the older games at a retro gaming store, and I found the Symphonia Chronicles soon after for $11, which I haven’t played yet. And I’m trying very hard not to look up if the Vesperia Definitive Edition is on Switch yet so that I don’t buy yet ANOTHER.

My big love for the series so far is how well it sets up the characters and party dynamic. Especially in Berseria, it’s amazing how constant and rich the character skits are. They flow easily into the story. And even with Zestiria, though they were harder to find, it really felt like glimpses to this group on their adventure when they’re not worrying about the big stuff. And when they are. Everyone feels so real. I have yet to hate a party member, although I was unsure about Zaveid originally, and I really don’t care for whatever the fuck is up with Bienfu.

Anyway I’m rambling now, and there’s probably two categories of people reading this. If you haven’t played a Tales game, definitely look into it. If you’re a Tales fan, wow! Thanks for reading this. I’m new and awkward but I’m so excited to enjoy this new JRPG love!

Uh..... bye!!!