Tales of Arise is the next entry in the long-running “Tales of” franchise, with it being the 19th entry not counting sequels or spin-offs. Tales of Arise even polled as “most anticipated game” by readers at Famitsu, a popular Japanese gaming magazine. Therein lies a problem, though: while Tales games are incredibly popular in Japan, they aren’t as much in the West.
In fact, in terms of spin-offs, Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology was one of very select few to make it West. Even then, its very own sequels, Radiant Mythology 2 and Radiant Mythology 3, never did. It would seem like a pipe dream for them to now, especially given they released on the now-outdated PSP, but there’s one thing that’s for sure: the spin-off series shouldn’t be forgotten.
Obviously, attention is currently on Tales of Arise, which was recently delayed out of 2020. This isn’t really surprising, given the sheer chaos of the year, but it’s worth noting that the game is described as a departure for the series. By using a dark aesthetic to stand out, Tales of Arise aims to appeal to not just fans of Tales games, but to a more general Western audience.
It’s not explicitly stated or really implied, but it would be nice to see Bandai Namco Studios’ Tales games get the attention in the West that games like Atlus’ Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, as well Square Enix’s Dragon Quest. Tales may be completely different, but at the same time, its caliber is all the same.
And while it remains to be seen if it lands these goals, the plot description of Tales of Arise thus far seems intriguing. It takes place in a setting split between the medieval world of Dahna and the more technologically and magically advanced world of Rena. The latter abuses the former, taking its resources and enslaving its people, and the players take on the main role of two characters: Dahna’s Alphen and Rena’s Shionne.
Tales of Arise will indeed be instrumental in helping popularize the franchise in the west, but whether or not Tales of Arise proves to be the franchise’s Persona 5 is another story. Whatever occurs, Radiant Mythology could and should play a big part in popularizing the franchise. It was an excellent game on the PSP, one that brought all of the franchise’s various characters together, and that may be the next step in popularizing the franchise after Tales of Arise.
Assuming Tales of Arise can get the foot in the door that it wants, a Radiant Mythology game could come in for the coupe de grace. Again, a port to the west and to a new platform is unlikely, but continuing it with a Radiant Mythology 4 (even if under a new name) could do a lot to make players who enjoy Tales of Arise play Radiant Mythology. In turn, the Tales characters who appear there could hopefully see players looking at other Tales games. In short, Radiant Mythology shouldn’t be counted out just because it’s a 2006-2007 spin-off; it has the ability to connect a ton of games together, hopefully bringing even more players to the franchise and more of the franchise to the west.
Tales of Arise is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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