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| Jesse Woo |
Que ominous music.
05.16.16 - 11:39 PM
Tales of Berseria's story revolves around heroine Velvet's lust for revenge against Artorius, the man who founded the daemon fighting order the Abbey and who is hailed as the savior of world order. Velvet's journey started three years prior to the game's beginning when a mysterious incident involving Artorius landed her in the prison island Titania. She remained in the prison that houses the enemies of the Holy Midgand Empire for three years, biding her time before escaping to seek revenge. This is where we find Velvet and begin to uncover her story.
Standing in her way of course are the exorcists who make up the ranks of the Abbey. Two prominent first-class exorcists are the half-siblings Oscar Dragonia and Teresa Linares. Both are high-ranked Preators with important jobs in the Abbey. Oscar comes from an aristocratic family and first crosses swords with Velvet during her escape from Titania prison. Teresa is his older half-sister and governor of a Northern town in the empire called Hellawes. Her cold demeanor has earned the the moniker "Ice Queen," but she dotes on Oscar when they are alone. She has also tethered Lanciphet and makes use of his Malak arts, calling him "number 2."
Dyle is another important character who Velvet meets as she escapes from prison. Though he is a lizard daemon, he helps her escape. Bandai Namco is promising more information in a future update.
Other, more familiar aspects of Tales games will return, such as Mystic Artes and skills. Players can activate ultra powerful Mystic Artes by consuming the Blast Gauge; they can then perform a powerful attack accompanied by a flashy animation. On a more pedestrian level, unlocking skills will help characters fight and survive in battle. Characters acquire skills from equipment and via titles. Bandai Namco has promised more information on this system as well.
Tales of Berseria comes out August 18 in Japan on the PS3 and PS4. A Q1 2017 release is planned for the West on PS4 and PC. That's quite a wait, so we will leave you with the latest video featuring a bit of Japanese banter between Velvet and Magilou. Stay tuned for inevitable future updates, and see all the new screenshots in our gallery.
