Tales Of Arise Demo Coming To Xbox And PlayStation On August 18

Bandai Namco has confirmed that it will release a demo for Tales of Arise on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on August 18. Set in a world where the nation of Dahna was conquered by the technologically superior country of Rena and split into five realms, players will experience the story through the protagonists Iron Mask and Shionne.

While Iron Mask is a Dahna slave who is unable to feel pain, Shionne is his polar opposite as a citizen of Rena cursed to zap anyone who comes into physical contact with her using magical lightning. Together, the two form an odd couple alliance as they strengthen their bonds in a brutal land ruled by tyrants.

One of the bigger departures from previous games in the Tales series is a more action-orientated direction that's similar to Monster Hunter: World. Players are able to chain attacks and juggle enemies to deliver extra damage, as well as conservatively spend Care Points to overcome various obstacles and enemies. Some of the developers previously worked on Bandai Namco's Scarlet Nexus, with the influence from that action-RPG being seen in some of the gameplay footage above as well as the mixed-media approach to storytelling.

Arise's producer Yusuke Tomizawa explained earlier this year that the choice to focus on faster combat resulted in "speedy battles where you can see through the enemy's attacks and follow up with a counterattack."

"As a person who holds Tales of Symphonia, Vesperia, and Xillia very dearly, Bandai Namco's Tales of Arise seems like a return to form and a refreshing evolution since its consistent format was set back in 1995," critic Max Blumenthal said in his Tales of Arise preview.

Tales of Arise releases worldwide on September 10 for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC via Steam.