Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 71 | 16 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 74 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 80% | 74 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 53% | 54 | 6 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 16 reviews sampled · 13 total reviews in window · weighted 6.3 up / 5.7 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (52)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Tales of Zestiria relies entirely upon its entertaining, colorful cast of characters to distract players from anything even remotely tedious or derivative.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Zestiria is far from being a bad game. For those who know how to enjoy it, you will find a very entertaining production with a lot to do throughout the story. The charismatic and engaging characters set the right tone for the saga, and the twists and turns are constant.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“A long JRPG with a lot of content. Enjoyable but brought down by too many battle systems, and a story that isn’t very good. However it’s a quantity over quality smorgasboard of JRPG goodness.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Tales of Zestiria, despite its pointless attempt to reinvent the wheel, holds its own very well and is a solid and enjoyable RPG. Some longtime fans may end up being disappointed due to the attempt to fix what wasn't broken, but it all ultimately fits together and works well enough. This might not be the King Arthur of the Tales series, but it's still at least present at the Round Table.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Tales of Zestiria is an admirable addition to the legacy of the franchise, boasting a brilliant battle system and a very endearing cast of characters. While it does falter with a few of its fresh ideas, such as its somewhat sparse open areas and its overly complex skill management, it's not enough to detract too heavily from what is otherwise a grand adventure in an intriguing fantasy world. Get through the typically humdrum opening hours and you'll find an addictive RPG with a tale well worth telling.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“There's a lot to like in the world of Zestiria, and fans of JRPGs will no doubt find a lot to like here, but at the end of the day it's still just another Tales games. Nothing more, nothing less.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Tales of Zestiria is a perfectly competent but unremarkable Tales title. It's fun to play and has a solid cast of characters, but the experience is dragged down but a lackluster plot and poor level and area design. It tries some ambitious things but generally to its detriment, and at the end of the day, it's a B-tier Tales title. If you're in the mood for a good JRPG, Zestiria fits the bill, but don't expect anything outside of the norm.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Unfortunately, having the camera closer to ground level exposes the sheer blandness of typical Tales environments.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Tales Of Zestiria is a highly enjoyable JRPG, with likeable characters, fun combat and an engaging plot, that's only mildly let down by a few technical hiccups and a lack of grandeur to the locations. For Tales fans, Zestiria is certainly amongst the best entry's in the franchise and one which deserves to finally enjoy success in the West.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“The Tales franchise still feels like a great combat system in need of a much better game, especially given the banal script and dungeon design that mars this latest entry.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Just be sure to take a look at the fan-operated wiki and study up on skill stacking, because you’ll need it when your NPCs bum rush a boss without their guard up.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Tales of Zestiria is a good JRPG, but it always just feels like the same game in a different shell. If you didn't like Xillia or Graces, you probably won't be turned around by Zestiria. However, I like them because I know what I'm getting, an over-acted story with daft and sometimes creepy humour, all wrapped up in an action RPG that hides surprising depth.”
read full review ↗
Slant Magazine
GameFM
Kinglink Reviews
Cubed3
Push Square
ZTGD
Worth Playing
GameSpot
TheSixthAxis
Metro GameCentral
Niche Gamer
Japan Curiosity…and 40 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Tales of Zestiria v1.2 patch notesOct 23, 2015
- Tales of Zestiria v1.2 patch notesOct 23, 2015