Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 298 sampled Steam reviews (213 positive / 85 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing53% mention it
- Combat34% mention it
- Visuals & art17% mention it
- Grind & repetition9% mention it
- Difficulty & balance9% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing65% mention it
- Combat46% mention it
- Visuals & art26% mention it
- Controls & UI16% mention it
- Grind & repetition15% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
69%
29 reviews
5-15h
53%
36 reviews
15-40h
61%
62 reviews
40-100h
74%
129 reviews
100h+
98%
42 reviews
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) | – | 87 | 131 |
| Creator reviews (3 tracked) | – | 94 | 4 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 87% | 80 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 68% | 65 | 35 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 100 reviews sampled · 72 total reviews in window · weighted 53.9 up / 25.8 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (150)
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.
- 65
“Tales of Arise is a decent JRPG all things considered. The combat is fast, fluid, and fun, but comes with the downside of some very damage spongy bosses. The story is engaging and has some interesting characters, but comes with the downside of a rushed and overly ambitious final act.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Tales of Arise is the peak of Tales of franchise, where the dev team managed to use years of experience to craft something really great.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A new page in the history of Tales. A huge jump in quality compared to a previous game, but still as engaging as ever.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Thanks to the game’s rich writing, rarely does it feel that you’re just wandering through one luscious environment after another, like the canopy-level walkways of the Gianne Woodland or steep ivied cliffs of the Aureum Falls, so much as you’re being given glimpses of a land well worth fighting for. Even the variety of your party serves a deeper function, suggesting that one person alone, however strong, cannot break down every obstacle.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Tales of Arise is definitely a home run, and as a reboot of the series, it has set the bar incredibly high for future installments. Although the game has a few significant flaws, in my opinion, it’s one of the best JRPGs on the market. The setting of this fascinating world is, in a word, beautiful; the story excels in several ways; the combat system offers so many variations that it’s hard to choose; and the many side activities ensure that you won’t just turn the game off even after finishing the main storyline.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“This is one of the best games of the year so far. It's a must play not only for fans of the Tales series, but also for fans of JRPGs in general.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Despite some issues, Tales of Arise is a fantastic game, especially for fans of the genre. Fortunately, it is also accessible to newcomers to the genre, because it has everything: a cool story, great characters, a charming world, and really good gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Tales of Arise is an exceptional story-driven action experience that carries over many staples of the series, an action-packed battle system, skits, crafting, and familiar names of abilities and items, for long-time fans, while newcomers will find an ideal starting point to dive into an iconic series.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Tales of Arise is a notable step forward for the series, and it’s actually made me want to go back and investigate previous entries I’ll need to add to my gaming backlog. It’s full of fantastically written characters, a well developed world and drastically different biomes that assist in keeping everything visually interesting. I’ve had a great time with the game and can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters I’ve already fallen in love with.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“For a series that has been around for 30+ years, [Tales of Arise] should have at least taken cues from older JRPGs and just do with a major overhaul and shaking up. As it stands, JRPG fans will just have to settle with an alright-if-not-that-perfect experience.”
read full review ↗ - 87
“In the end, this is a quality port. While it does come with a few minor issues, it still manages to bring this strong JRPG to Switch 2 in a form that you can enjoy on the go with almost no major compromises and in fairly attractive visual quality. It makes for an ideal entry point into the JRPG genre for newcomers, while also offering a pleasant experience for those of you who already have some experience with the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“By innovating and investing in Tales of Arise, as well as Scarlet Nexus earlier this year, Bandai Namco is leading the way to the next generation of JRPGs.”
read full review ↗
cublikefoot
GameMAG
3DNews
Slant Magazine
Gaming Professors
eXputer
GRYOnline.pl
RPGamer
ani-game.com
Kakuchopurei
JsemGamer
VGChartz…and 138 more tracked reviews.