It has been two years since Tales of Arise debuted and has become one of the biggest game-changers for Bandai Namco. With its outstanding reviews and recommendations, Tales of Arise has received numerous updates and surprises that JRPG players such as myself have never expected. A month ago, Bandai Namco announced a new DLC storyline for the game titled Beyond The Dawn. This expansion is unprecedented but exciting at the same as it is considered to be the true epilogue episode of the game.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead. Be Sure To Play The Full Game First Before Playing The DLC
Tales of Arise Beyond The Dawn takes place one year after the end of the conflict between Dahna and Rena where the two worlds have managed to merge. However, civilization isn’t peaceful for long as the tension between the races is reaching a tipping point where hell might break loose.
Alphen, the wielder of the Blazing Sword, is currently traveling around the world with Shionne, the former Maiden, to see that the unification of both worlds is going smoothly. However, upon their travels, they encounter a girl named Nazamil, a girl who is born of both Rena’s and Dahna’s blood. Not only that, she possesses a familiar power that both Alphen and Shionne are familiar with. In this DLC storyline, players must travel once more with Alphen and his companions to see the complete unification of both worlds and unlock the mystery of Nazamil’s origin.
In terms of story content, it is quite refreshing to play once more Tales of Arise in a new setting. Experiencing a new setting and the plot in the game feels very refreshing. Aside from that, the character’s expression and traits have become more lively than ever as new updates to the game were added as well. These improvements made for this DLC have appealed to those who are willing to see the expanded world of Tales of Arise and I am glad that the developers have put much effort into making this expansion worth the wait.
The combat gameplay of the expansion still utilizes the same combat of Tales of Arise but the enemies that players will face in the game will be sturdier and more difficult to handle. Even during side quests, players will face more oppressive and dangerous foes so mastering what players have learned in the main game will be required, and learning what Artes and skills will be needed to be unlocked and used will be tricky.
Leveling up characters is no problem at all as most of the required skills needed are already unlocked but sadly, I felt that it makes the expansion mode a bit too easy. If I were to suggest, I would have liked to have a choice of either inheriting the levels or skills that players have acquired from the main game to make things more interesting than rather unlocking everything from the start of the expansion.
Another con that I noticed in the game is that some areas that seemed accessible are either blocked or sealed up. The map area of Tales of Arise may have gotten smaller and gives players little options on where to farm the proper materials. However, it has managed to make up for it as players can easily purchase the rare materials now from vendors or at the inn. Plus, there are newer and deeper areas now that players can explore and seek out.
Despite the cons it has, there is one noticeable pro that is the best and that is the graphics and improved animation of the game. When Tales of Arise first came out, there were glitches and small bugs that appeared. But with tons of updates and numerous patches, the game looks more fluid and easy to play now. With fewer camera problems, I can fully say that it is the perfect JRPG game to play right now, especially with the expansion pack.
In my opinion overall, Tales of Arise Beyond the Dawn is an expansion worth getting and should be purchased by not only fans of the series but also those who are playing RPG games actively on their consoles. However, it is highly recommended that gamers play the main story first as there is a ton of lore and stories that can only be understood from playing it.
