Tales of Arise

 is an upcoming action role-playing game developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The seventeenth main entry in the "Tales" series, it was originally planned to release in 2020 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but was delayed to September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The game follows two people from the opposing worlds of Dahna and Rena.
Developed by a team composed of both series veterans and newcomers, the aim was to revitalize the "Tales" series. Minoru Iwamoto, one of several artists who worked on "Tales of Zestiria" and "Tales of Berseria", returns as both character designer and art director. The game is built using Unreal Engine 4.
Overview.
Like previous games in the series, "Tales of Arise" is an action role-playing game, although its gameplay has gone through unspecified alterations as part of its development goals while retaining the basic "Tales" battle system, dubbed the Linear Motion Battle System. "Arise" takes place in a setting divided between the medieval world of Dahna and the advanced world of Rena. Rena's superior technological and magical advancement cause it to hold power over Dahna, taking its resources and treating its people as slaves. The protagonists are a man, Alphen, native to Dahna, and a girl, Shionne, from Rena, who end up travelling together.
Development.
According to producer Yusuke Tomizawa, development of "Arise" began before the announcement of the "Definitive Edition" of "Tales of Vesperia" in 2018. Beginning development under the codename "Arise", the aim was to reevaluate and evolve the "Tales" franchise formula. The game's title derived from its codename as it best exemplified both the game's story themes and the team's wishes. While previous "Tales" games used a dedicated in-house engine, "Arise" was built using Unreal Engine 4, allowing much higher graphical quality compared to earlier entries. Character models and movement were also improved, with the team aiming at the same level of quality found in 3D films and television. While the previous title "Tales of Berseria" had been a cross-generation game for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, "Arise" was made exclusively for modern hardware. Tomizawa stated that while the team was aiming for a level of quality that can be enjoyed globally, the game will not neglect its Japanese fans.
"Arise" is being developed by Bandai Namco Studios. The team included veterans going as far back as "Tales of Phantasia", alongside newcomers who were passionate about the series. The art director and character designer was Minoru Iwamoto, who had worked on both "Berseria" and "Tales of Zestiria". This was the first time the same person had filled both roles, and was part of Bandai Namco's move towards unifying the game's themes and artstyle. The world design went in a darker direction compared to earlier entries, both to further the series evolution and appeal to the Western market. Despite the overt focus on 3D graphics, 2D anime cutscenes are still planned as with previous entries. Similar to the previous games in the series, the anime sequences will be produced by Ufotable, while the game's score will be written by Motoi Sakuraba. "Arise" was revealed at E3 2019, although details of the game had leaked on the internet a few days before. The game was originally planned to release in 2020 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but was delayed to September 10, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.