Tales of Arise sets its story on the planet Dahna, where for 300 years the people have looked up at Rena and called it holy. The Renans took the resources and the dignity and left the stories behind. Bandai Namco Entertainment built the seventeenth main entry in the Tales series around two people from those opposing worlds, and it still holds up.
Trailer, via BANDAI NAMCO Europe.
Alphen and Shionne on Dahna
The game opens in Calaglia, a barren and fiery realm, where an amnesiac masked slave called Iron Mask helps a Renan girl named Shionne escape. She has stolen a Master Core from the region’s Lord. He pulls a blazing sword from it and drives off the Renan forces. The mask breaks. He remembers his name: Alphen.
From there the two form an alliance. They mean to free the five realms, gather the Master Cores, and cure Shionne of a curse that hurts anyone who touches her. The resistance is split into four independent movements. Only Ganath Haros has no cell, because its Lord subjugated everyone, regardless of race.
The Five Realms of the Crown Contest
The setting splits cleanly. Dahna is medieval; Rena is advanced. The Renans invaded from an artificial moon called Lenegis three centuries ago and carved Dahna into five isolated realms. A Crown Contest decides which of the five Lords becomes the next Renan Sovereign.
| Realm | Character |
|---|---|
| Calaglia | Barren and fiery |
| Cyslodia | Dark and cold |
| Elde Menancia | Plains |
| Mahag Saar | Mountains |
| Ganath Haros | Rainforests |
Law and the Lord of Light
Cyslodia is the game’s strongest stretch. Zephyr, leader of the Crimson Crows, is captured by agents serving Lord Ganabelt Valkyris, led by Zephyr’s own son Law. Law turns once his father is sentenced to public execution. He helps the party try to rescue him. Ganabelt kills Zephyr anyway, and Law joins Alphen, Shionne, and Rinwell to avenge him.
In Elde Menancia, Lord Dohalim il Qaras has abolished slavery and pushes Renans and Dahnans to coexist. The party learns from the dying Migal that Dohalim’s aide Kelzalik is poisoning Dahnans to drain their astral energy. Migal’s sister Kisara, a Dahnan knight, rides with them to stop it. Dohalim exiles Kelzalik, then renounces his own title.
Combat Without Co-Op
Arise keeps the Linear Motion Battle System but leans hard on evading and countering, with Tales of Graces cited as the model. Boost Strike lets several party members hit together under the right conditions. The trade is local co-op, which is gone. The team chose character interaction over shared control, and the fights are better for it.
An 8.7, and What It Costs
Tales of Arise was meant for 2020. Internal quality issues and a wider platform plan pushed it to September 2021, making it the first game in the series with a simultaneous worldwide launch. It won RPG at The Game Awards 2021 and passed 3 million copies by February 2024. A Nintendo Switch 2 port was announced on February 5, 2026, and released on May 22, 2026.
The delay was the right call. Arise plays like a series that finally stopped apologizing for itself.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
