Tales
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Megumiaki Jun 12, 2020 9:44PM

Finally finished this game the other day (the definitive edition), and I screenshotted/video captured every ounce of Ristelle subtext I could find.

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Givemeanaccount Jun 12, 2020 9:53PM

^ How much was there? I am aware of the scene when they earn the name Ristelle, but what else is there?

last edited at Jun 12, 2020 11:14PM

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BeanBeanKingdom Jun 12, 2020 9:55PM

Ah, I love this pairing! Rita is so abrasive with everyone else but turns unexpectedly sweet and concerned around Estelle.

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chibipackrat Jun 12, 2020 10:13PM

Ristelle nuff said

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Azero25 Jun 13, 2020 1:22AM

I'm currently playing the definitive edition, I haven't got to yuri naming them Ristelle yet. It must be one of the many sidequests/cutscenes I unknowingly missed

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Rye Jun 13, 2020 9:12AM

I need to finish this game someday.

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OrangePekoe Jun 13, 2020 10:46AM

Everytime these two pop up I have to resist that urge to hnnnggghhh, lest it go too far and I end up in a puddle of feelings.

Finally finished this game the other day (the definitive edition), and I screenshotted/video captured every ounce of Ristelle subtext I could find.

Always wanted to do that!

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riverFlower Jun 13, 2020 2:05PM

Anybody have any quick thoughts on the game outside of the yuri subtext? Like would its gameplay/story make it a worthwhile investment/use of time.

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BeanBeanKingdom Jun 13, 2020 3:07PM

^
It's one of the best Tales games for sure, my personal favorite alongside Tales of the Abyss. The story itself isn't amazing with a somewhat generic world and pretty undercooked villains, but the heroes and themes more than make up for it. The main character in particular, Yuri (ironic name, I know), is nothing like your average JRPG protagonist in that he's mature, sure of himself and extremely willing to dirty his hands for the greater good. The main theme of the game is about the nature of justice as Yuri clashes with his best friend/rival Flynn due to him tending to act outside the (corrupted) law to make things right while Flynn aims to reform the law by climbing up the ranks from the inside. I find it pretty compelling.

Gameplaywise, it's mostly standard Tales fare with some interesting flourishes to the battle system that let you do insane combos, though it takes a pretty long time to open up like that. If you're not familiar with the series, you explore towns and dungeons, there's a not-to-scale overworld between areas and battles are action-focused in real time. There are many sidequests and the main game itself is pretty long at around 50 hours, so there's quite some value there. The Definitive Edition goes on sale rather often on the various consoles and PC so I think it's especially worthwhile if you can find it for $30 or less.

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Azero25 Jun 13, 2020 3:17PM

The story spams across three arcs giving you at least 60 hours of game time. (maybe more maybe less, depending if you take your time grinding and doing the side quests).

The Main cast is probably the best in the tales series. The MC Yuri(his actual name btw) is probably one of the best protagonists anywhere. Everyone in the party has their own unique personalities that bends well together to make for great storytelling throughout the game along with funny witty banter between them.

There are a lot of side quests with many unique npcs. Their missions are not just some typical 'can you do me a favor and I'll give you a reward'. They have their own sub-plots that continously build up on atop of each other that
you don't even do them for the rewards, you do them just to see what happens next....and also for the rewards

Gameplay wise its not the smoothest tales game. Movement in battle is kinda stiff, the lock on is linear so if the enemy moves slightly to the side you miss (its why I mostly use Rita, the mage of the party, for her AOE), you have to buy items to be able to do certain things within your party (ex: switch characters mid battle). Its not bad, just takes some getting used too.

Overall I'll give this game a 8 and definitely worth a buy if you like jrpg

last edited at Jun 13, 2020 3:37PM

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Aezeles Jun 13, 2020 9:20PM

the latter half is especially rough, but a lot of the bosses kinda kill the purpose of the battle/combo system.i want to recommend it... but i cant. the latter half just ruined it for me.

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riverFlower Jun 13, 2020 9:34PM

Thanks for the thoughts. In summary, potentially appealing themes, good characters, and rougher gameplay. It is on sale right now and heavily discounted, so I'll definitely consider getting it.

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LittelWind Jun 14, 2020 9:57AM

I really was shipping them. But for me this game was not so good. Story confusing and gets boring and most of the characters are so stereotyped. But you can ship Rita and Estelle really good!

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Bugpope Jun 14, 2020 10:20AM

Yeah, the story is a weird mix of over complicated and too simple.

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HellAQA Jun 14, 2020 6:13PM

It's the only Tales game I've played so I wasn't too put-off by the gameplay. After spending 3485394 years grinding for 1-2 bosses in EVERY OTHER JRPG EVER, this was a nice change of pace. Yuri's a fairly unique protagonist, especially in Japanese media, Estelle is an absolute sweetheart who is the exact opposite of street smart, and Rita is the introverted cave goblin we all know we are. I think the world's fairly interesting with lots of different locales and story beats that make sense. There's commentary on the flaws of justice systems and laws.

And I cannot stress this enough how insanely healthy and charming the relationship between Rita and Estelle is. It's subtext, but like barely. If it was made today, they'd be gay. One of the unique things about Vesperia is that the two opposite-sex leads are only platonic. Estelle has the most chemistry with Rita and Yuri has the most chemistry with Judith, who is honestly more on his intellectual level than Estelle. The dynamics between the characters is really great, especially when you start unlocking each of the dialogue sequences. It's long-ish, but I burned through my first run of it in less than a week because I couldn't put it down. I loved it so much. Even years later, Ristelle is in my top 5 pairings of all time because their dynamic is unbeatable. I'd seriously recommend this game to anyone, especially any yuri (pun intended) fan. You might need a guide for certain sequences, though, to unlock all the dialogue scenes.

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BeanBeanKingdom Jun 14, 2020 6:22PM

^
So, what did Estelle find in Rita's drawer?

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Omega Deuse Jun 14, 2020 7:54PM

Personally, Vesperia is my favorite tales game (though I haven't played any of the earlier ones), both in terms of characters and mechanics, with Rita coming in as one of my favorite mages in any video game.

My impression of the quality arc is basically the opposite of Aezeles's, I found the beginning very slow, with relatively limited access to abilities and a small cast of not entirely likable characters. However, as things progress and the characters grew I found most of them vastly more likable and the battle system greatly improved. The only one who really stays underwhelming is Karol.

Also, clearly Yuri goes with Flynn and Judith with Raven.

That said, if you do intend to pick it up, one warning: There are quite a few side quests that rely on you talking to certain people in certain places at the right time and some of them offer really good techniques or items, should you complete them. Unfortunately, while most aren't truly missable, there is no tracking for them what so ever, nor is there any notification to let you know that you've found or progressed one, so keeping a guide handy might be a good idea.

Then again, ToV also has a rather robust New Game +, so you may want to save the completionism for a second trip through.

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BeanBeanKingdom Jun 14, 2020 7:59PM

@Omega Deuse
The one earlier Tales game I'd really recommend you to play is Abyss, Vesperia is a straight upgrade of it gameplaywise but its story is incredibly deep and thought-provoking for series' standards and is absolutely worth experiencing the game for.

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Omega Deuse Jun 14, 2020 9:22PM

@Omega Deuse
The one earlier Tales game I'd really recommend you to play is Abyss, Vesperia is a straight upgrade of it gameplaywise but its story is incredibly deep and thought-provoking for series' standards and is absolutely worth experiencing the game for.

Thanks for the recommendation; I'll try to keep it in mind. I've found the more recent entries into the series to be less satisfying, especially as a mage player, but I still want there to be another good one. Unfortunately, it'll probably be a while before I can get to it, since I have quite the back log that was made significantly worse by Itch.io's recent Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. Speaking of, if you haven't heard of that bundle and are at all interested in PC gaming, you should seriously consider getting it. There's only about a day left, but it's an insane value and a good cause.

last edited at Jun 14, 2020 9:22PM