Well, I did a little bit of research for all of you.

Tales of Berseria is out and in case you missed the memo a lot of people have been enjoying the title immensely, myself included. Having a refreshing spin on who you are and how you take part in the story, a colorful supporting cast, and a simplified and effective combat system all contribute to a generally positive experience with the game. So while we’re waiting for me to cook up the entire review here’s some things I’d recommend to anyone who’s pretty much ready to start playing the game anyway!

Velvet the Explorer

Treasure hunting was a nice side activity to the story`

Standard fare stuff, really. Exploring the maps to the extent that you can is plenty more rewarding this time around as you can find random loot, hidden chests and even opening up new paths to navigate the area with. Enemies and random loot respawn every time you reload an area by the way, which is pretty perfect for those who are looking to grind every now and then out there.

Listen In

Above is probably the most entertaining character in this game.

While optional, the visual novel scenes have been the bread and butter of this series’ world building. And you get people to talk about it instead of reading through a textbook, too. Characters this time around are pretty entertaining as well sans Velvet. So while sitting back and enjoying the show isn’t exactly part of the gamer instinct it would be advisable to have a more immersive experience with the game.

Save Yourself

Balloon mini game had me going nuts

While running between save points has been one of the challenges for more casual players, there’s such a thing as spot-saving which allows you to save anywhere on allowed maps. While it doesn’t work like a traditional save file, as it deletes itself after loading, it should be helpful for those who can’t quite make it to the next save point before having put their jRPG adventure on hold.

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Skill to Master

And I customized some of his look too.

All equipment in this game have some sort of skill or stat boost to be learned, the bonus itself is already active once the matching gear is equipped but the effect stays with the user if they manage to ‘master’ the skill attached to it. So instead of simply using whatever has the best stats, consider grinding with weaker gear to forge even stronger characters in the long run.

Send Them Sailing

Unfortunately they never invite you for their next trip

Similar to Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Tales of Berseria has a feature where you can send out a ship to all sorts of areas in search of treasure or whatever else might be useful. Think of it as a dog trying to get you things. Make sure it’s always looking for something because free loot is never a bad thing, right?

If It’s Worth Killing , It’s Worth Overkilling

You will see this a lot (on default settings)

Slaying beasts and all sorts of mooks will net you their drops, and using Hidden Artes or Mystic Artes apparently boosts their drop rates. You see what I’m  getting at? Use flashy moves to finish them off and you get better drops. It’s pretty win-win if you ask me
Tales of Berseria is currently out on the PlayStation 4 and available on PC through Steam.