Tales of Berseria

About Tales of Berseria

Tales of Berseria drops you into Teyvat as Velvet Crowe, a protagonist driven by rage rather than typical heroism. Bandai Namco released this action RPG on August 18, 2016 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. You control Velvet after her gentle personality shatters following a trauma that gifted her left hand with demonic power. Three years later she hunts the organization responsible for ruining her life. The story pairs her with Laphicet, a boy made of light to balance her darkness. This title marks a shift from the series' usual tone into something grittier while keeping the high-fantasy world building intact.

Gameplay

You control Velvet in real-time combat where you chain attacks using your demon arm and magic. The interface shows a skill tree that unlocks new moves as you progress. Battles happen on large maps without loading screens between encounters. You switch between characters to exploit enemy weaknesses or heal the party mid-fight. The game tracks completion rates for side quests and offers multiple endings based on your choices. Controls feel responsive with a focus on dodging and timing counters rather than button mashing. You can play through the campaign alone or invite friends for co-op segments in specific dungeon areas.

What Players Think

PlayPile data shows this title resonates strongly with fans of darker character studies. The game holds an 80.6 out of 100 rating on IGDB based on 144 user reviews and matches a Metacritic score of 80. Community moods lean heavily toward "satisfied" and "engaged" rather than casual interest. Average playtime sits around 35 hours for main story completion, with completionists spending over 60 hours hunting all achievements. Review snippets frequently mention the unique anti-hero narrative as a standout feature. Critics note the combat system receives praise for depth while some players find the pacing slow in early chapters.

PlayPile's Take

This game works best for players who want a story about revenge without traditional moralizing. The $39.99 price point on PC offers solid value given the 40-hour runtime and achievement count of 51 items to track. You will spend significant time unlocking skills or replaying to see different dialogue outcomes. Avoid this if you need constant action or dislike slow narrative pacing. The final boss fight provides a satisfying conclusion that ties up loose ends effectively. Buy it if you want a solid RPG with a memorable lead character who changes the genre conventions.

Storyline

In the vast land of a kingdom made of continents and countless archipelagoes, inhabitants work to advance shipbuilding and sailing technologies, and climate varies greatly ranging from severe winters to everlasting summers. There, Velvet’s life took a complete turn after a certain incident that woke her up three years ago. She is becoming an entity that will greatly shock the world.