The development of Tales of Arise, the seventeenth mainline entry in the long-running Tales of series, almost resulted in the game being its own standalone title rather than a part of the franchise. In a roundtable discussion with Denfaminicogamer, the game’s producer Yusuke Tomizawa and director Hirokazu Kagawa revealed that when development began, Bandai Namco intended for the game to be its own original IP, with the “Arise” portion of the name chosen at the start but the “Tales of” portion not yet decided on. This was due to the game’s goal of being more innovative than past entries in the series, leading to uncertainty about whether it should be attached to the Tales of name and become a mainline entry.
Despite this, Tales of Arise eventually became a part of the franchise and was released to critical acclaim and record-breaking sales in 2021. Fans and critics praised the game for its unique world design and blend of sci-fi and fantasy motifs, as well as its highly regarded combat system. The game was hailed as one of the best RPGs of the year and managed to revitalize the series, setting a brand-new sales record at launch.
The fact that Tales of Arise was almost its own standalone title is evident in how different it feels from previous games in the series. The setting and character designs are distinct, and the combat system was significantly tweaked compared to earlier games. This was noted by Atlus producer Eiji Ishida, who commented on feeling like he was playing something significantly different while testing the game.
While there are currently no plans for a direct sequel to Tales of Arise, there may be a project related to the game in the works. Earlier this month, Bandai Namco filed a trademark for Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn, which some speculate could be a spin-off. In the meantime, fans of the Tales of series can look forward to the remaster of Tales of Symphonia, set to release in February for Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
