Overview
Tales of Vesperia is a Japanese action-RPG developed by Namco Tales Studio, originally released in 2008 on Xbox 360. The Definitive Edition, published by Bandai Namco in 2019, brings the game to PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch, with the content of the PS3 version that had until then stayed in Japan.
Story and world
The adventure takes place in the world of Terca Lumireis, where everyday life relies on blastia, artefacts that power everything, right up to the barriers that protect cities from monsters. It all begins when the blastia that supplies water to the lower quarter of the capital, Zaphias, is stolen. Yuri Lowell, a former Imperial knight who lives in that lower quarter, sets off after the thief and on the way crosses paths with Estelle, a young noblewoman who is also trying to leave the castle.
Yuri Lowell is probably the best protagonist in the series: nuanced, adult, and not at all cut from the usual cloth of the franchise's heroes.
Gameplay
Battles take place in real time in an arena, using the series' own Linear Motion Battle System: you chain normal attacks and artes, the special techniques unique to each character, while the AI handles the other party members. The combat is fluid.
The definitive edition adds two playable characters to the party: Flynn, Yuri's childhood friend who stayed a knight, and Patty, a young pirate.
Verdict
With its protagonist and its fluid combat, it is to me one of the most solid entries in the franchise.