Tales of Vesperia is an action role-playing game created by Namco Tales Studio. It is the tenth main game in the Tales series. The game was first released for the Xbox 360 in Japan and North America in 2008, and in Europe in 2009 by Namco Bandai Games. A version for the PlayStation 3 was released in Japan in 2009. An improved version, called the Definitive Edition, was released in January 2019 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game’s gameplay is similar to earlier Tales games, including a new version of the series’ special "Linear Motion Battle System." It also added new features, such as online leaderboards.
The game is set in the world of Terca Lumireis, where a type of energy called aer is used to power magic. Devices called Blastia control this energy and help create protective barriers around cities. The story follows Yuri Lowell, a former soldier who joins forces with Estelle, a noble woman, to form a group called Brave Vesperia. Together, they face challenges from groups that misuse Blastia resources. Yuri must also deal with Flynn, his former friend and comrade.
Work on Vesperia started in 2005, with full development beginning in 2006 and lasting about two years. Key team members included producer Yoshito Higuchi, composers Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura, and character designer Kōsuke Fujishima. Writers Takashi Hasegawa and Hideo Baba also worked on the game. The same team that made Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss created Vesperia. It was designed for the Xbox 360 because the PlayStation 3 had not yet been introduced, and the Xbox 360 was popular internationally. Anime cutscenes were made by Production I.G, with an art style inspired by cel-shaded animation. The game’s theme song, “Ring a Bell / Kane o Narashite,” was performed by Bonnie Pink. The game’s genre name in Japanese is “Seigi” o tsuranukitōsu RPG (RPG to Enforce “Justice”). The game received positive reviews and sold over 2.8 million copies worldwide. Additional media, such as the prequel film Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike, have also been released.
Gameplay
Tales of Vesperia is an action role-playing game set in a fantasy world with 3D environments and characters. The game has two types of environments. On the field map, players move through simplified versions of the world. A compass and mini-map show towns, other locations, and enemy icons. Hitting an enemy icon starts a battle, while entering a town brings the party into that area. In battles and towns, characters move through environments that are realistic in size compared to the characters. In these areas, the party can interact with non-player characters. Items like crates can be moved by the character currently assigned to control them. Later in the game, the party receives an item called the Sorcerer's Ring, which allows them to shoot energy bolts. These bolts can activate switches, move objects, and attack enemies from a distance. Save points are found in dungeons and towns. Equipment and weapons are bought using Gald, the game's currency. Players can trigger optional conversations called Skits while exploring. In Skits, characters are shown as head-and-shoulder portraits, and the conversations can be dramatic or humorous.
Characters have stats and gauges: health, a magic meter filled with Technical Points, and Learning Points used to learn skills, improve agility or luck, and affect how characters respond to attacks. Attacks are physical or magical, and defense only blocks physical attacks. Characters gain experience levels by earning experience points. Experience points and Gald are earned through battles, along with recovering Technical Points and sometimes items from defeated enemies. Skills that change stats can be assigned to characters. The number of skills a character can learn depends on their available skill points. Using equipment linked to a skill allows a character to learn it after filling their Learning Points meter. Cooking meals with ingredients found in battles or explored areas helps restore health and Technical Points and provides temporary boosts. Recipes are learned from a character named the Wonder Chef.
The game uses a version of the series' action-based Linear Motion Battle System, similar to fighting games. This version is called the "Evolved Flex-Range Linear Motion Battle System." Battles occur in a separate arena within the environment, with the party consisting of one player-controlled character and three AI-controlled characters. AI commands can be customized, affecting their actions and positions on the battlefield. The game includes a local four-player multiplayer option, allowing up to four players to connect to an Xbox 360 console using wired or wireless controllers. While online multiplayer is not available, players can use Xbox Live to post scores, such as damage chains and consecutive hits, on online leaderboards. Leaderboards can be updated while saving the game.
Enemies appear as icons in the environment and react differently based on how they are approached or attacked. Using the correct attack or surprising them gives the party an advantage. Nearby enemies are also pulled into the battle. Both players and enemies are affected by elemental attributes and status ailments. Status ailments are split into physical effects, like slowing or poisoning, and magical effects, such as making units attack allies or revive knocked-out party members. Items can restore TP or HP or remove status ailments. Characters learn new skills and Titles during battles, which influence their abilities.
During battles, players can move along a fixed axis, run freely, jump, guard, or pause to choose a different enemy. Characters can perform attacks, interrupt enemy actions, and chain attacks into combo sequences that prevent enemies from attacking. Chaining attacks increases the chance of a Fatal Strike, which kills regular enemies or heavily damages bosses. Landing multiple Fatal Strikes gives battle bonuses. Hitting enemies without taking damage fills an Over Limit meter. When full, the player can attack continuously and cast Artes without delay. Secret Missions can be triggered by performing unknown actions, offering battle bonuses or items. All characters can use Artes, which are special physical or magical abilities. Artes can be directed at specific targets or affect areas. Four Artes can be assigned to each character and linked to hot keys. Some Artes can be used outside battles to heal characters. Characters can also use Mystic Arts, powerful cinematic attacks.
Plot
The people of Terca Lumireis use an energy source called "blastia," which are special devices made by the Krytia using the crystallized remains of a powerful race called the Entelexeia. Blastia are powered by a mysterious substance called "aer" and were used to provide resources and protection to major cities. In ancient times, the Krytia misused blastia, causing the Entelexeia to absorb excess aer. This led to a group of Entelexeia transforming into a monster called the Adephagos, which threatened to consume everything on the planet by turning it into aer. To stop the Adephagos, humans with the ability to convert aer into magic, known as "Children of the Full Moon," created a barrier to seal it away. The remaining Children of the Full Moon and Entelexeia agreed that in the future, an unnamed Empire would rule parts of Terca Lumireis, with the Children's descendants as its ruling family.
Ten years before the events of Vesperia, a new type of blastia was created that could harm Terca Lumireis' ecosystem and risk releasing the Adephagos. The Entelexeia tried to warn humans but were ignored. When they tried to destroy the new blastia, they were defeated in a war. One of the war's veterans, Duke, became deeply disappointed in humanity after his Entelexeia companion, Elucifer, was killed because others feared he was a threat.
In the present, former Imperial knight Yuri Lowell goes on a mission to retrieve his neighborhood's blastia core from a nobleman after their energy reservoir fails. During his mission, he meets a noblewoman named Estelle and flees with her from the capital to stop a blastia thief. Along the way, they meet Karol, a trainee hunter; Rita, a blastia researcher; Raven, a Great War veteran; Judith, a Krytia who wants to destroy harmful blastia; and in the PS3 version, Patty Fleur, a descendant of a legendary pirate named Aifread. Together, they recover the stolen core from a corrupt guild leader and return it to Yuri's friend and former knight, Flynn. Yuri and Karol then form an independent guild called Brave Vesperia.
Soon after, Estelle is attacked by an Entelexeia named Phaeroh, who accuses her of poisoning the planet. After investigating and meeting Phaeroh again, Brave Vesperia learns that Estelle is a Child of the Full Moon, capable of converting aer into magic without needing a blastia core. Her actions are causing the aer krene, the sources of aer, to produce too much aer, which is dangerous. Yuri also sees that the Imperial authorities cannot stop powerful figures involved in blastia abuse and decides to kill two officials connected to the abuse, straining his friendship with Flynn.
Later, Estelle is kidnapped by Raven, who is revealed to be an agent of Commandant Alexei, leader of the Knights and the mastermind behind the blastia thefts. Alexei plans to use Estelle's power and a replica of a magical sword to activate an ancient weapon called the Enduring Shrine of Zaude, which would destroy harmful blastia and remake the world. After Raven joins Brave Vesperia to help Estelle escape, the group travels to Zaude to stop Alexei. They fail, and Zaude is revealed to be a barrier that kept the Adephagos sealed. When Zaude activates, the Adephagos is released, and Alexei is killed as Zaude collapses. Yuri is separated from the group when one of Flynn's subordinates tries to kill him without Flynn's knowledge.
Rescued by Duke, Yuri decides to stop the Adephagos. While Yuri is away, Rita discovers a way to convert blastia cores into spirits, which can process aer into a safer energy called mana. This mana stabilizes the aer krene and controls Estelle's powers. It could also power a weapon to destroy the Adephagos. With permission from world leaders, Brave Vesperia confronts Duke on the city-sized weapon Tarqaron. Duke plans to convert all human life, including himself, into energy to destroy the Adephagos and return the world to a primal state. Though they share some goals, their methods conflict, forcing them to fight. After defeating Duke, Yuri tries to use converted blastia energy against the Adephagos but fails. Moved by Brave Vesperia's efforts, Duke provides the extra power needed to destroy the Adephagos. The Entelexeia that formed the Adephagos are then turned into spirits to heal the planet. A post-credits scene shows Brave Vesperia continuing their adventures and helping the world adapt to life without blastia.
Development
The early work on Tales of Vesperia started in 2005 while the team was finishing Tales of the Abyss, which was released that year. Because Tales of the Abyss was successful, Vesperia was first planned for the PlayStation 2. However, company leaders at Namco Bandai decided that Abyss would be the last Tales game for that generation of consoles. The team also felt limited by the older hardware and wanted to create a new game on better technology. At the time, the PlayStation 3 had not yet been introduced, and the Xbox 360 was very popular in the West, so the team chose that platform. Using the Xbox 360 allowed them to include features like achievements and online rankings through Xbox Live. The team worked closely with Microsoft to learn how to best use the console. Full development began in May 2006 and took about two years to complete. The team, called "Team Symphonia," had previously worked on Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Symphonia (2003). When designing the battle system, they used ideas from the system in Tales of the Abyss.
During the early stages of development, the team debated whether to use a cel-shaded anime style or a more realistic art style. They chose the anime style, and production went smoothly after that decision. The game’s character shaders were created using the game’s drawing engine, unlike the hand-drawn shaders used in Tales of the Abyss. The game’s director, Yoshito Higuchi, wanted a more realistic look after the cartoonish style of Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. However, background designers faced challenges adapting to the rise of LCD televisions, which allowed more colors than older cathode ray tube screens. In hindsight, the final look did not achieve the desired quality. The anime cutscenes were made by Production I.G, and the number and length of these scenes increased compared to earlier games.
The story was written by several authors, including Takashi Hasegawa, who had worked on previous Tales games; Koki Matsumoto, who wrote Tales of Legendia; Hideo Baba, who worked on Tales of Rebirth; and Takaaki Okuda, who was new to the series. The title Vesperia was chosen to reflect the game’s theme of justice. It comes from the word "Vesper," which refers to the planet Venus. The name symbolizes the main characters and their ship as a new star shining like Venus in the evening sky. The logo and the name "Vesperia" were also used for the party’s airship in the game. The main character, Yuri Lowell, was designed to be more mature and developed than previous protagonists like Kyle Dunamis or Luke fon Fabre. His role was to help other characters grow and to act with a sense of justice that did not always follow the law. Veteran character designer Kōsuke Fujishima was brought in to design the main characters. He found designing Yuri challenging, but Flynn was easier to create. The team wanted Yuri and Flynn’s designs to contrast with each other. Repede, a main character not designed by Fujishima, was created by art director Daigo Okumura.
The music was composed by Motoi Sakuraba, who had worked on most previous Tales games, and his longtime collaborator Shinji Tamura, who used the alias Hibiki Aoyama. Sakuraba was working on a transition from sequenced music (pre-recorded tracks) to prerecorded streamed music, which allowed for more flexibility during production. This was the first time in the series that Sakuraba used this method, though he had done so for other projects. Some tracks featured heavy piano elements, with Sakuraba playing the instrument himself. Tamura helped Sakuraba create different moods for the music: character themes were melodic, dungeon themes were simple and minimalist, and town themes balanced these styles. The game also included three remixed tracks from other Namco Bandai games.
The game’s theme song, "Ring a Bell / Kane o Narashite," was performed by Japanese singer Bonnie Pink. It was the first theme song shared between the Japanese and Western versions of a Tales game, with the English version used in the West and the Japanese version in Japan. The song’s lyrics, inspired by the game’s story, focused on deep friendships between men and, by extension, love between men and women. Bonnie Pink was chosen after long discussions with the producers. Warner Music Japan, her label, was contacted early in development to discuss the song’s connection to the story. The team also planned to create an English version of the song for the Western release. Bonnie Pink wrote the original lyrics and translated them into English. Arrangements of the theme song appear in some tracks on the soundtrack, but the song itself is not included on the album.
Release
Vesperia was first introduced in December 2007 at Jump Festa, with plans for a 2008 release in Japan. The game’s genre name, "RPG to Enforce Justice," reflects the series’ theme and Yuri’s personal goals. It was announced for a 2008 release on Xbox 360 in February 2008 and later confirmed for the same platform in Japan. For the first time in the series, the team aimed to release the game worldwide at the same time. This required creating the localized version alongside the original, a process that was very tiring. The western version included fully voiced skits, which were not possible in earlier games like Abyss or Symphonia due to time limits. The translation was handled by 8-4, and the dubbing was done by Cup of Tea Productions.
The game was released in Japan on August 7, 2008, with an Xbox 360 Premium Edition included. It launched in North America on August 26, 2008, about three weeks later. A demo was available on Xbox Live in July. A Special Edition with a CD of music from previous games was released in the West to celebrate the series’ tenth anniversary. The European release came nearly a year after the North American launch, on June 26, 2009, through Atari. Australia received the game on June 25, 2009.
A PlayStation 3 version was announced in April 2009. This port included more voice acting than the original, with nearly twice as much dialogue. It also added new characters, made Flynn a permanent playable character, and introduced Patty Fleur as a new playable character. Development for the PS3 version began in 2008, after the original game’s release. A developer from Vampire Rain explained that companies like Namco Bandai initially released games on Xbox 360 because of better funding and support, then ported them to PS3 later to save costs and add features.
The PS3 version was released on September 17, 2009, and later re-released in 2012 as part of Sony’s budget series. In January 2010, Namco Bandai said they had no plans to release the PS3 version overseas. Later that year, Troy Baker, Yuri’s English voice actor, recorded new dialogue for the PS3 port. A report suggested a deal with Microsoft to keep the game exclusive to Xbox 360 in Western regions, but this was later retracted. Series producer Hideo Baba stated that the decision to make the game Japan-exclusive was due to the team’s workload during the original release and poor marketing in Western regions.
A remastered version, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, was announced at E3 2018 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows via Steam, and Xbox One. Celebrating the game’s tenth anniversary, the edition included improved graphics, all content from the Japan-exclusive PS3 version, and English and Japanese voice tracks. Some English voice actors, including Troy Baker, were not asked to return for new content, with different actors voicing their roles. The Definitive Edition was released on January 11, 2019.
Reception
The game received mostly good reviews, according to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews. In IGN’s Best of 2008 awards, Tales of Vesperia was nominated for Best RPG and Best Original Score in the Xbox 360 category. In GameSpot’s similar awards, it was nominated for awards in the "Special Achievement – Best Story" and "Special Achievement – Best Graphics, Artistic" categories. The following year, Technology Tell listed it as one of the best Tales games released overseas. At the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Tales of Vesperia for "Role-Playing Game of the Year," but it lost to Fallout 3.
Famitsu, a Japanese gaming magazine, gave the game a strong review. One reviewer called it "one of the most outstanding games in the series," awarding it a Platinum rating and the highest score in that edition of the magazine. Eurogamer’s Simon Parkin noted that while the game did not have the high-budget look of other Japanese RPGs, Namco updated the series with care and creativity, making it the strongest entry in the series. Edge praised the game’s cast and battle system, saying the development team’s focus on other areas made it enjoyable to play. Andrew Fitch, writing for 1UP.com, appreciated the technical improvements over the previous game, Abyss, and enjoyed the battle system and mature story elements. However, he mentioned translation issues in the English script and a lack of end-game content. He called it "perhaps the finest franchise entry to date." Matt Miller of Game Informer was less positive, finding the story and gameplay weak but praising the graphics.
IGN’s Ryan Geddes described the game as "a strong anime-style Japanese RPG," calling it an enjoyable experience overall. Francesca Reyes, writing for Official Xbox Magazine, found some aspects of the battle system frustrating but said other parts of the game made up for this. Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot was generally positive, though he noted that battles lacked strategy and the game felt similar to previous Tales games. Hardcore Gamer’s Steve Hannley called the game a good starting point for the series on current consoles. RPGFan’s Ashton Liu said it was the best entry in the series but noted it did not change much compared to other RPGs. GameSpy’s Gabe Graziani praised the game’s graphical improvements and characters, though he called the story conventional. He described it as "[a] superior blend of style and production value."
Famitsu gave the PS3 version of the game a positive review, noting the added content compared to the original version and sharing similar opinions to their original review. Japanese gaming website 4Gamer.net recommended the PS3 port to both longtime fans and newcomers, praising the expanded content. James Quentin Clark, reviewing the port for RPGFan, said the added features made Vesperia the best JRPG of its console generation. He concluded by calling it "the most complete package game in the series and a must-have for fans of action RPGs."
In its first week of release, Vesperia reached #4 on Famitsu’s sales charts, selling about 120,000 copies. Another report by Media Create placed it at #4 with sales of 108,000 units. The game helped increase sales of its console in Japan: sales rose to nearly 25,000 units, compared to about 5,000 units the previous week, doubling the console’s sales compared to the PS3. By early 2009, the game had sold over 161,000 units, reaching #82 on Famitsu’s list of top-selling games of 2008. It was the only Xbox 360 game on the list. As of April 2010, the game had sold 204,305 units for the Xbox 360 in Japan, making it the second best-selling Xbox 360 game in the country, behind Star Ocean: The Last Hope and ahead of Blue Dragon.
In North America, Vesperia sold 33,000 copies during the four days after its launch. In its first week, the Premium and Standard editions ranked first and second in North American sales charts. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at #35 in the country’s gaming charts. According to Namco Bandai’s financial report for that year, the game sold a combined total of 410,000 units in the United States and Europe, becoming the company’s third best-selling title during that period. Combined, the Xbox 360 version sold 614,305 units worldwide.
The PS3 version sold 140,000 units on its first day of sale, more than the original version’s first month of sales and nearly equal to its total sales at the time. By September 2011, the PS3 port had sold 407,000 units, making it one of the better-selling Tales games on PlayStation consoles. A budget version of the port sold 7,229 units in its first week and eventually sold 57,717 units. In total, the PS3 version sold 465,888 units in Japan.
In February 2019, Bandai Namco announced that Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition had sold over 500,000 units worldwide. As of 2021, the Definitive Edition had sold over 1.5 million units worldwide. Combined, all versions of the game sold more than 2.8 million units worldwide.
Media adaptations
In October 2009, a Japanese anime film called Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike was shown in theaters in Japan. This release happened around the same time as the PS3 version of the game. The anime film is a prequel, meaning it tells a story that happens before the game, focusing on Yuri Lowell's time as an Imperial Knight. In May 2010, the film was released as a Blu-ray and DVD bundle in Japan, along with downloadable content for the PS3 version of the game. The game was also released in Japan on Universal Media Disc. An English version of the anime was released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2012. In 2009, Makoto Yoshizumi, a publishing manager at Namco Bandai, said there was a possibility of making sequels for both Tales of Vesperia and The First Strike, but no sequels have been made yet.
The game Tales of Vesperia led to five manga adaptations. These include a special anthology collection, a traditional manga, a yonkoma comic titled Tales of Vesperia Four Panels Kings, an adaptation of the game's final segment titled Tales of Vesperia: Trajectory of Venus, and an adaptation of The First Strike. Ichijinsha published four of these manga, while Trajectory of Venus was published by ASCII Media Works. Three novel adaptations were also created: a four-part novelization of the game, a four-part series about a character named Raven titled Tales of Vesperia: Mask of the Void, and a two-part series about a character named Judith titled Tales of Vesperia: Silence of the Errand Dragon. An episodic audio novel called Tales of Vesperia: Genealogy of the Condemned, which follows Yuri and Flynn's childhood, was released on Android and iOS devices in April 2014. Multiple CD dramas were also made, including an audio version of Vesperia, comic-style dramas about Brave Vesperia, and prequels to Mask of the Void and The First Strike.