Tales of Ariseis the next in a long-running franchise of JRPG titles that is seemingly bringing the series into the modern era of gaming. Unfortunately,Tales of Ariseseems to be mimicking one of the least popular trends in modern games by removing its co-op options. The series has long been defined by its blend of traditional JRPG precepts with fast-paced action combat. Losing the ability to let a friend join in on the fun will likely prove a detriment to the new game.
Now thatTales of Arisehas confirmed the loss of multiplayer, fans are disappointed that the next bigTalesgame is ditching a long-running feature that was popular among most people who enjoyedTalesgames. The loss of co-op forTales of Ariseseems like an avoidable blunder that will likely be a detriment to the new release, and losing such a popular feature could prove something difficult to recover from.
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Was Dropping Multiplayer for Tales of Arise the Right Move?
Fewer and fewer games seem to be including cooperative multiplayer, let alone local multiplayer. Titles likeDiablohave been some of the last bastions for couch co-op, especially in the RPG space. Despite games likeFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehaving clear potential for multiplayer, the option has become increasingly rare in the current world of online competition. Fans have been excited tolearn of Arise, but discovering the lack of multiplayer in a series that has long featured it has been a disappointment to many. The decision seems somewhat antithetical to some longtime fans who have enjoyed most of theTalesfranchise alongside friends.
One of the biggest draws for many fans of theTalesfranchise has been its multiplayer. The series has built a groundwork of traditional JRPG stat building alongside fast-paced action combat. Adding another human player allowed for both an added layer of fun as players could share the spotlight from the same couch, and a deeper access to its strategy as players could mix together different abilities and attacks in ways that were difficult with AI party members.Tales of Arise’snew trailershowed off some gorgeous new combat but knowing that fans won’t be able to capitalize on the new facets of combat with a friend is likely disappointing for many.
Dropping multiplayer features, whether locally or altogether, has been a trend in modern games for quite a while. Developers seem to focus in on either online-only competition or a single-player focused campaign with each new game.Tales of Ariseis inheriting a legacy from a series that has long had cooperative play as one of its selling features, soTales of Ariseis already walking a tightropeas it aims to please both Eastern and Western audiences. Losing one of its most fan-beloved features doesn’t seem like the right direction for the new game to heading in. Only time will truly tell ifTales of Ariseis able to thrive without its co-op multiplayer features.
Tales of Ariselaunches September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
