
However, some cutscenes do show some more violent acts, like a man impaled on a sword, while some scenes also show blood stains on characters' bodies or clothes. Battles are fast and frantic, with characters attacking each other with swords, spells and fists, accompanied by impact sounds and cries of pain - although there's no blood to speak of, with defeated enemies simply fading away. On the whole, Tales of Berseria is a bit of a darker game than its predecessors - and seeing as you're effectively playing as a band of villains out for revenge, the game does feature more mature content than the average Tales game. The Opening seven years ago was on Scarlet Night, too.


If you're not careful, and attack too many times, you'll end up running down your attack meter, meaning enemies may start to block your attacks, or inflict you with status ailments. Perhaps the most challenging part of the Tales of Berseria is its battles. Some secrets are hidden off the beaten path, but by and large, they're not especially numerous, while a big friendly star or exclamation mark on the mini-map shows you where you need to head next - and you can bring up a written rundown of your next objective with a tap of the R1 button too. Generally speaking, it's always fairly easy to work out where you need to go next, too, as you're fairly limited as to how far off the beaten track you can go in the dungeons, fields and caves you'll come across on your journey. With a number of different difficulties to choose from, including a Simple difficulty for those who simply want to enjoy the story, there's a level to suit all abilities here - and, if you find yourself struggling, you can dial the difficulty down at any time from the System Menu -> Options, accessible via the Touch Pad (on PS4).

How easy is Tales of Berseria to pick up and play? As she is part demon, Velvet can also call on the power of her demonic left hand for some seriously strong claw slashes, throws and other flashy manoeuvres. Different button combinations trigger different attack combos, and by exploiting enemy weaknesses in battle, as well as inflicting various status conditions, you can gain the upper hand, letting you perform longer and longer combos for greater damage. Whilst you're out and about though, you'll likely be attacked by the local wildlife, soldiers and more powerful bosses, where you'll need to beat them into submission in the trademark Tales of button-mashing real-time battles. Essentially, there are two chunks to Tales of Berseria - the more exploratory wanders around caves, dungeons and fields, and the town to town, with periodic cutscenes and story segments along the way.
