Compare Tales of Berseria Remastered vs Tales of Xillia Remastered

Minigames, battle arenas, collectibles, exploration rewards, and other side activities help break up the main loop and give the package welcome variety.

The remaster loses some original crossover or licensed content, which contributes to the feeling that the package is less complete than it could have been.

The story’s moral ambiguity, revenge themes, free-will questions, and philosophical framing give reviewers more to think about than a typical straightforward hero narrative.

One reviewer wanted the game's interesting ideas and lore explored more deeply, finding too much of the world-building left at a surface level.

Character and battle animation was praised as smooth and effective, even when other visual elements still showed the game’s age.

Animation quality is mixed. Combat can look fluid and energetic, but stiff cutscenes, older facial movement, and dated character animation repeatedly reveal the game's age.

Companion AI is a weak spot, with basic behavior and unreliable healing leaving the player to handle much of the important decision-making.

Linked companions are usually helpful and automate partner abilities smoothly, but one reviewer reports allies wasting resources or positioning poorly against tougher enemies.

Berseria’s darker, morally gray tone is a standout strength, giving the familiar Tales formula a more mature and emotionally charged identity.

The world's mood is split between cozy, colorful charm and criticism that repetitive spaces fail to captivate. Atmosphere depends heavily on how much the art style and cast carry the environment for the player.

The dominant complaint is that this feels more like a port or convenience-focused rerelease than a transformative remaster. The QoL work is useful, but many existing owners see too little reason to rebuy.

Most reviewers consider this the definitive or easiest modern way to play Xillia thanks to autosave, markers, faster movement, smoother performance, and bundled extras. The central criticism is ambition: several call it barebones, conservative, or essentially an upscaled port, and the absence of Xillia 2 is repeatedly lamented.

Portable Berseria is a major selling point for some reviewers, but Switch-specific image quality, 30fps limits, and one severe input-lag report make handheld recommendations platform-sensitive.

Portable play is possible, but one detailed comparison recommends Steam Deck or ROG Ally over the Switch versions because of image quality and performance compromises.

The opening combat hours can feel overwhelming as Artes and interconnected systems arrive before every player feels comfortable with them.

Newcomers generally get a friendly entry point through clearer systems and quality-of-life changes, though the Grade Shop appearing immediately can be confusing or overly front-loaded.

Combat can be approachable at first yet overwhelming as systems stack up; reviewers disagree on whether the tutorials and gradual introductions make that complexity manageable.

Combat has a learning curve, but reviewers repeatedly say it becomes intuitive with practice and rewards players who keep experimenting.

Encounter toggles and Grade Shop XP boosts make grinding far easier to control, a widely appreciated convenience for story-focused or returning players.

Grinding is highly context-dependent. Grade Shop modifiers can dramatically reduce repetitive leveling, while achievements, trophies, shop leveling, and some midgame progression can still demand busywork.

Enemy variety is a recurring weakness in dungeons, with repeated foes and samey encounter waves undercutting otherwise lively combat.

Enemy variety receives mixed feedback: some reviewers enjoy the range of encounters and memorable foes, while others feel the regular enemy pool becomes repetitive.

Exploration is often dragged down by backtracking, long corridors, repetitive dungeons, and repeated fights, although faster movement and encounter toggles improve it in the remaster.

Exploration benefits from faster movement, marked objectives, treasure indicators, and optional detours, but repetitive fields and backtracking keep it from being a universal strength.

One reviewer felt the long combat-exploration-upgrade cycle stopped introducing enough new systems to stay fresh through the full runtime.

The main loop can be engaging when combat and progression are clicking, but repetition becomes noticeable over longer sessions.

The Soul system’s give-and-take creates an enjoyable resource rhythm when earning and spending Souls is working well.

The shop-leveling economy is distinctive and can make gathering materials feel purposeful, but some reviewers think universal shop inventories and donation requirements overstreamline shopping or encourage unnecessary grind.

Progression has useful depth through equipment, Grade Shop options, and evolving combat choices, but some reviewers feel growth is muted because the game can be too easy or bonuses too incremental.

The Lilium Orb progression system is widely praised for being flexible, rewarding, and constantly engaging. Reviewers like choosing stat, skill, and Arte growth instead of following a rigid path.

Some reviewers think the game teaches its mechanics well, while others find the explanations confusing or insufficient for the combat’s complexity.

Tutorials are consistently regarded as helpful, making layered combat mechanics understandable as they are introduced.

Modern versions generally load faster, with several reviewers calling the improvements noticeable or nicely brisk.

Loading is dramatically improved on faster platforms and often described as nearly instant. The base Switch version is the main outlier, where longer loads contribute to a slower overall feel.

The revenge story is the clearest consensus strength, praised for its darker perspective, twists, emotional weight, and willingness to center morally gray characters.

The story is generally liked for its emotional themes, political conflict, and character focus, but opinion is not unanimous. Some reviewers find it layered and gripping, while others call parts predictable, underdeveloped, or weaker than the cast.

The combat camera was described as mostly well behaved, helping the fast battle system keep a cohesive flow.

Camera behavior remains somewhat dated, with occasional clunky movement or obstructed views in combat, though not every reviewer finds it troublesome.

Combat is the biggest point of disagreement: many reviewers love its speed, combo freedom, and risk-reward systems, while others find it button-mashy, overcomplicated, poorly balanced, or repetitive.

Combat is the clearest strength across the reviews. Linked Artes, character swapping, fast real-time attacks, and build experimentation are repeatedly described as fluid, deep, and fun, though a few reviewers find regular encounters repetitive or simpler than other Tales entries.

Technical polish varies sharply by platform. PS5 reports are often smooth, while Switch reviews repeatedly mention pop-in, flicker, shimmering, and other visual glitches.

Technical issues vary by platform and reviewer. Most are minor or non-game-breaking, but reported problems include subtitle behavior, audio drops, visual glitches, high-frame-rate bugs, and severe pop-in in older-source impressions.

Story pacing is often strong, but repetitive dungeons and backtracking can interrupt emotional highs; the remaster’s faster travel helps without eliminating the issue.

Pacing is a recurring concern, especially through the middle of the game where cutscenes, formulaic progression, or repeated structure can slow momentum. A few reviewers still find the overall story flow strong.

Performance is strong on PS5 in several reviews, but Switch impressions are much less consistent, with 30fps caps and occasional dips drawing criticism.

PS5 and PC are repeatedly praised for smooth, stable frame rates, often at 60 FPS or better. Switch impressions are substantially weaker, with a 30 FPS cap and dips in busier areas.

Characterization and emotional writing are often excellent, especially around Velvet and the party, but a few reviewers criticize tropey sections, weaker villains, or missed thematic opportunities.

Character-focused writing is a major strength, with reviewers praising expressive interactions, themes, and emotional arcs. Even more critical takes usually reserve their complaints for familiar tropes or underdeveloped larger ideas rather than the cast writing.

Local battle multiplayer is welcomed as a useful extra, though it is described as serviceable rather than essential.

One reviewer highlights the game's co-op capability as a meaningful way to share battles with other players.

Earlier and less restrictive travel tools are a meaningful improvement, though some reviewers still found warping limited or awkwardly structured.

Fast travel is a useful convenience that cuts down on manual backtracking once locations have been discovered.

Environments are widely criticized as bland, sparse, low-detail, or dated, especially beside the stronger character models and art direction.

Environmental detail is a recurring weakness: fields, caves, ports, and connecting areas are often described as bare, repetitive, or low-detail. Strong color and occasional attractive locations soften the criticism but do not erase it.

The 20% movement-speed boost is one of the most appreciated QoL changes, though some reviewers still find traversal floaty, sluggish, or detached from the world.

The added dash and faster traversal noticeably improve movement, making the older world quicker and more pleasant to navigate.

Party and enemy AI drew criticism for being basic, with players often expected to do most of the meaningful work themselves.

One reviewer finds enemy AI too passive, reducing the pressure and tactical demand of some fights.

Soul management, Break Souls, combo trees, and character-specific systems can create satisfying tactical depth, though some critics think the systems do not always harmonize.

The underlying gameplay hooked the reviewer quickly, with its systems feeling immediately engaging rather than merely functional.

New objective and collectible indicators make the minimap more useful and reduce friction when tracking goals and pickups.

Clearer directional and objective information makes navigation easier to understand at a glance.

Strong art and music can bring Midgand to life, but pop-in and dated environmental presentation can noticeably break immersion.

Crisp effects and environmental audio help one reviewer feel more immersed in the world and battles.

Berseria’s anti-hero lead, darker story, and freer combat represented meaningful departures from older Tales conventions that several reviewers still appreciate.

The dual-protagonist structure and combat ideas are credited as meaningful innovations for the series, even though later reviewers debate how fully those ideas were realized.

Battle effects and flashy ultimate attacks add energy and spectacle to the real-time combat.

Battle effects are praised for looking dramatic and lively, helping combat pop visually.

Arte and combo customization gives combat meaningful flexibility, letting players experiment with large move sets and different strings.

The skill-tree-style Lilium Orb offers meaningful build freedom and depth for most reviewers, although one critique finds parts of the progression less satisfying than they first appear.

The visual picture is mixed: the anime style still looks appealing and some remaster versions are crisp, but many reviewers see only minor upgrades and Switch can look noticeably worse.

Sharper resolution, stronger color, and cleaner presentation make the remaster look noticeably better, especially on PS5 and PC. Reviewers still see dated models, sparse assets, and notably softer image quality on Switch.

Skits, banter, and party conversations are often funny, warm, and character-rich, though one remaster review noticed awkwardly compressed dialogue timing.

Skits and party banter are repeatedly praised for humor, chemistry, and characterization. Repeated lines and occasional slow or awkward exchanges are the main drawbacks.

The revenge story repeatedly lands with real emotional force; reviewers describe tears, goosebumps, poignancy, and a strong attachment to Velvet’s journey.

The cast and story land emotionally for many reviewers, with heartfelt character moments, sacrifice, and relationship arcs giving the adventure lasting warmth despite structural weaknesses.

Difficulty can swing too far toward easy when Grade Shop bonuses or Velvet’s strongest loops are used, while harder settings do a better job exposing the combat’s strategic depth.

Several reviewers call out difficulty spikes around the middle of the game. The challenge can be managed, but the curve is not always as smooth as the otherwise approachable systems suggest.

Character growth is one of Berseria’s strongest qualities, especially Velvet’s arc and the way major party members evolve across the story.

Character growth is one of the strongest narrative qualities. Reviewers repeatedly praise the way Jude, Milla, Alvin, and the wider party evolve through personal struggles and relationships.

The cast is the most consistently praised element after the story, with strong chemistry, memorable personalities, and unusually compelling anti-hero dynamics.

The party is one of the most consistently praised parts of the game. Reviewers love the colorful personalities, chemistry, distinct combat roles, and character arcs, with very few complaints about the core cast.

Gear and ability systems can support steady growth, but several critics see them as shallow, overly menu-heavy, or unnecessary because combat can be trivialized.

Upgrade systems are mixed: character and replay modifiers can be useful and flexible, but immediate Grade Shop access can undermine the intended progression and sense of earning upgrades.

Quality-of-life tweaks add welcome smoothness, but dated assets, unresolved rough edges, and the small scale of the update keep the remaster from feeling comprehensively polished.

The remaster adds welcome polish and refinement, but reviewers still see visible PS3-era rough edges. The overall presentation is cleaner without feeling rebuilt from the ground up.

The anime and watercolor-inspired art direction continues to hold up well, with reviewers praising its style even when textures and environments look dated.

The colorful anime-inspired art direction has aged well and helps the game retain charm even when individual models, textures, and environments reveal their PS3 origins.

Even reviewers who criticize the remaster often still call Berseria itself fun, entertaining, or a must-play first experience.

The game is widely described as enjoyable, charming, and easy to keep playing, with combat and party chemistry doing most of the work. Even more critical reviews usually still regard the core game as fun.

Encounter toggles, difficulty controls, Grade Shop modifiers, button mapping, and other conveniences give players strong control over how demanding or time-consuming the journey feels, though one review noted the lack of colorblind modes.

Modern convenience and accessibility additions are broadly praised, including difficulty settings, remapping, encounter toggles, subtitles, autosave, and clearer navigation. The suite is helpful rather than exhaustive, with at least one reviewer wishing for options such as colorblind modes.

Facial models can still look stiff, one of several presentation details that make the game’s older technical foundation visible.

Facial animation still looks stiff and dated in the remaster, limiting how modern the presentation feels.

Despite its darker tone, Berseria still feels recognizably Tales, retaining the series’ charm, party chemistry, visual identity, and action-RPG character.

The remaster is praised for faithfully preserving what worked in the original while smoothing rough edges rather than rewriting the game.

The anti-hero revenge structure and morally gray party help Berseria stand apart from the brighter, more traditional hero stories associated with the series.

One retrospective view treats Xillia as an unusually distinctive step for the series, crediting it with an identity that stood out in its era.

One repeat player felt the magic faded on subsequent runs and explicitly recommended experiencing Berseria once rather than replaying it repeatedly.

Two protagonists, New Game+, and Grade Shop modifiers give the game real replay potential. The tradeoff is that several reviewers feel Jude and Milla's routes overlap too heavily to justify another full-length run.

Bringing Berseria to Switch and Xbox expands access, but missing upgrade paths, sparse PC options, screenshot restrictions, and no native Switch 2 version disappointed some reviewers.

Platform parity is a weak point. Switch and Switch 2 users do not receive the same frame-rate and visual experience available on PS5 and PC, and reviewers wanted a more capable native Switch 2 version.

Value depends heavily on ownership: newcomers often get the best package with bundled DLC and QoL upgrades, while existing PS4/PC owners repeatedly see little reason to pay again.

Value is positive for many reviewers who see a strong JRPG and useful upgrades at a mid-range price. Others think the package asks too much for such a conservative remaster, and premium-edition value draws additional criticism.

Autosave is a welcome modern convenience that reduces the risk of lost progress and makes the long RPG easier to play casually.

Autosave is one of the most consistently appreciated additions, reducing the risk of lost progress and making long stretches between manual saves far less stressful.

Bundled DLC is one of the remaster’s clearest wins: most reviewers liked getting the original costumes and extras included, especially for newcomers.

Bundled costumes and legacy DLC are viewed as a welcome bonus, especially when included without extra cost, although some licensed items could not return.

Berseria is notably linear rather than truly open, and a couple of reviewers felt the zones were smaller or more constrained than they first appeared.

One reviewer specifically enjoyed the open map structure, side quests, and tucked-away areas, finding that they add to the sense of adventure.

New objective markers, collectible icons, and minimap changes are genuinely useful, although a few reviewers found them inconsistent or absent when most needed.

New objective, event, and treasure markers are broadly useful, but the map itself can become confusing in multi-level areas where icons overlap or elevation is awkward to read.

Dungeon puzzles are usually considered simple or underdeveloped, with only occasional later sections standing out positively.

Puzzle and dungeon interactions draw mixed reactions: some reviewers appreciate the occasional environmental tasks, while others criticize the game for lacking substantial traditional puzzles.

One review specifically lamented the absence of a meaningful side-quest system alongside the game’s uninspired dungeon structure.

Side quests are commonly described as basic, repetitive, or fetch-heavy. A few have worthwhile narrative context, but their structure rarely matches the quality of the main cast and combat.

Dungeon design is one of the clearest weaknesses, repeatedly described as linear, bland, maze-like, repetitive, or too long.

Level design is one of the most consistent weak points. Reviewers repeatedly call dungeons and field areas linear, samey, or visually repetitive, even when individual locations or gimmicks work well.

Boss opinions were split: several reviewers enjoyed the stronger encounters, while another found boss battles uninspired.

Bosses are often a combat highlight and can be memorable, but their quality is uneven; some rely on inflated health, stun-heavy behavior, or disruptive armor mechanics.

Midgand’s moral conflicts, regional stories, and changing societies give the setting a stronger sense of history and consequence than its plain environments suggest.

One reviewer strongly praises the way political context and skits make Rieze Maxia feel lived-in rather than merely decorative.

Audio opinions are mixed: battle effects can be excellent, but some remaster versions have distracting menu mixing or unusually loud effects.

Sound design is uneven. Effects and music can be crisp and immersive, but English voice compression, muffled clips, and occasional mixing problems are repeated complaints.

New icons and clearer indicators improve navigation and inventory clarity, but older build menus can still feel convoluted.

The interface is cleaner and more usable for some reviewers, while others still find portions dated or awkward, particularly settings buried too deeply in menus.

Menu impressions are mixed: new item indicators can help, but build management, DLC claiming, and some older interfaces are still cumbersome.

One reviewer specifically praises the character menu as organized and easy to return to between fights.

Voice work is a major strength, especially the performances behind Velvet and the main cast, though one reviewer strongly preferred Japanese audio over the English dub.

Voice performances are mostly well received, especially the ensemble cast, but audio quality creates a persistent caveat. Milla's English delivery and compressed or muffled voice recordings are singled out more than once.

Costumes and cosmetic options are fun and plentiful, but deeper build customization can feel limited or inflexible in places.

Build customization is a standout strength. The Lilium Orb, Artes, skills, equipment, and party-link choices let players shape characters into distinct roles without making the system inaccessible.

Most versions feel smooth and responsive in combat, but one Switch review reported severe input lag that made both fighting and exploration unwieldy.

Controls are generally responsive and flexible once learned, especially in combat, but a few reviewers still find the older control and camera conventions clunky.

Velvet is overwhelmingly praised as a distinctive, compelling anti-heroine whose anger, vulnerability, and growth give the story its identity.

Jude and Milla are both regarded as compelling leads, with reviewers especially responding to Milla's unusual perspective and the contrast between the two protagonists.

The soundtrack divides reviewers more than the story or voice acting: some rank it highly, while others call most of it average or forgettable outside standout themes.

The soundtrack is one of the most dependable audiovisual strengths, with energetic battle themes, melodic town music, and orchestral pieces repeatedly singled out for praise.

PS5 performance is usually smooth, while PC and especially Switch reports are more variable; the harshest Switch review described serious input-lag and image-quality problems.

Performance is strong on PS5 and PC in most reviews, with smooth play and responsive combat. Switch is the clear exception, where lower image quality, frame-rate limits, and sluggishness receive criticism.

The darker story includes death, killing, child-directed violence, and revealing costumes, making it a more mature Tales entry than some reviewers expected.

A physical release with extra presentation value was specifically appreciated by a longtime Tales fan.

Reviewers who clicked with the battle system found fights fast, satisfying, and highly engaging, with especially strong moment-to-moment action.

The dual-protagonist choice sounds more consequential than it often feels. Some reviewers enjoy the different viewpoints and replay motivation, but many say Jude and Milla share too much of the same story for the choice to transform the campaign.

Velvet’s power is a recurring balance problem in the more critical combat takes, where her Break Soul loop can make other party members feel unnecessary.

Local battle co-op is functional and welcome for players who want to share fights, but it is not presented as a major reason to buy.

Equipment enhancement earned praise for making dropped materials useful and giving gear management a satisfying purpose between battles.

One detailed review found the endgame side content rushed, typo-heavy, and noticeably less polished than the main story.

The revenge plot’s violence, mature themes, and occasional revealing costumes make this a less family-friendly Tales entry than the series’ lighter adventures.

A first run generally lands around the mid-30-hour range, which some find comfortable and others find daunting when considering a second protagonist playthrough.

One review specifically criticized repeated tasks and story padding for making the adventure feel longer than its central conflict needed.

One PC-focused review went beyond calling the remaster unnecessary and described the commercial proposition as potentially predatory for existing owners.

Pausing cutscenes has a specific technical flaw in one review: resuming can cause the voice audio to drop out.

The supporting party is praised for distinct motivations, chemistry, banter, and storylines that make them more than simple companions to Velvet.

Collectibles, Katz rewards, treasure, and other field pickups add small reasons to explore otherwise straightforward spaces.

The lack of PS4 save transfer was called a missed opportunity for returning players considering the remaster.

Repeated objectives and forced backtracking can turn progression into a routine trek through already visited maps.

Battle multiplayer was described as serviceable but superfluous: usable for shared play, yet far from central to the experience.