Tales of Berseria Remastered Review: A Dark JRPG With Heart, But a Mediocre Remaster

Exactly 10 years ago (2016), the Tales series released its eleventh game: Tales of Berseria. For many Tales fans, this is also one of the most beautiful but also most shocking entries in the franchise. For starters, this is the first game in the series where the main character is a woman (and it was about time). On top of that, this was one of the not-so-many JRPGs where you played as a villain. And now, as we mark 10 years later, we're getting Tales of Berseria.

Remastered. Instead of just playing an Anime JRPG as a dangerous villain, we can now experience it in higher resolution with some quality-of-life additions. Well, that's actually about it. During my 35 hours of gameplay, I somewhat rushed to the end. I'm happy to say that my adventure in Tales of Berseria was memorable. Like every adventure, it had its bumps in the road.

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What Would You Do to Avenge a Loved One?

You begin the story as a young girl from a small village named Velvet Crowe (as if her parents knew she'd turn out to be a villain). Velvet lives in a small house with her sickly younger brother, Laphicet, and her brother-in-law, Artorius, who works as a demon hunter (Exorcist). In this world, besides humans, there are Malakhim (more on them later) and demons. No one knows how they appear, but once someone turns into a demon, that's it; there's no going back.

While Velvet cares for her ailing brother, she also trains to one day become an Exorcist, just like her brother-in-law. However, one evening, on a full moon, her brother mysteriously disappears, and the caring sister has a panic attack and desperately begins searching for him. She finds him at a nearby sacred temple, where she witnesses a bitter tragedy: her brother-in-law kills her brother. To make the misfortune even worse, Artorius (her brother-in-law) also curses Velvet (who attacked him after witnessing the execution of her beloved brother) and transforms her into a demon.

Transformed into a very powerful demon, Velvet is thrown into a dungeon. She spends the next three years there. During that time, she uses her new demonic abilities to devour other demons and waits for the day she can escape. She longs to take revenge on the killer. Right on that day, the game truly begins. Velvet escapes from prison, forms alliances with other prisoners, and disregards all morality to avenge her brother Laphicet.

For an Anime game, the story can be quite dark, and there were a few moments where I was genuinely shocked, but that's exactly what kept me going until the very end. The tragic story of Velvet Crowe isn't particularly unique for the JRPG genre, but it's still refreshing to play as a protagonist who isn't a goody-two-shoes.

The Corridors of Berseria

Unlike previous Tales games, Berseria skips the open world (overworld) and opts for small, confined zones. This was probably a decision made to ensure the game would function on the PlayStation 3. Regardless, as you explore the world with Velvet Crowe and her companions, you'll be walking through fairly linear zones and jumping from one section to another. These zones have their own enemies, NPCs, and hidden treasures, but they feel like corridors, much like, say, the first two discs of Final Fantasy XIII. Not exactly something the game should brag about, but at least it's easier to get to the next key zone while following the story. During my rushed playthrough, I visited several larger cities, traversed many open zones, dealt with a bunch of strong and weak enemies, and even rescued a few cats from boxes in exchange for character cosmetics.

Of course, there were also plenty of side activities, such as cooking (which can be set to automatic) and mini-games. Again, you can play with cats or work as a waiter. My personal favorite was sending out a pirate ship to explore the world and checking what it found every half hour. Tales of Berseria has a lot of side content to enrich the main story. While not all of it appealed to me, I appreciated any way the game broke up the monotony of battles. Ah… those battles…

Combat for Every Type of Player in Tales of Berseria Remastered

If you think you might not be skilled enough to handle the many enemies in Tales of Berseria, don't worry. The combat in this game is designed to be accessible for everyone. Whether you're a tactical mastermind, someone with a sense of rhythm, or someone who doesn't know how to play video games at all, Tales of Berseria Remastered has a solution for you. Let's explore how the combat system adapts to these various playstyles.

First of all, like other games in the Tales series, Berseria uses dynamic action combat where you freely control one character (usually Velvet) in a 3D environment and attack using any of her numerous moves. Depending on how (often or rarely) you press certain buttons, you can craft the perfect attack combination and string together dangerous combos. Each button press is one attack, and you can map them to execute in a specific order or even change them mid-battle. Sometimes you can start with a basic kick, switch to a special power, and finish with high strikes. The same applies to your companions (controlled by AI), who will act exactly as you've instructed them. You can ask them to heal you when your health is low, to buff you, or to simply attack without thinking, using the combos you've set for them.

All of this probably sounds a little confusing, and let me reassure you right away that it can be much simpler. If you're not a fan of micro-managing every fighter, you can freely just set up the most basic combinations and button-mash as needed. While it may not sound optimal, this is a completely valid way to play Tales of Berseria, just as it is in many past Tales games. Sure, you won't min-max your stats, but there's surprisingly little difference between having everything perfectly organized and simply mashing buttons.

You Don’t Need To be Super Skilled In Tales of Berseria Remastered

If you don't even want to press buttons quickly, don't worry, Berseria has a solution for that, too. Namely, if neither of those two options appeals to you, you can set battles to play out automatically. I'm not joking when I say that if you set the difficulty to Easy, you can complete the entire game this way, including all the bosses and even some stronger super-bosses.

It might not sound exciting, but if you want to focus on the story, you can use Auto Battle. This turns Tales of Berseria into an Anime walking simulator or visual novel. I'll admit that I played about 90% of the game this way. I got tired of button-mashing and swapping attacks. Since the game offered these benefits, I took full advantage of them.

Oh, and speaking of benefits, I found it strange that right from the very beginning of the game, I was given access to the Grade Shop. This is a "hidden menu" that grants benefits such as up to six times more XP, more health in battles, a larger inventory… similar to what you get in Resident Evil games after completing them once. It was odd to me that Tales of Berseria Remastered offered this even though I was playing it for the first time in my life, but I'll take any kind of help the game offers. In a way, it all felt like the game was doing everything in its power to put me at ease and minimize the stress of grinding and pre-boss anxiety, just so I could focus on the best part.

The Good Bad Girl and Her Charming Gang of Good Villains

I wasn't entirely serious when I said you play as a villain. The game has the vibe of playing as a bad guy. However, it quickly becomes clear that you're really a rebel fighting a corrupt system, but in a wicked way. Still, Velvet can use her black-and-red demonic arm to devour enemies and absorb their power. It's hard to call her truly "good." The same goes for her companions. As in past Tales games, each character has voice acting in English and Japanese. The actors did an excellent job.

The demonic samurai Rokurou just wants to grow stronger so he can defeat and kill his older brother. The pirate Eizen wants to find his captain and doesn't care who he has to eliminate to do so. Although they have selfish desires, especially Velvet, I have to admit there's something incredibly human about such characters. At the end of the day, we all have selfish desires, and these characters beautifully reflect that.

One of the characters is a Malakhim. They are beings that Exorcists use in battle (like Pokémon). Malakhim has no will of their own, nor any needs of their own, but Velvet rescues one quite early on, gives him a name, and even "orders" him to be free. Later, a companion joins the group who is one of the morally "good" characters, she also recognizes this injustice and even befriends the evil demon girl.

And then there's Magilou. Magilou is, to put it nicely, an extremely rude, destructive, and annoying lunatic. She's also my favorite character. The first time you meet her, you'll probably hate her. She whines, complains, and refuses to help. As the game progresses and you learn more about her, there's a good chance she'll become your favorite too. Her bold attitude, pessimism, and bluntness made me never want to skip a cutscene. It's no wonder she's dressed like a court jester.

Together, all the characters form a cheerful JRPG party. That's exactly why I'm glad I finished the game. They help each other grow and improve. Ironically, this gang of villains transforms into a group of good guys quite naturally.

What Is Actually New In Tales of Berseria Remastered

Finally, I have to address the new additions in this Remastered version. In short: there aren't many… in fact, there are barely any. The original Tales of Berseria (2016) launched simultaneously for seventh and eighth-generation consoles, and that version is still available. And since the PlayStation 4 version already ran at 1080p and 60 FPS, the question was, what would this Remastered version actually bring?

The answer is: 4K resolution and various convenience features. I already mentioned the Grade Shop, which is available from the very start and makes the game considerably easier. You also get costumes that were DLC in the original game, plus faster walking (something fans of the original complained about). In short, this Remastered version adds very few improvements, and since there's no way to simply upgrade the original version, many fans aren't exactly thrilled.

In Conclusion

As bad as it might sound, this is still a beautiful story wrapped in a somewhat chaotic combat system, with plenty of plot twists and sad moments, but even more happy ones. I may have used auto-combat, but I'm glad I experienced Velvet Crowe's story all the way to the end.

Tales of Berseria Remastered doesn't have many notable improvements over the original 2016 game, but it still features dynamic combat, an interesting world, charming characters, and a beautifully tragic story that I would recommend to JRPG and Anime fans. I had a great time playing as the evil, or rather, good, Velvet, and I'm sure you will too.

Our Rating:7.2 / 10

Tales of Berseria Remastered earns its score through an emotionally gripping story and a likable cast, but the threadbare remaster upgrades and linear zone design prevent it from reaching true classic status.

Age Recommendation:16+

The game contains themes of loss, revenge, demonic transformation, and moral ambiguity that are too intense for younger audiences. There is no graphic gore or sexual content, but the narrative darkness, including the murder of a child as a story catalyst, and the overall tone make it best suited for older teens. The combat is adjustable down to near-zero difficulty, so gameplay is not the barrier; the story weight is.

Gemini AI Summary

Tales of Berseria Remastered (2026) revisits Bandai Namco's acclaimed 2016 JRPG on its tenth anniversary, bringing the dark story of Velvet Crowe — a young woman-turned-demon seeking revenge for her murdered brother — to modern platforms with 4K resolution and minor quality-of-life upgrades. The game stands out in the Tales series for its morally complex protagonist, emotionally heavy narrative, and flexible combat system that accommodates players from button mashers to those who prefer fully automated battles. While the main cast of morally grey characters — including the standout court-jester wildcard Magilou — earns genuine affection, the remaster itself delivers very little beyond what the original PlayStation 4 version already offered, disappointing fans who hoped for a more substantial upgrade. Linear zone design and a chaotic yet accessible battle system round out an experience best recommended to JRPG and anime fans aged 16 and up. Final score: 7/10.