Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition Review

In recent years, Bandai Namco has leaned heavily into bringing back its beloved Tales of franchise through remasters and re‑releases, giving modern players a chance to revisit classics like Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Symphonia. These games highlight the series’ enduring appeal, with heartfelt storytelling, common tropes, and dynamic combat.

The latest entry in the series, Tales of Arise is a fresh flagship entry that pushes the franchise forward with cutting‑edge visuals, a darker narrative tone, and refined battle mechanics. It was a great return for the series, and with its DLC expansion Beyond the Dawn, which now finally arrives on the Switch 2, playing the game on the go is still a great time, albeit with some compromises.

The Complete Experience

Tales of Arise reinvigorates the long‑running JRPG franchise with a gripping, yet mostly predictable tale of liberation between the oppressed Dahna and the ruling Rena. While the narrative leans on familiar tropes, its emotional beats and character interactions resonate strongly, making the adventure memorable.

Players follow Alphen, a masked slave freed from pain, and Shionne, a Renan cursed with thorns, as they unite to topple Rena’s lords. Their journey is enriched by companions Rinwell, Law, Kisara, and Dohalim, each adding depth to themes of prejudice, trust, and camaraderie.

Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition‘s visuals are a great leap forward for the series, blending anime‑style character designs with painterly environments powered by Unreal Engine 4. Yet, on top of all the upgrades, combat definitely takes the spotlight.

Combat in Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition stays true to the franchise’s reputation for fluid yet grind-heavy battles while introducing refinements that make encounters more tactical and engaging. Fights occur in a 3D space, allowing characters to maneuver freely, dodge with precision, and chain Artes into powerful combos that feel weighty and satisfying. Each party member fulfills a clear archetype and is supported by efficient AI that ensures everyone contributes meaningfully.

Strategies, reminiscent of Final Fantasy XII’s Gambit system, allow players to dictate party behavior under specific conditions, opening up countless combinations to suit different playstyles. In addition, healing relies on a shared CP pool, requiring careful resource management during exploration and combat.

Exploration balances linear progression with semi‑open zones, offering side quests, skits, fishing, and cooking systems that flesh out the world. While the narrative leans on familiar tropes, its emotional beats and character interactions resonate strongly, making the adventure memorable.

Providing players with a treat, Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition actually includes the expansion DLC of the same name. Set a year after the events of the base game, Beyond the Dawn shifts focus to Nazamil, the daughter of a Renan lord and a Dahnan woman, who struggles with prejudice in a fragile post‑war world. Alphen and Shionne return as mentors, guiding her through a narrative that explores reconciliation and lingering resentment between the two peoples. The expansion emphasizes story over mechanics, offering a more linear experience that highlights Nazamil’s journey and the party’s evolving roles in a society still healing from conflict, so don’t expect many changes to the overall mechanics and systems.

Gameplay in the DLC remains familiar, with streamlined progression and fewer side distractions compared to the base game. Much of the content feels routine, with standard fetch and “kill X” quests quickly becoming checklist chores, while character‑focused missions rarely deliver compelling narratives. New skill panels and titles add progression, yet dungeon sequences often drag with high‑HP foes and recycled environments, leaving exploration repetitive despite a few fresh Mausoleums.

Switch 2 Performance

Given the Switch 2’s capabilities, one would expect Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition to run at 60FPS, but surprisingly, only cutscenes run at 60FPS, while combat drops to 30FPS. While this is disappointing, especially since we know that the system is capable of better, the game remains completely playable because it sticks to 30 for the most part.

Visually, Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition is still a looker, with fantastic anime-inspired graphics that look great on the Switch 2. More than anything, taking the game on the go might be the biggest draw of this version compared to its visually superior counterparts. If you’ve already played the game before, then there’s little reason to double-dip, but series fans can be happy because Tales of Arise is finally on the Switch (2), and we’re pretty confident that future entries will make their way as well.

Verdict: Buy it!

Ultimately, Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition delivers a complete package that balances the franchise’s familiar strengths with a few compromises. The base game’s fluid combat, heartfelt character arcs, and stunning visuals remain intact, while the expansion adds emotional continuity through Nazamil’s story of reconciliation. Though the DLC leans heavily on routine quests and recycled encounters, its narrative focus ensures fans invested in the cast will find meaningful closure.

On the Switch 2, performance quirks may disappoint, but the ability to experience the adventure on the go makes this version appealing for handheld play. For newcomers, it’s a solid entry point into the Tales universe, while returning players may see less incentive to double‑dip.

*Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition was reviewed on a Switch 2 with a review code provided by the publisher.