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The Tales series is often stuffed with both underlying and overlaying themes. Many of the games' themes focus on friendship, betrayal, nature, and divine power. These elements highlight and illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of what makes the series separate from the rest of the RPGs. Many gamers would disagree, and say that other role-playing games have the same concepts as the Tales games through the use of characterization. It is true that character development becomes an important role in defining an RPG's themes, but the motifs that shape the foundation of a series, and are present throughout each game, is what makes a series solid. Tales of Vesperia is one example in the series that portrays the themes and motifs of past adventures nicely. The reiteration of motifs such as friendship, nature, and divine power, is effective throughout each game because of the consistency of creating attractive characters.
Tales of Vesperia is the first game in the series to arrive on the Xbox 360. The game does sport nice animation and flawless design, but the game stands firm due to the writers' usage of character development. Yuri Lowell serves as a protagonist that breaks the mold of previous Tales games by being more in control with his destiny and willing to eliminate the foes that are a threat to society. Flynn is the polar opposite of Yuri, which balances the two characters out in terms of personality and demeanor. Characters that are different, but similar through their passion of obtaining peace, exemplifies on the friendship theme. Friendship is a constant element that many gamers see. The forming bond of a group become closer to each other through the harsh and entertaining experiences they share. For Tales of Vesperia, the experiences are noticeable through Yuri and Estelle's connection whether it is cooking or Estelle's determination of getting Repede, the dog companion, to embrace her. It is through these friendship moments that many fans become attached with certain characters as the personality quirks flare up, depending on the context of the situation. Rita's frequent usage of the Fire Ball spell, in various event scenes, adds a comical aspect to the game as many of the people on the receiving end of the fiery blast are her own teammates. The motif of a comical character serves as a strengthening attribute for the Tales series because many RPG gamers love watching characters have fun and act silly from time to time. I know I do. For some of the other games in the series, however, the weakness of the franchise surfaces through characters that do not have much appeal to gamers, like Luke from Tales of the Abyss. But I won't go into the details about Luke or how his attempt at redemption portrays him more like a whiny noble and that there is no First Aid skill that can cure his stupidity.
Nature is a frequent and becomes the center point in connecting to the divine power theme. Characters like Estelle have powers that are unknown to others, until they advance further into their journey and discover the predictable truth that many RPG veterans have come to expect. The advantage of having nature coincide with divine power is a great element to use in an RPG, making the plot and story more complex. But the frequent use of the two themes becomes too obvious to others. Yggdrasill is a tree that serves as a prime source of divine power through the mystical connection with superior entities that have been given names like Undine, Gnome, etc. These summon type spirits, and their connection to nature, made Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Symphonia beautiful works of art. But I find myself to be in a loop that keeps revolving around the same motifs game after game. I'm sure many other fans of the series have noticed it as well. Tales of Vesperia does not stray from the formula either. The mimesis usage of the Child of the Full Moon story sets the stage for Tales of Vesperia by making a character become the focal point of divine power that changes the uncontrollable aer that affects creatures like Phaeroah and Ba'ul.
The game's story uses the motifs superbly and makes the adventure enticing to watch as it unfolds, but it is nothing more than another rehash of the same elements. A person could argue that all RPGs follow and stick to the cliches that work for a series. It is understandable to not tamper with narrative devices that have made many games thrive. Eventually, though, games will become stale and need a new fresh start. Tales of Vesperia serves as a new direction for entering the next generation consoles, as well as altering some motifs, to make characters like Yuri, Estelle and Rita intriguing. Yeah, and the old fart Raven too.
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