The Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn DLC does not really introduce any significant new features for the gameplay and mostly follows the same strengths and weaknesses as the base game. You can read my review of the base game here if you have not done so yet - [here].

Action

JRPG

The DLC does not really improve the graphics and mostly retains the same art style and graphic quality as the base game. You can read my review of the graphics for the base game here if you are interested - [here].

The DLC does not offer many new soundtracks or music and the quality of the soundtracks and music you have heard in the base game is consistent here. You can read my review of the sound department for the base game here if you are curious - [here].

The only significant new addition is Nazamil’s voice acting and needless to say, it is flawless in both Japanese and English and fully portrays her personality and the situation she got into.

Now, this is where Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn DLC differs. It is set roughly a year after the events of the base game, where the worlds of Renans and Dahnans have merged. The party comes together once more to shut down the Mausoleums of the merged world and encounters Nazamil, a new character around whom the DLC story revolves.

Nazamil is a shy, soft-spoken girl who has a tragic past. She is unique in the fact that she is half Renan and half Dahnan, which leads to both sides not accepting her as one of them. Wanting to find a place where she can belong, she finds it in Alphen and Shionne’s party, but trouble is brewing on the horizon.

Banking the whole story on a single character, Nazamil, is a risky move, but I am glad they pulled it off well in not only her personality, and backstory but also making the player sympathize with her.

It is also great to see the lifestyle people are having after the world merge and whether the Renans and Dahnans are coexisting or not. There are times in the story where if I were in Alphen’s place, I would have chopped the person to pieces, and this is the first time in a long time I have seen Alphen genuinely pissed off.

The side quest stories are mostly about the new lifestyle between Dahnans and Renans and how they are getting along with each other or their new life. A lot of these side quests are fetch or kill quests too. However, the character interaction and skits more than makeup for this shortcoming with their high-quality interactions.

I also like the new EX quests that are implemented in the game, essentially these are side quests with a continuous story on the topic of Alphen researching about weddings. The twist is, that players are given access to Shionne’s diary, where she is aware something is going on behind her back but not sure what, making for some funny entries in her diary.

Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn Review

Reviewed After : Game Completion after 23 hours

Played On : Action, JRPG

Final Score

8.5