Compare Avowed vs Tales of Berseria Remastered

Level design was praised for verticality, density, handcrafted routes, and spaces that felt larger than their footprint.

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

Environmental detail was strongly praised through dense secrets, vistas, caves, and handcrafted spaces, even by some otherwise mixed reviewers.

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

Build and class flexibility was praised because Avowed lets players mix archetypes freely, though balance sometimes favored magic or specific styles.

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.

Crafting was mixed to negative, with several reviewers calling it threadbare, expensive, or too tied to gear-tier progression.

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

Exploration was one of the strongest consensus positives, with dense maps, secrets, vertical paths, and constant rewards keeping reviewers engaged.

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.

Character development split reviewers: some found companions distinct and engaging, while others thought characters were bland or hard to care about.

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

Quest design ranged from excellent side stories and meaningful follow-ups to fetchy, inconsistent, or repetitive tasks.

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

Replay value improved with choices and post-launch New Game Plus, though some reviewers felt repeated runs changed too little.

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

Originality was limited; reviewers often described Avowed as familiar comfort-food fantasy rather than a bold genre evolution.

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

World interactivity was one of the most common criticisms, with many reviewers finding NPCs, theft, objects, and systems too static.

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

Boss design was criticized as disappointing, with bosses feeling like tougher versions of regular enemies rather than unique encounters.

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

One reviewer specifically framed Avowed as more appropriate for older teens and adults because of its complex themes and mature material.

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

Animation feedback was mixed, with stiff NPCs and less impressive presentation keeping the game from feeling fully modern.

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

Save reliability was a concern for at least one reviewer who needed more careful saving because of bugs.

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

Resource balance divided reviewers: some liked the meaningful economy, while others felt crafting materials and upgrade resources were too scarce.

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

Grind level was a common complaint tied to gear upgrades, resource hunting, and spongy combat loops.

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

The companion roster was often seen as small or limited, though some reviewers still liked the four supporting characters.

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

Sound design was praised for impactful effects, combat feedback, and strong weapon audio.

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

Open-zone design split reviewers: many liked curated, dense hubs, while others found the world restrictive, lifeless, or not interactive enough.

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.

Innovation was usually described as limited; reviewers saw Avowed as confident and enjoyable rather than genre-changing.

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

Enemy AI was considered serviceable but not especially smart; later impressions suggested fights remain engaging without feeling brain-dead.

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

HUD clarity improved through options to reduce clutter, adjust opacity, and toggle display elements.

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

Bug reports varied widely: some reviewers found almost none, while others hit quest bugs, map-edge bugs, or issues that required reloads.

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

The tutorial was praised for teaching systems naturally and creating meaningful choices early.

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

Onboarding was praised when it taught by doing, though lore-heavy openings could feel steep for newcomers.

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

Companion combat AI was mixed: some found companions self-sufficient or improved by patches, while others called them weak or unnecessary in fights.

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

Map and navigation design was mixed, with missing custom markers criticized before later updates added them.

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

Side characters and companions were highly divisive: some found them memorable and heartfelt, while others thought they were shallow or uninspired.

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

Puzzles were generally light but appreciated when they used environmental elements, timing, and exploration paths.

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

Menu and ability-wheel usability was mixed; some quality-of-life systems helped, but radial wheels and limited hotkeys disrupted combat for others.

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

Platform-specific support was praised for PS5 performance modes, Sony-platform feel, and PC features such as DLSS.

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.

Emotional impact came mostly from moral choices, consequences, and companion moments, though some endings or fallout felt muted to critics.

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

Learning support was helped by reference and lore systems that made Eora’s terminology easier to understand.

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.

Dialogue quality ranged from standout and well acted to overly wordy, forced, or limited in the options it offered.

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

Difficulty balance was one of the most debated areas, with some finding it fair and flexible and others criticizing gear checks, sponginess, or uneven scaling.

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.

Facial animations were criticized in later impressions as not matching next-generation expectations.

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

Reviewers liked the dense zones and amount of side content, although some felt the scope was restrained rather than sprawling.

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

Skill trees were praised for flexibility but criticized by others as simple, shallow, or uneven across archetypes.

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

Graphics quality was divisive but often positive, with praise for stunning vistas and vivid visuals alongside criticism of poor or compromised visuals on some platforms.

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.

Narrative quality was usually a strength thanks to mystery, choices, and world stakes, but some reviewers found the main plot predictable or underwhelming.

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

Movement feel and parkour were strongly praised for making exploration fluid, vertical, and enjoyable.

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.

Gameplay mechanics were generally praised as streamlined and flexible, but a few reviewers felt RPG systems lacked depth or reactivity.

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.

Voice acting was mostly praised as strong or outstanding, though one reviewer found performances unable to save weaker writing.

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.

Endgame content was criticized because the original experience did not allow continued post-story play and lacked New Game Plus at launch.

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

Fast travel was viewed as convenient and generous, making it easy to revisit areas without friction.

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

Visual effects, especially magic, were repeatedly praised for impact, color, and satisfying feedback.

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

Combat was one of the most consistently praised elements, especially magic, responsiveness, and build variety, despite repetition and gear-gating complaints.

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.

Reviewers noted useful accessibility and comfort controls such as camera, subtitle, difficulty, and arachnophobia-related options, though colorblind support was called out as missing.

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.

Character creation was generally praised as solid or deep, with later updates adding more races and appearance options.

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

Value for money was mixed: reviewers praised Game Pass or lower pricing but questioned the original premium price for the scope.

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.

Enemy variety was a recurring concern; many reviewers felt the same bears, spiders, skeletons, and humanoids appeared too often.

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

World-building was one of Avowed’s clearest strengths, especially its politics, cultures, history, and Eora continuity.

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

Performance optimization varied sharply across versions, from stable and improved after patches to demanding, stuttery, or poorly optimized on some PCs.

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.

Returning Eora fans often felt Avowed was faithful to the Pillars of Eternity world, while still accessible to newcomers.

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

Immersion was helped by dense worldbuilding and atmosphere but hurt for some by static NPCs and limited world reactivity.

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

The Living Lands’ vivid tone, music, and dreamlike spaces were repeatedly praised for creating a distinctive atmosphere.

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

Lore depth was consistently praised, especially the in-game books, history, politics, and reference systems that made Eora feel rich.

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.

Fun factor leaned positive overall, especially for combat and exploration, though some reviewers found the experience merely solid or underwhelming.

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

Mission design drew criticism when quests felt repetitive, fetchy, or like back-and-forth errands, though some standout missions remained.

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

Pacing was mixed, with slow starts, downtime, filler quests, and late-game repetition weighing against an otherwise easy-to-follow story.

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

Camera-related options were appreciated, especially the ability to adjust head bob and camera shake for comfort.

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

Soundtrack reception was generally positive but often stopped short of calling the music unforgettable.

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.

UI options such as text sizing and subtitles were appreciated as useful interface support.

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

Controls and combat feel were commonly praised for responsiveness, impact, and keybind flexibility, with a few targeting frustrations.

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

Progression systems were divisive: some liked flexible builds and added points, while others found midgame growth stagnant or too gear-dependent.

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.

Upgrade systems were sharply divisive, with some liking gear longevity and many others criticizing tiers, scarcity, or number-go-up design.

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.

Polish improved over time but remained uneven, with reviewers citing jank, lack of gloss, or presentation limits alongside strong craftsmanship.

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.

Frame-rate stability varied: some reviewers saw stable performance, while others reported hitches, drops, screen tearing, or stuttering.

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

Writing quality was widely praised for lore, companion dialogue, and sharp prose, but a minority found it wordy, pretentious, or mid.

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.

Most reviewers praised the bold, colorful, alien fantasy art direction, though a few disliked the cartoony look or felt presentation was uneven.

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

Steam Deck suitability was considered playable and verified, but the visual tradeoff was significant.

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.

The core loop was divisive: strong combat and exploration were often undermined for some reviewers by gear-tier repetition and open-zone structure.

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

Aiming and first-person spell placement drew criticism when ground-targeted abilities were hard to place precisely.

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

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

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

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.

Crash stability varied by platform and version: some reviewers reported no crashes, while another had severe startup crashes before fixes.

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

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

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

Haptic support was platform-dependent: one PS5 review praised DualSense vibration, while another noted missing haptic and trigger use.

Post-launch support was viewed positively, with free updates improving stability, customization, build options, and quality-of-life features.

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

Loot opinions were mixed: unique items and progression could be satisfying, but many chests and rewards felt predictable or unexciting.

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.

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

Platforming precision was a pleasant surprise, with simple mantling and vertical puzzles adding a welcome exploration layer.

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

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.

Sandbox freedom was limited compared with full open-world RPGs, though some reviewers still appreciated freedom in story choices or builds.

Stealth was criticized as underdeveloped or nearly useless, with little support for stealth-focused play.

Weapon balance and variety were mostly praised for experimentation and flexible loadouts, but some reviewers felt magic outclassed melee or guns.