We are honored to announce Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn. Through this expansion players will enjoy a story that depicts the world after the main story of Tales of Arise, which was released in September 2021.
This is the first DLC in the Tales of series that is a direct continuation of the main story in this scale. We will discuss what players can expect from the storyline and why we made the decision to create it.
(*This article contains spoilers for the main Arise story. Please be warned.)
An expansion that aims to satisfy
Take your first look at the game below:
In this title, you can experience a new story and adventure set in the world after the union of two worlds. You can enjoy the story of a new encounter with a girl named Nazamil and experience the reunion of Alphen and his parties to confront the fierce destiny she has followed.
The new character Nazamil is a girl of both Dahnan and Renan blood and is the daughter of a Lord who stood in the way of the player in the main story of Arise (we’ll keep it a secret which Lord’s child she is until you play). We hope you will speculate and discuss the details you see in the trailer and wonder whether her peculiarity will be accepted by people in the new united world, or whether she will suffer a harsh fate.
The new storyline is enormous, and I spent more than 20 hours immersed in this new narrative experience during the test play, taking my time to re-explore the new world that has been merged into one. Our goal with this title, and one thing we were sure of during the test play – is that for players, this new experience would be similar the feeling you get when you watch a movie and it turns out to be a good one.
Since the release of Arise, we have received many requests from people who have enjoyed the main story for a continuation of the story and the development team has had in-depth discussions and deliberations on what kind of significance and appeal would be necessary if we were to seriously go beyond the original story. It was also a way for us to reflect on what Arise was for us.
What Arise has left us
The main story of Arise depicted the liberation from the servitude between two worlds and two races, and the relationship between Alphen and Shionne. Two people who could be considered opposites, underwent a journey of significant change and growth through their journey from servitude to equality, from rejection to understanding, marking the dawn of a new heart.
The protagonist, Alphen, denies self-sacrifice to save the world at the end of his journey, turns the ideals of mutual understanding and coexistence into power, and performs miracles. In this respect, the story of Arise was also a work of greater magnitude than previous Tales of works.
Only one rival, Vholran, however, denies it outright to the very end, leaving behind the curse that “If you choose to walk that path… you choose a path of betrayal, despair, and corruption.”
He is right, there will be new challenges and frictions in the world beyond.
Still, they will be able to overcome these obstacles with their parties who are deeply bonded with them. The story of the dawn ends with hope for the future, while keeping a trace of anxiety in their hearts.
So, is the dawn really that bright ahead for everyone? …and how should they walk in the new world?
The appeal of “Tales of” as a continuing life story
I like these intriguing stories that remain, which sometimes reflect reality. On the other hand, I love recalling the character’s later life and I suddenly wonder how the characters continue to deal with the world afterward in response to that question.
We decided to focus on these emotions and develop this title to meet them once more and share with you the image of them growing up one more level. As the name Beyond the Dawn suggests, this is a straightforward story about the future and reality that awaits us beyond the dawn, directly following the journey of the Alphen.
It is also a reflection of the underlying philosophy of the Tales of team that the stories of the characters’ lives continue beyond the confines of the product.
Perhaps because of the strength of this desire, the volume of the additional DLC exceeded our initial expectations, and the quality of the cutscenes has further improved, leading to the feeling I had when I test-played the finished product, “Oh, it’s just like watching a good movie…”.
We would like to remind you that although the game system itself is inherited from Arise and does not change significantly, together with new dungeons, a variety of new quests, and attractive additional costumes, Beyond the Dawn is an experience that will fully immerse you. Please stay tuned for more details in the future.
In addition, although the story in Beyond the Dawn is a sequel to the main story, we wanted all users to be able to enjoy the game at the appropriate level of design. In order to ensure this, a certain level of skills and other statuses are provided at the start, and we did not adopt a simple transfer of levels and statuses from the main game. Instead, we have prepared bonuses such as money and skill points based on the clear data of the main game, so we hope that you will enjoy the new story while taking advantage of these bonuses and developing the characters to your own liking.
Of course, for those who have not yet played Arise, it has been created to be enjoyed as a series of stories in combination with this Beyond the Dawn, and we are also offering a special bundle pack, so we look forward to this opportunity to get together again with you in Arise.
Now, let’s go beyond the dawn of time. We are looking forward to this opportunity to join more people in the world of Tales of Arise once again on November 9.
