'Tales of Berseria' producer talks about three key features in upcoming game including new heroine, Velvet

In just a couple of days, "Tales of Berseria" will start to roll out internationally following its release in Japan in summer last year. The long-running franchise has so far been received pretty well in its home country, but how other regions will perceive it is yet to be determined.

This is the reason why game producer, Yasuhiro Fukaya sat down with iDigital Times to give some insights into what fans from other parts of the world can expect from the title. Given that "Berseria" comes from the long-running "Tales" franchise, folks behind the new role-playing game (RPG) have the responsibility to cater to old loyal fans as well as up the ante to pique the interest of new ones.

Fukaya cites three features in the story, the characters, and how the battle system services the game as the crux of every "Tales" incantation. Which is why they tried to start with those three foundation cornerstones and build the game from there. That way, "Tales of Berseria" feels true to its origin but still unique in its way.

"By keeping these three features, the dev team can introduce new features like history of Tales games before," Fukaya started to explain. "Like in Berseria, our main character is totally different from the other main characters before, like the boy characters in the older titles. I think many Tales series fans like the action-packed battle system, but maybe it's a little bit difficult for new players so we innovated the battle system in Berseria. I believe these big changes with the previous three features keeps the Tales series fresh everytime," he continued.

Speaking of the main protagonist, the fact that Bandai Namco decided to risk introducing a female lead automatically offers a brand-new dynamics in how the game will progress. Velvet, who is the new "Tales" heroine, goes down a "different path to solving problems." That does not mean however that she was shoehorned into the story as Fukaya proudly shares "how she fits in the storyline."

"Velvet has strong emotions and uses any means to achieve her goal," the EP teases. "She actually has a strong power in her left-hand but she's very kind and she takes care of Laphicet and she begins her story with kindness and love."

"Tales of Berseria" is scheduled to arrive in North America on Jan. 24 followed by its release in Europe on Jan. 27.