Tales of Arise on the PlayStation 5

On the planet Dahna, reverence has always been given to Rena, the planet in the sky, as a land of the righteous and divine. Stories handed down for generations became truth and masked reality for the people of Dahna. For 300 years, Rena has ruled over Dahna, pillaging the planet of its resources and stripping people of their dignity and freedom.
Our tale begins with two people, born on different worlds, each looking to change their fate and create a new future. Featuring a new cast of characters, updated combat, and classic Tales of gameplay mechanics, experience the next chapter in the world-famous Tale of series, Tales of Arise.

Dun-dun-duuuuuuun !!!!!

This game was released last year. When I saw the trailer, I immediately knew, I wanted to play it. This game is in the same vein as Tales of Symphonia (I believe I played this one back on the GameCube), Tales of Vesperia (I think I played this one on the PS2 but I currently own it on the Nintendo Switch), and Tles of Berseria (this one I've never played). Arise is a standalone game, there's really no need to play the previous ones. It's kinda like the Final Fantasy's they really don't tie in.

It is a JRPG and like most JRPGs, the narrative is pretty linear, which to me, that's fine.  The game focuses on two primary protagonists; Shionne, a woman with a mysterious past, and Iron Mask, a man who has no memory and also wears an iron mask that he can’t remove.

I am only about 3 to 4 hours in, give or take, so call it an early impression if you will, but the bottom line is, I am having a blast. I have to be honest coming from a game like Ghost of Tsushima, that looks as realistic as it can, it is a little shocking to play something cartoony. That being said, the art it's pretty awesome. The animated cutscenes make you feel like you are watching a Japanese animated show. The voice acting I would say it's pretty well done, and solid. Some of the conversations are in in-game animation sequences, or in comic-book-like panels with voices, or in your typical conversation-bubbles with no voice.

Something that I am truly a fan of in this game, is the combat system. When you encounter enemies during exploration, you'll be spirited off to a combat screen, like every RPG about there. During combat, you can move freely and execute normal and special attacks called Artes, which you assign to controller buttons, pretty simple. It does introduce some complexity to the combat at some point early in the game but nothing too crazy. The combat's super-fun and fluid.

Like most RPGs, you also have a skill-tree-like thing where you can redeem experience points for more art or combat skills. SO far, it hasn't gotten super-crazy complicated, again, I am very early in the game, so who knows. But so far, it's been easy to navigate and understand, it is pretty straightforward.

One thing I've got to mention too is the opening song, I am a fan. Again, it makes you feel like you’re sitting down, about to watch your favorite Anime show.

"HIBANA" by Kankaku Piero - Love it!

If you're are a fan of adventure JRPGs or RPGs in general, and you're looking for a fun and festive game to play, I would definitely recommend Tales of Arise. Oh! And there is a demo available in case you'd want to test the waters first. I think I got it on sale at the Amazons there for less than 40 USD. I believe it is still on sale at the PlayStation Store but not for long. And there are 3 different versions too LOL. I got the regular and purchased some DLC for like $5.00 for star items and costumes.

That's how they get me, with shiny costumes. 😜

Tales of Arise on the PlayStation 5

On the planet Dahna, reverence has always been given to Rena, the planet in the sky, as a land of the righteous and divine. Stories handed down for generations became truth and masked reality for the people of Dahna. For 300 years, Rena has ruled over Dahna, pillaging the planet of its resources and stripping people of their dignity and freedom.
Our tale begins with two people, born on different worlds, each looking to change their fate and create a new future. Featuring a new cast of characters, updated combat, and classic Tales of gameplay mechanics, experience the next chapter in the world-famous Tale of series, Tales of Arise.

Dun-dun-duuuuuuun!!!!

This game was released last year. When I saw the trailer, I immediately knew, I wanted to play it. This game is in the same vein as Tales of Symphonia (I believe I played this one back on the GameCube), Tales of Vesperia (I think I played this one on the PS2 but I currently own it on the Nintendo Switch), and Tales of Berseria (this one I've never played). Arise is a standalone game, there's really no need to play the previous ones. It's kinda like the Final Fantasy's they really don't tie in.

It is a JRPG and like most JRPGs, the narrative is pretty linear, which to me, that's fine.  The game focuses on two primary protagonists; Shionne, a woman with a mysterious past, and Iron Mask, a man who has no memory and also wears an iron mask that he can’t remove.

I am only about 3 to 4 hours in, give or take, so call it an early impression if you will, but the bottom line is, I am having a blast. I have to be honest coming from a game like Ghost of Tsushima, that looks as realistic as it can, it is a little shocking to play something cartoony. That being said, the art it's pretty awesome. The animated cutscenes make you feel like you are watching a Japanese animated show. The voice acting I would say it's pretty well done, and solid. Some of the conversations are in in-game animation sequences, or in comic-book-like panels with voices, or in your typical conversation-bubbles with no voice.

Something that I am truly a fan of in this game, is the combat system. When you encounter enemies during exploration, you'll be spirited off to a combat screen, like every RPG about there. During combat, you can move freely and execute normal and special attacks called Artes, which you assign to controller buttons, pretty simple. It does introduce some complexity to the combat at some point early in the game but nothing too crazy. The combat's super-fun and fluid.

Like most RPGs, you also have a skill-tree-like thing where you can redeem experience points for more art or combat skills. SO far, it hasn't gotten super-crazy complicated, again, I am very early in the game, so who knows. But so far, it's been easy to navigate and understand, it is pretty straightforward.

One thing I've got to mention too is the opening song, I am a fan. Again, it makes you feel like your sitting down, about to watch your favorite Anime show.

"HIBANA" by Kankaku Piero - Love it!

If you're are a fan of adventure JRPGs or RPGs in general, and you're looking for a fun and festive game to play, I would definitely recommend Tales of Arise. Oh! And there is a demo available in case you'd want to test the waters first. I think I got it on sale at the Amazons there for less than 40 USD. I believe it is still on sale at the PlayStation Store but not for long. And there are 3 different versions too LOL. I got the regular and purchased some DLC for like $5.00 for star items and costumes. 

That's how they get me, with shiny costumes. 😜

It is still yucky outside, everything is starting to melt, and it’s slushy. I am working from home today. Unfortunately, we are having — what we think — are roof issues. We have a leak, it’s been dripping from the laundry’s ceiling. There is a contractor coming over to inspect and assess. When that inspector, it’s supposed to be here? I don’t know. All he said was that’d he would be here during the day and that someone needed to be at the house. That someone is yours truly.

I am glad that I am lucky enough that I can work from home when situations arise. Plus, currently, I have no projects that need my attention on site. Furthermore, all the work rushed has subsided, and we are in calm waters again — for now.

There was something I have been meaning to look into for a while, and that was our internet situation. We have been complaining about how slow it’s been. Thanks to some friends at the Hemispheric Views super-secret discord channel for the help on this one. Nothing too crazy, took the opportunity to make some changes basically, and all it’s good.

Since I am alone in the house, I have been playing music all morning, a recent discovery,

Thirstier by TORRES

I have been really enjoying it.

I have discovered some new Latin Rock bands this week too. Bands that I have never heard before.

• De Subida by Planetarica

and

• Mística Mujer by Blacks en Tela

Okay, break’s over, back to work

I feel like I am falling down the path that made me close my Instagram account last time. There's a certain degree of anxiety that comes with it. Yes, I could delete the app from my phone, but that doesn't really resolve the issue as it can be re-installed at any time. I wish I could block sections of the app, like 'suggested posts' and the 'discovery tab'. Because those are the areas where I see things I don't care about and yet can not stop the scrolling. It is hard to ignore them, as they are constantly on your face.  

After reading Mike's post on subscriptions last night, and this morning's Greg's, I had to think about my situation here and share.

The Gotta have's

Netflix - Gotta have it, if you have family, especially kids, there's no way around it. Plus consider this, Netflix puts out so much content, and high quality, for "cheap".

Apple One - Given that both my wife and I do use Apple Music, iCloud storage and at the time we were also using Apple Arcade, I believe we were already at the 29.95 mark, so it made sense. Now we also get Fitness+, tv+, and News+ (which I rarely ever use).

Kiddopia - Another, gotta have it, if this app does not have all the mini-games available, there will be riots. And we don't want riots in a full restaurant.

comiXologyUNLIMITED - Think of Netflix for comics Books, this is one I forget I have, and one that as much as I really want to use it and take advantage of, I don't. I am going to put myself to the test this month, If I don't read at least three to four issues, I am canceling it.

Glass - Photography Community - I like the app, I have written my thoughts on it, and what it means to me. I have been in conflict with it in the past week or so. I see the app as a nice-looking website for my photos, but it is not my own, like my blog, it is mine (ish). So, this one is in review.

Audible - This one, I keep going back and forth in my mind, in fact, this one gets canceled and reactivated again sometimes. I think I have a decent backlog of books to listen to that I could possibly cancel it for a while.

AppleCare+ - My reasoning, I've got kids, and I am clumsy, thus, I need it. 

Overcast - As much as I hate its UI and icon, it's rock-solid and that's that.

Tweetbot 6 - My Twitter app of choice, and I want them to both keep around and give me more icons.

Day One - Day One was my blog before my blog. Before I dared to get a weblog, I was writing in this app, circa 2012. Now I rarely actively type in it, now I have an IFTTT action that everything I post to my weblog, gets an entry in DO. Also, I use a lot their Text to Journal feature, which allows me to text quick things and create quick entries. They are usually photos in my case. It is pretty neat.

Mullvad - I got this one when I traveled to Naples, FL last year, not sure I'll keep it.

Ulysses - another, gotta have it, it is my writing app of choice, and cannot imagine a world without it.

Micro.blog - The most important sub of them all. Here is where I host my weblog. Makes everything easy and friction-free. It has a great community and even though I have tried other platforms (tinkerers gotta tink), there's no place like home.

HBO Max - I do get a lot of entertainment out of this one, ze wife wants me to cancel it, I don't lol, we shall see.

Subscriptions I am letting go (or expire) this month/year.

Hey Mail - love it, love it, love it, too expensive.

Twitter Blue - not worth it, to me.

Carrot Weather - The stock weather app has gotten much better than it used to. I am letting it expire and see if I miss it.

Drafts - For the way I use it now, I can get by with the free tier. I may subscribe at some point again, though. Just to support its development.

Bear - This used to be my notes app of choice for years, not anymore. Lately, I have been using Simplenote.

VSCO - It is set to expire, but I use it, I love this app so much, so it will be renewed when the time comes, I believe it'll be September 2022.

One subscription I am sort of considering, and this is purely a work-related thing more than anything else, It's ROAM Research. I think I had expressed this idea of having a work journal, and I like ROAM for that. Still an idea.

As part of my plans for Q1 of 2022, is to better myself and be healthier. Not only work on the lack of exercise but also be more mindful of what I eat, but even more so, what I drink. I need to cut back on my alcohol, specially beer. So, as a way to shock my, I don’t know, my body out off the habit, starting today, I’m going a full month (ish) without alcohol. I want to see how this goes and the effects of it.

Since today’s the third of the month, I’ll extend it to the third of February (I cheated this past weekend 🙈😅). Or maybe even further, who knows.

This is the plan, I do hope I can stick with it.

Everyone should blog — Ben Werdmüller

A blog is just a journal: a web log of what you’re thinking and doing. You can keep a log about anything you like; it doesn’t have to be professional or money-making. In fact, in my opinion, the best blogs are personal. There’s no such thing as writing too much: your voice is important, your perspective is different, and you should put it out there.

A hundred times, yes!

This is probably an every “New-Year” thing, but there are three main areas where I want to really focus on this year. Well, let’s make it a short-term thing, Q1 JANUARY-MARCH

Health

I need to get back in track. I am a lesser version of myself. I feel lazy, fat and very unhealthy — very. I got to commit, forget the cheap excuses, show up and put on the work. I want to get back on running, or get into biking. I would love to get a rower, I much rather bike or row than run, for some reason.

Discipline

Better commitment to me, to my family and work. I feel like last year I was winging it a lot, without a clear path or focus.

Mental health

I believe that if I can really commit and work in the two areas listed above, my mental health shall improve, all these areas go hand in hand.

Will make sure to keep track of any changes, log them, journal them. If it’s not documented, it’s as if it didn’t happen, I need to see the progress or lack thereof. I’m sure any systems to accomplish any of these goals will change, but as long as I stick to the original plan, I guess it won’t matter. Although, having a consistent system would be the best approach.

I came across this shortcut created by Nash, he calls it ’Time Tracker”,

Time Tracker is a shortcut I built (here’s a link to it). I’ve been using it the last few days, and I’m loving it so far. I press the app icon I’ve built, or the button on my watch, and write out whatever it is I’m currently doing or thinking about. It then gets logged into Fantastical as an event with the specific time that I logged it. This will help me see where my time is going, and also help me refer back to for writing prompts.

I found it very intriguing, it would serve as a quick way to log things and perhaps use them for. Weekly reviews and post them to my blog and journal/document my progress in these areas.

Moreover, I am rethinking the way I use task managers. I want to use Things 3, and rather than just tasks like I have always used it for, perhaps I can also use it for tracking habits. I am still working on this one, more on that later. I feel like if I stick to it, it might help to stay focused and disciplined.

Well, this is the plan, so far, at least for the next few months. We will reassess in three months. Oh, I’ve just remembered, I need to get my passport.