Just in time for Christmas, this week’s Famitsu magazine has a pretty thorough preview for Namco Bandai’s upcoming 20th anniversary Tales game, Tales of Zestiria.

The game is already set for a worldwide release, so it seems like Namco and the team behind Zestiria have a lot riding on the title.

You can read the full preview below:

World Outlook

The setting of the story takes place in the continent of Glynnwood, which is a land fought over between the Kingdom of Highland and the Laurence Empire. There are multiple religions in this land, the most mysterious faith being the “Family of Heaven.” No one has ever seen the Family of Heaven, and yet they exist in all religions, because some people can communicate with them and appeal to them. The people who do this borrow power from the Family of Heaven, and exhibit otherworldly powers, leading people to call them Doshi, living saviors given power of the gods.

A long time has passed since then, however a Shrine Grove arose within the recesses of a forest no one can enter, built to resemble a utopia where both normal people and the Family of Heaven live together in harmony. A long period of impurity began to take hold of the continent. The protagonist, Slay, is not affected by the impurity that has spread across the land as he lives far from the regions affected, allowing him to become a pure-hearted young man.

• The orange colored buildings were once the “Streets of Scholarship,” and the large tree shown in the plaza is considered sacred. There are rumors of ghosts appearing in the streets.
• There are ruins on the hillsides that were constructed in the past. These ruins originate from some previous religion.
• Rare plants and animals can be found in the wetlands area where a wooden bridge and road once stood, which are now neglected and rotten away.
• In the Glynnwood continent, there are large marshlands and volcanoes as well. The modern civilization has over a thousand years of history, but the ruins scattered throughout the region are from an ancient era.
• The Kingdom of Highland is a country with expansive mountainous regions and plateaus. The culture once respected the faith and tradition, but now diversity and reform has made the traditions of old fade away. The government has since parted from the control of royalty and nobility, only to be controlled by a bureaucratic organization.
• The Laurence Empire controls the largest area of land on the entire continent. Within these lands, fertile plains make up most of the regions within the country, providing a backbone for their military power. Their capital is robust and full of culture, but the disparity between the cities and other areas is quite noticeable. The Emperor of the Laurence Empire used to have absolute control, but has now been losing favor in lieu of the Laurence Church and its old traditions.

Main Characters

• Slay (voiced by Ryouhei Kimura) – Slay is 175 centimeters tall. His weapon of choice is a one handed ceremonial sword. Slay is a young man raised in the Family of Heaven Shrine Grove, and after reading a book called the Record of Heavenly Bequeathments, he becomes interested in ancient ruins. His current goal is to learn more about the Romantic times of old. He is described as kind and relaxed, but also blunt and quick to honestly express his emotions. He is a bit overly optimistic, his pure and positive character inspires those around him. As explained before, Slay is a pure spirit, therefore making him an easy target for the “Haunting Demons” that are born out of the impurity spreading throughout the lands, and as such has been forbidden to go outside the village. After reading the Record, he snuck out and explored some ancient ruins, upon which he becomes trapped when the ruins collapse. This is when he bumps into Alicia.

• Alicia (voiced by Ai Kayano) – Alicia is 161 centimeters tall. Her preferred weapon is a long spear. Alicia is a princess at the bottom of the line of heirs to the throne of Highland. She is treated as a mere knight and speaks in a very strict, manly tone. Despite this, she has a bright and feminine nature. Her mother has a low social position and as such is treated poorly as royalty, and her company is also highly disliked by the cabinet ministers. Borne out of her native kindness, she tries to set out and do something in the world by stopping disasters and wars.

Here are some tidbits from the interview with series producer Hideo Baba:

• This game is focused on the “abundance of the heart,” as signified by the Zest in the title, meaning passion or zeal.
• Slay may not look like a passionate or zealous type at first, but he hides within him a zeal that builds up in his heart.
• The Tales series traditionally has focused on themes of justice or faith up until now, however Zestiria magnifies the zeal within the characters.
• In previous Tales games, fields were described as “running along a highway,” but Zestiria is not like this at all.
• A new camera to aid in your searches is being developed.
• Despite Alicia’s royal lineage, she chooses a life of a common knight.
• Slay’s optimistic outlook and positive actions tie into his serious temperament, but as the story progresses you’ll see a side of him previously hidden.
• The battle system is rooted in classic sword and magic fantasy, and the gameplay is constantly changing.
• The Linear Motion Battle system is being upgraded, so expect some surprises there.
• Dragons are making their first entry into the series, as noted by the logo and their importance to the story.
• The development is progressing smoothly, the scenarios and character designs are finalized while the systems and graphics are still being worked on.
• The synchronized development of both the game and the anime is difficult, but Baba “hopes to keep up a fighting spirit.”
• The closer they get to the release date, more events and information will follow.