Bandai Namco is continuing its Tales of Berseria information blast this week with more information on the game’s “Break Soul” system, which we in the over 70 screenshots released earlier this week.
Get the information below.
■ New Battle System: “Break Soul”
Break Soul enables players to exceed the upper limit of performable artes per combo. They’re character-specific actions that trigger special effects.
Basic Outline
If you possess three or more souls, you can trigger an action with a special ability. By using Break Soul, you can exceed the upper limit of performable artes per combo. Additionally, character-specific actions are also being prepared, whose effects and ability each vary greatly. By switching between characters based on enemies and the state of battle, the breadth of battle will rapidly expand.
Additionally, there are stages to Break Soul, and as you play through the game, you’ll unlock even more ability.
Conditions for triggering: If you possess three or more souls, press the R2 button to consume one soul and trigger Break Soul.
■ Break Soul by Character
Velvet’s Break Soul: “Consume Claw”
A battle specialized ability that combines strength and attack.
With the power of her left hand, Velvet eats the ability of her opponent, and enters the “Theronized” strengthened state that reveals her inhuman left hand. When certain conditions are met in this state, you can unleash powerful special moves artes.
As compensation for the powerful ability, your HP will gradually decrease in the strengthened state, and since when your HP is low the power of your special artes increases, it can be used for maximum effect depending on the direction of battle.
If you press the R2 button, the attack that tears apart enemies via the change in your left hand will be triggered.
A feature of Velvet’s Break Soul is that depending on the species of the attacked enemy, the “strengthened effects” and “types of special artes triggered” change.
—Species: Beast-Type
Strengthen effect: Increases damage to the degree of the enemy’s high attack power.
Specil Arte: “Scarlet Edge” can be triggered.
—Species: Amorphous-Type
Strengthen Effect: Increases damage to the degree of the enemy’s high defense power.
Special Arte: “Thunder Blitz” can be triggered.
Laphicet’s Break Soul: “Divide Pain”
When you trigger Laphicet’s ability, the field expands to halve the damage received from the enemy for five seconds. Also, when the effect is cancelled, you can heal all of your allies’ HP. And when you’re surrounded by enemies, or if you’re in a battle against a formidable foe, it’s an ability that will get your allies from a in a pinch to back into a good position.
If you press the R2 button, the field expands with Laphicet at its center. There is also a hitbox in the expanded field. If you can hit a guarded enemy, it is also possible to break their guard.
Rokurou’s Break Soul: “Retribution”
By receiving an enemy’s attack, you can trigger a powerful counter technique. It’s difficult to use, but is very powerful and a successful hit will result HP recovery for Rokurou.
If you press the R2 button, Rokurou will take stance and a counter will be triggered when you receive an enemy attack. If the counter is successful, the “Retribution Rip” counter technique will be triggered. This is particularly effective against enemies that dish out big attacks, but if you use it well, you can drag surrounding enemies into the mix when you counter.
Magilou’s Break Soul: “Spell Absorber”
When you use Magilou’s Break Soul at chanting enemies, you can cancel the enemy’s chant. At the same time, you can absorb the spiritual power produced by the enemy’s chanting, and when it accumulates to a certain amount, trigger a counter technique.
In the case that there is an enemy using an technique, this is an ability that shows overwhelming effect. Also, when you cancel a chant, it will effect all chanting enemies.
There are several counter techniques you can trigger, and which one is triggered is based on Magilou’s mood in the moment.
1. While the enemy is chanting its technique, press the R2 button to trigger Spell Absorber.
2. Cancel the enemy’s chant and at the same time absorb its spiritual power.
3. When you accumulate a certain amount of absorbed spiritual power, you’ll trigger a powerful counter technique.
4. The triggered counter technique is random, but there are wide range and high power techniques, and skillful use can catch all the enemies in a single blow.
■ Combos Using Break Soul
Break Souls can be embedded into combos, and you can link at least as many Break Souls as the number of souls you posses. When you trigger a Break Soul, in exchange for one soul, there is a special characteristic that lets you resume the combo from the first stage of your artes without stopping while staying in the combo state.
Example: A combo when you have four souls
Immediately following a four combo arte link, you trigger Break Soul. The Break Soul consumes one soul, reducing your total amount of souls to three. You can resume the combo from the first stage of your artes without stopping and continue until you get down to three souls.
1. The first arte…
2. The second arte…
3. The third arte…
4. The fourth arte, naturally where the combo ends, but…
…a Break Soul is triggered and in exchange for one soul, you can start the combo again from the first arte.
5. The Break Soul…
6. The first arte again…
7. The second arte again…
8. The third arte again, and since you only have three souls, you can only link until the third arte…
…before, if you’re playing as Velvet, you end the combo with a powerful special arte.
■ Other Break Soul Characteristics
Since Break Souls also have an effect where they recover HP when triggered, by adding combos to a Break Soul, you can recover HP while attacking. Additionally, Break Souls also have a guard break effect.
■ Changing the Controlled Character
By pressing L1 + the left or right directional keys, you can switch between the character you’re controlling. In the battle menu, you can also switch between characters using the L2 and R2 buttons.
Tales of Berseria is due out for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in Japan in 2016. A western release is planned for PlayStation 4 and PC.
