People have different opinions about Tales of Zestiria. You either like it or hate it with me being for the latter. I can see the flaws of the game with camera angles and the confusing equipment skills, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to hate this game. I normally have one or two characters in my party that I don’t care to use often, but I was attached to every character in this game which is a rarity. I believe much of that is due in part with this opening theme.

There is nothing special going on that holds a hidden significance. In some cases, it feels like a generic anime opening. The two things that immediately stand out to me however are some of the cinematic shots and the theme. Tackling the visuals first, everything looks muddy, grey, and dull. While the story does try to make the world feel barren of color and emotions, there were only a small number of times that the story felt depressing. This does feel misleading and hides all the goofiness that the game has. What the game does have, however, are beautiful visuals and landscapes. I do like the visual effects in this opening especially the shot with Mikleo and the clash between Sorey and Heldalf. These shots capture some of the breathtaking locations and set pieces that are in the game. And that is pretty much all I can say about the visuals.

The real showstopper here is the opening theme “White Light” by Superfly. If I was to go out with a bang for some reason, I would want this song playing in the background. This song is the sole reason why I watch this opening and the reason it sticks in my head. Unfortunately, the U.S. version of the game cuts out the vocals and only provides the instrumental track. What gives with that? This isn’t the 90’s or late 2000’s where networks were replacing “lame” J-Pop with “cool and hip” raps that told you about the plot so you never forgot. Give me my unedited Shiho Ochi screaming her lungs out and making me feel like the badass that I am! If you play this on PC, please do yourself a favor and download the patch that puts the vocals back in.

Sorry for the rant in there. While maybe one of the weakest openings on this list, I personally like it too much to not include it in here.

Tune in tomorrow for Day 7!

DanamesX