https://wccftech.com/tales-of-arise-hands-on-preview-next-gen-tales-approaches/

With the exception of very few JRPG series, most long-running franchises play it extremely safe, offering the same familiar mechanics each and every installment to provide an experience that long-time fans have no trouble getting into, and among the biggest offenders in this regard is Bandai Namco's Tales series. With the series taking some well-deserved time off following the release of Tales of Berseria, fans of the series expect Tales of Arise to finally move beyond the usual boundaries and bring the franchise to new heights. And it seems like their expectations are going to be met in more than a few regards, as Tales of Arise feels like a proper next-gen experience that mixes together the best mechanics seen in past entries in the series.

The 1-hour long demo I had the chance to try out was set in the Elde Menancia region, which is the third area of the game. While I was unable to visit any city, I was able to roam around a couple of different fields that were filled with all sorts of items, which are used for cooking and crafting accessories by merchants, and all sorts of enemies. Exploration doesn't seem to be much different from what we have seen in Tales of Zestiria and Tales of Berseria: the fields aren't particularly interactive, but they do feel more lively than those seen in Tales of Xillia, for example, as there are a few NPCs here and there, as well as campfires, where it is possible to rest to restore HP and CP, Cure Points that are needed to use Healing Artes both in battle and outside, and make party members interact with one another. Sadly, these interactions were locked out in the preview version, so we do not know how they work exactly.