Open World:
While having an open-world style isn't new to RPGs as a whole, it's new to Tales of Zestiria. Zestiria is the first game in the franchise to add in an open-world style of exploration and gameplay. Previous installments were very linear, making progression straightforward. For once, we finally get to explore the world, and see it as more than just a sliver of road to traverse down on our way to plot points.
Published Oct. 19th 2015