So what does Tales of Versus have? Between two and four characters partake in the battles, usually one being controlled by the player, one being a drone on their team and the other two making up the opposition. The fighting takes place between 3D characters in 3D fields (though only traversed in 2D), with platforms dotted around and items randomly appearing. It certainly sounds a lot like 'Tales of Smash Bros.' and that might have been a more appropriate title.

The main play mode is the Yggdrasil Battle, so named because a fruit from the World Tree (or Yggdrasil) is the prize that goes to the victor of the tournament. The player initially has a choice between four pairs of combatants, each pair being from a particular part of the TO universe. Then these characters set out to claim the fruit of the World Tree for their home country. To do this they must collect three blue flags from various parts of the map, then travel to the centre-most island to fight three other individuals in a Battle Royal-style melee. Only then can they continue on to the World Tree and collect the fruit that will hopefully restore prosperity to their land. There are three different battle icons that appear on the map. Key battles are indicated by a blue flag and must all be won to advance the story. These all include full voice acting with the voice actors from the original game appearing as their characters. Speech bubbles show where a side-story battle is located. These are not necessary, and are not voiced, but are good for gaining much-needed experience points. Crossed swords are where a practice battle can be fought. These are purely to help grind characters.

After each battle, the player is rewarded with experience points for each character that took part. These points can be attributed to the respective individual in whatever way the player chooses: an increase in physical defence, an increase in magical attack power, etc. This is done from the menu on the map screen. From said menu, it is also possible to buy new weapons and armour for characters. Strangely, the shop screen lists all available characters, not just the two that are being used to play through the story. If the player is not careful, or can't identify the name of the character they are using correctly they may well waste the in-game currency on equipment for the wrong person. The player would not be alone if they were wondering what possible reason could have been given to justify that odd inclusion.

The previous comparison that was made to the Smash Bros. franchise is not far from the reality of the game. The opponents in the practice battles jump around all over the place trying to collect the power up items that appear. For someone who is used to the straightforward logic behind usual TO enemies (i.e. attack the player), finding themselves having to chase after their foes to get a hit in is tiresome and frustrating. The battles that form part of the story line are not the same. Those characters are more aggressive and so make for much more interesting fights. Sadly, these fights only make up about 15-20% of all the battles that must be fought.

After clearing the Yggdrasil Battle mode for the first time with whatever pair of characters were chosen, the mini-game 'Tales of Wallbreaker' is unlocked. This is a super cut down version of a TO-battle: 2D sprites and scenery, two characters, two walls – the first to knock the other through one of the walls wins. Here, battles last about 30-60 seconds, compared to 2-5 minutes for the battles in the main game modes. That doesn't make it easy, though. There are no health meters, and there is a set amount of damage the walls can take before they break. It is cute, though, and more addictive than the main game. The idea here is to beat 7 enemies within 5 minutes to be ranked "Perfect", within 10 minutes for the rank "Great" and within 15 minutes for "Good".

In addition to this game within a game, a new set of characters that can be used in the Yggdrasil Battle mode is unlocked. Each set of characters have a different story line, and their own reasons for wanting the fruit of the World Tree. Having to play through to unlock particular characters is motivation to keep playing the game. But for those who are not die-hard fans of the series, it's not enough. Even on the easiest setting, winning the first few battles when using a new set of characters is not easy. The difficulty just doesn't scale well enough. Some may well be put off by this.

If this game is made for fans, then what else does it offer? Well, there are 35 characters that can be used, and unlocking each also gives the player access to their profile. While playing through the Yggdrasil Battle mode, the player is randomly rewarded with a character card. Collecting three cards of the same character then unlocks that person in Tales of Wallbreaker.

So, is it any good? The desire to unlock their favourite character will keep some people playing. It's not easy to get into to begin with, though it's only the first few battles in each run that are a struggle. On the flip side, the amusing banter and often-dramatic interactions between characters almost balances this out. All these things make Tales of Versus a game that annoys and rewards the player depending on their familiarity with other 'Tales of' games.