What Tales of Zestiria is
Tales of Zestiria is an action RPG set in a medieval fantasy world where two powerful nations are at war over rule and supremacy. You play as Sorey, who takes on the burden of the Shepherd, a figure who fights human darkness to protect the world from Malevolence and works to reunite humans and Seraphim. Along the way he travels with Lailah, the Lady of the Lake who guards the Sacred Blade, and his best friend Mikleo, and the group soon finds that a powerful force is rising in the shadows. The story is carried through a long journey across varied, large environments, with animation work from studio ufotable.
How the fighting works
Battles happen directly in the environments with no load screens or transitions between exploring and fighting, so encounters start as soon as you run into enemies. Combat is built around the Seraphim Advanced Battle System, which lets Sorey fuse with the Seraphim in the party. That fusion changes how you fight and gives you different options in the middle of a fight. Expect fast, close-quarters action rather than turn-based commands, with a party of characters backing you up as you move through the field.
Playing with friends
The Steam version lists Remote Play Together, which lets people join in over a connection while one person owns the game. The tag list also includes Co-op, Multiplayer and Local Co-op, so there are ways to bring other people into the experience rather than going through it alone. Check how these options show up in your own copy before you plan a session, since the game is also tagged Singleplayer and the main focus is Sorey's journey through the story.
Before you start
Go in expecting a story-rich adventure with a big world to cross, a soundtrack that carries the mood, and combat that stays tied to the map you are walking through. The tone mixes serious war and political conflict with lighter, warmer moments between the cast, and the presentation leans on anime-style visuals. Set aside time for it: this is a full campaign rather than a short run, and the pacing follows the narrative as much as it follows the fighting.