By Cameron Swan
The protagonist of Tales of Arise, Alphen, begins the game as the mysterious "Iron Mask," a man who can't feel pain, and has no prior memories.
The most recent installment in the Tales franchise, Tales of Arise lives up to its predecessors in a number of ways. With some of the tightest gameplay in the series, and one of its most compelling villains, Tales of Arise should be on any JRPG fan's radar, if it wasn't already. Along with gameplay refinements, Tales of Arise also boasts an engaging narrative, featuring a whole slew of relatable and interesting characters.
One of the game's most compelling characters is Alphen, the main playable character of Tales of Arise. Starting the game with little to no memory of his past life, Alphen begins the game as the "Iron Mask," a mysterious warrior that harbors a deep anger for the Renans and their blatant abuse of power. Driven by this anger, Alphen sets off to liberate those across the galaxy who are being oppressed by the Renan aristocracy. However, all is not quite as it seems, and Alphen's faded memories hide a deep secret that the hero has long forgotten.
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The Iron Mask
A year before Tales of Arise begins, Alphen awakes in the realm of Calaglia. Quickly realizing he has no memories of his life prior to this point, Alphen begins to panic, but a man named Doc soon comes to his aid. Taking him to Mosgul, Doc inquires about Alphen's life, but is met with silence. Over time, the two grow closer, and eventually discover that Alphen is unable to feel any physical pain.
As Alphen has no recollection of his name, Doc gives him the nickname "Iron Mask," based on the metal mask that covers his face. In an attempt to find answers and seek his real purpose in life, Alphen journeys across Calaglia, coming into contact with many Dahnan slaves along the way. Seeing the Dahnan as innocents in need of rescuing, Alphen would jump to their aid, fighting their oppressors and freeing the Dhanans where he could.
Alphen's search for answers eventually leads him to Shionne Imeris, a woman on the run from a group of Renans. Compelled to act for some unknown reason, Alphen rushes to her aid, defending her against her pursuers. Finding her familiar somehow, Alphen joins forces with Shionne.
Alphen's Memories Are Restored
.jpg "Tales of Arise: Alphen’s Full Backstory Explained (3)")
Together, Alphen and Shionne join the Crimson Crows and are tasked with assassinating Balseph, one of the five Renan Lords who use their power to oppress the Dahnan people. During an intense battle, Balseph strikes Alphen, shattering half of his metal mask. In a flash, some of Alphen's memories are restored, along with his name.
After freeing Calaglia, Cysloden, and Mahag Saar from its Renan oppressors, Alphen and his team face off against the final Renan Lord, Vholran Igniseri. Killing a member of his party, Alphen dashes towards Vholran in a moment of pure rage. Using his anger against him, Vholran strikes Alphen, shattering his mask entirely.
With his mask now fully broken, Alphen's ability to feel pain returns, along with all of his memories. About three hundred years ago, Alphen served as a loyal knight to a Dahnan noble. At some point, Alphen was defeated by Renan forces, who proceeded to capture him and bring him to Lenegis, a secret facility hidden away from the rest of the galaxy.
On Lenegis, Alphen was stripped of his name, being given the title of "Test Subject #1273." Kept in the dark about his role on Lenegis for quite some time, Alphen eventually found out that he was going to be used as a "Sovereign" in something known as the Spirit Channeling Ceremony. Before the Ceremony was about to take place, Alphen met with Naori Imeris, Shionne's ancestor.
Halfway through the Spirit Channeling Ceremony, Alphen lost consciousness, causing the ceremony to go disastrously wrong. When he awoke, Lenegis was crumbling around him. Racked with extreme guilt, Alphen began to lose his sanity. In an attempt to keep him alive, Naori placed a metal mask over his face, laced with a strong sedative, and stowed him away aboard a ship headed to Dahna.
Tales of Arise is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
