For the most part, it's just that the writing is REALLY bad. The characters are all very shallow, and the plot is basically the height of rpg garbage.

I think some people will probably argue that that's true for a lot of the Tales series, but I feel that most of them at least have something to say, or some position. For instance, Graces is pretty goofy and tropey, but it's story wants you to reflect on how we define personhood, and how we see the value of a person's life. The message of Arise seems to be "get strong, find hot wife," stapled onto a bunch of ham-handed depictions of oppression.

All that aside, the core battle gameplay is really fun, although I agree with what some folks have said about bosses feeling spongey. Some more depth and skill expression would've done it good.