When Namco Bandai released Tales of Graces f in North America and Europe early last year, many fans of the JRP genre were quite pleased, thus hoping that the company will also bring Tales of Xillia as well. Thanks to the high demand and very good feedback of the title outside Japan, Namco Bandai finally decided to release Tales of Xillia, and announced that the sequel is coming in 2014. As a big fan of the JRPG genre, this is a dream come true since games like Tales are becoming very scarce this generation.
For fans who have played past Tales titles, many are wondering if Tales of Xillia is as good as Graces f, if not better? Well, for somoene who has played all Tales titles, I must say that Xillia is one of the best Tales titles to date. Here’s why in our review.
HOT
Captivating Storyline
Every time Namco Bandai releases a Tales title, one of the things to look forward to is the story. Compared to the previously released Graces f last year, Xillia exceeds it in every possible way when it comes to the story. Fans who were dismayed in the somewhat childish and not too-serious storyline in Graces f will not feel the same way in Xillia. The story of the game is told in a manner where it can get quite serious. The theme where two nations involving spirits and artes, which is very common in Tales title, remains intact in Xillia but the way they tackled different plots is quite amazing. There are numerous times I failed in predicting the story and it pleases me since I love a story where the game remains mysterious and hard to figure out until the very end.
Tales of Xillia tells a tale of two heroes; Jude Mathis, a medical student studying in Fennmont and Milla Maxwell, a mysterious twenty-year old woman who has the power to summon the great four spirits. At the very start of the game, you are given a choice as to which storyline you would like to play. It doesn’t matter which one you pick as the overall plot is quite the same, although each character has unique events that takes place and a point of view that they will show from beginning to the end.
The plot of the game revolves around the destruction of a weapon called the Lance of Kresnik, in which it sucks up all of the mana and spirits it points to. In the world they call Rieze Maxia, spirits and manas are the ones giving life to everyone and gives people the power to use what is called artes. In a nation where one leader is hungry for power, they are planning to use the Lance of Kresnik to dominate and this where Jude and Milla comes in. The basic save-the-world plotline can be once again seen in this game but the process for the characters to get that objective is something you will have to look forward to as getting to the climax of the story is something that will please every JRPG fans who loves a well-crafted storyline. Sure, there are moments that it gets cheesy but you will notice as the game progresses, you will see how the character develops, and none of them will feel left out.
For a game that is story-driven, Xillia succeeds in a lot of things such as storytelling and character development. IF there are other games where other characters aside from the main ones that are not introduced well, Xillia will give you everything you need to know about the companions and other characters you will be meeting in the game. Everyone you meet has their own story and the game will put a conclusion to their story before you see the credits roll. For a JRPG game, it’s very rare for it to happen. As for the characters that will be joining Milla and Jude, they are quite interesting as they have their love and hate personality, and a story that gets interesting from star to the end.
Fun Dynamic Battles
One of the things the series has been known for is its fast-paced battle system. In Tales of Xillia, the Linear Motion Battle System remains in the game but you can expect a plethora of improvements to make it stand out. One of the features that are added in Xillia is the partnering or linking system. Every time you engage in a fight, you have the opportunity to partner up with the other three characters in your party and perform artes or special attacks. Each character you partner with will give a lot of variety to the artes that you can use.
Another new improvement in Xillia is the ability to switch between different characters during battle. With the push of the right analog stick, you can easily replace anyone in your group without the hassle of going through different menus. The easy switching to different characters helps the partnering system since every attack is exclusive to each partner. With bosses having different weaknesses and the lack of types of artes that a party can use are always there, switching characters is more likely to happen every time.