Tales of Xillia

A month ago, I decided to take a break from playing on my PC and wanted to embark on a JRPG journey. I couldn't think of anything so I grabbed the closest thing and since I am a completionist with the Tales series, I figured this would be an interesting ride. I grew up with the Tales series, its' games take itself too seriously in all aspects of its story as well as its humor. I still remember the first Tales I picked up that had the protagonist engage in an hour long dialogue with his sentient sword.

What's a JRPG if it is not ridiculous, eh? I really have forgotten how long they are and how they are overflown with useless expository dialogue that can be picked up with only a few sentences. In Tales of Xillia, the formula of following a single protagonist has been broken and I noticed that the developers have been recently experimenting with how the game flows instead of following the same model of all previous titles. Let's start with the most defining feature of it and that is our two main protagonists with different sides to one story, which automatically grants a few hardcore and curious players the excitement of experiencing the story again. It definitely offers a high replay value, although not for myself.

Your two main Protagonists, Milla and Jude

The setup to the story is quite extraordinary and a bit too elaborate so I'll skip the details and just tell you that you are given the choice to play as Jude, a medical student in the main city of Rashugal Or you can play as Milla, a god descended upon the planet in the shape of a female (Don't ask...) of the game's world to protect it from anyone harming spirits and humans. Milla is accompanied by the four great spirits of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. You see, the world of Tales of Xillia has humans and spirits living in harmony and it's Milla's job to protect anyone harming either side. This is as simple as I could explain it for you. Any JRPGs story has to be too grand and elaborate and all your characters have to follow a formula that, to me feels like it was rehashed a tad too much. Of course, the characters are interesting on their own, it just feels frustrating that I get to see a stuffed talking animal in almost every entry (Mascot character) or a child that, against all odds, has a special power that grants her to travel with our party.

Cutscenes are beautiful in Tales of Xillia, it almost made me regret playing as just Milla. Almost.

Why did I continue playing it, then? I asked myself and immediately noticed that it is not all as bad as it is made to be and it feels like watching a typical slice of life anime at times and other times it feels like I am watching a plain action anime. All the characters are fueled by willpower and friendship and trust. Very typical and cheesy, I know. All your characters have their own trials and tribulations of knowing one another and finding out the reason behind their existences. This is what intrigues me the most about the Tales series to be specific. You are taken from each character's perspective and you know why they do what they do since not a single detail is missed about their personalities. It brings up a two sided argument, to which if the player prefers to be the spectator and decides if he enjoys the said material or would rather make his own decisions instead of watching a playable anime for example.

Fear not, dialogue can be skipped in this game!

My favorite part about every Tales game are the skits between missions. You get to enjoy a side of your characters that you have not witnessed

Like any other RPG, you get to explore one town after another depending on where the plot is taking you. Purchasing items, weapons and armor from your friendly shops. Even the shop system was upgraded in Tales of Xillia where when you pick up loot from battles or loot found in the field, you can donate that loot to any shop and it will renovate and upgrade the list for you. You can also donate gold if you are out of materials. Dungeons in Tales of Xillia are sadly not as interesting as its previous titles. I recall in Symphonia or Abyss you had a whole mechanic in the field where you solve puzzles in almost every dungeon to get to the boss. I also recall specific items that help you with platforming in a dungeon just like Vesperia. All I have been exposed to in Xillia were a few block puzzles and mazes where unfortunately, I feel more effort could have been implemented in that department.

Fields and dungeons have a very simplistic layout with minimal platforming that I am quite disheartened there is not much mental effort to put on the player's part to advance

Then we go on to the best part about it, the combat. Combat in any Tales game is absolutely engaging. From the first game, it started as a pseudo fighting game where all your characters are in a linear line and get to execute combos and be able to move towards or further away from the enemy. Then it got more advanced where characters are able to roam around a circular map and link with other characters. Any other character you link with, you can execute different sets of combos. The explanation sounds boring but the execution makes it one of the most enjoyable battle systems I have seen in any Action RPG. Fights last longer here and I'm happier with enemies on the field as opposed to random battles. I get to choose when I want to fight and if you engage the enemy from behind, the battle starts with them damaged and stunned for a few seconds. I have to mention as well that it does not matter which character you pick as the protagonist, as you can play with any character in your party, depending on which class you prefer. 

Pairing up with different characters gives different traits such as a partner that heals etc.

A lot has happened since Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Abyss. Tales of Xillia feels fresh in every aspect as opposed to all previous titles, since I am used to even just leveling up my characters and they would automatically learn, say, the heal spell at level 11. Here, you are given a Grid with upgradeable points from leveling up and the choice is given to you whether you want to upgrade a stat point or learn a skill for a character. It opens up more room for character diversity, although not by that much since only certain characters can heal or are full on DPSers. This upgrade system reminds me very much of the Sphere Grid system from Final Fantasy X or the Crystarium from Final Fantasy XIII,

Tales of Xillia looks fresh as well. I remember jumping in excitement when one of the two anime cutscenes played in the old games. Here, you are given a lot of them and the in game engine feels fluid and of high quality for a console game. I can't argue with the music since Motoi Sakuraba is one of my favorite composers when it comes to battle themes. The most notable feature in the Tales series when it comes to music is that we aren't stuck to a single battle theme in our 40 hour journey. Every chapter has its own battle theme with its intensity gradually increasing in regards to the plot.

Filling up a shape earns you the skill in the middle of it. It's like playing dots with your upgrades only you are the only player

All in all, Tales of Xillia feels like a successful experiment to longtime fans of the genre as well as longtime fans of the series. My only concern and issue is that it is generally difficult to get into if you are unfamiliar with the genre, let alone disinterested in the first place. If it is one genre that makes me feel that I've went through a lot with a set of characters, it is certainly the JRPG genre. With western RPGs, I only felt that with a few that were executed better. I guess that only makes me realize that I care more about character development than how I can relate to the protagonist in terms of narrative and choices. It's not one sided, I can safely say that. You can find Tales of Xillia available on PS3.