Ben-DutkaIt took a while, but Tales of Xillia is finally here to appease long-time JRPG fans in the US. It launched in Japan nearly two years ago but good things come to those who wait. While the latest Tales adventure to find its way stateside isn’t the best series entry we’ve ever seen, it’s still a solid, enjoyable, in-depth role-playing experience that captures many of the elements fans crave. It looks a little dated, the combat mechanic isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t have a world map. Still, it has a ton of charm and lots of great content for RPG lovers.
As I said, the game won’t blow you away with photorealistic visuals. The franchise has never been recognized as one that pushes the graphical envelope and of course, it’s a couple years old, too. That being said, so much of this presentation is really quite beautiful; even those who don’t like anime would appreciate the high level of quality. Detail isn’t especially amazing, but there’s a particular cleanliness to every line and angle, and the highlight is the excellent world design. There’s some pop-in, which can be annoying, but the palette is wonderfully pleasing to the eye.
The sound category benefits from a pretty, diverse soundtrack that accentuates the attractive world, and several strong voice performances. It’s unfortunate that so many Japanese games this generation have suffered from subpar acting, but Xillia offers plenty of accomplished performances. I don’t think Milla is very good at all, but so many of the other characters sound great. Plus, you’ve got a bevy of satisfactory special effects that accompany your battles, and there’s a good balance between the appealing music and the background effects. Technically, the game won’t blow you away, but it’s more than competent.
Let’s not forget that one of the reasons JRPG fans love their genre is because the stories can often be memorable. They’re not always the focus, but a strong narrative makes any JRPG all the more worth playing. I can’t say Tales of Xillia features a professionally crafted plot with fantastic writing, because I still say the script writers are simply behind the quality curve of the industry. However, this is an interesting story, with several compelling characters, decent pacing, and even a few twists and turns. I won’t say any more than that (no JRPG fan would forgive me, I’m sure), but I still need to offer a proper summary of main events:
There’s a potential world-ending device out there called the Lance of Kresnik. It’s ridiculously powerful and as you might expect, a number of different factions want to get their hands on it. As such, the land of Rieze Maxia has become seriously disrupted. Countries don’t trust each other and everyone is suspicious and a little afraid; that super weapon could fall into the wrong hands, and then all is lost. It’s too political for my tastes but then again, it also offers a change of pace from the standard “maniac wants to destroy the world” plot. …well, wait a minute. Does it? Sounds like it’s just a modern version of that storyline.
Anyway, when you begin, you can choose a young doctor named Jude Mathis or a mysterious young woman named Milla Maxwell. As you might expect, your choice will change how the story unfolds; it reminds me a little of choosing either Claude or Rena at the start of Star Ocean: The 2nd Story . This means there could be good reason to go through it again with the other main character, but I haven’t tested that theory, so it’s just an assumption. I do know that you’ll see different scenes and have the option of tackling different side quests, depending on who you choose. Also, don’t forget that you will have a core party of up to six characters (four used in battle), so it’s not all about Jude and Milla.
Obviously, they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Balancing those traits is all part of the fun, as each character’s special skills prove invaluable in battle. Those abilities are called Artes and you’ll need to plan your attack carefully: You can swap fighters in and out on the fly, and characters can even be linked together to perform extra damaging moves that crush the competition. You have to embrace the system and formulate a strategy that involves everything from the most basic attack to the most complex Arte. But the depth of the confrontations is only the tip of the iceberg…hope you like micromanagement!
You probably do if you’re a JRPG fan. And you might really love the Lilium Orb system that functions as the character advancement mechanic. This game doesn’t use the standard experience and level-up style; instead, you earn points that you place on a huge grid. It’s not exactly like the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X but the idea is similar and it’s just as big (if not bigger). This lets you determine the exact customization and advancement path of each character. I love this because this means I can create the party I want; I can make a jack-of-all-trades or I can produce a character that is an expert in one discipline.
Then there are the skills you can learn from the Lilium Orb. These aren’t Artes; they’re different but they still grant your party members fresh powers. Thing is, these aren’t used in battle. Mainly, they’re statistical boosts, which are of course quite important. If you think this is the only unconventional part of the game, think again— Equipment isn’t handled as you might expect; i.e., buy and sell. You can only unlock new equipment by donating items you find. You might even have to donate some money. I found this a little irritating at first but after a while, you realize that this gives you a lot of freedom.
There’s no world map, which I always find disconcerting. There’s a quick-travel system that works extremely well, but I don’t particularly like it, just because it feels like a way to avoid “slow” travel. Some of us want to experience the environment, after all. But at least the loading times are fast and quick travel becomes very handy when you start tackling the side quests. There are lots of side quests, too. I have some issues with the balance of the combat mechanic as well, and here’s my biggest problem: The game doesn’t seem to excel in any one area. The story is okay and the gameplay is good but not great.
As such, Tales of Xillia might feel somewhat underwhelming. There’s nothing I can point to and say, “that’s absolutely fantastic.” It’s all pretty good, even great in some ways, but the overall package isn’t especially impressive. But hey, it’s catnip for JRPG fans, mostly because of the amount of content (at least 40-50 worth), the engaging combat, the freedom and depth of customization and micromanagement, and the charming presentation. The good news is that Namco Bandai obviously understands their target audience. The result isn’t going to win any awards, but it will make those fans smile. And that’s nothing to sneeze at.
The Good: Pleasing visual palette. Good soundtrack. In-depth character advancement system. Well-designed combat mechanic. Fast-travel is a big plus for completionists. Solid pacing. Plenty of content for the JRPG fan.
The Bad: Slightly dated. Story isn’t as accomplished as one would hope. Equipment system is questionable.
The Ugly: “The writing in JRPGs simply needs to catch up with the rest of the world.”
I agree with a lot of this but I'd place it higher up considering the genre itself has no examples that have done a better job, the intended audience, and the snappy execution. It hits all the great spots that it's supposed to and hits them hard. For a minute I thought my love of JRPGs was all some misguided nostalgia, this game reminded me of why these are the best kinds of games of all time and why I was once able to play a game for 4-5 hours at a time.
When you go to level that Lilium it's a real management system that's fun to tinker with, managing the skills and artes is a geek's dream, leveling up the stores is fun, you can travel quickly or overland if you want a grind, the pacing is the best I've seen (always avoiding the duldrum-land that competition like Eternal Sonata and White Knight ran into), and the Link system makes use of AI partners in a way that spits in the face of autobattle systems like FFXIII. Strategy is alive and well with the battle system.
I just love this game, and I've actually grown fond of Milla's lisp. I also very much enjoy all the customization and sidequests that open it up. Glad I preordered and got that free Limited Edition upgrade 🙂
I hope more jRPG fans feel the same way. This seems to be the only living jRPG franchise on PS that commands somewhat of a following.
I'm also glad that at the end of the day, the sum of it's graphics, sounds, and controls etc. play second fiddle to what matters most. And that's the game play. Sure, it's nice having AAA production + quality game play. But it seems AAA production commands an unhealthy weight these days. It seems. I dunno.
Great post World, I'm definitely going to get this game. I totally get the nostalgia comment, I think the absence of JRPGs this generation has allowed for nostalgia to creep in and hindered my enjoyment of certain games.
I'm sorry, but I get zero nostalgia if it isn't turn-based. Then I just think of all the action/RPGs out there that are better…and there are just too many on the Western side.
not just western rpgs but think of Final Fantasy XIII. It's better too.
=p
Can't wait to play this. Probably pick up physical copy this weekend. Can't believe ps3 is getting localized versions of Tales of Xillia 2 and both Tales of Symphonia games next year. Maybe Namco feels they screwed up with Tales of Vesperia with ps3 fans in the west and is trying to come correct .
Symphonia is a lock for me, I never had a Gamecube so both games will be all new for me.
It's funny, I've noticed I have less and less time (and patience) to sink into a JRPG these days. It's nothing on the quality of the game, it's just the structure and gameplay and story is very limited in terms of wide market appeal.
In order to sell a JRPG, the audience must:
– like Japanese style anime
– enjoy Japanese humour and quirky characters
– have a lot of spare time to sink into their game's world
– have the knowledge and patience to understand and progress through the story, and learn complex fighting mechanics and a love of strategy.
While there is a large group of people out there who fall under all those categories, it's not big enough and the genre is far too restrictive and specific to appeal to a wider audience, especially with simpler and easier to understand Western RPGs pulling in great review scores too.
I've just finished my 2nd playthrough of Persona 4 Golden on Vita, and I noticed something…
While Persona 4 Golden is a great game, it requires a lot of time and effort to get into. It's long, it's complex, it has multiple endings, it is Very much a Japanese Anime RPG, and the culture of the characters and humour is very Japanese. While I loved this game, I realized just why it doesn't sell well outside of Japan, and those include the points I made above.
If Japan wants to appeal to a bigger audience, they need to take their highest quality RPGs and create a story with a more universal approach, characters that don't look like they're from a Japanese anime, and writing that doesn't have quirky or weird sexual humour. That might take the soul away from it being a JRPG, but it will have a more mass market appeal.
The trick is for the Japanese to create an RPG that can be played in short bursts, has an easy to pick up battle system, a simple yet long story, and is unrecognisable as being made in Japan. Imagine finding out that Skyrim was actually made in Japan!
Yeah, that.
However, Tales of Xillia, while niche, should serve the fans and smaller core audience just fine. Just don't expect someone over 25 with a full time job or family to get this game, nor many kids, or teens addicted to shooters for that matter….
Wow, this genre really DOES have a tiny target audience!
I agree on one point, I didn't get into anime until well after my love of JRPGs was established but the more I delve into the medium the more I see that it takes knowledge of it to properly evaluate a product like this or even Time and Eternity, a bit like you should have knowledge of cars to evaluate Gran Turismo.
On the other point, I think trying to create a short burst easy battle system game is what resulted in the FFXIII series so ick.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 8/14/2013 10:13:19 AM
Quick question to Ben and anyone that has been able to play this game.
The main reason I disliked FFXII was because of the political-war oriented story, instead of a character driven one like in previous FFs. So my question is, how is this story? do you get good back-stories for the characters, maybe a romance sub-story here and there, or is it all about the world-ending device?
I really want to know before getting this game… I'll probably still get it, I mean, I'm as JRPG starved as I can be right know, but If the story is not character driven then maybe I'd wait a bit.
So could you please tell me which is kind of story is it? and please, no major spoilers.
All I can say is that the story is pretty standard JRPG fare. If you're wondering whether it's more political or more fantastical (i.e., about the Lance of Kresnik), I'd say there's a mix. It's not quite as political as FFXII, though.
The political plotline is really just a vehicle, this is very character driven. The characters aren't as memorable and powerful as the most iconic JRPG names of all time but they are loveable and very endearing (this is accomplished well by the fact that they grow within the plot and interact in cute, funny ways after every battle plus the skits).
It's a story about self discovery and the nuances beneath the more obvious labels (student, lord of spirits, rogue, faithful servant)
I haven't seen any big romance stuff yet but Graces F played with that a lot so I certainly wouldn't rule that out.
Hope it helps, honestly if you are even a little starved and the action battle system doesn't turn you off completely you can't go wrong.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 8/14/2013 10:21:00 AM
@World & Ben
Thanks guys, If it's not that political then I'll get it as soon as I can, I reeeeeally need me some new JRPG right now…
I disagree with quite a few points.
-Photorealistic visuals: why would this be an issue? every single Tales game has been hand-drawn style (like Ni no Kuni and the Naruto games) why would you expect it to switch to photorealistic? Also, the game does not look old; if you have played Tales of Graces f, this is a definite step up, although there is some framerate slowdown and some pop-in, which is a definite minus.
– World map: if you press R3, you can view the entire world and warp to specific towns, dungeons, and paths between towns. Are you meaning an overworld where you walk around and have the towns represented as icons vs. walking? I don't understand what you mean here.
– Leveling up: you do level up, your character has a level, it's right next to the experience bar. Each time you level up, you get more points to spend to upgrade your character (it's really similar to FFXIII). There's also an auto-level feature if you don't want to mess w/this stuff.
– Skills are used in battle: lots of the skills you can switch on and off are used in battle, some of them decrease damage when you meet certain conditions (guarding, if you quick dash out of the way, add one more AC point to give you one extra attack, lessen magic damage).
I agree with the score somewhat though (I probably would rate it closer to a 9, maybe 8.7 or so), after playing Tales of Graces f and Tales of Symphonia, I kind of miss the cooking and in this game they've removed the effects of "Titles." In this game, you don't get to cook the dishes, but you buy them. However, using the food also gives you different buffs in battle and also some grant you more experience or money. Also, you do get titles, but they don't seem to have any effect on your character at all. In previous Tales games, you would earn titles by watching the skits (another hallmark of the Tales series), and those titles could be assigned to your characters to give them different attributes, buffs, special moves, etc.
Also, I do kind of like what they did with the shops, how they unified all of them so you don't have to go to this town or that town to get a specific item. You just collect materials and spend them to upgrade the various shop (weapon, armor, item, etc.). Also, there's a special area with tons of really rare items that can upgrade your shops really, really fast.
I never said it should have photorealistic visuals. Never once even implied it…read again.
Just about every game in existence has a map, of course. RPGs used to have world maps, upon which you'd actually travel.
Character advancement isn't dictated by experience. That was my point.
The skills are not used in battle because they're not "skills;" they're boosters, as said in the review. It's not an action, it's something that makes you stronger from a passive standpoint. Meeting conditions to satisfy them is fine but it doesn't make them skills or abilities.
Character advancement is dictated by experience though. Experience gets you GP and you spend that to advance.
You said it won't blow you away w/photorealistic visuals; it left me wondering, "why would it?" That's all I'm saying.
Also, if you don't level up, you don't get more points to spend on your skill web. And you can't re-allocate them once you've made the choices.
Some of the skills are passive, some of them directly affect what your player does in battle.
Also, the world map thing, I still don't get what you're saying. It has both a world map (R3 button) and a field map (square button) that shows your position. The only thing this game doesn't have is an overworld map between towns (that's zoomed out), but that's not the type of game it is. You can backtrack throughout the entire world by just walking through the towns (some you have to take a ship to get to the next point). Maybe if you have another game as an example of what you're talking about?
World: I mean that experience doesn't dictate strength; it's what you do after getting that experience that dictates character development.
jase: A "skill" is usually an action, something that's actually executed in battle. Anything that affects what your player does, be it a buff or a stat boost, is passive. There's no direct action involved.
Like I said, all games have maps that show your position. It doesn't have an overworld map, which is what most RPGs of PS2 era (which is what this game aspires to be) had. Everything is basically about fast-travel, not straightforward walking/adventuring.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 8/14/2013 12:09:40 PM
I still disagree about skills. Skills are a trait that you have in performing an action, like someone could have a skill for jumping higher than a normal person would, or having a skill for painting, etc. Skills are something that helps you perform things that you already know how to do. You're confusing them w/Actions, which is the actual thing you're performing. And in this game, skills are only used in battle, they are used nowhere else in the game.
Maybe it's just me, but I love how the battles take place, CUZ IMZ LAZIES! Still though, I prefer Dragon Quest type battles myself.
Currently playing the greatest game on the planet right now, Dragon's Crown!
I know the Tales series is a renown JRPG series, but the generic anime aesthetics to put me off. I just cannot stand that look, Dragon Quest and Ni No Kuni actually got around that with some unique art direction from distinctive anime artists. But when I see them over sized eyes and and tiny faces it just makes me cringe.
However, I will give the game some credit. It seems to have actually got some well made cut scenes to present to story. There is nothing worse in a JRPG (& I mean nothing worse!) than having the two character cutouts slapped over the camera to project a conversation. It's something a lot of cheap JRPG's do and I just cannot stand it. I honestly would rather settle for a long shot and just see the character models placed in the environment than have these two weird artistic designs of the characters plopped in front of the action, it takes me out of the setting completely.
You likely can't see that there are differences, it all looks the same (generic) to you because you are unfamiliar with the many distinctive types of animation in the medium. These characters are actually a big change from previous Tales character designs.
The cut outs over the top of the screen are an art style derived from another popular form of Japanese entertainment known as the visual novel.
I agree that full cut scenes are more entertaining but I still think there's a place for the VN's especially when on a shoestring budget. In this game the inclusion of them is applied to optional skits that serve to break up the tension and provide pacing breaks on the journey.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 8/14/2013 10:33:25 AM
Oh I can see the art direction on the characters is different as it is a new game but it is a look similar to so many other anime designs and I'll be frank in saying I just don't think it looks very good.
Regarding the 'Visual Novel'… Nope, it just looks really cheap and as soon as I see it I am instantly put off the game, I had a similar issue with that early PS3 title 'Folklore'.
But from what I have seen the use of VN in this game is minimal, the game is sufficient enough to have cutscenes and project the animation through the in game character models. I saw they have included some sections where the party will be having a little conversation between themselves and that is done in a more pleasant manner in having them boxed off. But I just find the 'VN' look repulsive, keep it to mobile games please.
I was really tempted to get this one on the weekend until I remembered my backlog. That said, I'll definitely be picking it up after a price drop. After falling in love with Ni no Kuni, I'm more than happy to keep trying different genres and franchises.
While Ni No Kuni did some great things and the World map was a dream come true Xillia feels more like classic PS2 days to me.
I wish I could have loved Ni No Kuni the same, but the structure of the game was so tedious. There were times where I had to go back to the previous town I had visited just to progress through the next area…
But it wasn't just that, it was also the games pacing it was just dreadfully so. I got up to the town of hogs, where I could finally give an all defense command, but I just lost interest. I may go back to it one day.
…town of hogs?
Hamlin, the leader went and got himself corrupted and a symbol of that is the hog's head helmets of the people.
can't wait to plow through this at the end of semester! 8 more weeks <3
I have not read most of the comments, so let me just start by saying there "is" a World Map, but you have to play for a few hours to get it.
Personally I love the game, but here are my pros and cons…
Cons:
1. Stupid Grid like FFX to get more power, hp. etc.
2. Even More Stupid having to get Items and Money (Gald) to Pay to Merchants to "Open" up more Items for Sale… I mean Really Really Stupid.
— I Love Grinding, but his Forces you to Grind even more then usually, and Sad for those who Do Not Like Grinding.
3. Battle System is Pathetic… I prefer Turn Based, but "Tales of Vesperia" Action Battles were just fine.
4. Learning Curve is Ridiculous… So I just set the game to Easy Battle so I can at least progress the story.
5. Movement in Battle, You Must Hold Two Buttons, Dumb or What, then if you move in a certain way they subtract TP (Toilet Paper)hahaha
6. And I can go on…
Pros:
1. Graphics are Great
2. Characters are Memorable
3. Story is Excellent
4. Side Story and Mini Quips are a Lot of Fun and Often
5. Maps are Pretty Good and some Expandable while looking at them, as well as Fast Travel once you get the World Map (Just after the Shrine Visit).
6. Game is long and a lot to do.
7. And a lot more Too…
So So:
1. This is "not" an Open World Game per se, it's essentially linear, but you can roam around most of the area's you've already experienced.
2. Not Turn-Based, but it would make this game a 9 out of 10 score for me if it was…
Every single one of your cons are things I like. :p
"Tales of" games have -NEVER- been turn based. First one I played was Tales of Destiny for PS1. They have never been turn based, so I'm not sure why that's a complaint. If anything, they remain true to their identity.
Aye, aye Underdog15
All the cons he mentioned I also like as well as the pros. I honestly think the "Tales of" franchise is the only rpg franchise still around that has stayed true to its identity while progressing besides the Atelier series .
you know Tales games have Never been Turn based lets go all the way back to tales of phantasia on the Snes where you had a 2D battle field where you could move back and forth and jump with 2 art buttons and an attack and block button
stop complaining the game isn't Turn based when its like the 10th entry in a series that has never Been turn based from the start
i swear people need to do their research
next the cast is actually Alot more Mature than most JRPGS the chars actually have a decent understanding of how the world works and actually understand what their enemies are fighting for its not a typical good versus evil
Spoiler the Lance of Kresnik actually isn't a weapon its a device meant to Dispell a seal on another world called the Schism which is a dying world
spoiler you have 4 partys Rashugal which is a country controlled by a tyrant King called Nachitagal
Au Jole which is a country controlled by a strong Leader named Gaiuss which believes the strong must protect the weak and he will go to any Lengths to protect his country
Exodus which are a group of people who are from a different world and use spyrixes which they operate from behind the scenes
and your group that wants to help Millia destroy the Lance of Kresnik