Tales of Xillia (2011)

Game #63/225

Tales of Xillia is an odd title for me, and I have a weird history with the Tales Of series. I beat this title 12 or so years ago, thought it was decent, and since then have abandoned most Tales Of games I've started. I've played Hearts R, Symphonia, Vesperia, and Graces over the last 12 years, and abandoned all of them at different points, but several of them toward the end or at least second half. It's weird too, because I am oddly charmed by the series and always find myself wanting to play them or finding the visuals or action RPG gameplay appealing. With that being said, I have also played and beaten some titles: Berseria and Arise namely, and found those very good. Xillia, which by the way, I have not finished on this much delayed second playthrough, but am at the very end, doesn't reach the heights of those two titles, but it is a definitively solid game. I also played Xillia on my Steam Deck, taking lengthy (months long) breaks in between play sessions, which is a terrible way to play a 30+ hour story-based game.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed mostly every aspect of Xillia. To start with some light criticism, I found the combat very easy. I think there were one or two bosses that posed a challenge, but other than them, the majority of the game, including all non-boss encounters, were way easier than Arise (with its beefy bosses) or Berseria (which I don't recall being particularly difficult either). Still, I had fun semi-button mashing through combat as Jude. Xillia has its own spin on combat, as do all Tales Of titles, but it boils down to using basic attacks, special attacks, and linking up with your group members to pull off powerful joint attacks. There is an almost comical amount of nuance to the mechanics, including its sidesteps, passive abilities, and character-specific (you can play as anyone in the team of 6) movesets, but as long as you know which artes you're using to target enemies' weaknesses you should be in good shape. I kept two healers in my party too which kept everyone afloat. Items are also easily obtainable and can give you a hand in combat.

The world exploration is also pretty fun. Xillia has some nice environments and colors for a PS3 title and it has such an inherently laid-back vibe (which pairs well with its easy gameplay and mostly agreeable party), making it a joy to run around. There are so many collectables that I eventually stopped collecting them, but I will say they have a really great system for utilizing collectables. They all fall under a different category (e.g., "ores," or "insects") and have a different value. They can be exchanged with shops to "upgrade" the shops (like the weapon shop or armor shop) so they sell better items. I found this pretty fun as a small activity to strategize how you want to prioritize which types of items you get. You can also purchase (and maybe create?) meals, which give you short-term effects. This is great for a number of reasons, like popping a +50% EXP bonus right before a major story boss to grabs a high number of levels. Speaking of which, there is a well-designed skill tree -- level-ups are frequent -- that allows further customization. You choose which skills you want to grab by encircling them with selected passive stat upgrades on a large tree. You can also auto-level, as I did for everyone except Jude, my player character.

While I played as Jude, I selected Mila's story (having already seen Jude's story years ago, although I had long forgotten anything about this game's story). I enjoyed the story for its relatively light and easy-to-understand plot, which is important for me as someone who struggles to focus on stories in games, and the world's lore was interesting and had just the right amount of depth. I was intrigued by a god being a party member, even if she had been stripped of her powers. I thought the party dynamics were great and enjoyed the mellow relationships, along with even-tempered Jude. Mila is also a badass without being too over-the-top. I enjoyed the subdued tropes, although they were still present, and while Alvin (the perpetual traitor character) annoyed me with his predictable antics, even his backstory was well-made. Of course, the skits were a highlight and nicely fleshed out the characters' relationships and revealed more about their personalities. I laughed a few times and found myself looking forward to them.

Simply, Xillia is a super solid JRPG. It has a cool world (visually and lore-wise), is pretty compact for a Tales Of title but in a "trim-the-fat" sort of way, has fun button-mashy gameplay, and has an enjoyable story with a nice cast.

The Tales series is my favorite, but I always have a hard time determining which individual game in the series is my favorite.

I think it's probably a tie between this and Berseria.

Yes, Vesperia is great.

Yes, Abyss is one of the fan-favorites, and also pretty damn good, though it took me years to finish.

Yes, I have a ton of nostalgia love for Symphonia.

But...this game is just so beautiful. I played through it when it first released (Collector's Edition, of course), and I'm currently playing through it with a friend who has only played Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesperia. I'm basically acting as navigator with a guide as he plays. It's really great seeing his reactions to some of the locations, the outfits, the atmosphere ("BRUH, THESE TREES."), etc.

Jude is best boi. Yuri in Vesperia is one of my favorites because he's got the anti-hero/vigilante thing going on, but I adore Jude. He's a total nerd and he's precious.

I love how smooth the battles are, and the linking mechanic is fun. I'm also a fan of the flexibility of moving benched party members in and out during a battle.

Fenmont with its dim lighting--because GLOWING TREES--is one of my favorite video game towns simply because of the atmosphere. The beach locations and forests are gorgeous.

There are a lot of good character-driven sidequests in Xillia as well, which I like. Tales is good about showcasing the relationships between the main cast, and there are a good number of sub events dedicated to that.

The sparkle points for loot and the shop leveling system are interesting, and I never really found it to be tedious. You could just keep grabbing respawned loot and leveling the shops if you wanted, so it's not like you're waiting for eons for new gear.

Sometimes the travel between towns and dungeons can be a bit wearisome because you're trying to make sure you find all the loot as well as treasure chests and Aifread's Treasures, and the map could have three or more sections. But it's really not much of a slog at all, especially since you can fast travel once you've visited a location once.

Story-wise, I find the game to be a strong entry in the series. There are elements of war, self-discovery, and emotional strength. There's betrayal and intrigue, exploration of the relationship between humans and the environment, and humans and spirits. Milla's ignorance of much of the human world serves as a way for Jude to explain aspects of it to both her and the player. It never feels contrived, and it also happens most often in skits. It's done much better than in Abyss, where there's just SO MUCH unfamiliar terminology and you're often left in the dark with Luke.

I just really love this game.