Tales of Xillia 2 review: two years old and still awesome

Tales of Xillia 2’s English edition is finally upon us. Though the game has been out in Japan since December 2012, this is the first time the English-speaking world will be experiencing the tale. The question is, does Tales of Xillia 2 bring to the table everything we loved about its predecessor?

Once upon a time…

If you played the first Tales of Xillia, you will remember that there were two worlds involved in the overall plot. Rieze Maxia, the world which players spent more time in, had tribal and spiritual influences, while Elympios, the second world that appeared later in the story, was futuristically steampunk. Tales of Xillia 2 (Xillia 2) focuses more on Elympios, with recurring characters from the first game having settled comfortably there. However, players who jump straight into Xillia 2 without having played the first game won’t feel out of place at all, as the focus in Xillia 2 is on a new set of heroes.

(See: Hideo Baba’s Tales of Xillia 2 special report for Southeast Asia)

In Tales of Xillia 2 Ludger Kresnik is the hero, who gets caught up in a series of events that lead him to a girl named Elle. Elle got separated from her father while getting chased (for unknown reasons), and is now in search of the land of Canaan. Her father is supposedly waiting to be reunited with her there. Ludger and Elle soon meet the original cast from Tales of Xillia, who join the party before they all set off on an adventure together.

Classy combat and super side quests

In terms of gameplay, Xillia 2 took the best part of the original game, the battle system, and added new elements. Unlike the previous title, which relied mainly on elemental attributes for a monster’s strength and weaknesses, Xillia 2 adds different weapon types to the equation. For instance, Ludger is capable of wielding the standard dual-sword, a heavy-hitting hammer, and a pair of long-ranged-low-damage output pistols. Different weapon types have to be used for different enemies, and players are required to swap between them during combat in order to better harm an opponent.

(See: Taking a fan to a gun fight: the 5 worst weapons in Asian gaming)

The side quests in Xillia 2 have also seen improvements over the original. The first type of side quest involves picking up contracts that require you to do anything from item-hunting to boss monster hunts. Players will find it more or less compulsory to do these quests in order to earn more money and progress further into the story.

In-game relationships and character building

The second type of side quest is character-oriented, and involves players helping out party members in one way or another. These quests help you to understand each character’s personality, as well as what they have been doing in between the first game and Xillia 2. Ludger is also now able to make choices during conversations, and along with pair-ups in battle, these build up his affinity with the other characters. The affinity subsequently helps Ludger and the party unlock new items and events.