I remember my first Tales of experience. It was back in 2006 and I had recently been given my Sony PSP. The selection of games at the time was not the best, until I stumbled into my local GameStation and discovered what can only be described as “a hidden gem.” That gem was Tales of Eternia. I was pulled into a new RPG world, very different to previous RPGs I had played, and discovered the JRPG. For those unsure of the phrase, JRPG stands for “Japanese Role Playing Game.”
The differences in them from other RPGs out there is the fact they come from Japan, South Korea and sometimes China. So you are sometimes guaranteed big eyes, big hair and sometimes bigger breasts in your JRPGs! Thankfully not all JRPGs are like that. And so, my love for the Tales of series started 7 years ago and I have loved it ever since.
Previous Tales of games have been released in the UK before, but have sadly always slipped under the radar. The latest instalment to make its long journey to Europe is Tales of Xillia. The game was rumoured for release in the West after Tales of Graces F was released last year. This was truly exciting news because it meant the series was becoming recognised and getting the attention it solely deserves. The game was released in Japan back in 2011 and has also received a sequel. Lets hope Tales of Xillia sells incredibly well and hopefully, we too shall have Tales of Xillia 2 on our shelves in the near future!
So, let me tell you about Tales of Xillia. It is the thirteenth instalment of the Tales of series and has gained not only a sequel, but also earned the gold prize at Sony’s PlayStation Awards and ranked in the top ten for the User’s choice award! The story follows two main characters; Jude Mathis, a young med student in the wrong place at the wrong time and the beautiful, mysterious Milla Maxwell. Their paths fatefully intertwine as they learn that the kingdom of Rashugal has been created a powerful device that has been draining the mana from their world. Of course it is up to Jude and Milla to stop them and save the world and of course they are not alone.
There is the charming mercenary Alvin, Jude’s childhood friend Leia, a young, yet powerful magic user Elize, her talking doll Teepo and Rowan, an elderly butler. They do sound like a random bunch of characters, especially Rowan. He happens to be my favourite party member and is an interesting person with a secret past. So its up to Jude and his companions to save the world from the greedy and hell-bent kingdom of Rashugal before its too late.
Tales of Xillia allows you to choose which character you want to play through the game as; Jude or Milla. I chose Jude to use for my first run through and I enjoyed his story more then Millas! With the choice given to you, you get to see how the other character begins their journey and how it intertwines with the other. The menus change colour, both Jude and Milla have different battle music and you get to see the story from another perspective. They are two very different personas; Jude can be seen as a caring, bumbling young man whose heart is in the right place and Milla can appear cold hearted and distant towards others. She doesn’t understand human beings or emotions, so she isn’t the warmest character. It took me awhile to like her.
For those who have experienced previous Tales of games, the battle system has remained the same and with some new features thrown in. For a first timer, it can seem complicated and confusing. Don’t worry, there are always tutorials to guide you. If you feel like you cant take all the tutorials and info in straight away, do not panic. Tales of Xillia does have a different battle system to other RPGs and thankfully there is the trusty Battle book, which can be accessed in your main menu. Here you can read over each tutorials and familiarise yourself with the controls modes, Artes, movement basics, etc.
In battle, you control Jude or Milla and the other characters are A.I. controlled. I will admit, the non-boss battles can be pretty easy, you will find the circle button getting abused and bashed a lot during this game. The strategy menu allows you to give specific combat instructions to characters who are set to the Auto control mode. If you are having trouble defeating a boss, rethinking your strategy can pay off! Mixing up different battle strategy’s is always fun, just remember to watch your HP. Artes are your special moves you use in battle and its best to check you have any unlocked ones set up for your next encounter.
A new feature that has been introduced is the ability to swap party members in battle depending on the situation. Simply clicking on the right analogue stick allows you to change characters whilst fighting. However, you cant replace characters who have been KO’d or are affected with Petrify. Characters not in your party will still gain EXP from battle, which makes a refreshing change from constantly swapping people in your party, making sure everyone levels up.
Lilium orbs are items which allow you to develop your character by spending GP. GP is gained by fighting in battles and levelling up. Lilium orbs are shaped like hexagonal webs, with each mod mapped to one of the 6 status parameters; STR( Strength), VIT (Vitality), INT (Intelligence), PSY (Physical), AGI (Agility) and DEX (Dexterity). This levelling system reminds me of the sphere grid from Final Fantasy X. Its easy to use and everything is explained. If you’re unsure, just check your Battle book.
You will also notice something called “titles“. Titles are gained by fulfilling various conditions, such as gathering items or defeating new foes. When you unlock a title, you gain some grade points. The higher your grade, the better the reward. So make sure you do your best to unlock as many titles as possible to get a good grade. So far, my grade is currently 380!
One feature I love about the Tales of games is the skits. Veteran players of the series will know what I’m talking about. Basically skits are animated conversations that happen outside battles, they can happen in cities or field locations. Pressing the Select button when a title appears the bottom left of the screen will activate the skit. You have Main skits and Sub skits; main skits involve party members discussing the situation at hand and sub skits are random conversations between the group. Some are hilarious, especially between Jude and Milla.
The voice acting in Tales of Xillia does not dissapoint. Some RPGs can sometimes mess this up for me, but I believe Namco Bandi have chosen well with their voice actors. Sam Riegel, who voices Jude, also provided the voice of Teddie from Persona 4 The Golden and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! And Alvin received his voice from Matthew Mercer, who was Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil 6 and Damnation. The voice that does sound odd is that of Teepo the doll. I was expecting squeaks or a soft voice because he is a cuddly toy. But instead he has the voice of a young teenage boy! It sounds odd, but I understand why this happened. Teepo is an older brother of sorts to Elize, gives her advice and wants everyone to get along and be happy, so he has some maturity to his voice. It may annoy some people, but you get use to him!
Tales of Xillia has beautiful graphics and anime cutscenes. It rivals Ni No Kuni as the best looking JRPG on the PlayStation 3. Developers and designers have made sure each city has its own unique feel to it. However, some map locations don’t seem as well detailed as the towns. Houses all have amazing detail put into them and yet, the world map looks like every other RPG world map. For me, nothing made them stand out. Except for one and it is my personal favourite; Kijara Seafalls. It reminds me of the seaside town of Balamb in Final Fantasy VIII because of its theme music. Relaxing and soothing, the music sets you at ease and its also partly a beach!
For those who follow me on Twitter, you have probably heard me go on non stop about the theme song to Tales of Xillia. For me, it has to be one of the best JRPG themes I have heard. The beautiful and talented JPop singer, Ayumi Hamasaki, provides the vocals for the rock ballad known as “Progress.” And it helps give you an adrenaline for what’s round the corner. The song is gentle, yet powerful with its high notes and guitar solos, it gives me goosebumps everytime I listen to it.
So, is Tales of Xillia worth your time and money. Oh my goodness, yes. Yes it is. The game (depending on which edition you go for) is less then £40 and you are getting 50+ hours of nonstop action. There is always something to do in this game. If you wish to take a break from the main story, you can. In that time you can pursue extra side quests to gain more EXP and use any items monsters drop to level up the stores in the game! You also receive awards from each quest and those come in the form of cool and downright silly accessories for your party to wear and they are present at all times. So you could be having a serious conversation about the fate of the world and your team are wearing aviator glasses and bunny ears!
If you are a fan of RPGs or JRPGs, this is a game you need in your collection. The reply value is there and for me, it is one of the best games I have experienced this year and I am very honoured I was given the chance to review it. There are some Tales of games that I didnt warm to, but Tales of Xillia joins Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube in my top 10 RPGs. August 9th cannot come fast enough for me.
