The 15th Anniversary is Back for the 30th! Tales of Xillia was originally released in Japan in 2011 and in other regions in 2013 for the Tales series' 15th anniversary. Now, 14 years later, the game has finally broken the shackles of being locked to the PlayStation 3 and has been remastered as part of Bandai Namco's Remastered Project. Earlier this year, I reviewed Tales of Graces f Remastered, a solid remaster of my introduction to the franchise. The remaster itself was solid, though I had my misgivings with the game. Much is the same in Tales of Xillia Remastered, and it’s a comfort to have these solid remasters release back-to-back after Tales of Symphonia Remastered was released in a disappointing state. Tales of Xillia takes place in Rieze Maxia, a world that is defined by the symbiotic relationship between humans and spirits. The spirit Maxwell has presided over Rieze Maxia for thousands of years, and acts as its God. The story is split between two character routes, Jude's and Milla's, though both are present throughout most of the story, and their paths diverge only a few times. This system is a bit disappointing in its implementation, because Jude and Milla are far from equal opposites. Milla Maxwell is, as she says, effectively a human avatar for the spirit Maxwell, and goes on a mission to destroy a weapon the country Rashugal is developing called the Lance of Kresnik. There, she encounters Jude Mathis, a medical student who, despite her warnings, can’t help himself but to investigate the disappearance of his professor. It is revealed that Milla’s mission is to eliminate any device that uses Spyrix, a type of technology that absorbs spirits and uses them as energy, like the Lance of Kresnik. From a writing standpoint, Milla and Jude are a wonderful pair, and it makes the two-route structure all the more confusing. Milla is an incredibly flat character with a singular focus: her mission. Nothing will hold her back, even though her human body has some key limitations that she tends to ignore. Jude, on the other hand, is a kid who is still figuring things out, and remains incredibly indecisive but willing to help throughout the entire game. Milla inspires Jude to be more decisive and to stand up for his beliefs. In turn, Jude endears Milla not just to himself, but to all of humanity. As the story continues, their effect on each other, complete with ever so slight romantic undertones, is incredibly effective. While the narrative's use of the dual-route structure is an odd choice, effectively rendering Jude’s story as the definitive one and Milla’s as one that fills in some lore holes, the writing of these two protagonists is nonetheless a definite strength. [caption id="attachment_180461" align="alignnone" width="640"] Though Milla is the human embodiment of Maxwell, she still needs help sometimes.[/caption] The entire party is similarly well defined. Alvine, Elize, Rowen, and Leia all round out the party in a wonderful manner, and the way their personalities both clash and mesh throughout the game is another feather in the cap of the Tales series’ long tradition of having excellent party dynamics. Skits, which are optional, visual-novel style cutscenes with 2D-animated avatars for the characters, go a long way in developing these relationships. Unfortunately, the plot itself stumbles a few times, especially in the back half of the narrative. Character motivations get somewhat glossed over, the game rapid fires between antagonistic factions, characters are introduced as if they’ve always been present, and the final chapter especially feels like three chapters crammed into one. Thankfully, the game is held together by character writing that remains incredibly effective throughout, including a main antagonist that comfortably sits near the best of not just Tales antagonists, but RPG antagonists in general. [caption id="attachment_174631" align="alignnone" width="640"] The party complements themselves incredibly well, and visually fit together like no other.[/caption] Being a Tales game, Tales of Xillia Remastered features real-time combat with a focus on resource management, elemental matchups, and fighting-game-style combos. Characters move exclusively on the X-Axis, though a button can be held for free movement. One button is used for basic attacks, while the other is used for Artes that cost Technical Points (TP). Basic attacks and Artes can be weaved together freely, with the only limitation being the TP cost of an Arte and a character's Assault Counter (AC), one of which is spent on every attack. Every party member is also able to link together, with each character having a bonus associated with being linked. For instance, when linked to the player, Milla can trap an enemy in place, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from the player. Linked Artes also allow characters to combine their attacks to unleash a larger one that does a massive amount of damage or heals players even more. Another fun benefit of being linked is the occasional synchronized basic attack combo, where linked characters will perform a combo that involves both of them working together to juggle the enemy. While not doing much in the way of extra damage or strategic benefit, it’s a fun way to demonstrate the characters' abilities to work together in combat without disrupting the flow. As is tradition, every party member is fully playable, with unique abilities and strengths. For instance, while Jude is a combo-focused character who juggles enemies and can attack in the air, Elize is a caster who is focused more on positioning and chaining magic attacks together. While playing exclusively as one character is absolutely a valid way to play the game, the option to master not just one, but six unique characters is enticing for those who want to squeeze as much enjoyment out of the combat system as humanly possible. [caption id="attachment_174629" align="alignnone" width="640"] Linked Artes can be used to inflict massive damage on enemies.[/caption] Character progression is a fairly standard affair. When characters level up, not only do their stats increase, but they also receive Growth Points (GP), which can be spent to unlock nodes on their Lillium Orb, the primary method of unlocking skills and Artes. It’s an effective, if somewhat milquetoast, way of growing characters, and the ability to automatically spend GP in bulk rather than agonizing over each choice is a nice feature. Visually, the game is a mixed bag. The art design is gorgeous. The party members are designed in a way that makes them feel like a cohesive unit while still feeling like they exist in the same world. Every unique locale has a distinct visual identity, with the opening area of Fenmont especially standing out with its vibrant colors and perpetual night-aesthetic. However, character models show their age, and the vast majority of cutscene animation is stilted, with a few stand out moments where the models are used to great effect. Obviously, none of this applies to the scant few 2D cutscenes animated by Ufotable, who never fail to knock it out of the park. From a sound perspective, Tales of Xillia Remastered falters a bit. Voice acting can be a bit all over the place, a sign of the era in which this game was originally localized. Prolific voice actors such as Matt Mercer, Todd Haberkorn, Kate Higgins, and more are present, but the direction can often be hit or miss. The soundtrack is good, though it is mostly content to do its job and compliment the game rather than stand out in its own right. A strange issue where the dialogue is significantly quieter than the music does occur a few times in the game, which is an odd occurrence in a remaster. While the subtitles are present to fill those gaps, it is a noticeable issue in an otherwise fairly one-to-one remaster. [caption id="attachment_174634" align="alignnone" width="640"] Ufotable never fails to make gorgeous cutscenes for Tales games.[/caption] The remaster adds a few quality-of-life features. The Grade Shop, usually a New Game Plus exclusive feature, is available right after making a fresh save file, allowing players to make their playthroughs easier if they so choose by increasing their experience and money gain, among other upgrades. While this can remove quite a lot of friction by making overleveling incredibly easy, these features can be turned off easily for those looking for a challenge. A marker indicating where the next event has been added, but often the player is not in the same loading zone, meaning the marker doesn't show up. The game has also welcomed an autosave feature, which wasn't present in the original. While none of these features radically alter the experience, they do smooth a few edges of the original experience while not being overly intrusive. Tales of Xillia Remastered is another successful feather in the cap of the series' 30th anniversary Remastered Project. While the game itself has some wrinkles in the story department, and visually the game shows its age, it is still filled with fun combat, wonderful characters, and one of the best antagonists in the whole series. Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher. The post Tales of Xillia Remastered Review appeared first on RPGamer.

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