February 1, 2023

Tales of Xillia 2 Review: The Hands of Time

 

NOTE: The images used in this article are promotional pieces from the developer.

 


 

During a train hijacking, Ludger Kresnik discovers he has a latent power called the "Chromatus" that allows him to enter and destroy parallel dimensions. This strange power is somehow connected to his missing brother and the mystical Land of Canaan. Ludger also meets a young girl named Elle Marta on the train who is looking for her father and believes he is in the Land of Canaan. Ludger and Elle decide to use the Chromatus to find the Land of Canaan, as well as their missing family members.

Xillia 2 borrows a lot from it's predecessor - the same cast, enemies, locations, assets, and music. That isn't necessarily a bad thing for anyone wanting more Tales of Xillia, but considering how much ground is being revisited, players should have completed the first game before starting the sequel. In fact, Xillia 2 makes the assumption that you are familiar with the original, allowing returning players to jump right in and experience how the world and it's returning cast have changed over the course of a year. Naturally, the downside to this is the inaccessibility to newcomers.

 
The game takes place exactly one year after Tales of Xillia. Rieze Maxia takes a back seat to Elympios this time around, swapping out magic and wyverns for trains, cellphones, suits, and jazz music. The new protagonist is mostly silent, but Ludger does speak on occasion, and based on how he interacts with the rest of group, it is clear that Ludger's personality is that of the quiet type, rather than a true silent protagonist. The entire Xillia cast from the first game is back, including Jude and Milla, who are now members of the player's party. I was particularly surprised by the amount of character development Gaius received this time around. He was made out to be an important character in the first game, but didn't get much screen time despite his importance to the plot, so it was nice to see him get a little more attention than before.


 

Combat takes place in real-time with up to four members from your party. Everyone can move about freely within an enclosed area, defending, dodging or attacking with either a melee weapon or special skills called Artes. Party members can be swapped in and out of battle on the fly, and battle tactics can be altered right in the middle of a fight. The "linking" system from the previous game is back. Linking lets the player and one party member form a connection of sorts to unleash devastating special moves. The Illium Orb leveling system from Xillia has been abandoned in favor of the "Allium Orb" which levels automatically. New skills and artes are unlocked the longer you have a particular orb equipped. I much preferred the Illium Orb system over the Allium Orbs, but it wasn't a deal breaker. One much more annoying change was the addition of timed choices at key plot points. They are some of the worst "illusion of choice" options I have seen in a game. Only the choices made at the very end of the game really matter, so the reason for their inclusion is a mystery to me.

Lastly, there is Xillia 2's infamous debt system. Ludger acquires a debt of $20 million very early on and spends the rest of the game attempting to pay it off. It isn't mandatory to pay it off in full, and that likley wont happen, but set amounts will need to be paid off periodically to progress the story-line. The minimums are easy enough to meet, but the constant harassment to "pay up" is much harder to stomach (and may hit a little too close to home for some players). The debt looming over Ludger quickly became a drag on the plot, gameplay progression, and general enjoyment of the game.


 

Rather than try to revolutionize with every title, Namco makes just enough tweaks to the formula to keep the Tales of franchise fresh, and give each title it's own identity. Xillia 2 is very much a "love it or hate it" title in the franchise. It has a lot of good elements mixed in with baffling design choices. The alternate dimensions thing was a bizarre choice as a plot device on top of the already drastic change of location. The story continued the same "save the world" thread as its predecessor, but was too convoluted for its own good. The characters were much stronger this time around and it was nice to see the efforts of Jude and Milla's work reflected in the world. I also think the undertones about saving one's daughter and fighting to give her a better future were a highlight, something most can probably sympathize with. The ending tied up any loose ends nicely, and coupled with the first game, felt like a complete experience, as bittersweet as it was. I really enjoyed Xillia 2, even if it did take me multiple attempts to get through it. I probably wont play it again, but I am glad I played it at least once. If you enjoyed the first Xillia game, the sequel offers more of the same. If the first title wasn't your cup of tea, then the sequel isn't going to win you over.


First posted to videogamegeek.com


 
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