Preview: A Fleshed Out RPG in Tales Of Xilla 2

Tales of Xillia is back with a sequel for the PlayStation 3. I really enjoyed the original and was glad to see that they decided to localise Tales Of Xillia 2 for this side of the world. Most of what we have come to expect has been kept intact with a few extra additions that’s sure to expand an already content packed RPG. So does Tales Of Xillia 2 meet up to expectations?

Ludger Will Kresnik looking all badass.

Tales Of Xilla 2 takes place one year after the events of Tales of Xillia. Under orders from her father to find the mystical Land of Canaan, Elle Mel Marta boards a train which is hijacked before its departure. One of the new protagonists, Ludger Will Kresnik follows her onboard to save her, but the train crashes and the resulting medical treatment from Spirius Corporation puts our hero in debt. Aware of the Kresnik family's ability to destroy fractured dimensions, Spirius hires Ludger for this purpose since the spirit Origin can no longer sustain the abundance of souls in the worlds. At the same time, Ludger searches for his brother, Julius Will Kresnik, who has been framed as the culprit behind the train hijacking. Meanwhile, Jude, Milla and all the heroes from the previous game move on with their own lives, eventually crossing paths with Ludger and assisting with his quest.

Everything you know and love about Tales of Xillia has been kept present in the sequel with a few minor changes that help flesh out the gameplay and give the player more choice when it comes to letting them choose their own path. One of the big changes is the QTE or Quick Time Events that appear when you are faced with a crossroad in the narrative, depending on what you pick it can seriously affect what happens later on in the world. I felt this was a good change seeing as the original gave you the chance to play through as either Jude or Millia, however things were kept linear and you weren’t given much of a choice either.

What will you choose?

After the events of the train crash and now finding yourself in debt, you can take up jobs to help pay it off via contracts. These contracts range from collecting materials to defeating specific monsters and are pretty much essential during the early stages. What’s great about the monster contracts is that they still count towards your XP and levelling up characters, so why not grind and earn some Gald at the same time? Another small change I found where that hidden items in the environment were a lot more noticeable now compared to before as when you get close to an object it shines with multiple colours. It may help finding secrets a little easier, but I’d like to believe that in no way does it make the game itself easier.

Lastly, the Lillium Orbs from the previous title have been replaced with something called Aluminium Orbs. These Orbs work in the same way as its counterpart; however it gives a lot more of a variety in terms of what direction you want to take a specific character. While I found this great, those new to the series may have a hard time picking it up as it’s become a lot more complex before even if it is for the better. Having such a complex tree should definitely invoke multiple playthroughs for the hardcore among us.

The tax man/ woman is here to collect!

During my short time with the game I noticed that it seems to have taken a slightly darker turn and looks to explore its themes with a more adult tone. I agree with the change as these themes were present in the previous; however I felt that they were played off as nothing much compared to what the narrative was making it out to be. With the ability to branch out the storyline and now with a much more complex skill tree, I’m sure they will be more than enough to keep us busy. All that’s left is to grab the game and give it a real run.

Look out for our review coming real soon, Tales of Xillia 2 is available today for those in Europe exclusively on the PlayStation 3! If you’ve had a chance to give the game a go yet, let us know what you thought in the comments or tweet me @TheLibanAli

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