Review – Tales of Xillia Remastered

After years confined to the PlayStation 3, it finally returns in a remastered version, developed by DokiDoki Grooveworks and published by Bandai Namco. The game originally released in 2011 got the treatment it deserves for the current generation, bringing technical improvements and a series of quality of life adjustments that transform the experience without detracting from what made it one of the most beloved titles in the franchise.​

The remaster comes at an interesting time, rescuing a JRPG that was stuck in a single console generation, in a type of project that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but polishes exactly what was needed. Playing Tales of Xillia Remastered is revisiting a classic with modern comfort, without losing that characteristic soul of JRPGs from the golden age.

Tales of Xillia places us in the world of Rieze Maxia, where humans and spirits coexist in harmony. The narrative develops through two protagonists that we can choose at the beginning: Jude Mathis, a young medical student from the capital, and Milla Maxwell, a mysterious woman who claims to be the incarnation of Maxwell, the Lord of Spirits.​ In the story, the kingdom of Rashugal began using a mysterious and powerful device that drains mana from the world, the very essence of life. Determined to stop the destruction and restore balance, Milla and Jude embark on a daring journey to destroy the device and save their world.​

A classic that has aged well

Even though the story is not one of this chapter’s strengths, the narrative is well explored due to the structure with two protagonists, bringing different perspectives on the same events. Jude offers an extended prologue that better contextualizes the world and characters, while Milla’s perspective jumps straight to their meeting. The story delves into themes of faith, science, sacrifice and the eternal clash between freedom and duty, creating genuine bonds with the player through well-constructed twists and emotional moments.​

If there is something that remains interesting in Tales of Xillia, it is the combat system with the Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System being one of the most fun and intuitive in the franchise. Battles take place in real time, with each character moving freely around the arena and performing combos in sequence, creating a hypnotic rhythm that mixes action and strategy in a natural way. Everything gets even better with Link Mode, which allows you to connect characters and unleash devastating cooperative attacks. When you link your character to one of your companions on the field, they form pairs that cooperate in a special way, positioning themselves in coordination and even unlocking joint abilities called Linked Arts. Each duo has unique synergies, and learning to master these combinations is an essential part of the pleasure of playing.​

The clashes are fast, fluid and visually spectacular, with aerial combos, spells and blows that can be synchronized and linked together without breaking the rhythm. It is possible to freely switch direct control between members during combat, keeping battles dynamic to respond to specific threats or take advantage of certain skills. However, what still bothers us is the system in which enemies are able to free themselves when a certain combo limit is reached, causing longer battles, but with the advantage of more balanced and fair confrontations.​

Tales of Xillia also features a character progression system managed through Lilium Orb, an interconnected hexagonal web that will be familiar to anyone who has played other RPGs with similar mechanics. These nodes offer three distinct types of enhancements: increased attributes (strength, agility, vitality, intelligence and spirit), passive skills that can further improve your status and capabilities, and arts, which are special attacks and spells.

What was good got even better

DokiDoki Grooveworks took great care in the improvements brought to this remaster, starting with the visual leap, with sharper scenes, more detailed characters and more vibrant colors. The cel-shading has become more polished, and the animated scenes remain beautiful, now rendered in high resolution.​ On PS5, the game runs at a stable 60 frames per second on PS5, a significant improvement that makes the already fast-paced combat feel even more responsive and fluid, not to mention the reduced loading times compared to the PS3 original.

The quality of life improvements offered in this version make all the difference for an even more enjoyable experience. Autosave has been added, automatically saving after moving to a new map or after an event ends, and maps have indicators showing main destinations, side quests, uncollected chests and treasures.​ Another welcome addition is the option to turn off random encounters at any time for those who want to focus solely on the story, and the instant battle replay function has been included, allowing you to replay common combats even after a Game Over.​

The dash has been added and can be toggled with a button, significantly increasing the speed of movement through exploration, and the Grade Shop is available from the start of the first game upon reaching 5,000 points, perhaps as the most anticipated improvement instead of only being released in New Game+ as before. This allows you to accelerate the characters’ growth and even break the game at times.​

Graphically, the remaster found that perfect point between nostalgia and modernity. Tales of Xillia maintains its characteristic aesthetic, without trying to reinvent the look, just polishing what already existed. The cel-shading remains charming, the colors are more vibrant and the animated scenes continue to be one of the visual highlights.​ However, not everything is perfect, and some textures in the environments and the linear design of the dungeons show the legacy of a forgotten game in the PS3 era.

The budget limitation at the time reinforces that, even with a good variety of areas with many enemies visible on the map, few locations are really differentiated, which gives the feeling that the environments lack life. Even with the remaster, Bandai Namco did not invest enough to review the structure of the world and, as a consequence, exploration.

However, the soundtrack for Tales of Xillia is composed by the Tales of Series Sound Team and maintains that nostalgic touch characteristic of the franchise, with 81 songs in total, ranging from epic battle themes to softer melodies for moments of exploration.​​

Even with the absence of Tales of Xillia 2 in a possible bundle, Tales of Xillia Remastered is the reunion that fans of the franchise needed. It’s not a revolutionary remaster, but it fulfills its role of bringing a PS3 classic to modern platforms with dignity and respect for the original work. The combat system continues to be one of the strongest points, overcoming the story that is not among the best in the series, also reinforcing the importance of quality of life improvements coming to make all the difference in the experience.