Tales of Xillia ramblings
Here we are, then. With Xillia finished, it's time for a full review.
Tales of Xillia, while a large and extensive game at some points, gives off a vibe of being rushed at the same time. While it has many features and little things, the story itself clearly could have been longer and more detailed. It's like they cut out a large portion of the game. This isn't noticeable at the start of the game, it's just the end. From the moment Milla 'dies', everything gets 'rushed rushed rushed'. To the point where Jude is flashbacking to a moment that you didn't actually see happen in the game. Apparently Jude went to Ni Akeria shortly after Milla died and met Muse there. And apparently Muse had killed loads of people there and then had a nice little talk with Jude. For some reason, Jude was all alone there. But then 'later on', in present time, he is back with the rest of the gang in Hamil. Actually getting to play out this Ni Akeria visit, with more context, would have been nice. And it would have been nice if Elenpios had been, you know, more than just one city, two fields and two dungeons. This is an entirely new world and we hardly get to see anything of it. There isn't a real final dungeon either.
It's like at some point they said "Guys, our deadline is nearing and we're only halfway. We can't continue producing all the stuff that's still in this script, so let's start scratching everything we can afford to lose. All these Elenpios cities can go. And that final dungeon is pointless, let's rehash the previous one leading to Maxwell. Luna/Rem and Shadow? Yeah, they go too."
That aside, it really is a nice plot. Not as much technobabble as in most Tales games, and it's a very endearing universe. I like how nicely the Summon Spirits are integrated into all this. It's a joy to discover more about Liese Maxia, its cities and its workings.
The characters, while a wee bit more 'original' than the ones in Graces, still don't have such interesting backgrounds. Except for Alvin, whose background is a little too over the top. Everyone else is very predictable. I knew from the start that Milla wasn't really Maxwell, but just a decoy. I knew from the start that Leia didn't have an interesting backstory at all. I knew from the start that Tipo was an incredibly fishy character, though I didn't know to what extent. Jude doesn't seem to have such a good history either. ... Does he even have a history, aside from having a strict dad, a relatively nice mom and wanting to be a doctor?
What's worse, their reactions to most important events are completely unbelievable. They brush shocking things off just like that. The only thing they place any real importance on is Milla. They only show a lot of shock and lingering guilt when something bad happens to Milla. Or Jao, in the case of Elise. Everything else is just digested very silently, or not at all. Especially Alvin's response to his mother's murder is very disappointing. Everything he did in his life was for her, but when she's killed by a woman they trusted, he barely bats an eyelid. When Milla, a woman he's met only a few weeks/months ago dies, he completely loses it and blames himself. It just doesn't make sense. Neither does it make sense that everyone, even a mature and sensible man like Rowen, would take Alvin back time and time again after the bullshit he pulled.
I'm sorry, but it's just not believable. Elise is the only character in Xilla who is sane in this regard. And she's like... Twelve.
There is very few development. Milla changes from serious girl with a mission to... relatively nice girl with a different mission. Jude changes from kind-but-obsessive to kind-and-not-quite-so-obsessive. Elise manages to voice her feelings without using Tipo less and less, so that's okay. Leia and Rowen don't seem to change. Alvin's general attitude doesn't really change, though he does show remorse more and more, and tells Elise about how he really feels.
There are some very nice NPCs in Xillia, including underrated ones like Jurgens(...?). Agria turned out to be a much cooler villain than I expected, though it's still mostly because of her death scene that she gets bonus points. Wingull apparently speaks in ancient Melnics when he transforms, which I think is a nice touch. Jao was better than I thought he would be. I still hate everything about Presa, though, for reasons mentioned here. And of course my favorite NPC is Muse. Just the right touch of yandere with sad backstory.
The graphics in Xillia are superb at times. The animated cutscenes even moreso. And there's just so many of them! Wow. Gameplay in the overall was very good. The battlesystem was easy to master, the special skill systems are easy to use... The attachment system is hilarious, especially because you can change size/angles of attachments. And change hairstyles, too!
I think what bugs me, though, is this system that allows you to transport to any significant location in the world. There's no real 'Overworld Map', just cities connected by ports, fields and dungeons. This entire distance can be crossed quite easily by pressing the map button and selecting any location from the lists. But what is the in-game explanation for this? The party doesn't have an airship, boat or anything of the sort. Do they just walk there? Is that what the transportation is? I don't really like it. I miss having a special mode of transportation. The Wyverns don't count, because you only have them during plot-related moments.
The music... I wasn't impressed. There were, perhaps, two songs that stood out to me. Three at most. The rest was just pointless background fuzz. I'm sorry, but I just found it very disappointing.
To me, the ending was beautiful. Everything was wrapped up very nicely and the characters all get their own little epilogue. I like how Jude and Milla are separated forever, but still 'connected by their hearts' in a way. Let me state this for the record: While I do see the implied Jude/Milla, and the concept of it freaks me out a bit, I don't mind. Why don't I mind? Because it's clear that they weren't meant to be. Jude, being the 15 year old that he is, can move on and find someone else. Milla, being the new Maxwell, will be forever alone. Which is okay, because Summon Spirits have no need for love or dating.
To me, this game doesn't beat Symphonia. In likeability, it doesn't beat Graces either. It does beat both those games in the options it offers, but that's to be expected from the latest game. So aside from Symphonia and Graces, it does beat pretty much every other Tales game I've played. A very nice third place for Xillia.
Tales of Xillia, while a large and extensive game at some points, gives off a vibe of being rushed at the same time. While it has many features and little things, the story itself clearly could have been longer and more detailed. It's like they cut out a large portion of the game. This isn't noticeable at the start of the game, it's just the end. From the moment Milla 'dies', everything gets 'rushed rushed rushed'. To the point where Jude is flashbacking to a moment that you didn't actually see happen in the game. Apparently Jude went to Ni Akeria shortly after Milla died and met Muse there. And apparently Muse had killed loads of people there and then had a nice little talk with Jude. For some reason, Jude was all alone there. But then 'later on', in present time, he is back with the rest of the gang in Hamil. Actually getting to play out this Ni Akeria visit, with more context, would have been nice. And it would have been nice if Elenpios had been, you know, more than just one city, two fields and two dungeons. This is an entirely new world and we hardly get to see anything of it. There isn't a real final dungeon either.
It's like at some point they said "Guys, our deadline is nearing and we're only halfway. We can't continue producing all the stuff that's still in this script, so let's start scratching everything we can afford to lose. All these Elenpios cities can go. And that final dungeon is pointless, let's rehash the previous one leading to Maxwell. Luna/Rem and Shadow? Yeah, they go too."
That aside, it really is a nice plot. Not as much technobabble as in most Tales games, and it's a very endearing universe. I like how nicely the Summon Spirits are integrated into all this. It's a joy to discover more about Liese Maxia, its cities and its workings.
The characters, while a wee bit more 'original' than the ones in Graces, still don't have such interesting backgrounds. Except for Alvin, whose background is a little too over the top. Everyone else is very predictable. I knew from the start that Milla wasn't really Maxwell, but just a decoy. I knew from the start that Leia didn't have an interesting backstory at all. I knew from the start that Tipo was an incredibly fishy character, though I didn't know to what extent. Jude doesn't seem to have such a good history either. ... Does he even have a history, aside from having a strict dad, a relatively nice mom and wanting to be a doctor?
What's worse, their reactions to most important events are completely unbelievable. They brush shocking things off just like that. The only thing they place any real importance on is Milla. They only show a lot of shock and lingering guilt when something bad happens to Milla. Or Jao, in the case of Elise. Everything else is just digested very silently, or not at all. Especially Alvin's response to his mother's murder is very disappointing. Everything he did in his life was for her, but when she's killed by a woman they trusted, he barely bats an eyelid. When Milla, a woman he's met only a few weeks/months ago dies, he completely loses it and blames himself. It just doesn't make sense. Neither does it make sense that everyone, even a mature and sensible man like Rowen, would take Alvin back time and time again after the bullshit he pulled.
I'm sorry, but it's just not believable. Elise is the only character in Xilla who is sane in this regard. And she's like... Twelve.
There is very few development. Milla changes from serious girl with a mission to... relatively nice girl with a different mission. Jude changes from kind-but-obsessive to kind-and-not-quite-so-obsessive. Elise manages to voice her feelings without using Tipo less and less, so that's okay. Leia and Rowen don't seem to change. Alvin's general attitude doesn't really change, though he does show remorse more and more, and tells Elise about how he really feels.
There are some very nice NPCs in Xillia, including underrated ones like Jurgens(...?). Agria turned out to be a much cooler villain than I expected, though it's still mostly because of her death scene that she gets bonus points. Wingull apparently speaks in ancient Melnics when he transforms, which I think is a nice touch. Jao was better than I thought he would be. I still hate everything about Presa, though, for reasons mentioned here. And of course my favorite NPC is Muse. Just the right touch of yandere with sad backstory.
The graphics in Xillia are superb at times. The animated cutscenes even moreso. And there's just so many of them! Wow. Gameplay in the overall was very good. The battlesystem was easy to master, the special skill systems are easy to use... The attachment system is hilarious, especially because you can change size/angles of attachments. And change hairstyles, too!
I think what bugs me, though, is this system that allows you to transport to any significant location in the world. There's no real 'Overworld Map', just cities connected by ports, fields and dungeons. This entire distance can be crossed quite easily by pressing the map button and selecting any location from the lists. But what is the in-game explanation for this? The party doesn't have an airship, boat or anything of the sort. Do they just walk there? Is that what the transportation is? I don't really like it. I miss having a special mode of transportation. The Wyverns don't count, because you only have them during plot-related moments.
The music... I wasn't impressed. There were, perhaps, two songs that stood out to me. Three at most. The rest was just pointless background fuzz. I'm sorry, but I just found it very disappointing.
To me, the ending was beautiful. Everything was wrapped up very nicely and the characters all get their own little epilogue. I like how Jude and Milla are separated forever, but still 'connected by their hearts' in a way. Let me state this for the record: While I do see the implied Jude/Milla, and the concept of it freaks me out a bit, I don't mind. Why don't I mind? Because it's clear that they weren't meant to be. Jude, being the 15 year old that he is, can move on and find someone else. Milla, being the new Maxwell, will be forever alone. Which is okay, because Summon Spirits have no need for love or dating.
To me, this game doesn't beat Symphonia. In likeability, it doesn't beat Graces either. It does beat both those games in the options it offers, but that's to be expected from the latest game. So aside from Symphonia and Graces, it does beat pretty much every other Tales game I've played. A very nice third place for Xillia.