Tales of Xillia Remastered Review – Nostalgia Saves The Day

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Despite being released over a decade ago, Tales of Xillia remains one of the best games in the Tales series. I loved its engaging combat and heartfelt story when I first played it, and I’ve really enjoyed having the opportunity to replay it now.

Tales of Xillia Remastered successfully delivers on its promise, offering a nostalgic experience for longtime fans while still feeling inviting to new players. However, the question remains: does the gameplay hold up compared to more recent RPGs?

“Things get quite interesting when you unlock companions and have them join you.”

You’ll quickly figure out what kind of experience you want, especially after a cool anime opening that introduces the story. The character you pick subtly changes how you see the game. I started with Jude Mathis because I liked his energetic personality and fighting style, but playing as Milla with her sword was a really fun and different experience this time around.

I’m really loving Milla in this game! It’s so interesting to see her without the usual protection she has, and it makes her feel surprisingly fragile. She really has to lean on Jude and the rest of the team now, just as much as she used to rely on her Spirits. And even though she can seem a little cold, there’s this underlying sadness about losing her powers that comes through in a lot of the quieter scenes – it’s really well done.

Let’s talk about the Grade Shop. It’s available from the very beginning of your current game, and it has a lot of helpful features. These features make it much easier to improve your characters and can significantly change how challenging the game is.

Having all companions active makes the game very easy, but it also removes the challenge and enjoyment of learning the Linked Combat system, which is explained through helpful in-game tutorials. The game becomes much more engaging when you unlock companions, especially if you enjoy switching between characters to perform powerful Linked Artes – you’ll find a lot to love here.

“The maps continue to be quite bland as you travel between regions.”

This combat system might take a little getting used to if you’re new to this style of game, but practice will definitely help. Luckily, the game offers plenty of chances to improve, and you’ll quickly gain new skills and abilities for your characters. You can also customize their powers by developing their Lirium Orbs. Plus, it’s simple to switch between skills during battles thanks to a clear and easy-to-use character menu.

This connection extends to the game’s vendors, allowing you to help them grow by contributing resources, which makes the world feel more immersive and rewarding. It also provides a great reason to engage in combat frequently as you journey between story missions.

The updated graphics definitely make the game world look much sharper and more polished, which is great. However, the areas you travel between locations still feel pretty empty and uninspired. This was a problem with the original game, and unfortunately, not much has improved in that regard, aside from a couple of helpful new features.

The game now includes a helpful marker that guides you toward your next goal, and it also displays unopened treasure chests on the minimap. These additions make exploring the game world much more enjoyable. They offer rewarding side trips without pulling you too far off course, and you’ll earn experience and loot from any battles you encounter along the way.

Okay, so at first, the combat feels pretty good, but honestly, once you get the hang of it, it starts to feel really samey, even with new characters joining your team. It just doesn’t stay challenging after a while.

Two small but effective additions really improved the overall experience while playing with Jude and Milla. I actually think they were better than the Grade Shop, which felt like something you should earn through gameplay like in the original game. It’s a nice touch that you can turn off the buffs from the shop whenever you want, though.

Let’s talk about the combat, which is a key part of the game. It is enjoyable, but I think it had potential to be even better. The controls require a little practice, but once you get the hang of them, chaining attacks and special moves feels good. The ability to quickly move around and set up counterattacks adds to the flow of battle.

The game features diverse enemies and truly memorable boss battles. Helpful options like quick-switching for dodging and adjustable encounters allow you to play at your own speed in this updated version, making it easier and more enjoyable to explore. This builds on the original game’s appeal, giving you more control over how the story unfolds and fitting well with the narrative’s themes of freedom.

Okay, so at first, learning the combat system was a bit tricky, but once I got the hang of it, things started to feel…samey. Even with new characters joining my team, the battles didn’t stay fresh for long. It did take me a while to get to that point though, and thankfully, the Grade Shop is a lifesaver if you want to speed things up or just give yourself a little boost!

The game runs incredibly well on the standard PlayStation 5, which really enhances the combat. However, the story and how it’s presented haven’t been significantly updated beyond the visual improvements you’d expect from a remaster. For Tales of Xillia, this means the anime cutscenes look fantastic, although the character designs still show their age from the original PS3 version. This actually adds to the game’s nostalgic appeal, but given its popularity and the fans who requested this remaster, a full remake might have been a good idea.

If you enjoyed the original Tales of Xillia, being able to start the game and experience the story however you choose is a fantastic feeling.

Loading times have been significantly improved – you move seamlessly between maps and battles. While it might seem small, this change dramatically enhances the overall experience, and even makes the simpler map designs less noticeable. It’s now much easier to focus on the gameplay itself.

Your teammates are generally enjoyable, and the game’s AI cleverly encourages you to use team-up attacks, making battles easy and fun, similar to the original game. If you plan your attacks carefully and efficiently, you’ll find this game surprisingly manageable.

Whether you loved the original Tales of Xillia or are experiencing it for the first time, Tales of Xillia Remastered offers a fantastic level of freedom. You can jump into the adventure with your preferred playstyle right from the start, or simply revisit a beloved story. This flexibility, combined with an engaging story that strikes a nice balance between cheerful moments and more serious themes, makes this remaster easy to recommend. It was also great to see the character King Gladius return.

I initially played it for the memories, but the remaster itself was good enough to keep me playing.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

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2025-11-05 21:43