Back on that glorious console that was the GameCube, I fell in love with the absolute classic JRPG Tales of Symphonia. This was the beginning of a long and delightful adventure through all sorts of Tales games, from the GBA port of Tales of Phantasia all the way to Tales of Arise and through many titles in between. It was one of the first RPG series I played with an action focus to battles, and across multiple decades it’s always been a comfort game for me. There are bloody loads of them though, so I can’t say I’ve played them all. Tales of Xillia Remastered has helped me towards rectifying this, and I’m very glad it has.
Bandai Namco have been on a wonderful streak of ensuring that a whole host of Tales games are available on modern consoles, and now Tales of Xillia is free from the shackles of the PS3. The game follows dual protagonists Jude and Milla, who you choose between at the start of the game but very quickly end up adventuring together. There’s a big evil weapon that needs to be stopped, and despite their differences initially you’d better believe they’re going to travel the land, gather party members, and level up a whole bunch. The story is rarely the most impressive part of a Tales game in my opinion, but it’s got a healthy dose of charm and rather likeable characters.
Really though, the reason to play a Tales game is the combat, and Tales of Xillia Remastered has some of the series’ best. With free movement you can use various attacks and arts to combo your ways through enemies, while occasionally taking a break to guard and dodge. I don’t really have any complaints at all with the battle system, and while it’s maybe not quite able to reach the heights of Arise it’s a game about a decade older.
There’s very little more exciting than getting a new party member in a JRPG, and that’s doubly the case when you play a Tales game. That’s because you’re able to play as any of them, and they’re all completely different from each other. Whether you want to be a regular melee puncher like Jude or a more magical character like Milla you’re able to, and you can even swap mid battle if you fancy a quick change. The AI will team up with you as you fight too, performing team attacks with you for even more damage. There’s plenty of depth in the battles you’ll face, and I didn’t tire of them once.
An aspect of Xillia I particularly appreciated over other entries in the series was the character progression, which is incredibly open for you to customise your party however you want. The skill tree is a veritable spiderweb of different abilities and upgrades, and you’re free to branch in whichever direction takes your fancy. It’s certainly not bad for a former PS3 game, and the magic doesn’t stop there.
Now if you’ve played Tales of Xillia before you’re probably already aware of the wonderful combat and other features, and want to know more about the remaster. Well in all honesty the visual improvements are fairly minor, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t appreciated. There’s also all the DLC previously released for the game included (which obviously means a buttload of costumes) and some little quality of life improvements like auto saving.
My favourite new addition though comes in the form of the Grade Shop, which is a returning mechanic that allows all sorts of modifiers to be activated when playing through the game in new game plus. In Xillia Remastered though it’s available immediately, meaning that if you want to breeze through with double experience and a constant flow of loot then you’re more than welcome to.
Tales of Xillia Remastered doesn’t feel like an entirely new RPG in 2025, but it’s a wonderful way to preserve a well-loved title in a great series. Its fantastic combat and old school charm will appeal to all lovers of JRPGs, and fans of the Tales series will likely already have bought it now.
