Few RPG franchises have stuck around this generation, but Tales hasn’t lost its steam. The series entered this generation with Tales of Vesperia, and more recently saw Tales of Graces f for the PlayStation 3. Tales fans have long been frustrated with the entries that haven’t come to our shores, but with Namco Bandai announcing Tales of Xillia for North America, the Tales fervor lives on for another game.
Xillia released in Japan to commemorate the series’ 15th anniversary. But Xillia isn’t all nostalgia; it’s a game that takes risks while building off the series’ strengths. For the first time, players choose one of two main characters. The storyline doesn’t change much based on your pick, but your choice alters the perspective through which you see story events, particularly in the opening. You decide between a male medical student, Jude Mathis, and a female spirit summoner, Milla Maxwell. Their paths cross when a significant accident occurs, and they both investigate the location. In true RPG fashion, what they find is anything but ordinary. Events are complicated by the fact that their world, Rise Maxia, is in shambles and two nations are currently in conflict over the use of monsters and spirits that lurk in the world for protection.