![]() Characters previously unplayable in the prior game have also been added to the roster, bringing the grand total of party members up to nine. ![]() Each character has their own chapters that can be undertaken periodically during the game, and each arc has a satisfying conclusion in its own right. Tales of Xillia 2 fills in gaps left by the original in terms of expanding on the world’s lore as well as fleshing out the backstories of each of your comrades. It also stalls the pace of the narrative, as your comrades will say “Well, we can’t do anything until so and so takes place, so why don’t you go earn some money?” Thanks, guys. I guess in some ways it emulates what actual debt collection feels like, but man is it a nuisance. Nova, the loan shark whose job it is to collect payment is needlessly annoying, sometimes popping up every screen to beg for money. This also influences your ability to navigate between towns. In between chapters, a quota will be put in place of how much money has to be paid back before the next chapter begins. One other aspect that holds back the experience is having to repay the massive loan owed by Ludger for his medical expenses. There are also multiple endings, though the decisions that influence that come near the end of the game. In place of proper responses, you as the player have to decide his replies and certain responses will lead to increased affinity with other characters in your party. It’s doubly awkward during skits involving him, as the only things he utters is “Uhhh…” or “Yeah.” Your cat companion, Rollo, is more talkative by comparison. It doesn’t quite work as well in the Tales universe where characters are inherently chatty. This in of itself is not a bad feature, as several games have managed to do this successfully ( The Legend of Zelda or Chrono Trigger). The one thing you’ll notice immediately is that Ludger is a silent protagonist. In short, there’s a lot going on, and it doesn’t take long before the cast of the original Tales of Xillia gets roped into it. Ludger later learns of potential involvement in the attack by his brother and is tasked with tracking him down, all the while maintaining care of a little girl named Elle who’s obsessed with the idea of finding a mysterious land called Canaan. In what sets off probably the worst bad day of all time, Ludger fails his exam, boards a train that is attacked and subsequently destroyed by terrorists, and is then slapped with the resulting medical bill for his near fatal injuries. Xillia 2 casts you in the role of Ludger Will Kresnik, who aspires to become an agent of the Spirius Corporation like his brother, Julius. Having now completed it, I’m happy to say that even though it’s not devoid of recycled content, it’s still a very solid entry into the franchise. ![]() In addition, the series’ last direct sequel ( Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World) was… not so great. In the case of Tales of Xillia 2, it’s releasing just one year after its predecessor, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of development time. I will eat up any new entry in the Tales of series with enthusiasm, even when common sense dictates that I should keep my standards low.
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