Tales of Xillia is a narrative action JRPG that explores the clash between technology and nature. At the start of the game, players can choose between two protagonists. For newcomers, selecting Jude is recommended, as his perspective provides more context for the unfolding story. Unfortunately, a second playthrough is not worthwhile as there is only little new content.
Some effort has been made in the presentation of the cutscenes and skits, which emphasize the characters and their interactions. I found all the main characters in Xillia to be likable and interesting, which is quite rare as I usually find at least one character in a JRPG to be annoying (I was not a fan of Teepo at first until I realized what he really was).
Each main character has a real background that you can discover through optional side quests. However, one frustrating aspect is the handling of side quests. Many side quests only become available after certain events, forcing you to frequently revisit previous locations just to see if a new side quest has appeared. This constant backtracking feels unnecessarily tedious. In addition, there are no warnings for missable quests, and quest givers are not marked on the mini-map, making them easy to miss. It would have been much more convenient to have both quest givers and locations highlighted on the map. Instead, you are forced to frequently consult the nested quest menu and rely on the descriptions to track them down.
The dialogue is often funny, though there are moments when the writers seem to lean a bit heavily into flirtatious or suggestive humor. In addition, all of the characters are well voiced. Unfortunately, the exception is Milla, the second protagonist, whose voice acting is noticeably weaker. It is a shame, considering her important role in the story.
Aside from its strong cast of characters, another standout feature of Tales of Xillia is its story. Tales of Xillia presents an intriguing fantasy world built around a central conflict between two societies and the elemental spirits of nature. The linear main story delivers several highlights and whaaat?-moments, keeping you most of the time engaged. However, one exception is towards the end, if you choose to complete all the optional side quests for each main character. While these quests are worthwhile for the added character development, the amount of backtracking and walking involved slows down the momentum of the game. Another strong point of Xillia is that the antagonists are memorable and quite well developed, going beyond the typical "just plain evil" trope. There are even moments where you find yourself working alongside them, adding depth and complexity to the story.
The combat system is a 2.5D fighting game. Each character has basic and ability (called arte) attacks. You can control any of the main characters, each has different abilities available, however, combat mostly feels the same regardless of the character. Each character spends energy to use abilities, however, the amount of available energy is quite generous, allowing you to use abilities frequently. Some abilities deal elemental damage, which is beneficial against certain enemies. A unique feature of Xillia is the link system, which allows any character to link up with another character to fight together. A linked partner will automatically try to flank an enemy and provide additional bonuses depending on the linked character.
The upgrade system is built around a grid-based (spider web) layout where players unlock new abilities (artes) along with various stat boosts. While the concept is interesting, the interface could be clearer as it does not show you the big picture, which makes planning ahead difficult as only the next few unlockable abilities are visible, limiting strategic decision-making. Additionally, I would have appreciated more concrete information, such as specific stats or numerical values for each ability, to better assess the impact of new abilities. Because you frequently receive small amounts of points to expand the grid, you're repeatedly brought back to the interface to make minor decisions. After a while, I found myself resorting to the auto-select option just to speed things up, as the constant interruptions became more of a chore than a meaningful choice.
Character development is mostly based on grinding materials and experience. Xillia features a merchant leveling system where you can donate materials collected from enemies and the environment. Contributing to merchants unlocks better equipment and discounts, which is an interesting concept in theory. In practice, however, it can distort the balance of the game. For example, you might focus on the weapons merchant early on to gain quick access to powerful weapons. Another aspect prone to balance issues is the food system. By regularly consuming certain dishes, you can significantly boost experience point gains, allowing you to become over-leveled. Additionally, there should be an option to display the food status directly on the main HUD.
The level design is largely linear, with occasional branching paths that typically lead to dead ends containing minor treasures. While some areas introduce multi-layered structures, the majority of environments feel straightforward and somewhat uninspired, lacking memorable landmarks or visual flair to make exploration truly engaging. Occasionally, some levels feature basic box-pushing puzzles, adding a slight touch of environmental interaction.
The graphics are okay, especially the characters and animations are good, but the environments and dungeons look empty, repetitive, and lack detail. Previous Tales games (e.g., Tales of Abyss) look better, even though it was developed for the previous platform (Playstation 2). There are also noticeable pop-ins at short distances, especially in places with many objects, such as cities. On the other hand, loading times for fast travel and saving are very fast. Furthermore, a quick save is possible at any time (unlike in Tales of Vesperia).
The music is not very memorable, although Milla has cool battle music. However, some tracks in certain areas even become annoying after a while, making them hard to listen to for extended periods.
Overall, Tales of Xillia delivers a compelling main story with regular narrative peaks, supported by a memorable cast of protagonists and well-developed antagonists. The optional side quests, while structurally simple, contribute to meaningful character development and enrich the world. That said, the game's production values — music, visuals, art direction, and level design — are only decent, but not particularly impressive by genre standards. The combat and progression systems are functional and mostly fun, but lack depth in terms of strategic decision-making. In addition, certain mechanics are easy to exploit, which undermines the challenge in parts. Despite these shortcomings, Tales of Xillia stands out as a strong entry in the series.