Preview: Tales of Xillia 2 (PS3)

If fan fiction and official releases are any indicator, there are some fictional worlds that we just can't get enough of, even if the stories of the original heroes have long since been finished.  Such is the case with Tales of Xillia 2.  A direct sequel, it takes place a year after the conclusion of the first game, but gives us a new story set in the brave new world that was created.  Since it is a new story, a new hero with all new problems is introduced, though some old friends from the first game will be showing up.

Players will take control of Ludger, a young man who follows a girl named Elle on to a train and ends up in a crash that leaves him with a hefty set of bills.  Since he can't pay up, Ludger has to work off his debt in a highly unusual fashion: killing off alternate timelines.  Within each alternate timeline, a certain person known as a “divergence catalyst” exists.  If Ludger can destroy this person, he destroys the alternate timeline, and he gets one step closer to clearing his debts.  Along the way, he'll meet up with some of the heroes from the first game, bringing them along as party members and learning what they've been up to over the last year.

Much like the first Xillia, combat is a team affair using the Double Raid Linear Motion Battle System (DR-LMBS).  Unlike the first game, however, players will have the option to swap Ludger's weapons in mid-battle, opening up new tactical possibilities.  Additionally, Ludger can tap into his powers and transform himself in battle, which carries its own implications for battle.  Outside of combat, players will be challenged to make tough choices in the story which will ultimately impact not just the characters but the world around them as well.

The game may be set to run just on the PlayStation 3, but don't think that it won't look gorgeous.  The world of Elympios is a far cry from the plains and mountains of Rieze Maxia, and it carries a decidedly grim industrial feel to it.  Even so, the aesthetics and character designs from the first game are still in place.  Returning characters look like they haven't physically changed much and the new characters feel like they fit into the world.  We didn't get to see much in the way of new monsters, but it's hard to believe that there won't be any.  Additionally, having a save game from Tales of Xillia can port into Xillia 2, further ensuring a sense of continuity.  To top it all off, any DLC costumes you picked up for the first game can carry over into the second, and vice versa, which is a great move for Bandai Namco since it encourages players to pick up the DLC and gives it extended value.

A good sequel doesn't just go over the same ground as the first game.  It expands the world, gives us new stories, and new characters, while still keeping the players connected to what made the first chapter so great. Tales of Xillia 2 looks to be that kind of sequel.

Tales of Xillia 2 will be available August 19, 2014.

- Axel Cushing