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Tales of Xillia 2 - GR Review

Added: 23.08.2014 2:00 | 12 views | 0 comments

Another tale of two cities.

The first Tales of Xillia came out just one year ago and stood out as another solid entry in the beloved Tales franchise. It even did well enough to inspire an immediate sequel, a rarity within the series. The short downtime between releases works in the favor of and against Tales of Xillia 2, a sequel that makes subtle tweaks but fails to establish a singular identity. In many ways it's more of the same, a quality that will likely appeal to fans of the first game and potentially disappoint those hoping for something more.

The game picks up one year after the events of its predecessor, in which a 2000-year-old barrier between Rieze Maxia and Elympios was dispelled in an effort to unite the two nations and improve their tenuous relationship. A terrorist group threatens the attempt for stability, though, and it gives way to a narrative that explores familial relationships and dimensional travel, amongst other things. The game juggles a lot of disparate story threads, so much so that it weakens the overall narrative. Events take a while to really get going, which marks the opening hours as particularly weak. But Tales of Xillia 2 compensates with a strong cast of characters, which includes both new and familiar faces.