I know this may come as a shock but what game comes after my last played Tales? Exactly, it’s Xillia 2 time baby. Before touching this game for the first time, all I knew is that the opening is incredible and is probably my favourite song in the entire franchise, 2 u yeah ie ie ie, 4 u yeah ie ie ie
Hola Deko
Hola Oscar
Hola Alex
Hola Ari
Gameplay
Well, not much to mention in here since it takes after Xillia 1’s gameplay and only adds a few new details. Though, those little changes are mostly focused on Ludger and oh my god he’s so fun to play as. Not only he has the whole gimmick about changing weapons mid-battle, but there’s also the transformation meter for him, Chromatus, to go nuts by himself against the enemy and deal massive damage
Though, the one thing I did not like is the fact that they replaced the skill system with a new one that is not as intuitive or fun. I did not really like not knowing what kind of element I had to aim for to get specific new artes and stuff of that sort, unlike Lillium orbs where I always knew what I’d be unlocking. Maybe I missed something, which could most likely be the case, but oh well it’s not like I’ve ever actually tried to understand Tales’ battle systems too deep except in Berseria. Regardless, I ended up warming up to it and it’s lovely seeing new artes and skills pop up automatically
Story
…Oopsies. I have to confess a little something, and it’s that we started playing Xillia 2 a looong time ago. We then ended up accidentally dropping it and not coming back to it until… a whole full year later. And I never got to start writing this post until now so I pretty much have forgotten a ton of details about the first few chapters, not to mention a lot of the terminology used across the previous game
Thankfully, it hasn’t been that bad when we came back to the game and could pick up the pace fast, but unfortunately there’s not much I can talk about those first chapters since I’ve pretty much forgotten my opinion or reactions to them :(. Not only that, but Tales games are also… pretty strange when it comes to the mid chapters, giving a ton of information or lore that is never properly brought back up or serves no purpose later down the line. It’s hard to explain, but it really does feel like a lot of events or situations in these games feel like filler or have terrible pacing, but the good parts more than make up for it
Anyways, back onto Tales of Xillia 2 itself, this time we incarnate our first silent protagonist and we are able to make choices that will affect affinity, events or even the ending, much in the same way as Xillia 1’s story being divided in Jude and Milla’s sides
There’s this whole thing with Julius at the beginning, who is Ludger’s brother and most likely will be the “big figure” later down the road that confronts our ideals. He’s a pretty mysterious character all around, and for the beginning of the game he becomes a wanted man. Now that I’m a little farther in the game, I think most of that suspicion I carry was during a fractured dimension, where an anomaly Julius appeared. But since they don’t acknowledge that once we see him once again, of course I’d forget lol. I don’t know what to make of him…
Oh and same happened with Rowen during Chapter 4, where we saw for a brief moment a fractured dimension where he killed thousands of Empirios citizens to avenge Elize and Gaius. Honestly, those anomalies and dimensions are pretty good once you know the context
Then, there’s Elle. Her origin is unclear, she has special powers regarding the fractured dimensions and carries a special pocketwatch given to her by her father at the beginning of the game. Her aim is also to reach the Land of Canaan as ordered by her father. Her whole power on fractured dimensions is really intriguing
We also meet and reunite with our party from Xillia quite fast, seeing how their life has evolved and their new designs which are all super good. By now I’ve gotten used to them, but being able to see them again and grown-up was heartwarming
Oh and I could not forget: we also end up in a massive healthcare debt of like millions that we have to pay back. It’s like one of the main things of the game and honestly? It’s quite cool to see the money got from jobs and elite monsters being put to a goal, but if this fuckass girl pops up asking for money one more time…
There’s also the Spirius Corporation which is… more than fishy tbh. I don’t even know why we end up working for them later on, given how they put Ludger on the situation he finds himself in by force. I have no fucking doubt that one big guy is gonna be a disappointing villain later on. Oh and Julius also worked for them, but probably wanted to avoid that Ludger ended up in their hands too
And where am I at in the game right now? Ludger joined the “temporal agents”, had to go in his first fractured dimension where we first fought the Great Spirit Asta, met the Fractured Milla (I missed you my baby), and then fought the possessed Muzet that was the anomaly of that dimension. After getting rid of that dimension, it vanishes in thin air except for the Fractured Milla, which was somehow saved by Elle and now has to live in an unknown world. We also got our first Crossroad which leads us to the Land of Canaan, and have to find four more of them. Oh, and Julius also appeared at some point in that fractured dimension OUT OF NOWHERE, and I wish I could know what the hell is going on, but this is the norm for Tales games I guess
Oh and I could not forget, that first fight with Chronos? That shit was BRUTAL, it took us so many tries to beat him down and it almost seemed like a miracle. Really fun fight though, it felt great to overcome it. And the anime cut-in is also great for that moment
Anyways, the whole fractured dimensions thing goes really fucking hard, I really like that space-time vibe and love the possibilities it offers if embraced fully, since now they can pretty much bring back the dead characters from the previous games to cause massive angst for everyone 🙂
For the next chapter, we have Gaius join us in a fractured dimension where we fight against Wingul in a world where Gaius stepped down after his little sister committed suicide, and oh lord Gaius is FUN to play as. He is the kind of character I normally use in Tales games, and his special ability to strike back is so good. I’m really glad to see him in our party at last and getting to see new interactions take place
Afterwards, we get Muzet in the next chapter (and hopefully with that, our full party!) and learn that Julius had stolen one of the waymarker thingies and his new aim is to get Elle. I still can’t read this guy or his intentions, and while everything points out to the fact that he’s protecting his brother, his way of doing so is just… terrible, unless there’s a very good reason for it later on
Though the story chapters are being surprisingly short, it seems like the segments between chapters where we have to pay off the debt and do character stories make up most of the game’s playtime. Not that I complain, but it gets a bit repetitive after a while
Chapter 10 – Distant Thunder
Oopsies! Guess we dropped this game for… the second time and took a whole another year before we got back into it :p sorrymasen. To be honest, neither this time or the previous one was because we were specially bored of the game or anything, life just mostly came in the way and we didn’t have time to pour into a long JRPG when we have more friends to spend time with in the little breaks we get (tqm deko oomfie)
This time however we are DECIDED to see this game through until the end, and at the time I’m writing this exact paragraph we managed to get through three more chapters until chapter 13, so MAYBE this truly is the good one. It kinda saddens me that Xillia 2 ended up seeing this fate of being dropped again and again, seeing as it could possibly become one of our favourite Tales games to date, but at least we are enjoying our time with it
Anyways! Where were we? Next chapter I think it’s chapter 9 and we get sent to a fractured dimension where every soul has been digitalized except for some great spirit or whatever. Anyways, this dungeon is INSANE CAUSE IT HAS SO MANY LITTLE EASTER EGGS OF PAST TALES OF OSTS?????????????? We managed to recognize a few such as Lloyd’s theme and it seems like there was at least one OST for each past mainline game, I love it!!!!!!!!!!!
As for the main thing here, so… another trauma for our party: we be killing a fractured dimension with half a million of people’s hopes destroyed, including other versions of our party that also came to this dimension thinking they were the prime dimension. I mean… darn, that’s a heavy weight, though it’s interesting to note that Elle is the deciding factor once again in how we end up taking a different choice from another versions of our selves
ALSO LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO WE GOT TWO ROLLOS!!!!!!!! DOUBLE THE FAT CATS!!!!!!!!! I’m not sure if I’ve written anything about it here yet, but we love Rollo. We fucking love Rollo. Rollo is the best. I love my obese little kitty. I’d die for Rollo. Best Tales mascot by far, sorry Teepo and Mieu… Though we also learnt that a prime and fractured version of the same person can’t exist (I’ll miss you, fractured Rollo…)
Chapter 11 – Milla Maxwell
This chapter… Man this chapter, I swear it single-handedly restored my faith in this game. It’s so good. Anyways, we first start off by visiting… Fennmont!! I swear, this is definitely one of my favourite, if not MY FAVOURITE, place in the entirety of the Tales games. The town is just… so damn pretty, so colorful and I love the lightnings, sky color, etc… It’s such a enchanting location for Xillia to start in, and I’m glad we are finally back here
Anyways, we hear about how Milla Maxwell from the prime dimension is being blocked from entering the dimension and, in turn, we can’t go into fractured dimensions. This also leads to us learning about Exodus planning an attack to put an end to the peace diplomacy stuff and blablabla
So… we infiltrate the ship and start knocking them out. This part is actually… fantastic? It’s the first time we get a timer on our actions and it made it SOOOOOOOO much more stressful given how, at the same time, Fractured Milla is dealing with all sorts of emotions about how she will have to disappear or give up her life in order for the true Milla to come back. During this part, we constantly see her full of anxiety and horror in the victory screens and scenes and… my god, it just really hits fucking hard
And, as expected, in the end the one who we face as the one who took over the attack for their own benefit was Rideaux. God, nothing makes me happier than being finally able to punch its fucking face, but this motherfucker has some horrid plans of summoning Milla by sacrificing someone else and… yeah. This whole scene is just fucking amazing. Elle confronting Rideaux all by herself while Alvin and Jude are being restrained and Ludger trying to hold onto Fractured Milla so she doesn’t fall off………. god it’s SO GOOD. And in the end, Fractured Milla tells Ludger to take care of Elle and falls… giving her life so that the Milla that we know comes back and punches Rideaux just as he deserves
Man, I thought I needed to learn more about the Fractured Milla to care more about her but… this whole chapter? Goddamn, this whole chapter was so good and did so many wonders to her character that I just ended up liking her so much that actually seeing her go away like this hurt me in the core of my soul. I love Milla and yet, I was sadder to see Fractured Milla go than to see the real Milla come back… man… (and tbh, the real Milla has ‘died’ and ‘gone away’ so many times at this point…)
But gosh, Elle’s reactions to see HER Milla wither away and not being able to accept Milla Maxwell… it hurts, it really hurts and I love the angst of these scenes. I swear, Elle makes this game so good. She’s the gear that ties everyone together as a found family, and we can’t do nothing but comfort her as her big brother Ludger
Man, I swear, what a chapter… I really do hope the game keeps getting better and better from this point onward cause they have such a good rhythm going right now
https://twitter.com/susatoss/status/1796003841814466663
As for the side stories, which I haven’t been talking much about lately, I really liked the segment of Rowen’s side story here where we find a world where Nachtigal didn’t stray from his path simply because of a gift of his sister. Rowen and him were such good friends (old men yaoi) and it hurts to see what ended up happening between the two of them. Gaius’ side story in this segment also goes down a similar way, in a fractured world where Gaius and his companions were victorious and, due to their attitude, Gaius realises that they thought of him as a friend and not only a boss that they would give up their life for, which… is what happened in the actual storyline </3
Chapter 12 – Elle and I
…Another hard hitting chapter huh? We are on our way to the final waymarker, and what a surprise it turns out to be: this fractured dimension is set in the future, a future with spyrites and where the main party has all been killed in Epsilla Lake. And what do we find in Epsilla Lake? None other than… Elle’s father and her home
What? WHAT??? It couldn’t be her real father, right? The man that we’ve been searching all along… he couldn’t be here already so soon, right? AND THERE’S NO WAY HE’S LUDGER WITH A BLACK MASK FROM A FRACTURED DIMENSION, RIGHT??????????????? And, while it’s implied since the beginning and took it as truth, it’s finally confirmed here that Elle is the true Key of Kresnik and the one that allows Ludger to transform, so whenever she isn’t around or holding the clock, we can’t turn
Well, what a damn twist. Turns out we’re correct about Victor. There’s SO MUCH to unpack here. Like, genuinely, I’ve been thinking about everything that transpired here ever since cause it’s SOOOOOOOOOO big. Victor is a fractured version of Ludger of a dimension set in the future, so Ludger’s daughter in the future would be Elle. Not only that, but he’s the one who ended up killing the entire party, his brother and his father (I have a feeling I know who this dad is…). I SWEAR TO GOD if this is what the bad ending of the game revolves around I’ll actually lose my mind, PLEASE PLEASE make it happen
His plan now: killing Ludger and taking his place in the prime dimension, making him technically able to be reborn and rebirth Elle in the prime dimension as well. It’s a bit convoluted so I’m not sure I understand, since I thought he could likely just kill Ludger and take his place in the prime dimension with Elle, but it seems his goal is the Land of Canaan and Origin’s Trial, which he has already tried and turned out he couldn’t be granted his wish since he was from a fractured dimension. From there, it seems Bisley tried to take Elle to sacrifice her and that’s why Victor killed him, Julius and everyone else. We likely will learn the deeper reasons for all of this later on, but what a huge reveal
It seems that also, for the means of executing this plan, he sent Elle to the prime dimension until the main party would come back to this exact point in this fractured dimension. Holy shit. Of course, we have to battle to the death now with him, but man.
I’m actually surprised Victor died here, I thought this would carry on for longer. Honestly, the fact that we get thrown SO MUCH at us suddenly and it cuts out like that without even learning more about Victor… is a letdown. I really do hope it doesn’t end here, since there’s so much to unpack and deepen. There’s just… so much to think about, from Ludger being the same person as Victor, Ludger’s father; Elle being the key and daughter of Ludger and getting corrupted from too much Chromatus use; and Julius’ role in all of this. And, of course, Elle is deeply traumatized from these events and seeing her father die in front of her after chasing after him for SO LONG
My god, I cannot explain to you how much Elle and Ludger mean to me right now. In Ludger’s case, I just really liked him as a protagonist and he reminded me a lot of Adol since they act in very similar manners as silent protagonists, but I’m starting to realise he might even be my favourite new Xillia 2 character. And Elle as well, she’s the key to everything: from plot, events and even the gear that keeps the party running and together as a found family. She’s my child and I’d do anything to protect her, and just as Ludger, she’s easily my favourite part of the entire game (just like Rollo). When you stop to think about it, just from having Ludger, Elle and Rollo here… it’s making my experience with Xillia 2 so infinitely better
Anyways, on a lighter note: did you know there’s an alternate dash for Ludger when he stops DOING A BACKFLIP? Well, it’s been our favourite thing ever since we discovered it and haven’t been able to stop making jokes about it. So… the moment we reached a skit here where LUDGER STARTS MAKING BACKFLIPS OUT OF NOWHERE TO CATCH JUDE’S ATTENTION……….. holy shit we burst out laughing, I cannot fucking believe the game made our little joke of Ludger backflipping EVERYWHERE at ANYTIME canon
Also can I just mention how Rideaux’s battle theme and now Victor’s battle themes were all unexpectedly bangers? I didn’t have much faith in the OST but it’s surprising me so far
Also Alvin’s episode during this segment… Man that hurts, knowing that in an ideal world he may have been able to be happy and engaged with Presa. Having to face his previous self really gets the right emotional beat for his character, now that he has matured. And Milla’s episode proposing the Milla Kresnik thing… hmmmm… what are they cooking… (also Aska’s personality here lmao?? run away Jude)
Chapter 13 – The Promised Land Appears
Well, this is a short episode, which is kind of a letdown after how hard the previous chapters have gone, but we still get some huge drops here. At last, we summon our way to the Land of Canaan with our waymarkers, and what do we get? The most hallowed creepy FUCKING FETUS IN THE SKY (and a dope anime cutscene, I missed those! everyone looks SO good)
Oh, and of course, Chronos has to appear to get in our way. He is carrying a defeated Julius, who warn us of our opponent who… we beat a few times before, so I think we will be fine. It’s kinda funny that Chronos being the spirit of time is something that the party wasn’t aware of already, given how his name, appearance and origin gives it away lol
Bisley appears and stops Chronos, and… damn. Okay. I don’t trust this bitch, and I have never done so since the beginning. I just know he’s gonna take Elle to Canaan and use her by himself just like Victor predicted. If the bad ending is coming, I just KNOW we are going to beat everyone to death to rescue Elle, and that’s gonna go hard as fuck
Anyways, as for the character episodes, Gaius’ this time was really sweet and I love the fact that we get to see him in the position of a normal person among friends instead of all of his formalities. The camera gift from his friends and photo at the end was sooooooo sweet too, but it’s a shame that the heartwarming stuff doesn’t last and, instead, we will end up having to see Gaius make a harsh decision later on. As for Jude’s episode, I love that we end up helping Celsius, I like her character
Chapter 14 – The Mission Complete
Okay, okay, this one starts with a heavy drop of lore. So, Origin’s Trial is just a game created by Chronos, Maxwell and Origin to test humanity and see if they could surpass it before a million fractured dimensions surfaced? And the chromatus was granted to the Kresnik family as a means of measure how humanity uses it before it takes over their desires? I mean, this last point links to how this power ends up corrupting the users themselves, so… man… So pretty much all of our problems are derived from this stupid trial that the spirits put before us in order to measure humanity
And… the Key of Kresnik from the prime dimension was actually Bisley’s wife? Goddamn, so she passed away in Bisley’s battle against Chronos in the past, and… hold on. They mention an elder son running away. And since they are a line of Kresnik’s lineage… Isn’t this most likely Julius who took his brother Ludger with him? I swear to god when this reveal drops shit is gonna hit the fan. I hate the fact that it’s fucking Rideaux who tells us all this, I just wanna punch his face already. Even Elle calls us from Canaan telling us that she will fix everything even though she’s going to be manipulated by Bisley, AAAAAAAAAAAHG
Okay so, what’s next? We are definitely going to be rebel so, getting attacked by the Spirius Corporation? Well yes, but not before Milla (or Jude) puts us to the test… for no much of a real apparent reason? But I love me a 1vs1 any time. I like that I chose Milla for this duel though, since she’s the one who would definitely want to put our resolve to the test to see if we are ready for what’s to come, and knowing that the duel with Julius (and the bad ending) approaches, I think I know what’s gonna happen…
Now we infiltrate the lower levels, right where we started the game with Julius’ exam, and man… I just love the theme they use here, it’s one of my favourite themes from Xillia 1, ‘A World in Between’. At the end of the dungeon we face none other than… Rideaux and Ivar again. Okay. The most punchable faces in all of this game, reunited in one place? Sign me up. Ivar being here doesn’t really make much sense, but hey, I’m kinda starting to like the guy since he’s a bit tamer than before, but hopefully this means the end of his antics
Overall, it’s not like this chapter did much, but it’s setting up the stage for what’s coming, especially a real important tidbit that closes the chapter: we need to sacrifice a member of the Kresnik family in order to reach the Land of Canaan. For example, Rideaux is becoming a sacrifice for Bisley to reach the land of Canaan since Rideaux is a Kresnik too, apparently. So what does this mean for us? The long awaited angsty duel between Ludger and Julius… man. MAN.
Also I think Leia’s story ends here? It’s a bit sad that there wasn’t much more to her story in comparison to the others, but I loved seeing her being able to get closer to her dream of becoming a journalist and she seems to be doing better than ever. And man, Muzet’s story is getting so entertaining! I love that she’s trying so hard to be better friends with everyone and has so many funny lines and reactions, I’m starting to like her a LOOOOOOOOOOT more than I expected, she’s such a REAL one… even if she still has some out of pocket moments to fit the horny quota for the game I guess
Chapter 15 – Brothers Forever
Okay, not gonna lie… I kinda postponed writing about this part since I had a LOT TO SAY. Like, A LOT, and I just can only say: goddamn it’s peak. I’ve finished the game at the time of writing this, so allow me to go through my reactions of this stupidly great chapter
It’s time for the 1vs1 duel of Julius and Ludger that was predestined since the opening. I knew this moment would eventually come, and I knew it was gonna be peak, but MAN they really went all out for it, and the alternate route that the bad ending provides just makes it hurt even more
It’s such a cruel fate that Julius, who initially wanted to take revenge against Bisley and the rest of his family, ended up becoming so attached to Ludger that it made his goal shift to protect Ludger from the Kresnik family curse… and ending up finding himself in a position where he had to oppose him to avoid a greater danger for Ludger. And now……. he has to give up his life to make a bridge to Canaan to make our wish and save Elle
Honestly, the entire Kresnik family stuff is so goddamn interesting and it kind of makes me sad that it’s never explored properly in-game and instead we get to know some parts through sidequests and books. Julius and Ludger both being sons of Bisley that, indirectly, are manipulated by him as tools is such a strong concept for it just to be never mentioned outright in the game, even in the final boss
Bad Ending
So… we now get a heartbreaking moment: we have to choose between dueling against Julius one final time, or refuse to face that fate and save him. This bad ending goes hard as fuck, I absolutely love it. It’s painful to no end how we have to keep on choosing to protect Julius no matter what, until Ludger loses it and has to face the entire party
The cutscene for this goes ABSOLUTELY crazy, I love how Ludger goes to face everyone, clashes swords with Gaius at the top, and Jude and Milla prepare to face him at full force. It’s such a BRUTAL battle too, easily the most difficult battle I had to face in the entire game: we are alone as Ludger with no partner link against EIGHT enemies that consist of our own allies with their full arsenal of combos, links and even their mystic arte. It easily took me a whole hour until I could finally beat it, and honestly it’s completely fitting that such a battle takes the honor of being the hardest one in the entire main game: it’s stupidly cruel
When I first witnessed this ending, I was completely sure that it meant this is the path the fractured Ludger, Victor, took in their own fractured world. Ludger has killed the entire party in order to save someone, but the difference here is that instead of being Elle, it’s Julius. And gosh, I swear to god their fraternal bond makes me wanna scream, they are such good brothers and it breaks my heart to see both of them going to such lengths just to keep the other safe. To the point where Ludger would even kill with his own hands the allies that helped him so far. And gosh, the anime cutscene after the battle is over is so… disturbing, but beautiful. I really love this ending, it shows a side of Ludger that was only present through Victor, but it shows what he’s capable of doing for his loved ones. Julius changed his whole life to protect Ludger, and Ludger would do the same back for him.
And knowing how the main story goes: it breaks my heart that this is probably the world Julius wished for. To stay with his brother and abandon their world-crushing duty. And don’t get me started on the Song 4 U arrangement in the credits, I was this close to tears
Now, back to the main story… we get our long awaited duel with Julius and its masterful track: For the Sake of Mutual Proof. This being a remix of the Hymn of Proof but in the form of a battle theme… gosh I could start sobbing at any moment
We get to see Julius activate his chromatus, and… we pierce through him with our mystic arte as well. It’s so fucking good man, it’s so good… I just love this chapter aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Now we are sent to a fractured dimension and… you know what this means, right? AND MAN, IT FUCKING HIT ME SO HARD TO HEAR LUDGER TALKING FULL SENTENCES FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND IT’S IN A WORLD WHERE HIM AND JULIUS CAN LIVE A CHEERFUL LIFE TOGETHER WITH NO ANGST. AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH
And now we get hit by the most heartbreaking anime cutscene ever. I swear to god this almost made us bawl. I cannot put into words how many feels are in this scene. I love Ludger, I love Julius, I love their bond and I love ROLLO. And the end with Julius humming the Hymn of Proof to Ludger in such a calming tone… yeah, it’s over for me. I am a sea of tears
Go and create your perfect world.
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Final Character Episodes
Time for the final character episodes! Not gonna lie, it kinda killed the pacing for me a bit since I was SOOOOOOOO ready to go dive into the final chapter after the peak that chapter 15 was, but oh well these were pretty interesting as well so no more complains from me
First there’s Gaius’, which ends with him having to deal with this political affair as a friend to them, and also as king of Rieze Maxia. I really ended up liking this storyline in the end, and seeing a more friendly and human side to Gaius boosted my opinion of him a lot, which was already great to begin with. Let’s hope he can take a new photo in the future with his friends…
Then there’s Muzet’s final episode and… god she really is such a real one. I ended up liking her a lot more thanks to her storyline, and I just love how she wants to be better friends with everyone alongside Milla
Then we have Rowen’s, where he gets himself caught in another political struggle, though he anticipated it. The storyline ends with Elize and Milla confronting him about his will, and it’s revealed that he has prepared multiple notes and plans for the future of the nations if he ever passes away, and that he isn’t ready to die any time soon. It wraps up with a little dinner invitation and honestly a lot more heartwarming than I expected, I really like Rowen as our mandatory old Tales party guy
Next we have Milla’s final episode where we head to a fractured dimension to learn more about this Milla Kresnik from the past that had a relationship with Maxwell and… GOSH WE ARE BACK TO THE FINAL DUNGEON OF XILLIA 1 THAT HAD MY FAVOURITE TRACK IN THE ENTIRE GAME!!!!!!!!! LET’S FUCKING GO!!!!!!!!!!! Also I love this little trio of silly guys, this game made WONDERS for Jude and Milla’s relationship and made me love them more than ever, but throw Ludger into the mix as well and you have the perfect poly… I just love them so much man…
Now back to the episode, we fight Maxwell again just like in Xillia 1. We get some big lore drops here and there about Milla Kresnik and how she was a free-spirited person that ended up cozying up with Maxwell and wished for a world like the one we are building now. We also fight a dark Muzet again, since apparently in this fractured dimension she has taken over the great four spirits in Milla’s stead. At the end, Milla reminisces about this Milla Kresnik and how her current relationship with Jude is similar to what happened in the past, but looks onwards regardless. Man… I love them so much I wish they could just live happily together…
Next it’s Elize’s episode and man… it starts off strong with a fractured dimension where Jiao, the killer of her parents, is her legal guardian and father in this world. If that’s not disturbing enough, it seems he actually is a great father to Elize in this timeline too, so aaauuughhhhhh. Then, in the end, he is corrupted by the divergence catalyst and has to be killed in a bloodshed he caused just to get the materials for the gift Elize wanted… It’s tough man, it really is fucking tough. The children in this game truly do not get a single break, my poor Elize…
Alvin’s episode is much shorter for a change, but shows a great deal of development of his character since Xillia 1 and how he managed to make up with his business partner (…and maybe romantic partner heh). They throw a party to celebrate and overall it’s a heartwarming scene, I’m happy for him
And finally as character episodes go, we have Jude’s which puts the seal in the whole plot with Celsius, who I actually really like as a character and I’m glad she got fleshed out. This final episode was amazing as well, and gave me SO MUCH cute Jude and Milla content too… Normally I wouldn’t even bat an eye to a relationship like this, but the queer layers to them makes it SOOOOOOOOOOOO good
And thanks to this episode and Celsius’ relationship in the past with the father of spirit arts, Jude is closer than ever to figuring out spyrites and finish up that research he sought to see realised to change the world ever since Xillia 1 and, man, I love that development and being able to see this goal being realised. It’s even better given that it all ties back to spirits, artes and the worldbuilding that the games have been doing since the beginning, so I REAAAAAAAAAAAALLY really like how it came to this!
AND AT LAST! We have the bonus episode to talk about as well, so hehe! This one seems to focus a bit on Ivar, and honestly? Even though I’ve hated his guts for most of the game, I like his appearance here and I’m liking him a lot more since Xillia 2. Anyways, for this chapter, we have to fight some elemental golems that are being developed from Rieze Maxia as weapons to stand equal to Elympios in political arrangements, but it seems they’ve ended up in the wrong hands
Ivar, actually, saves the day by finding somehow Maxwell’s summon crystal which Jude uses and manages to make a pact with fucking Maxwell himself, which brings him EVEN closer to the goal of spyrites. And can you guess what? The Hymn of Proof is used here once again, and it seems it originated with Milla Kresnik… man, I love these connections. Hymn of Proof being a centerpiece to these emotional moments and the underlying layers of it being used to show affection…….. man…….
Also look at these sillies
Chapter 16 – The Gates of Judgment
As a little side note, you can get some items from Julius, Elle and Bisley if you managed to raise their affection enough and we got Julius! BUT NOT ELLE’S?????????????? WHEN I’VE LITERALLY ALWAYS TRIED TO CHOOSE THE ELLE OPTIONS WHENEVER I COULD, I’M SO SAD, MY POOR DAUGHTER. On that same note, after the episodes, we get to see Julius’ room and his last note to us and… man I’m broken… he was prepared for this since the beginning. Let me just say though, Julius’ glasses look FANTASTIC in Ludger, as if he was supposed to look like this since the beginning. These are STAYING for the rest of the playthrough now
So, we’re heading to the Land of Canaan for real now. It’s a but of a labyrinthic dungeon but there’s not much to it, I kinda wish it was longer and had a few more gimmicks, but honestly I must admit I was dying to get to the end at last. Also, we finally unlocked our first dual mystic arte, with Milla in fact, AND YOU’RE TELLING ME LUDGER MAKES SOME CRAZY ASS BACKFLIPS AS HIS VICTORY SCREEN? THE BACKFLIPS LORE KEEPS GROWING
Regardless, we are finally here, the Gates of Judgment. Bisley is confronting Chronos in here, and we crash the party to join the Chronos ass-kicking. Time for our final duel with our lovely kitty time great spirit, who I’m REAAAAAAALLY liking after these reveals of protecting Origin itself, who is draining the miasma from humanity into itself. I knew since the beginning he was not going to be the actual final boss and rather a prelude to it, which I really like in fact, since he opposes the party from a hatred for humanity lingering from external reasons, which we discovered to be the suffering inflicted on Origin
After more sickass cutscenes, here it is: Bisley, as the strongest chromatus user, uses this moment of weakness after we defeat Chronos to impale him WHILE ALSO IMPALING ELLE IN THE PROCESS TO USE HER POWER AND HOLY FUCK??????? THIS IS SO RAW BUT I ALSO WANT TO KICK HIS ASS SO HARD NOW, BUT I’M GLAD THIS WENT THIS HARD TO CEMENT HIM AS THE TRUE FINAL BOSS WE DESERVE
Though, not gonna lie, I was expecting to fight Bisley, but not that he was gonna be our true final boss. I was actually expecting a third fight here with someone else with, who knows, maybe even Origin, but now that I’ve finally played through this I can say… Bisley is honestly a perfect final boss for our story with Ludger, THOUGH WHY DID THEY NOT EVER OUTRIGHT STATE THAT BISLEY WAS LUDGER AND JULIUS’ FATHER? It makes it so much better for the whole Kresnik and family themes of the game, but it was kinda left for the player to figure out instead of being used as material for these scenes. It makes me kinda sad, but I guess I can also understand the importance of the hidden lore
Anyways, after seeing Bisley toy with Elle’s life like this, this can’t stay like this, right? No no, we are going to beat his ass, and we are going to beat him INTO OBLIVION. Our Elle is the real deal, our actual daughter, and we will fight to defend her. God, these cutscenes are going SO HARD, I’M LOVING THIS
Gosh, this fight has hands. This motherfucker has an instant mystic arte that he can spam and TOTALLY DELETE US IN ONE SINGLE PUNCH. Not only that, but we also forgot to replenish on Life Bottles so… let’s just say this fight became a tad more intense than intended, and I kinda loved it too. And right in the middle of it, we get a little cutscene where our clock gets destroyed by Bisley and…
MAN!!!!!!!!!!! MY FAVOURITE FOUND FAMILY!!!!!!!!! THEY RAN TO EACH OTHER SCREAMING THEIR NAME, AND HEARING LUDGER CALL OUT TO HER THAT LOUDLY…… MAN…….. MAAAAAAAN……….. THIS IS THE PERFECT MOMENT TO FINALLY PLAY MY FAVOURITE TRACK OF THE GAME, RIGHT? THAT ONE TRACK I’VE BEEN WAITING TO HEAR FOR TWO YEARS EVER SINCE WE BEGAN THE GAME, AND THE ONE I’VE HAD TO AVOID LISTEN IN FULL JUST SO I COULD HEAR IT IN ITS FULL GLORY IN-GAME, RIGHT?????????????
YES!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, IT’S HERE, ‘IF IT’S FOR YOU ~SONG 4 U~’ IS FINALLY PLAYING HERE, RIGHT IN TIME TO KICK THE FINAL BOSS WITH OUR FULL CHROMATUS AFTER SAVING ELLE. Gosh, I genuinely let out such a loud scream the moment I saw this scene and heard the music playing, this has literally being the moment I have been waiting to see in the game for two whole years, and gosh they did NOT disappoint. Though, I’m not a huge fan of the full Chromatus design… I kinda wish it was like Ludger’s Spirit Gear from Rays :3
After kicking his ass with our final Mystic Arte, Eternal Waltz, Bisley says his last words while punching the fractured dimension counter and dripping blood, and then collapses into his death. What a raw death for the one pulling the strings since the beginning
Now it’s finally time, we have to call out for Origin and make our wish
Now, our final dilemma begins. Wishing away the fractured dimensions, dooming Elle in the process? Or wish for Elle’s safety but dooming the entire world in the process? …Or, sacrificing Ludger by becoming a divergent catalyst ourselves?
Normal Ending
So… we definitely wanted to choose the options to save Elle, but we somehow got in the route of Elle deciding to sacrifice herself for us, so we got the Normal (Ludger) ending instead… and let me just say, I’m so extremely sad
This ending definitely doesn’t have as much care put into it as the true ending, and it really puts in your face that you chose wrong by giving you the normal credits. It ends with an anime cutscene of a Ludger that has become president of Spirius, and meets with Elle’s mother, Lara Mel Marta, and starts crying when he meets her
This ending would heavily remind anyone of Victor’s fate, and instead of focusing on the Elle we met, it focuses on the Elle that will be born in the future as the ””’real””’ daugther of the Ludger in the prime dimension. Overall, I agree that it is not the correct path, but it’s nice to see what the other outcome holds even if they didn’t totally commit to it
True Ending
And so… what does the true ending hold then? If we want to save Elle, what can we even do except doom the world? Well, here’s an option that I was not even aware myself and that absolutely broke me once I realised what was happening: Ludger. Ludger would sacrifice himself. He would give everything up just to see his daughter Elle live
‘Go and create your perfect world’ and such world is one where his daughter can freely live unchained from the Kresnik curse……………. ohhhh I’m gonna be so sick I love them so much what the fuck I will start sobbing
The fact that we have to see everybody watch this scene in agony, unable to do anything as they have to accept Ludger’s final wish to save Elle by sacrificing himself… oh man I think I was this close to fucking crying, but the fact that HE STARTS HUMMING THE HYMN OF PROOF TO ELLE AS HE DISAPPEARS AND MILLA AND MUZET LEAVE WHILE LOOKING ONE LAST TIME AT THEIR BELOVEDS………. OH MAN I’M NOT OKAY I’M NOT FUCKING OKAY
After this, credits roll and… yeah. A rendition of Hymn of Proof that would get anyone on their knees crying, but also with the most heartbreaking artworks that almost robbed me of all my tears in the spot. This game is going to destroy me
Every picture is absolutely heartwarming and emotional at the same levels, but that last picture… that last shot of Ludger and Elle in the full party photo… I’m actually going to sob for the rest of my life
But this is not the end. We get a final anime cutscene of a grown-up Elle, whose costume pays homage to Ludger’s design. Rollo is now an older cat that EVEN HAD KIDS!!! POLLO!!!!!!!!!! I CANNOT ACTUALLY BELIEVE ROLLO WAS SO FUCKING GOOD THAT WE GOT A SEQUEL ROLLO 2: POLLO. In all seriousness, this is such a parting scene for the game, giving us one last look at how the party is doing through Elle, and how she’s living in the ‘perfect’ world that Ludger created for her
Post-game
Alright… alright… we kind of still have some content to do, like the post-game dungeon, cameo battles (woohoo we get to see Mint, Rutee, Stahn and Cless!) and paying our full debt. This will require some farming and I’m not even sure if I’m willing to go through it, but there are two other silly endings waiting for us there so… maybe in the future…?
Oh and we got all 100 cats by the way, it’s what they deserve
Music
Back when I played Xillia 1, while I did love the soundtrack and thought it had lots of bangers, I felt like it paled in comparison to the gems from Symphonia or Abyss. Xillia 2, while keeping a similar profile to Xillia 1, manages to deliver a fantastic soundtrack through the use of the best songs from the past game while even more bangers and amazing battle themes to its selection. I kneel, Motoi Sakuraba
And let’s not forget the incredible cohesion and use of ‘Hymn of Proof’ and ‘Song 4 U’ across the entire soundtrack, that’s definitely the highlight of the entire game for me and manages to give it such an incredible identity
My conclusion
What a ride, huh? If I wasn’t clear enough through my ramble, I see Xillia 2 as a complete upgrade to Xillia 1 that manages to use its new and old elements very cleverly While the first chapters are a bit tough to go through at first, when the game does catch up, it starts delivering great moments at a constant rate
Ludger, Elle and Rollo as the main centric point of the entire story was my favourite part about Xillia 2 by far. I’m absolutely in love with this little found family and their dynamics, and I was so attached to them by the end of the game that every emotional beat managed to deliver its hit even harder
The Xillia 1 cast being set a bit to the side but still getting their own spotlights and moments was the best use for them, I feel. I got even more attached to Jude and Milla this way, and trust me when I say I already loved them LOTS since Xillia 1, but seeing them through the eyes of Ludger instead of as protagonists did wonders for them
And let’s not forget Gaius and Muzet as well. I already liked them a lot back in Xillia 1, even though the ending did them a bit dirty, but this game managed to show what great characters they are and what a magnificent addition to the party they are too. I know there were plans to have them join since Xillia 1, so I’m glad it was realised in this game since it elevated my opinion of them by a lot and brought out lots of new great dynamics in the party
I gotta say, I’m a bit sad Fractured Milla never ended up returning in some form after her sacrifice, and while I do understand the game tries to convey this point of the weight of loss of fractured dimensions and how the morals get twisted in this gray dilemma of saving them or destroying them, I just wish we had one final nod for her before the end of the game. I do love how they played the dynamic between her and Elle though
On that same topic, the same goes for Victor. He kind of went away too fast after all the build up, and while his chapter was fantastic and brought out lots of great points about the fractured dimensions and Ludget himself, I kinda wish we got more information on his backstory since it ties heavily with Ludger’s future in the endings
Anyways, on the topic of Ludger, did you know he’s incredibly fun to play and I’ll probably miss him in the entirety of the rest of Tales games we’ve yet to tackle? The weapon swap mechanic is already amazing on its own, but his artes and playstyle is so damn fun to play with… Plus the Chromatus being such a great mechanic to turn the tables on your favour. I’ll definitely miss the Xillia gameplay in other Tales games, it definitely stands there as one of my favourite alongside Berseria
Oh and hey! Who could have seen this coming! ONCE AGAIN, MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER IN A TALES GAME EVEN UP BEING DOOMED TO SOME SORT OF DEATH OR DISAPPEARANCE. Milla was the one in Xillia 1 (and 2 as well), and this time… it’s Ludger. With a straight-up death on the ending. Save me from these series man… as if it wasn’t enough with SPOILER ALERT: Kratos, Ion, Asch and Eizen already… But still, his sacrifice for Elle and the world just cements the character as one of my favourite even harder. He would give up everything for her loved ones just like his brother Julius did, and I swear I love these siblings and ‘father and daughter’ relations so much
And of course, Elle is my other favourite character who… is doomed in pretty much every other ending except the true one. This poor girl has gone through the horrors, hell, gehenna and back. Everything around her is completely set up to absolutely scar her, from the death of her father in front of her, the sacrifice of F!Milla just to see her live, and finally Ludger’s sacrifice (carrying Julius’ sacrifice too) in order to save her one last time from her doomed fate. I love found families man, and I’m so incredibly broken that she had to go through all this and still lose most of those dear to her
Though, I’m still not entirely sure if it has become my favourite Tales game to date or not, since I’ve always had an incredibly hard time deciding which one I like best. Before Xillia 2, I already was confused on whether I liked Symphonia, Abyss or Berseria better, and now Xillia 2 joins in the war as a new contestant. All of these games mean a lot to me, and since they all have their own strenths and weaknesses (putting apart the usual Tales jank), it becomes impossible to decide. Maybe I’ll start saying this one is my favourite just to feel different and unique among the fandom…?
This post has been cooking ever since 2022 but it’s only now in 2024 that it’s gotten this long, like 85% of its length has been summoned now. There’s so much I still want to say about Tales of Xillia 2, it ended up meaning a lot more than I expected to me, and even though it took us this long to finally beat it, that wait somehow has made it even better since it now feels like closing a long chapter with one of my favourite Tales games to date
Silvy 