Hands On Tales Of Xillia 2’s Battle System

Namco Bandai brought a Tales of Xillia 2 demo to Tokyo Game Show and Siliconera got a chance to try it. The demo begins with a choice either taking Millia or Jude in your party. You can press L1 or R1 to make a decision as if you were choosing Ludger’s path in one of Tales of Xillia 2′ scenario shifting events. This, of course, doesn’t affect the story and is only for the demo.

Elise and Alvin who punched out another character to take the key to the Askold Food Factory were also in my group. My goal was to find a spirit here so I ran through the small rooms with Ludger and Jude. Guards patrol the hallways and if you touch one of them you switch into battle mode.

Tales of Xillia 2 has free run and a system where you can attack in tandem with another character. By using the directional buttons you can decide if you want Ludger to attack with Jude or Alvin. The circle button is for normal attacks and the X button is for artes. Just like other Tales games you can change the arte you use by adding a directional input. All of that was in Tales of Xillia, though.

New for Tales of Xillia 2 is the weapon shift system. When you’re playing as Ludger you can switch between using swords, a pair of pistols, and a huge hammer. You can rotate weapons by pressing L1+R1 or L1+R2 to rotate backwards. Having three types of weapons makes Ludger a versatile character. I tried some fights staying away from enemies and attacking with my pistols while Alvin rushed the enemies. The hammer is a slower weapon, but it has more range than the swords which is like the standard Tales protagonist weapon. I like the idea of changing weapons and characters in the heat of battle. Most battles ended in seconds so I *didn’t* have to switch weapons. I think the Tales team designed this mechanic more for boss fights where I alternated between the heavy hitting hammer and the pistols when I wanted to get out of the boss’ attack range. Ludger also has the ability to transform (L3 + R3), which pretty much makes him unstoppable for a limited amount of time.

The Tales of Xillia 2 demo has a surprise at the end, but it might be a spoiler for people that haven’t played Tales of Xillia so I guess I shouldn’t reveal it? Hmm… well if you want to know what it is highlight this text: Jirando was the boss at the end.