Game intel
Tales of Xillia Remastered
Tales of Xillia follows Jude Mathis, a clever medical student attending school in the capital city, and Milla Maxwell, a mysterious woman accompanied by four u…
Tales of Xillia being remastered and finally landing on modern hardware caught my attention because, frankly, this one’s been trapped on the PS3 for over a decade. For a series that loves its re-releases, Xillia has weirdly been missing in action while Vesperia and Symphonia made the jump (with very mixed results). Now Bandai Namco is opening digital pre-orders for Tales of Xillia Remastered ahead of its October 31, 2025 launch on Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. That’s great news-if the remaster does more than slap a sharper coat of paint on a beloved 2011 classic.
The basics: Tales of Xillia Remastered updates visuals and cutscenes, includes the series’ Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System, folds in a mountain of legacy DLC (costumes, items, and other fan-favorite extras), and adds quality-of-life tweaks like autosave and earlier access to the Grade Shop. There’s also a Digital Deluxe Edition with an 81-track soundtrack, a digital artbook, a Battle BGM pack, and an in-game “Super Growth Support Herb Set.” All pre-orders get a Super Adventuring Assistance Set with various support items.
From a content perspective, this is the right way to remaster a JRPG: bundle the DLC, tighten the rough edges, and don’t mess with the combat DNA. The dual protagonists-Milla Maxwell and Jude Mathis—remain a strong hook, with overlapping but distinct perspectives on a story that was originally the series’ 15th anniversary project. If you missed it the first time, Xillia’s setup is classic Tales: spirits, mana, a kingdom playing with powers it doesn’t fully understand, and a party that grows into a found family along the way.
Here’s where I pump the brakes. The announcement talks about enhanced cutscenes and “graphical updates” to the battle system, but it doesn’t say what really matters to players in 2025: target frame rate, resolution, load times, and platform-specific features. The original Xillia felt great because of its responsive combat, with linked partners and chained artes flowing into Link Artes that popped off with a satisfying snap. That flow lives and dies on frame pacing. If Bandai Namco wants to win over returning fans and first-timers alike, the bar is clear—60fps, full-stop, across exploration and combat where possible, with clean image quality and faster loads.
PC players will want proper settings (resolution scaling, texture filtering, key rebinding, uncapped or at least stable frame-rate options, and ideally ultrawide support). Console players will want a simple performance vs. resolution toggle if they have to choose. And Switch players? Give us a stable handheld experience that preserves battle responsiveness; a shaky docked mode that looks soft and runs unevenly would be a heartbreaker.
Why the caution? Because Tales of Symphonia Remastered shipped with disappointing performance and a handful of technical hiccups that soured what should’ve been a victory lap. Vesperia: Definitive Edition, by contrast, was a reminder that when Bandai gets it right, a Tales remaster can sing. Xillia deserves the latter treatment.
Autosave is a no-brainer win in a JRPG that can eat dozens of hours. Earlier access to the Grade Shop is the interesting one. Traditionally, Grade lets you tweak New Game+ with bonuses you’ve earned through your first run. Letting players dip into it earlier could be fantastic for experimenting with builds—but it also risks flattening the difficulty curve if it’s too generous. Ideally, it’s opt-in and clearly labeled so first-timers don’t accidentally trivialize the experience.
Including the original DLC—especially costumes—is the right move and adds real replay value. Tales games have always leaned into cosmetic fun, and Xillia’s cast (Jude, Milla, Alvin, Leia, Elize/Teepo, Rowen, and beyond) suits the dress-up energy. The Deluxe Edition’s digital artbook and massive 81-track OST are the meaningful bonuses; the “support herb” bundle and pre-order assistance set are less exciting. I’m not a fan of power items as a pre-order incentive in a story-driven RPG. Give me cosmetics and music all day—leave the stat bumps out of the checkout flow.
Assuming the remaster nails responsiveness, yes. Xillia’s Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System centers on linking characters to trigger support abilities and unleash Link Artes—special finishers that make crowd control and boss pressure feel dynamic. Jude’s evasive maneuvers and Milla’s elemental artes complement each other; pair-ups like Alvin’s heavy hits or Leia’s item play keep encounters varied. It’s fast, readable, and encourages experimentation. Modern Tales entries have layered on systems since, but Xillia’s focus on team synergy remains a sweet spot between complexity and flow.
The Tales back catalog is slowly coming together on current platforms, and Xillia filling that PS3-era gap is huge for preservation and for fans who joined the series later with Arise. It also invites the obvious next question: if Xillia lands cleanly, does Xillia 2 follow? That duology deserves to be playable front to back without digging a decade into old hardware. If Bandai Namco wants to build long-term momentum for Tales, consistent, high-quality remasters are part of that strategy.
Tales of Xillia Remastered is a smart, overdue move with the right bullet points—modern platforms, bundled DLC, and useful QoL. But the real test will be performance and options. If Bandai Namco delivers a stable, crisp remaster that respects the combat flow and avoids pay-to-skip pitfalls, Xillia could finally get the wider audience it always deserved.
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