Namco Bandai announced at the Japan Expo in Paris today that it will bring Tales of Xillia, the thirteenth mothership entry in its Tales role-playing game series, to North America, Europe (EMEA territories), and Australia in 2013.
During a stage event at the expo, series producer Hideo Baba said “there’s a good chance” the west will see Tales of Xillia 2, scheduled for November 1 in Japan, if sales of Xillia perform well.
“The recent success for last autumn’s release of Tales of the Abyss and the anticipated release of Tales of Graces f and its exclusive European Edition has helped make localizing Tales of Xillia for the western market one of the easiest decisions we have ever made,” said Carlson Choi, VP of Marketing for Namco Bandai Games America Inc. “The latest game in this prolific series gives gamers a brand new world and cast of characters to adventure with along with its celebrated battle system that has yet to be rivaled by other Japanese RPGs.”
Here’s a rundown of the story, courtesy of Namco Bandai:
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 unseen beings. Players will be able to choose either Milla or Jude at the outset of their adventure through the world of Rieze Maxia, where humans and spirits live together in harmony. The kingdom of Rashugal has been experimenting with a powerful device that has been draining the mana from the world. Realizing the harm it is inflicting on the world, Milla and Jude set off on a journey to destroy it and restore the mana back to the world. Over the course of the game their lives will intersect with a vast ensemble of characters that will teach them the meaning of life, and what it truly means to live for oneself.
Players will engage enemies with the critically acclaimed Linear Motion Battle System that the Tales of series is famous for. The system allows for real-time movement and attacks, giving the player a more tactile role in the midst of fights. The battle system in Tales of Xillia has been upgraded to let two characters combine their attacks to utilize devastating dual-character attack, letting fans strategize the best party setup for their style of play.
Find a logo and high-res character artwork at the gallery.
