Tales of Xillia Remastered: Every Upgrade That Changes How You Play

23 October 2025
Nintendo Switch
9 min.
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Tales of Xillia Remastered: Every Upgrade That Changes How You Play

Summary:

Tales of Xillia Remastered brings far more than sharper visuals and higher frame rates. It reshapes the way you play from the opening hour by unlocking the Grade Shop on your first run with a 5,000 Grade head start, bundling a wealth of original DLC, and handing you control over pacing with autosave, encounter toggles, and a clean retry flow after normal battle losses. Travel becomes smoother thanks to dash mode, smarter maps, and destination icons, while new quality-of-life flourishes—subtitles in battle, skippable events, and “NEW!” labels—cut friction without trimming the soul of the adventure. Menus jump back to the top with a tap, bonus materials select in bulk, and equipment screens preview stat changes so decisions feel instant and informed. You can tweak brightness across 21 steps, set an overall volume level, and flip between Japanese and English audio on the fly. Map camera distance, control customization, and subtle effect adjustments round out a package that respects your time without dumbing anything down. If you loved the Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System, it’s still here—just easier to enjoy with less busywork and better guidance. Below, we break down each upgrade in clear, human terms so you know exactly what’s changed and how to use it from minute one.

New features Tales of Xillia Remastered

The remaster takes a beloved PS3-era adventure and removes the small frictions that used to slow players down. You still get the same core story and the Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System that fans cherish, but now you can play at your own rhythm: saving happens in the background with autosave, battles can be avoided when you want to explore, and you can retry regular fights without penalties after a loss. Navigation is smarter with map icons for main objectives, side activities, and uncollected goodies. Menus respond faster, with quick hops back to the top and bulk selections that once took dozens of inputs. Audio, brightness, and subtitle options widen access for more players, and the included DLC expands cosmetic and utility choices. The end result is simple: less fuss, more adventure, and a smoother on-ramp for new players who want the best version of Xillia without digging through wikis before they even leave town.

Grade Shop from the start (and the 5,000 Grade head start)

Being able to open the Grade Shop on a first playthrough is a game changer. You begin with 5,000 Grade, which is enough to activate a meaningful spread of modifiers that used to be locked behind a completed run. That early flexibility lets you tailor pacing and difficulty without leaning on outside tools. Prefer faster progression? Pick bonuses that reduce grind. Want a purist run? Leave the switches off and keep things classic. There’s even a “50% Off Items” addition that halves the cost of options inside the Grade Shop, making experimentation painless instead of precious. Not every carryover-style option is available on day one—progression-related items like level transfers and full chat unlocks still wait until later—but the philosophy is clear: give players agency upfront, not as a victory lap.

DLC from the original release and what to expect

The remaster includes a substantial chunk of the original DLC, primarily cosmetics and helpful items that widen your style choices and reduce early friction. That saves time hunting storefronts and ensures you can personalize the party right away. Some licensed items are excluded, which is common for re-releases where rights can expire or become complicated across regions. Still, the included sets are broad enough that you’ll find looks and small utility pieces that fit your vibe without spoiling progression. The takeaway is comfort and flavor rather than power creep; you feel more at home in the world without short-circuiting the core loop that makes JRPG growth satisfying.

Autosave done right for a long JRPG

Long sessions used to hinge on finding a save point; now the remaster quietly logs progress after beats like map transitions or key events. That single change reduces anxiety and encourages exploration because the cost of curiosity is lower. Autosave doesn’t replace manual saves—you still have control when you want a dedicated snapshot—but it’s a safety net that respects busy schedules. If you’re testing builds or toggling Grade Shop options, it also keeps experiments from turning into disasters. The flow benefits newcomers who are still learning the systems and veterans who simply want to get moving without planning their route around save circles.

Control your pacing: encounter toggles and retry

Sometimes you want to soak in the scenery, not pick fights every few steps. The encounter setting solves that by letting you walk through field and dungeon foes when turned off, with story event battles still triggering normally. It’s perfect for backtracking, treasure mop-ups, and photo-mode vibes, and an easy way to speed past repeats on a second protagonist route. If you do engage and lose a regular battle, the retry option on the Game Over screen puts you back in immediately, no detours. Together, these changes turn Xillia into a game you can pace like a modern action RPG while keeping the tactical heart of its combat intact when you want the challenge.

Readability and speed: subtitles, skip tools, and “NEW!” markers

Battle chatter adds charm, but it can be missed in the heat of the moment. Subtitles during battles and result screens fix that, making tactics and character beats easier to follow. Event management also gets an upgrade: you can hold to skip cutscenes and long chats, and there’s an auto-skip setting that bypasses scenes you’ve already seen. Add in “NEW!” tags for freshly acquired artes, skills, and shop stock, and you’re spending less time hunting for what changed and more time using it. These small touches add up. You notice what’s important without pausing every two minutes, and you can rewatch or re-engage only when you want to.

Maps now guide rather than confuse. A clear star icon marks your next main objective across the world map, location maps, the minimap, and even in the field, with distance indicators so you know how far you’ve got to go. Sub-events pop with exclamation marks over NPCs who can trigger them, while limited-time events display an hourglass so you can prioritize. Better still, icons highlight unclaimed treasure chests, exploration points, and Aifread’s Treasure right on the minimap and location maps. You can toggle each layer if you prefer discovery over guidance, but for players returning after years—or juggling life and playtime—these markers keep momentum without spoiling a good wander.

Movement and camera: dash mode and distance controls

Holding the assigned button switches your walk to a proper dash, a noticeable speed bump that trims the downtime between points of interest. If you’re wearing Winged Boots, the boost climbs higher, turning backtracking into a quick jog instead of a trek. Pair that with the new camera distance options—close, normal, and far—and you can frame exploration the way you like: tight for detail, wide for awareness, or a happy middle. It’s such a simple pair of tweaks, but they change how it feels to live in the world, making every loop—farm, craft, shop, progress—snap into a cleaner rhythm.

Smarter menus: return to title, top-menu jump, and bulk selects

Quality-of-life isn’t just about maps and movement; it’s also about how quickly menus let you do what you came to do. A new command returns you to the title screen straight from the pause menu, perfect for swapping saves or refreshing settings. Another shortcut zips from any submenu level back to the top instantly, and the same principle applies in shops where you can jump to the start without drilling back through nested lists. On the development material delivery screen, a bulk selection button scoops up all bonus-qualifying materials for that shop at once. Less time clicking around equals more time playing—and fewer chances to mis-sort items when your brain’s already in battle mode.

Tuning the experience: brightness, volume, and audio language

Accessibility and comfort get meaningful attention. Brightness now adjusts across 21 steps, giving you a fine-grained way to match your display and living room lighting. A single “Overall Volume” control joins the usual per-channel sliders for BGM, SE, voices, and movies, so you can set global loudness in seconds. The audio language toggle switches between Japanese and English voice tracks on demand, making it painless to sample both styles or align with your preference. These aren’t flashy features, but they’re the kind you feel daily—especially during long sessions where fatigue sets in if the game fights your eyes or your speakers.

Combat clarity: equipment change previews and effects polish

Swapping gear is only fun if the results are clear. The remaster surfaces stat changes right where you need them, previewing gains and losses so you can evaluate at a glance. When you’re juggling multiple characters and artes, this prevents paralysis and keeps loadouts evolving as you pick up new finds. Visual effects have also been brushed up, smoothing rough edges without straying from the original’s identity. The battles you remember still look like Xillia—just tidier, cleaner, and easier to parse when spells and skills layer on top of each other in the heat of a combo.

The finishing touches: text fixes, terminology, and BGM settings

Small errors and omissions in the original text have been corrected, and a few item descriptions were tweaked for clarity. It’s the kind of housekeeping that rarely grabs headlines but quietly improves readability, especially for newcomers who don’t already know what an item does. For music lovers, Battle BGM settings let you assign specific tracks, including exclusive themes tied to original costume DLC and selections from the Battle BGM Pack when activated. It’s fan service with a functional twist: keeping fights fresh by pairing them with tracks that fit your mood. If you spring for the Deluxe Edition or a Deluxe Upgrade, you’ll unlock the relevant music options as part of that package.

Practical starter checklist before you play

First, open the Grade Shop and decide your ground rules. If you want a brisk first run, consider enabling time-savers and the “50% Off Items” setting to stretch those 5,000 Grade points. Next, toggle encounters based on your goals—off for map cleanup, on for leveling. Set autosave and confirm your manual save slots, then hop into audio language and subtitle settings so you don’t fiddle mid-cutscene. On the map side, choose how hand-holdy you want the trip: keep destination stars on for efficiency or trim icons if you love blind discovery. Finally, set dash as a hold or toggle based on your controller habit, pick a camera distance that suits your screen, and test overall volume so battles thump without drowning out voices. Ten minutes of setup will pay you back for dozens of hours.

Who benefits most from these changes

If you bounced off the original because of pacing—too many random fights, too much menu churn—this version is built for you. The encounter toggle and retry flow clear away friction, while autosave lets you chip away at the journey in short spurts. If you’re a series veteran replaying for the other protagonist route, the navigation and dash upgrades speed past déjà vu while the BGM switches and DLC cosmetics make the run feel fresh. New players get clarity through subtitles, “NEW!” markers, and equipment previews, while streamers and chroniclers will appreciate how the map icons and quick menu jumps shave dead air between highlights. In short, the adventure adapts to your life rather than demanding your weekend.

Conclusion

The remaster respects what made Xillia special and modernizes the rest. Nothing fundamental was sanded down; instead, all the small seams were stitched tight—saving, moving, finding, equipping, and listening. The Grade Shop’s early unlock and generous starting Grade are the headline, but the real magic is cumulative: dozens of thoughtful tweaks that turn an already loved JRPG into a smoother, friendlier experience on every current platform. Whether you’re here for Jude and Milla’s intertwined paths or the kinetic snap of the battle system, this is the easiest, clearest way to enjoy it today.

Tales of Xillia Remastered lands with purpose: keep the heart, remove the hassle. Early Grade Shop access, bundled DLC, autosave, encounter control, and smarter maps give you agency without breaking the story’s cadence. Dash mode, camera options, and fast menus respect your time, while brightness, audio language, and volume controls respect your senses. Layer in equipment previews, polished effects, and flexible BGM, and you have a version that welcomes newcomers and rewards veterans. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to revisit Rieze Maxia—or to meet it for the first time—this is it.

FAQs
  • Does the remaster include all original DLC?
    • Yes, a large portion of the original DLC is included, mainly cosmetics and useful items. Select licensed items are excluded due to rights limitations.
  • How does the new encounter toggle work?
    • When turned off, contact with field or dungeon enemy symbols won’t start battles. Story event fights still trigger normally, so you won’t miss critical encounters.
  • Can I really access the Grade Shop on my first playthrough?
    • Yes. You start with 5,000 Grade and can enable many modifiers immediately. Certain transfer-style items remain unavailable until later to preserve progression balance.
  • Is there an autosave, and can I still save manually?
    • Autosave kicks in after specific beats like map changes or scene endings. Manual saves remain available for dedicated snapshots whenever you like.
  • What audio options are available?
    • You can switch between Japanese and English voice tracks at any time and adjust an overall volume level alongside the usual individual audio sliders.
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