Final Fantasy XIII-2 : Preview

Sequels are tricky affairs and Square Enix is no stranger to them now; any seasoned fan still can recall the ill-fatedFinal Fantasy X-2 or the multiple Kingdom Hearts spin-offs. Despite Final Fantasy XIII’s strong launch on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 back in 2010, anticipation 

for its successor have been less than underwhelming. There may be a number of reasons why Final Fantasy XIII may have lost a strong following after its release; many fans often complain about the game’s stubborn linearity, lack of “meaty” gameplay, unlikable cast, and nonsensical storyline. Despite this, Final Fantasy XIII-2 may be the true redemption the series has called for, even if it’s not necessarily the one fans are clamoring about.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, taking place three years after the events of the first game. Lightning, the heroine and former protagonist from the previous game, has disappeared entirely and is presumed to be dead. Serah, Lightning’s younger sister, however, is convinced of her older sibling’s existence and must team up with a mysterious man named Noel Kreiss in order to find her. Noel, a time traveler from seven hundred years in the future, is the last surviving human from his time who seeks to change the fate of his already-doomed world through time travel.

Those who enjoyed the combat system from the previous game will be happy to see a return to the previous formula with some major upgrades. Just likeFinal Fantasy XIII, XIII-2 will utilize a variation of the Active Time Battle (ATB) system and the Paradigm Shift system, addressing issues with those who have used it the previous game. The developer intends to incorporate quick time events, called “Cinematic Action,” that will allow the player to deal higher damage to foes and gain the upper hand in combat. Additionally, players can tame monsters and use them as party members in battle, introducing a new “Feral Link” feature not seen in the previous game. As the player attacks an enemy while a tamed monster is in their party, the Feral Link bar fills up and allows the player to perform a special attack on the enemy when it is full.

Monsters no longer roam the map freely like they did in Final Fantasy XIII, which had previously allowed the player to see and plan for each encounter before running into battle. When a player gets too close to an enemy spawn point, a red ring surrounds the player’s character and a dial clock appears on screen, titled the “Mog Clock.” The introduction of the Mog Clock feature grants the player various bonuses (or penalties) depending on the time it takes to enter a battle with the enemy.

For those who have always felt the series had limitations as far as what player could do or say via cutscene, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a step in the right direction. Presenting the player with a series of “dialogue” trees when talking to non-playable characters, these choices allow the player to say different things at certain story scenes and to various people in-game. The new feature, dubbed “Live Trigger” will allow the player to have unique things to say during story moments, as well as offer the player more control over their character than previous Final Fantasy iterations. However, the introduction of the Live Trigger system is simply for presenting the player options and allowing them some degree of originality; these will bear no difference on any potential branching storylines, all of which will be affected by another system. The dialogue selections also will change with every play-through of the game, thus lending your Final Fantasy XIII-2 experience some amount of re-playability.

In addition to having new dialogue options, the developers have also introduced a time-traveling mechanic, called the Historia Crux system, that allows players to jump through various time gates throughout XIII-2’s storyline. By doing so, players will see a drastic change based on the choices they have made previously in the game, lending a significant element of nonlinear gameplay. When players travel through “time-space” locations, they are able to explore different plot possibilities in each location, ranging from hundreds of years in the future to hundreds of years in the past, reminiscent of games of a similar nature such as SquareSoft’s Chrono Trigger or Atlus’s Radiant Historia.

Unlike Final Fantasy X-2, which had a much more cheerful and humorous feel than Final Fantasy X, the overall tone of Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be much darker than its predecessor. Director Motomu Toriyama discussed the need for a more serious storyline; both Vanille and Fang from the previous game are gone and the world is in a state where Cocoon had fallen after the events of XIII.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be the next addition to Square Enix’s Fabula Nova Crystallis series, delving deeper into the series’ backstory with a focus on the Goddess Etro. The personality of Lightning will be the same as it was in the original game and not experience a drastic change like Yuna’s had in Final Fantasy X-2. Other characters will make appearances in the game, with a few seeing major changes to their personalities.

Snow Villiers and Hope Estheim return with drastically new appearances. Hope, now returning as the 17-year old leader of a scientific expedition group that studies the world’s history, is looking for new energy source for Cocoon to replace its dead fal’Cie. With a vision of building a future in which the world does not need to rely on the fal’Cie, Hope returns as a far more mature, less “whiney” version of himself, something fans of the series will rejoice in seeing. Snow also makes an appearance, somehow transformed back into a Pulse l’Cie, in darker clothes and without a bandanna to cover his hair. In addition to Snow and Hope, Vanille, Fang, and Sazh are expected to return but play more minor roles than the ones they had previously filled, giving more spotlight to Serah and Noel.

The game, which launched December 15th in Japan, has been well-received by critics and fans alike. Garnering perfect scores from Japanese publications Famitsu and Degeki Playstation, Final Fantasy XIII-2 looks to be the redemption Final Fantasy XIII needed. Norihiro Fujiwara from Famitsu wrote, “The setting and presentation is fantastic and the issues people brought up with the first game – its linearity, its lack of meaty gameplay – are a thing of the past. You’re sucked into the game right from the beginning, and the story’s very easy to get into.”

For those who didn’t mind the unique combat system that Final Fantasy XIII had previously implemented, Final Fantasy XIII-2 looks to be a great addition to the series. The developers worked on fixing many of the issues with the first game: from its stubborn linearity to the large reduction of towns and interaction with non-playable characters. Despite the fact that sales figures for Final Fantasy XIII-2are significantly lower than those of Final Fantasy XIII’s, Final Fantasy XIII-2 may be one of the first well-received sequels to a numbered Final Fantasy game, a first for the developer and a possible beacon of light to those who are worried about the shrinking relevance JRPGs have had in this industry as of late.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is set for release January 31st, 2012 for North America, February 2nd for Australia, and February 3rd for Europe for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.