Over the years, the Final Fantasy series has continually impressed RPG fans by the masses. Each Final Fantasy gives the player something new, whether it be an epic tale or an innovate battle system. Ever since its announcement at E3 2006, I’ve been closely watching this game, keeping it on my highly anticipated list. Once I got the chance to import the game from Japan, I didn’t think twice.
Final Fantasy XIII starts out the same as the demo. Lightning and Sazh are riding on a train into Cocoon City, which is being attacked by PSICOM soldiers. After the stylish and action-packed opening cinematic, Lightning and Sazh are forced to fight a mechanical scorpion. It’s here where the battle system is introduced.
The battle system in XIII makes many nods to how Final Fantasy X-2’s worked. The combat is fast-paced and keeps a nice flow. There’s still a party of three, but as opposed to having direct control over all three, you’ll only be able to direct the party leader. The other party members will be acting on their own, but you can change their Optima at any time, with Optima being what class, or job, a character will possess. For example, two characters could be Attackers while one is a Healer. Blaster (magic), Enhancer (status buffs), Jammer (debufs to enemy), and Defender are the other Optima to choose from.
In addition to having different Optima strategies, there’s also an opportunity to make the enemy more vulnerable by attacking and making its Break gauge fill. Once the Break gauge is filled, attacks will be more effective, and you’ll be able to do a lift attack that keeps the enemy in the air for the duration of a combo.
When the game first begins, you’ll only be able to choose two attacks each time the ATB bar fills up. When the ATB bar is charging, you’ll be able to choose a certain amount of attacks, depending on how big the attack is and how much the ATB bar will allow. Later on, the ATB bar will expand, allowing for more attacks. After the ATB bar is full, the characters will unleash all of the planned attacks, displaying a stylish and flashy style of combat that is always fun to look at.
Final Fantasy XIII doesn’t feature a traditional style of leveling up. Similar to Final Fantasy X’s Sphere Grid, the Crystarium allows you to upgrade a character’s Optima by spending CP. The stats upgraded in the Crystarium are pretty standard – HP, attack power, and new skills being only a few. In addition to the Crystarium, items can be upgraded by using certain items on them to enhance their quality (and give them experience). Once the item being upgraded has enough experience it too will level up and, depending on the item, will give the holder more HP, attack power, etc.
In addition to all of this, there are a lot of non-traditional things about this installment of Final Fantasy that really make it a different game. For instance, the only way to acquire money is to loot it from chests or sell items. Comparing it to Final Fantasy X again, the game seems to have an extreme focus on linearity. Not often will you be roaming vast plains. There is, however, Gran Pulse, which is an enormous open field where the hunting side-quests are introduced. Hunts are optional, but the rewards are usually worth it. Since these hunts are scattered literally all over Gran Pulse, finding them can be a quest on its own.
To sum things up, Final Fantasy XIII feels very different from other games of its kind, and the amount of care that went into the development of the game shines through in all aspects. The idea of having a linear RPG may be a turn off, but it keeps things flowing nicely even when the story jumps between characters. If anything, importing the game has made me even more excited for the English release in March.
In Final Fantasy XIII, you will embark on a journey through the cityworld of Cocoon and the outerworld of Pulse. Along the way, you will encounter diverse allies who will fight alongside you. Execute powerful attacks with weapons and magic, and summon the enigmatic Eidolons with an evolved Active Time Battle system. Experience seamless transitions between real time gameplay and in-game cinematics. Do you have the courage to face your destiny?
