From square enix members blog:
While still a deeply story-driven game, FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 has a higher emphasis on giving the player choices to make throughout the game. More branching paths, more hidden secrets, more exploration.
-Level design sees you returning to unlocked environments to access hidden areas as the game progresses.
-A self-contained story set after the events of FINAL FANTASY XIII. XIII-2’s story will be darker and more mysterious.
-All-new playable characters (Serah and Noel), plus the return of fan favourites from FINAL FANTASY XIII.
-The return of the much loved Moogle. A treasure hunter at heart, he will seek out hidden chests.
-Recruit monsters who will aid you in battle, each with unique abilities.
For those of you who wanted more from FINAL FANTASY XIII, the sequel is the game for you. As a FINAL FANTASY fan I had some specific things in mind that I wanted to see from XIII-2 and the more I see of the game, the more excited I get about it..
As you can see from the list above, XIII-2 has seen improvements and expansions in many areas (and these are just features we’re allowed to talk about right now). The designers of the game have made giving more choice to the player a key focus of theirs. Even in the small demo being shown off at E3, the level design features plenty of forks in the road, leading to hidden chests and lurking monsters, as well as wide open areas.
The developers also want players to have more control over their character and a larger variety of experiences in the game, which explains the inclusion of a jump button (the first in the numbered FINAL FANTASY series’ long history), which can be used to find hidden chests. Abilities will be gained throughout the game which will further allow exploration, making you return to areas you’ve visited before to see if your new skills can give you access to hidden areas and items.
Environments are filled with people, many of whom can be engaged in dialogue. A little speech bubble floating above their head will let you know if they have anything interesting to say. All of this dialogue is fully voiced.
Your objectives won’t always be straight forward. Sometimes you will be given a choice of which direction to go to reach your goal or of which order to perform certain tasks in. The E3 demonstration includes the choice to fight a large golem (we’re talking massive - like 20 storeys) or to investigate a mysterious device which has appeared out of nowhere. Investigating the device will lower the golem’s defences, making him much easier to kill, but if you fancy the challenge you can go straight into battle.
Some battles may include interactive “cinematic action” sequences, which require you to press specific buttons at specific moments. On succesful button inputs, rewards are given, depending on the situation. For example, hitting buttons correctly in the first golem battle in the E3 demo results in your party members receiving temporary stat buffs, making the rest of the battle that little bit easier.
We’re not talking too much about the game’s story right now, but we have said that the game takes place a few years after the events of FINAL FANTASY XIII. Lightning has disappeared, presumed dead, and her sister Serah is trying to find out where she’s gone, with the help of the mysterious Noel. You will not need to have played or completed FINAL FANTASY XIII to understand the story of XIII-2. It will help to know some of the backstory, but it has been designed to be accessible to newcomers.
For those who are fans of the franchise, you may be surprised and delighted to learn that Moogles are making a return. One such creature befriends Serah and has vowed to follow her on her quest to find Lightning. He has a few tricks up his sleeves, such as being able to reveal secret chests and other secret abilities which we will be revealing in time.
Another new addition is the recruitment of monsters. They will join your party and each species of creature will have a unique ability. You will be able to switch them in and out on the fly by changing the party’s Paradigm. Yep, the Paradigm Shift system makes a return, with some improvements and refinements. We’re not going into much detail on all the enhancements yet, but we thought you’d like to know that they exist.
So hopefully this whets your appetite a bit and demonstrates just some of the enhancements and improvements FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 will feature. I’m personally very excited about this game and we’ve got much more to tell you about it in the coming months, so keep an eye out here on the Square Enix Members Blog.
Source: https://member.eu.square-enix.com/en/blogs/hands-final-fantasy-xiii-2-exclusive-details-revealed
In short:
-Backtracking is back. You can use 'new abilities' acquired later in the game to access areas previously not accessable. I wonder if this has something to do with airship? water crossing? slope climbing? Moogle's new abilities?
-Moogles help you detect hidden chests
-NPC talking, non-linear, branching maps
While still a deeply story-driven game, FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 has a higher emphasis on giving the player choices to make throughout the game. More branching paths, more hidden secrets, more exploration.
-Level design sees you returning to unlocked environments to access hidden areas as the game progresses.
-A self-contained story set after the events of FINAL FANTASY XIII. XIII-2’s story will be darker and more mysterious.
-All-new playable characters (Serah and Noel), plus the return of fan favourites from FINAL FANTASY XIII.
-The return of the much loved Moogle. A treasure hunter at heart, he will seek out hidden chests.
-Recruit monsters who will aid you in battle, each with unique abilities.
For those of you who wanted more from FINAL FANTASY XIII, the sequel is the game for you. As a FINAL FANTASY fan I had some specific things in mind that I wanted to see from XIII-2 and the more I see of the game, the more excited I get about it..
As you can see from the list above, XIII-2 has seen improvements and expansions in many areas (and these are just features we’re allowed to talk about right now). The designers of the game have made giving more choice to the player a key focus of theirs. Even in the small demo being shown off at E3, the level design features plenty of forks in the road, leading to hidden chests and lurking monsters, as well as wide open areas.
The developers also want players to have more control over their character and a larger variety of experiences in the game, which explains the inclusion of a jump button (the first in the numbered FINAL FANTASY series’ long history), which can be used to find hidden chests. Abilities will be gained throughout the game which will further allow exploration, making you return to areas you’ve visited before to see if your new skills can give you access to hidden areas and items.
Environments are filled with people, many of whom can be engaged in dialogue. A little speech bubble floating above their head will let you know if they have anything interesting to say. All of this dialogue is fully voiced.
Your objectives won’t always be straight forward. Sometimes you will be given a choice of which direction to go to reach your goal or of which order to perform certain tasks in. The E3 demonstration includes the choice to fight a large golem (we’re talking massive - like 20 storeys) or to investigate a mysterious device which has appeared out of nowhere. Investigating the device will lower the golem’s defences, making him much easier to kill, but if you fancy the challenge you can go straight into battle.
Some battles may include interactive “cinematic action” sequences, which require you to press specific buttons at specific moments. On succesful button inputs, rewards are given, depending on the situation. For example, hitting buttons correctly in the first golem battle in the E3 demo results in your party members receiving temporary stat buffs, making the rest of the battle that little bit easier.
We’re not talking too much about the game’s story right now, but we have said that the game takes place a few years after the events of FINAL FANTASY XIII. Lightning has disappeared, presumed dead, and her sister Serah is trying to find out where she’s gone, with the help of the mysterious Noel. You will not need to have played or completed FINAL FANTASY XIII to understand the story of XIII-2. It will help to know some of the backstory, but it has been designed to be accessible to newcomers.
For those who are fans of the franchise, you may be surprised and delighted to learn that Moogles are making a return. One such creature befriends Serah and has vowed to follow her on her quest to find Lightning. He has a few tricks up his sleeves, such as being able to reveal secret chests and other secret abilities which we will be revealing in time.
Another new addition is the recruitment of monsters. They will join your party and each species of creature will have a unique ability. You will be able to switch them in and out on the fly by changing the party’s Paradigm. Yep, the Paradigm Shift system makes a return, with some improvements and refinements. We’re not going into much detail on all the enhancements yet, but we thought you’d like to know that they exist.
So hopefully this whets your appetite a bit and demonstrates just some of the enhancements and improvements FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 will feature. I’m personally very excited about this game and we’ve got much more to tell you about it in the coming months, so keep an eye out here on the Square Enix Members Blog.
Source: https://member.eu.square-enix.com/en/blogs/hands-final-fantasy-xiii-2-exclusive-details-revealed
In short:
-Backtracking is back. You can use 'new abilities' acquired later in the game to access areas previously not accessable. I wonder if this has something to do with airship? water crossing? slope climbing? Moogle's new abilities?
-Moogles help you detect hidden chests
-NPC talking, non-linear, branching maps
Last edited:
. When they say it's more player driven than story driven, it doesn't mean they are ignoring the story... I mean, look at FFVII, it has a good storyline, but it's also player driven - you can make choices as to who you date in golden saucer, minigames, etc. The demo so far hints strongly for alternate dimension kind of story, which sounds complex enough to me.