Followers of Final Fantasy are used to waiting; the thirteenth instalment is only the third offline entry in the last ten years, and the first to embrace the HD generation that's such a perfect canvas for Square Enix's epic and consistently beautiful vision. It's fitting then that now it's finally here Final Fantasy XIII is happy to make people wait a little longer, and it's only after thirty hours of play that it opens up and begins to deliver the game many were hoping for.
Such a move shouldn't be too surprising as this is a series that reinvents itself upon every new entry – that much, at least, is constant. Just as you can expect Chocobos, Summons and a side order of grinding so too can you expect new ways to fight, new worlds to explore and new ways in which to interact with them. XIII's no different, and any notions that this is a return to the series' tradition after the wayward son that was its immediate predecessor should be dismissed; this is just as radical a departure as the MMO-tinged Final Fantasy XII, and its extension and revision of the basic formula is likely to prove just as divisive.
Final Fantasy XIII strips away so much of what we've come to expect of a Japanese RPG that it puts forward a strong case for not being considered as one at all. Yes, it's true that the first half of the game funnels players through one long, winding path, but that overarching linearity is just one of many stark design decisions taken by a game that's ruthless in its jettisoning of some of Final Fantasy's most treasured traits. Towns are gone, non-playable characters all but exterminated and there's nothing in the way of extracurricular activity until beyond that thirty hour mark. The series' has never been truly open-ended, but Final Fantasy XIII's more stubborn than most in its insistence to stick to the script.
This minimalist approach isn't necessarily to the game's discredit, and stripping away many of the excesses that have accumulated over 22 years of Final Fantasy games can prove initially exhilarating. It's an approach that comes through strongest in a battle system that can lay claim to be one of the series' best. Like Final Fantasy XII, enemies are visible on the field meaning that this game isn't haunted by the spectre of random encounters – unlike XII battle takes place on a separate plane as XIII returns to the more traditional turn-based system.
Active Time Battle (ATB), a system that's powered the games since 1991, makes a comeback in spectacular fashion, and while Final Fantasy X and its direct sequel are the nearest touchstones (no shock given X's battle planner Toshir? Tsuchida has taken on the same role for XIII, while X-2's director Motomu Toriyama takes the reins for the first time in a mainline entry) XIII easily trumps both. At the most basic level, characters draw upon an APB bar that fills over time for their moves, with more powerful moves demanding more sections of the meter. It makes for fast-paced encounters whereby correctly inputting the optimum moves can be as challenging as selecting the right strategy, although an auto-battle option puts the game on auto-pilot if so desired.
Paradigm Shifts prove to be the key to victory in many battles.
It may not sound too far removed from the norm, but like much else in Final Fantasy XIII what's really telling is the omissions. There are no MP points to speak of, with the ATB bar sharing the burden of both physical and magical attacks, while character's status is instantly reset after every battle. The two things combined mean that the constant management of party members that past games have demanded has been stripped out completely - and it's an edit that's beneficial to the experience.
It leaves the emphasis firmly on the Paradigm Shift mechanic, something which has its roots in Final Fantasy X-2's Dress system. Parties can change their class configuration at the touch of a button – come up against an enemy susceptible to magic and it's possible to switch to Tri-Disaster, a combination utilizing three Black Mages (or Ravagers in Final Fantasy XIII's unique parlance, wherein Paladins are called Sentinels, White Mages are Medics and Warriors are Commandos) to grind them down; receive a pummelling and it's advisable to switch to Combat Clinic, with one Sentinel tasked with soaking up the damage while two Medics are placed on healing duty.
Source: IGN
Such a move shouldn't be too surprising as this is a series that reinvents itself upon every new entry – that much, at least, is constant. Just as you can expect Chocobos, Summons and a side order of grinding so too can you expect new ways to fight, new worlds to explore and new ways in which to interact with them. XIII's no different, and any notions that this is a return to the series' tradition after the wayward son that was its immediate predecessor should be dismissed; this is just as radical a departure as the MMO-tinged Final Fantasy XII, and its extension and revision of the basic formula is likely to prove just as divisive.
Final Fantasy XIII strips away so much of what we've come to expect of a Japanese RPG that it puts forward a strong case for not being considered as one at all. Yes, it's true that the first half of the game funnels players through one long, winding path, but that overarching linearity is just one of many stark design decisions taken by a game that's ruthless in its jettisoning of some of Final Fantasy's most treasured traits. Towns are gone, non-playable characters all but exterminated and there's nothing in the way of extracurricular activity until beyond that thirty hour mark. The series' has never been truly open-ended, but Final Fantasy XIII's more stubborn than most in its insistence to stick to the script.
This minimalist approach isn't necessarily to the game's discredit, and stripping away many of the excesses that have accumulated over 22 years of Final Fantasy games can prove initially exhilarating. It's an approach that comes through strongest in a battle system that can lay claim to be one of the series' best. Like Final Fantasy XII, enemies are visible on the field meaning that this game isn't haunted by the spectre of random encounters – unlike XII battle takes place on a separate plane as XIII returns to the more traditional turn-based system.
Active Time Battle (ATB), a system that's powered the games since 1991, makes a comeback in spectacular fashion, and while Final Fantasy X and its direct sequel are the nearest touchstones (no shock given X's battle planner Toshir? Tsuchida has taken on the same role for XIII, while X-2's director Motomu Toriyama takes the reins for the first time in a mainline entry) XIII easily trumps both. At the most basic level, characters draw upon an APB bar that fills over time for their moves, with more powerful moves demanding more sections of the meter. It makes for fast-paced encounters whereby correctly inputting the optimum moves can be as challenging as selecting the right strategy, although an auto-battle option puts the game on auto-pilot if so desired.
Paradigm Shifts prove to be the key to victory in many battles.
It may not sound too far removed from the norm, but like much else in Final Fantasy XIII what's really telling is the omissions. There are no MP points to speak of, with the ATB bar sharing the burden of both physical and magical attacks, while character's status is instantly reset after every battle. The two things combined mean that the constant management of party members that past games have demanded has been stripped out completely - and it's an edit that's beneficial to the experience.
It leaves the emphasis firmly on the Paradigm Shift mechanic, something which has its roots in Final Fantasy X-2's Dress system. Parties can change their class configuration at the touch of a button – come up against an enemy susceptible to magic and it's possible to switch to Tri-Disaster, a combination utilizing three Black Mages (or Ravagers in Final Fantasy XIII's unique parlance, wherein Paladins are called Sentinels, White Mages are Medics and Warriors are Commandos) to grind them down; receive a pummelling and it's advisable to switch to Combat Clinic, with one Sentinel tasked with soaking up the damage while two Medics are placed on healing duty.
Source: IGN