Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII
European Final Fantasy XIII box art featuring the main character, Lightning
Developer(s)	Square Enix PDD 1
Publisher(s)	Square Enix
Director(s)	Motomu Toriyama
Producer(s)	Yoshinori Kitase
Designer(s)	Motomu Toriyama Toshiro Tsuchida
Programmer(s)	Kazumi Kobayashi
Artist(s)	Tetsuya Nomura Nao Ikeda Isamu Kamikokuryou
Writer(s)	Motomu Toriyama Daisuke Watanabe Yukie Hirano Harunori Sakemi
Composer(s)	Masashi Hamauzu
Series	Final Fantasy Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date(s)	JP December 17, 2009[1] NA March 9, 2010[2] EU March 9, 2010[3] AUS March 9, 2010
Genre(s)	Role-playing video game
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	CERO: B ESRB: T[4] OFLC: M[5] PEGI: 16
Media	Blu-ray Disc (PlayStation 3) 3 DVD-DLs (Xbox 360)

Final Fantasy XIII​ (ファイナルファンタジーXIII, Fainaru Fantajī Sātīn^?) is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Released in 2009 in Japan and 2010 in North America and PAL regions, it is the thirteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced a few innovations to the series: a fast-paced combat mechanic, a new system determining which abilities are developed for the characters called "Crystarium", and a customizable "Paradigm" system to control which abilities are used by the characters. Final Fantasy XIII also includes elements from the previous games, such as summoned monsters, chocobos and airships.

The game takes place in the fictional floating world of Cocoon, whose government, the Sanctum, is ordering a purge on civilians who have supposedly come into contact with those from Pulse, the much-feared world below. Lightning, a former soldier from Cocoon, begins her fight against the government in order to save her sister, who has been branded a Pulse l'Cie—unwilling servants to the beings known as the fal'Cie, who maintain order on both Cocoon and Pulse—and thus has become an enemy of Cocoon. Lightning is soon joined by a band of allies, and together the group also become l'Cie after their encounter with a Pulse fal'Cie. Together, they rally against the Sanctum, while also trying to discover their "Focus" as l'Cie—the tasks they must complete before their time comes to an end.

First appearing at E3 2006, Final Fantasy XIII is the flagship title of the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection of Final Fantasy games and is the first game to use Square Enix's Crystal Tools engine. Square Enix describes the theme of the game as "those who resist the world".^[6] Final Fantasy XIII has received much critical acclaim from several noted video game publications. Selling over 1.6 million copies in Japan, it became the fastest-selling title in the history of the series. As of May 2010, the game has sold 5.75 million copies worldwide.

Gameplay

The player directly controls the on-screen character through a third-person perspective to interact with people, objects and enemies throughout the game. The player can also control the camera with the right analog stick, allowing for a 360° view of the surroundings.^[7] The world of Final Fantasy XIII is rendered to scale relative to the characters in it; instead of a caricature of the character roaming around miniature terrain, as found in the earlier Final Fantasy games, every area is represented proportionally. The player navigates the world by foot or by Chocobo.^[8] Players may save their game to a hard disk drive using save stations, where the player can also purchase items from retail networks or upgrade their weapons.^[9] An in-game datalog provides a bestiary and incidental information about the world of Final Fantasy XIII.^[10]

Combat

The Final Fantasy XIII battle system, with the option to use "Paradigm Shift"

Similar to those found in Final Fantasy XII, enemies are integrated into the open field and the transition to a separate battle screen similar to those used in previous Final Fantasy titles has been restored.^[11] A maximum of three characters may be used in battles, which uses the series' traditional Active Time Battle (ATB) system designed by Hiroyuki Ito and was first featured in Final Fantasy IV. Under this system, the player selects a command from the menus, such as Attack, Magic and Item; however, the player only controls the lead character, while the remaining two characters are controlled by the game's AI. Each action takes a specific number of slots, and the ATB bar increases throughout the game from two slots to a maximum of six.^[12] The player may also select less than the maximum number of possible actions, or to stop the filling of the ATB bar and perform as many actions as can be done with the current ATB amount. The player may also select an "autobattle" command which fills the ATB slots with actions chosen automatically. Actions cannot be performed outside of battle, and the characters' health is fully restored after each battle.^[12]

A new feature in Final Fantasy XIII is the "Paradigm" system, which allows the player to program six different roles for the characters to perform certain formations in battle in response to the specific conditions. The roles consist of Commando, a warrior-type role; Ravager, a black mage-type role involving the use of magic in battle; Medic, a White Mage-type role involving the use of healing in battle; Saboteur, a role which performs magic attacks that weaken enemies; Synergist, which casts magic that strengthens allies; and Sentinel, a role which has increased defense and protective abilities. Each of the characters can initially take on only three roles, but they may assume any of them later in the game. Each character can summon an "Eidolon" into battle from a crystal that sprouts from the character's mark of l'Cie.^[12] The Eidolons include series staples Odin, Shiva, Alexander, and Bahamut, and newcomers Hecatoncheir and Brynhildr.^[13] When summoned, the Eidolon stays in combat while the characters accompanying the summoner leaves the party.^[14] There is also a new feature called "Gestalt Mode", in which the Eidolon transforms into a specific form for each character.^[15] The Eidolons play a major role in the game's storyline as well, much like Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy X.^[16]

Crystarium

The Crystarium is a leveling system consisting of ten stages and resembles the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X.^[17][18] Like the Sphere Grid, all characters may obtain all roles; however, an ability is required before a new role can be used.^[19]

Plot

Setting

The setting of Final Fantasy XIII is primarily focused on the world of Cocoon, a sphere that floats above the surface of Pulse, the world below. Both worlds are controlled by fal'Cie (pronounced /fælˈsiː/), mechanical beings with godlike power, each based around a crystal and created by a god-like figure called the Maker.^[12] The Cocoon fal'Cie are additionally responsible for keeping Cocoon floating, as well as providing light and water. Each fal'Cie handles a specific task. The fal'Cie have the capability of marking the humans, also created by the Maker, that live in Pulse and Cocoon as their servants. These servants, called l'Cie, are branded with a symbol representing either Pulse or Cocoon, and are additionally given a "Focus", a task to complete.^[20] If the l'Cie complete their task in time, they are transformed to crystal and gain eternal life (as said in the legend); otherwise they become mindless monsters called Cie'th.^[21]

The l'Cie are not explicitly told their focus, but are instead given visions that they must interpret. If l'Cie falter in their quest, they may be set upon by an Eidolon, large mechanical monsters. If the l'Cie defeat these creatures in battle, the Eidolon then fights for them. The transformation to crystal upon completion of their focus is not always permanent; l'Cie crystals can be turned back into humans by fal'Cie and given another focus. Similarly, Cie'th can eventually stop being monsters, and are transformed into a different kind of crystal, from which other l'Cie can learn their focus and complete it in their stead.

The worlds of Pulse and Cocoon are at war with each other, though in the opening of the game there has been no sign of anyone from Pulse in Cocoon for centuries, since the last time Pulse invaded. In the aftermath of that invasion, which ripped a large hole in Cocoon, the Cocoon fal'Cie lifted parts of Pulse into the sky to repair the damage. The people of Cocoon live in fear of another invasion, and violently reject anything having to do with Pulse. Cocoon is ruled by the Sanctum, a theocratic government led by Galenth Dysley, which encourages this hatred of Pulse. The fal'Cie do not rule the humans directly, instead making their wishes known to the Sanctum. The Sanctum oversees two military branches, the Guardian Corps and PSICOM, the special forces in charge of dealing with anything having to do with Pulse. The fal'Cie have given the humans advanced technology, including flying airships and mechanical creatures, though a form of magic also exists. This magic is normally only accessible to l'Cie, fal'Cie, and various monsters in Cocoon and Pulse, though distilled chemical forms can be used by normal humans.

Playable characters

The playable cast of Final Fantasy XIII. From left to right: Sazh Katzroy, Snow Villiers, Hope Estheim, Lightning, Oerba Yun Fang, Oerba Dia Vanille

• Lightning (ライトニング, Raitoningu^?): A 21 year-old former sergeant of the Guardian Corps, Lightning sought the Pulse fal'Cie, Anima, in order to ask it to save her sister Serah, whom the fal'Cie had turned into a l'Cie. However, much to her dismay, Lightning was turned into a l'Cie herself. Her l'Cie mark is in the center of her chest. Lightning has long pink hair and is 171 cm tall (5'7").^[22] Born as Claire Farron (Éclair Farron (エクレール・ファロン, Ekurēru Faron^?) in the original Japanese language version) she began using her code name after the death of her parents in an attempt to emotionally reinforce herself so that she could protect Serah, but that only caused tensions to rise between them. Lightning is very independent and determined, but she is also shown to have a compassionate side. Lightning wields a gunblade called the Blaze Edge which is a combination of a gun and a sword, one collapsing into the other. She can also manipulate gravity with a device on her thumb (though due to Sazh's interference, this device becomes damaged).^[23] In battle, Lightning is very agile and uses acrobatic moves. As a l'Cie, she can summon the Eidolon Odin to fight by her side in battle, who can assume a horse-like form that she can ride on.^[24] While riding, Lightning dual wields Odin's detachable sword. Her strongest unique special attack is called Scene Drive in the Japanese version ^[25] and Army of One in the North American version.^[24] Lightning is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto in the Japanese version and by Ali Hillis in the English version.

• Snow Villiers (スノウ・ヴィリアース, Sunō Viriāsu^?): Before becoming a l'Cie, Snow is the 21 year-old leader of Team Nora, a resistance group fighting against the government of Cocoon.^[26] He stands at a tall 200 cm (6'5"),^[22] and has light blonde hair under a black bandanna.^[27] He was nicknamed "Mr. 33 cm" by the development team of Final Fantasy XIII in reference to his shoe size.^[28] He uses his fists to take down opponents, focusing on brute force compared to the fast and agile Lightning.^[29] Snow bears the mark of the l'Cie on his lower left arm, through which he has the power to summon the twin Shiva Sister (シバシスター, Shiba Sisutā^?) Eidolons, Nix (二クス, Nikusu^?) and Stiria (スティリア, Sutiria^?), who can combine into a motorcycle form for Snow to ride while toting a large gun. Unlike most grapplers, Snow changes his runes on his coat rather than buying new gloves. Snow is voiced by Daisuke Ono in the Japanese version and by Troy Baker in the English version.

• Oerba Dia Vanille (ヲルバ＝ダイア・ヴァニラ, Oruba-Daia Vanira^?): A 19 year-old mysterious but upbeat young girl with orange-brown hair worn in pigtails. Her name stands for "Vanille of the Dia clan, from the village of Oerba," with "Vanille" being French for vanilla. Originally residing from Oerba Village located on Gran Pulse, Vanille is a Cocoon exile at the start of the game and is subsequently rescued by Team Nora. She has a childlike innocence and is shown to be very compassionate, but at times she can also be very stubborn, and has a tendency to cry whenever she regrets a mistake. Vanille also serves as the game's narrator.^[20] Her weapon is a form of foldable fishing rod with multiple lines that can be reeled and used to attack enemies.^[30][31] She has been a l'Cie for a long time, one of two l'Cie given the Focus to summon the Eidolon Ragnarok, and her l'Cie mark is located on her upper left thigh. In battle, Vanille excels at using magic based attacks from a distance. Her Eidolon is Hecatoncheir, a multiple-limbed, earth-elemental summon who can transform into a bipedal mech armed with machine guns that she can pilot.^[32][33] Vanille is voiced by Yukari Fukui in the Japanese version and by Georgia van Cuylenburg in the English version, in which she has an Australian accent.

• Sazh Katzroy (サッズ・カッツロイ, Sazzu Kattsuroi^?): A 40 year-old former airship pilot of the Military, Sazh wields dual pistols (which can be combined to form a collapsible rifle), and his strong point is striking enemies from a distance. His l'Cie mark is on his chest. He has a six-year-old son named Dajh with whom he is very close. When Dajh inadvertently became a l'Cie and was taken by Sanctum, saving him became Sazh's main motivation.^[34] Sazh has a pet baby chocobo that lives inside his afro. Sazh is described as having good judgment and moral discernment. He has a gentle personality and is easily moved to tears, and joins the party early in the game. His Eidolon is Brynhildr, a female fire-elemental knight who can transform into a race car.^[35][36] Tetsuya Nomura based Sazh's appearance on Lionel Richie.^[37] Sazh is voiced by Masashi Ebara in the Japanese version and Reno Wilson in the English version.

• Hope Estheim (ホープ・エストハイム, Hōpu Esutohaimu^?)^[21]: A 14 year-old boy with silvery-blonde hair and orange, yellow, and green clothing. He uses collapsible boomerangs in battle. During the Purge, his mother, Nora, offers to help Snow and Team Nora fight off PSICOM. She falls to her death during the battle, and though Snow honors her final request to protect her son, Hope nonetheless despises Snow in a grief-induced rage for his connection to his mother's death. His l'Cie mark is on the back of his left wrist and his Eidolon is the holy-elemental summon Alexander,^[38] which transforms into a fortress in Gestalt Mode, and is able to blast enemies from afar with multiple cannons.^[39] Hope is voiced by Yuki Kaji in the Japanese version and by Vincent Martella in the English version.

• Oerba Yun Fang (ヲルバ＝ユン・ファング, Oruba-Yun Fangu^?): A raven-haired 21 year-old woman who comes from Oerba Village, donning clothing resembling the traditional Indian sari adorned with tribal accessories, and bearing the mark of a l'Cie on her right shoulder. Her name stands for "Fang of the Yun clan, from the village of Oerba." Though she is a l'Cie from Pulse, she originally works for the Cocoon Sanctum under Cid. It later turns out she is one of the two l'Cie given the focus to summon Ragnarok. She wields a spear that can transform into a sansetsukon in battle, and her Eidolon is Bahamut, who can take flight in his Gestalt-mode. As revealed by Tetsuya Nomura in an interview, during the early stages of development she was originally scripted to be a male character.^[40] Fang is voiced by Mabuki Andou in the Japanese version and by Rachel Robinson in the English version, in which, like Vanille, she also has an Australian accent.

Antagonists

• Jihl Nabaat (ジル・ナバート, Jiru Nabāto^?): An intelligent but cruel Lietenant Colonel of PSICOM with knee-length boots, blonde hair and glasses. Nabaat is first seen in the trailers interrogating the captive Vanille and Sazh. She sees the l'Cie as subhuman and is bent on exterminating them. As the subordinate of Galenth Dysley, Nabaat is the final obstacle between the main party and Dysley; however, she is killed when he decides she has outlived her usefulness.^[41] Nabaat is voiced by Mie Sonozaki in the Japanese version and by Paula Tiso in the English version.

• Yaag Rosch (ヤーグ・ロッシュ, Yāgu Rosshu^?): An intimidating-looking man with a scar on his forehead and silver hair that is tied back in a ponytail. Rosch is a PSICOM Director who questions his orders from the Sanctum and knew the fal'Cie were guiding Cocoon, though he feels he must follow his orders for the sake of the people of Cocoon. He is mortally wounded after fighting the main party in the Proudclad; after begging them to save Cocoon, Rosch sacrifices himself to ensure the main party is not pursued by monsters.^[42] Rosch is voiced by Hiroki Tōchi in the Japanese version and by Jon Curry in the English version.

• Cid Raines (シド・レインズ, Shido Reinzu^?): An Air Force Brigadier from the Sanctum who commands the warship Lindblum. Like Rosch, Cid doubts the government in its current state and believes that Cocoon should be run by its people instead of the fal'Cie. However, he himself had been turned into a l'Cie with the Focus of helping the party to overcome various trials and ensure they accomplish their Focus. As he wanted to save Cocoon from destruction like them, he decided to abandon his Focus and fight the team, becoming a Cie'th-like being in the process. Upon his defeat, Cid is retrieved by Dysley and is manipulated into Primarch to create chaos in Eden, retaining his strong human will as he asks Rygdea to put him out of his misery.^[43][44] Cid is voiced by Yuichi Nakamura in the Japanese version and by Erik Davies in English version.

• Galenth Dysley (ガレンス・ダイスリー, Garensu Daisurī^?): The main antagonist of the game, Lightning and the group's archnemesis, and Primarch of the Sanctum. Though he acts like a man for the people, he is a cruel figure who desires nothing for than to end his existence. His true form is the Cocoon fal'Cie Barthandelus (バルトアンデルス, Barutoanderusu^?, Baldanders in the original Japanese version), intending to use Ragnarok to destroy Orphan and Cocoon so the Maker would return to this world. Mortally wounded by Lightning's group, making sure that they are strong enough to defeat Orphan and to end his own existence, Dysley's dying body ends up being assimilated into Orphan, causing it to become its shell. Dysley is voiced by Masaru Shinozuka in the Japanese version and by S. Scott Bullock in the English version.

• Orphan (オーファン, Ōfan^?): A wheel-like, sun-elemental fal'Cie in a state of unbirth who serves as the power source of Cocoon, holding the small planetoid in its preternatural orbit above Pulse. Orphan's defeat is the Focus of Lightning's group. Orphan desires nothing more than its own destruction above all else, in hope that the Maker will return to the world with Cocoon's demise. But, as they are unable to go against their Focus in any way, fal'Cie create l'Cie to ensure Orphan's birth so it can be killed, causing Cocoon's destruction. Though Orphan is killed, the fal'Cie scheme does not succeed. Orphan's shell is voiced by Masaru Shinozuka in the Japanese version and by Julia Fletcher and S. Scott Bullock in the English version, while its true form is voiced by Hiro Shimono in the Japanese version and by Michael Sinterniklaas in the English version.

Other characters

• Serah Farron (セラ・ファロン, Sera Faron^?): Though mentioned by her given name in earlier news, Yoshinori Kitase confirmed her appearance and full name during Gamescom 2009. Serah is 18 years old and is Lightning's younger sister. She is also engaged to Snow - a relationship to which Lightning strongly objects. Serah is the first Pulse l'Cie in Cocoon by the fal'Cie Anima, and her mark is located on her left arm. She was given the Focus to lure most potential l'Cie to the ruins where Anima resides. She turns to crystal after unknowingly fulfilling the Focus through Lightning and Snow as they attempt to find a means to save her in the fal'Cie's place. After the defeat of Orphan, Serah returns to normal and is reunited with her sister and Snow. Serah is voiced by Minako Kotobuki in the Japanese version and by Laura Bailey in English version.

• Rygdea (リグディ, Rigudi^?): A captain working under Cid Raines' command, who kills him at his command. He later heads to Orphan's Cradle along with the Cavalry to bring an end to Orphan. However, Dysley turns him into a Cie'th before he can reach Orphan. Rygdea is voiced by Yasuyuki Kase in the Japanese version and by Josh Robert Thompson in English version.

• Dajh Katzroy (ドッジ・カッツロイ, Dojji Kattsuroi^?): Sazh's son, whose mother died when he was three years old. The baby Chocobo that rides around in Sazh's afro actually belongs to Dajh, who bought it at a gift shop during their travels. When Dajh unexpectedly becomes a l'Cie, he is taken from Sazh by Jihl Nabaat as a martyr for Cocoon to use his power of sensing "Pulse" to track down other l'Cie. He is turned into a crystal after completing his Focus.^[45] Like Serah, Dajh returns to normal after the defeat of Orphan, and is reunited with his father. Dajh is voiced by Shōtarō Uzawa in the Japanese version and by Connor Villard in English version.

• NORA (ノラ, Nora^?): The resistance group lead by Snow. In the Japanese version, NORA is in reference to the word "noraneko", meaning stray cat. In the English version, it is an acronym that stands for "No Obligations, Rules, or Authority." In the Jump Festa 2009 and the official global trailer,^[46] the four known members of NORA are featured in the first Final Fantasy XIII demo. The members of NORA are seen participating in the hijack of the captives' train and the resulting battles, though Maqui does not participate in the fighting. Gadot, Lebreau, and Maqui were designed by Nao Ikeda, who based their clothing on the athletic clothing styles of basketball, beach volleyball, and snowboarding, respectively.^[47] The four known members of NORA are featured in the first Final Fantasy XIII demo.
  • Gadot (ガドー, Gadō^?): A man with an orange mohawk and Snow's childhood friend; he uses a machine gun in battle and is quick to engage. Gadot is voiced by Biichi Satō in the Japanese version and by Zack Hanks in the English version.
  • Lebreau (レブロ, Reburo^?): A black haired woman whose demeanor is made out to be that of invincibility. She also runs a bar as a means of garnering monetary resources for NORA. She is also said to be Snow's childhood friend.^[48] Lebreau is voiced by Yū Asakawa in the Japanese version and by Anndi McAfee in the English version.
  • Maqui (マーキー, Mākī^?): An adolescent boy who is not so brazen as Snow or Gadot, but who has a knack for machinery and can therefore provide more secretive funds to NORAs operations. He and Serah were friends before Maqui joined NORA. He seems to idolize Snow to the point of emulating his attire. Maqui is voiced by Makoto Naruse in the Japanese version and by Daniel Samonas in the English version.
  • Yuj (ユージュ, Yūju^?): A young man with blue hair who is described as up to date with fashion and style. He is also commissioned to protect the Pulse exiles. Yuj is voiced by Wataru Hatano in the Japanese version and by Jeff Fischer in the English version.

Story

Final Fantasy XIII begins in Cocoon thirteen days after a series of events instigated by l'Cie and a fal'Cie from Gran Pulse lead to the Purge, a mass-murder by PSICOM special forces disguised as large-scale deportation of Pulsian threats. Lightning participates in derailing a Purge train to save her sister Serah from the fal'Cie Anima, with support by Sazh Kathroy. In the subsequent battle, Snow Villiers leads his resistance group, NORA, to save the Purge exiles, with Nora Estheim getting killed in this struggle. As Snow heads to the Pulse fal'Cie to save Serah Farron, his fiancee, he is followed by Nora's son, Hope Estheim, and the mysterious Oerba Dia Vanille. The groups meet in the heart of the fal'Cie's lair over a barely-conscious Serah, who urges them to save Cocoon before turning to crystal to Lightning and Snow's dismay. They find themselves fighting Anima as it brands them with the mark of the l'Cie - ones who are doomed to a fate of completing their Focus, the task appointed by the fal'Cie, or becoming Cie'th, mindless monsters. During this transformation, the newly crested l'Cie all have the same vision of a monster called Ragnarok. The group argues over the ambiguous nature of the vision and Serah's last words, culminating with Snow's decision to remain with the crystallized Serah as the others leave. He is then attacked and captured by the Calvary, a splinter group in Cocoon's military headed by Cid Raines that believes humans, not fal'Cie, should control the Sanctum. During his captivity, he meets the mysterious l'Cie Oerba Yun Fang.

Meanwhile, the others manage to escape from PSICOM before crashing in the Vile Peaks. They soon part ways: Hope and Lightning, seeking revenge on the Sanctum for initiating the Purge, make their way to Palumpolum through the Gapra Whitewood as Vanille and Sazh go the opposite direction toward Nautilus, hoping to escape from their troubles once and for all. Lightning learns of Hope's mother and unintentionally supports his desire for revenge by giving him the knife Serah gave her for her birthday. However, once at Palumpolum, Lightning realizes her mistake and instead tries to convince Hope not to carry out his vengeance on Snow. There, they find Snow and Fang, but promptly separate to throw off their PSICOM attackers. Fang, on the way, reveals that she and Vanille are the l'Cie from Pulse who'd awakened from their crystal slumber thirteen days before the Purge and thus were indirectly responsible for the the chain of events that lead to the current situation. Meanwhile, Hope nearly takes his revenge against Snow but is knocked unconscious. A seriously injured Snow saves his life and apologizes for Nora's death. Soon after meeting up and taking refuge in the house of Hope's father, Bartholomew, the l'Cie are forced to leave the city with the Calvary's aid to ensure everyone's safety. Meanwhile, Sazh tells Vanille how a Cocoon fal'Cie branded his son, Dajh, in self-defense, and how the boy was consequently taken by PSICOM to find out his Focus. When the l'Cie arrive in Nautilus, they are caught in a PSICOM trap by Jihl Nabaat, who used Dajh's focus and ability to find Cocoon l'Cie against his father. Jihl then reveals that Vanille and Fang are the Pulse l'Cie that caused Dajh's transformation into a l'Cie. Dajh, his focus complete, is crystallized while his father and Vanille are captured and detained on the Palamecia, pending their immediate execution.

With help from the Cavalry, the other l'Cie launch a daring rescue aboard the Palamecia. After reuniting with Vanille and Sazh, the party confronts the Sanctum's primarch, Galenth Dysley, who is actually the human incarnation of the fal'Cie Barthandelus. The fal'Cie reveals their Focus is the destruction of the fal'Cie Orphan, which would cause Cocoon to crash into the surface of Gran Pulse. Vanille and Fang were, in fact, the same l'Cie who had attempted the feat centuries ago, with their actions resulting in Cocoon's shell being cracked and Gran Pulse being devoid of human life. After they learn about the fal'Cie's intentions to bring back the Maker by sacrificing Cocoon from Cid, who is revealed to be a Sanctum l'Cie, the party escapes to Gran Pulse to find clues about removing their l'Cie marks. However, they reach a dead end at Vanille and Fang's hometown, Oerba. The group faces Dysley again, who reveals a back up plan: by manipulating Cid to become the new primarch and bringing Pulse monsters to Eden, he will force the Calvary into action, killing Cid and Orphan in a bloody coup d'état during the chaos.

The party infiltrates Eden after returning to Cocoon, only to find that the Cavalry have been turned into Cie'th. The group confronts Yaag Rosch, the leader of PSICOM, who sacrifices himself to cover the party's advance into Orphan's Cradle. Inside, the party encounters and mortally wounds Dysley. However, Orphan awakens and absorbs him to forge creating a multi-faced shell to cover it while overpowering the group. Orphan, hoping to force Fang and Vanille to become Ragnarok, turns the others into Cie'th as Fang attempts to become Ragnarok to destroy Orphan to Vanille's dismay. However, when the attempt failed, Orphan starts torturing Fang to resume the form as Vanille refuses to stand by. However, the group regain themselves with a new Focus and deliver a powerful attack, rescuing Fang and revealing Orphan's true form. Emboldened by their new Focus, an image of Cocoon's people safe and happy, the l'Cie then team up to slay the fal'Cie. Lightning, Snow, Sazh, and Hope escape Cocoon as Vanille and Fang transform into Ragnarok. Together, the two sacrifice themselves to prevent a collision between Cocoon and Pulse by creating a crystal pillar between the two worlds. Afterward, the others awaken on Gran Pulse and find that their l'Cie brands have vanished. The game ends with the former l'Cie reuniting with Serah and Dajh as Vanille and Fang, once again turned to crystal, oversee a new beginning for Cocoon's people.

Development

Final Fantasy XIII was first shown at the 2006 E3 convention.^[49] Along with Final Fantasy Versus XIII and the PlayStation Portable game Final Fantasy Agito XIII, Final Fantasy XIII is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII project,^[50] but is not a prequel or sequel to any of the other installments. Square Enix explained that although all three games take place in the same universe, they are not directly related in terms of story.^[51] The game runs on the Crystal Tools engine, a seventh generation multiplatform game engine built by Square Enix for its future games. The engine and the game were originally slated to be used with the PlayStation 2 but were later moved to the PlayStation 3.^[27]

Final Fantasy XIII was developed by Square Enix's Product Development Division 1, led by producer Yoshinori Kitase. As such, the development team resembles that of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, rather than Final Fantasy XII. Several of the game's developers have worked on previous installments of the series. Occasionally, developers from Final Fantasy Versus XIII assisted with the development of Final Fantasy XIII.^[52] Final Fantasy X's battle director Toshiro Tsuchida returned as the battle system director for the game.^[53] The concept for the battle system was to maintain the strategic nature of command-based battles. The system stemmed from a desire to create battles similar to those found in the film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.^[54] The battle system was first shown as a prototype during the 2006 E3 convention.^[55] A new interface appeared in September 2009 by Square Enix in various Japanese magazines and trailers.

Art director Isamu Kamikokuryou revealed that many additional areas that were functioning in an unreleased build during development, such as Lightning's home, were left out of the final version due to concerns about the game's length and volume.^[56] Kamikokuryou additionally stated that the volume of content cut was, in itself, enough to make another game.^[56]

Music

Masashi Hamauzu composed the game's soundtrack. His previous work on the series was as a co-composer for Final Fantasy X and as the main composer for Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.^[57] The game was the first main-series Final Fantasy game to not include any compositions by original series composer Nobuo Uematsu; although he was originally announced to compose the main theme of the game, this role was taken over by Hamauzu after Uematsu signed on to compose the soundtrack to Final Fantasy XIV. The score features some orchestral recordings by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, orchestrated by Yoshihisa Hirano, Toshiyuki Oomori and Kunihito Shiina.^[58][59] The song "My Hands", from British singer Leona Lewis' second album Echo, was chosen to replace Final Fantasy XIII's original theme song, "Kimi ga Iru Kara" by Sayuri Sugawara for the game's international release.^[60] Square Enix President Yoichi Wada has stated that it would have been better if the American branch of the company had produced a theme song from scratch, but the lack of staff led to the decision of licensing an existing song instead.^[61]

Music from the game has been released in several albums. The main soundtrack album, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack, was released on four Compact Discs in 2010 by Square Enix.^[62] The album sold 16,000 copies the day of its release.^[63] Selections from the soundtrack have been released on two gramophone record albums, W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII and W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII Gentle Reveries, both in 2010 by Square Enix.^[64][65] An album of arranged pieces from the soundtrack, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack -PLUS-, was also released by Square Enix in 2010, as was an album of piano arrangements.^[66][67] The theme song for the Japanese version of the game, "Kimi ga Iru Kara" (君がいるから^?, "Because You're Here"), was released as a single by For Life Music in 2009.^[68]

Release and post-release

During Sony's media briefing at the 2008 E3, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIII would have downloadable content available for North America, Europe, and Japan. A playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII is included in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete (released on April 16 in Japan and June 2 for North America^[69]) on Blu-ray Disc for PlayStation 3, along with new trailers of Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.^[70] The demo, however, was only released in Japan and is not reflective of the actual game as it was created using an old build of the game.^[71]

A can of Final Fantasy XIII Elixir featuring the game cover version of Lightning.

Square Enix confirmed at a Japanese press event that Final Fantasy XIII would be released on December 17, 2009 in Japan. Japanese alcoholic beverage distributors Suntory also planned to release the Final Fantasy XIII Elixir to promote the game's release.^[72] At the same press event, Square Enix also announced that it would be bundling Final Fantasy XIII in Japan with a limited edition white 250GB PlayStation 3 Slim with a pink colour print of Lightning on the surface of the console, which will release on the same day.^[73] On the same day the game released in Japan, a Final Fantasy XIII PlayStation Home personal space, called "Eden - Primarch's Vigilarium", was made available for free in the Japan Home until January 13, 2010 along with a costume and personal space furnishings.^[74] This space and the furnishings were released to the Asian, European, and North American versions of PlayStation Home on March 11, 2010.^[75]

Producer Yoshinori Kitase, along with other creators of the game, put together a video with interviews and new footage on November 13, 2009. The conclusion of the video announced that the game is to be released on March 9, 2010, for both Europe and North America.^[2] An international trailer for the game showing both gameplay and pre-rendered scenes was released on January 14, 2010 featuring the game's theme song for Europe and North America, "My Hands", by Leona Lewis. One month prior to the game's release, Square Enix had begun promoting the game via a tour bus where gamers could preview and play the game.^[76]

PAL territories received a limited collector's edition for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It includes the Final Fantasy XIII Original Sound Selection, a soundtrack CD that includes a selection of music tracks from the game that are especially chosen for this Limited Collector's Edition by composer Masashi Hamauzu. The CD is presented inside a slipcase featuring artwork from Final Fantasy XIII, and also liner notes that are written by the composer. The Collector's Edition also includes The World of Final Fantasy XIII, a hardback book featuring character artwork, CG-rendered artwork and environments from across the game production. It also includes exclusive art prints—3 highly collectable art prints showing artwork of the Eidolons, powerful summoned allies of the lead playable characters in Final Fantasy XIII. Finally, the Collector's Edition includes unique "Brand of the l'Cie" decal, a collectible decal featuring the symbol from the game's storyline.

While the game was released on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in western regions, the game remains a PlayStation 3 exclusive in Asian territories.^[77] Final Fantasy XIII is also the first game in the Final Fantasy series to receive its official release in Chinese language. The localization is handled by Sony Computer Entertainment Asia division and using the original Japanese audio with Traditional Chinese subtitles.^[78]

Both consoles have special limited editions based on the game. A special PlayStation 3 Slim version was launched in Japan with a pink color print of Lightning on the white surface of the console, by the time of its release. For the western release, a special Xbox 360 Elite with the silver strip on the hard drive emblazoned with the Final Fantasy XIII logo, and a limited quantity of themed faceplates, created by designer Tetsuya Nomura, was made available through a select few retailers in Europe, North America, and Australia. Both editions have a 250 GB hard drive and come with a copy of the game.

Reception

Final Fantasy XIII sold in excess of one million units on its first day of sale in Japan,^[99] and had sold over 1,600,000 copies in Japan at the end of 2009.^[100] Square Enix had anticipated high sales for the game and shipped close to two million units for its launch.^[101] The game had sold more than 1 million copies in North America in its release month and is the fastest selling title in the UK of 2010 so far. In March 2010, Square Enix stated that Final Fantasy XIII became the fastest selling title in the franchise's history.^[102] By April of the same year, American game sales for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 reached an estimated 800,000 and 500,000 units respectively.^[103] As of May 18, 2010, Final Fantasy XIII had sold 5.75 million copies worldwide.^[104]

Famitsu rated the game at 39/40, with three reviewers giving the maximum 10/10 and one reviewer giving 9/10.^[86] Dengeki praised especially the battle system, stating that the battles are by far the most exciting in the series, and concluded Final Fantasy XIII deserved a score of 120, and that 100 would not be enough.^[97] The game was voted as the second best game of 2009 in Dengeki online's reader poll,^[105] and in January 2010, was voted the best game ever in Famitsu's reader poll.^[106]

The game's Metacritic aggregates score stands at 83 for the PlayStation 3 and 82 for the Xbox 360, signifying "generally favorable" reviews.^[81][82] Universal praise was given to the technical milestone for the series achieved by the game's graphics and presentation. Electronic Theatre remarked that "there are very few moments when the visual and aural superiority fails to astound",^[107] and Edge felt that Cocoon in particular was an "inspired setting [...] blessed with a vibrancy and vivid colour that often leaves you open-mouthed".^[84] Art design also added to the positive reception of the graphics, being described as "magnificent".^[87] Further praise was given to the CGI cutscenes,^{[95][108][109]} and the almost seamless transition of visual quality between these and the realtime gameplay.^[95] Many also appreciated the game's soundtrack,^[87][109] with Masashi Hamauzu providing "a score with catchy hooks and blood-pumping battle melodies",^[108] though some felt the replacement of one of the game's theme songs with one from Leona Lewis was unfortunate.^[109]

The game's new battle system received widespread praise. The increased pace of battles was appreciated, several reviews describing it as "thrilling";^[85][109] Edge's description of the battle system summarized it as "among the genre's finest".^[84] The roles provided by the Paradigm Shift feature also added depth to the battle system and contributed to the fast pace,^[85] and having the AI automate the other two party members' actions meant battles in the game "may be the most involving the series has ever seen".^[83] The story, characters and voice acting were mostly received well. Wired remarked that the story was "a little more human and less esoteric than in previous games".^[108] 1UP felt that the story was "hardly world-class writing", but that the writers clearly knew the medium well and had attempted to avoid clichés.^[83] Reviewers felt that the characters worked well together,^[87][83] and that the interactions among them as the game progressed made up for shortcomings in the story.^[85] Many praised the main character, Lightning, described by GameSpot as "a likeable, strong-willed beauty",^[87] while minor criticism was reserved by some reviews for certain characters in particular, with several commenting on Snow's personality.^[83]

While critics generally praised Square Enix's attempt to revitalize the Final Fantasy series formula, many reacted negatively to the linear nature of the game, especially in the first ten chapters on Cocoon,^[83][110] an issue which many felt was compounded by the large reduction of towns and interaction with non-player characters.^[111] Play remarked that the environment, "while greatly detailed, feels flat and lifeless [...] little more than wallpaper thrown over a tunnel that players walk through."^[94] GamePro described gameplay as "a long hallway toward an orange target symbol on your mini-map that triggers a cutscene, a boss fight, or both."^[111] 1UP.com criticized the linear aspect as the game's "biggest shortcoming", rendering the first section "superficial."^[83] EuroGamer felt the lack of any distraction or exploration makes the game "the RPG equivalent of a corridor shooter" but also remarked, among other reviewers, that every entry in the Final Fantasy series is linear to an extent, and suggested the series' games only offer the "illusion of choice and exploration."^[85] Eurogamer indicated the removal of this illusion means the game "[loses] a measure of excitement and romance."^[85] Nevertheless, Edge and others, who awarded the game lower scores as a result of these aspects, also remarked positively that, after the lengthy opening chapters, the game "hits a sweet spot", and, in addition to the singular narrative, the game offers "hunting side-quests and the simple joy of exploring to see what visual marvel is around the next corner."^[84]

By contrast, reviews such as those by GamesRadar and CVG greatly appreciated its linear nature, the former stating that "the streamlined, focused structure eliminates potential tedium without dumbing anything down",^[89] while the latter felt it "a clever move",^[109] the player not being "[bogged] down with mundane number crunching, finicky and repetitive leveling-up" and game-controlled party members keeping the game "fresh".^[109] Many also noted the gradual unfurling of the player's abilities over this first part of the game, from battle gameplay to selecting the party leader;^[85][83] combined with its linear nature, some reviews went as far as to describe these chapters as "boring" until the world of Gran Pulse was revealed.^{[84][108][110]} Reviewers such as VideoGamer felt that this was due to the production team's stated influence by Western games, such as the FPS genre,^[95] while others felt this was an attempt to appeal to a wider audience than the traditional RPG.^[111]

After release, game director Motomu Toriyama felt that the lower-than-expected review scores for a main Final Fantasy series game were as a result of reviewers approaching the game with a Western point-of-view, and that these reviewers were more used to games in which the player was given an open world in which to explore; he noted that this expectation contrasted with the vision the team set out to create, in that it "becomes very difficult to tell a compelling story when you're given that much freedom".^[112]

Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada, when asked by Gamasutra about his thoughts on fan reactions to the game, said that some valued the game highly while admitting that others were not very happy with it. Nevertheless, he felt it met expectations for "those who know Final Fantasy," and, possibly alluding to the game's controversial action-driven approach, explained that the company continues to struggle with the direction Final Fantasy should take. "There are all kinds of games around in the market today," Wada explained. "Should Final Fantasy become a new type of game or should Final Fantasy not become a new type of game? The customers have different opinions. It's very difficult to determine which way it should go." ^[113]

Controversy

Initial screenshots of the Xbox 360 version released by Square Enix to compare to the PlayStation 3 version were revealed shortly after to be screenshots from the PlayStation 3 version, with the Xbox 360 control icons pasted on top.^[114] Square Enix apologized, claiming there would be no need to enhance the Xbox 360 screenshots and that a mistake was made,^[115] and later released screenshots that did come from the Xbox 360 version.^[114] Though the screenshots were of low quality, including one with a mouse pointer over it,^[116] analysis of the new screenshots and later technical analysis by DigitalFoundry of both versions of the game revealed that the Xbox 360 version runs at 576p (FMV CG 576p), as opposed to the PlayStation 3's native resolution of 720p (FMV CG 1080p).^[117] Both versions can be upscaled to 1080p.

On June 2, 2010, a class action lawsuit was filed against Square Enix and Sony Computer Entertainment America due to alleged freezing bugs in the game damaging and physically breaking PlayStation 3 consoles.^[118] Square Enix claims it is an issue with the console, while Sony blames the issue on a glitch on the game disc.^[119]

In August 2010, a television advert of Final Fantasy XIII was banned in Britain by the Advertising Standards Authority due to Square Enix advertising the Xbox 360 version of the game with footage of the PlayStation 3 version exclusively.^[120]

See also

References

External links

• Final Fantasy XIII Official Japanese website
• Final Fantasy XIII Official North American website
• Final Fantasy XIII Official European website