Final Fantasy XIII Review

Final Fantasy XIII is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix and is the thirteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series.

It was released for the PlayStation 3 entertainment system in Japan on December 17, 2009 and in North America and PAL regions on March 9, 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The game features both futuristic and natural elements; it is set between a land of wilderness and the high-tech world above it.

Following the story of Lightning, Square-Enix describes the theme of the game as “those who resist the world”.

Gameplay

The concept for Final Fantasy XIII’s battle system is to maintain the strategic nature of command-based battles.

The system stemmed from a desire to create battles similar to those found in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.

Like those in Final Fantasy XII, enemies are integrated into the world environment.

However, unlike Final Fantasy XII, battles do not take place in the same “dimension.” Instead, there is a short transition and players are transported to a new battle screen, separate from the main playing world.

Video Review

Plot

The plot of Final Fantasy XIII takes place in a world known as Pulse and revolves around the story of the fal’Cie, mechanical beings with godlike power created by a being called the Marker.

Each fal’Cie has crystals residing inside them. People who are marked by the fal’Cie are called l’Cie.

Each l’Cie has a Focus, a goal the fal’Cie wants him or her to fulfill within a certain amount of time; however, the fal’Cie do not explicitly say what the goal is: l’Cie learn what their Focus is by interpreting visions that are given to them.

L’Cie gain the ability to summon Eidolons (monsters who fight with the l’Cie), but this ability comes with a price: if a l’Cie dies before completing his or her Focus, fails to tame his or her Eidolon, or fails to complete his or her Focus within a set period of time, he or she becomes a monster known as a Cie’th.

If a l’Cie does complete his or her Focus, the reward is not much better: permanent transformation into a crystal. For this reason, being chosen as a l’Cie is seen as a curse.

Game Specs

Developer(s) Square Enix PDD 1

Publisher(s) Square Enix

Producer(s) Yoshinori Kitase

Designer(s) Motomu Toriyama / Toshiro Tsuchida / Yoshinori Kitase

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

Engine Crystal Tools

Native resolution 720p (PlayStation 3) / 576p (Xbox 360)

Platform(s) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release date(s) JP December 17, 2009 / NA/EU/AUS March 9, 2010

Genre(s) Console role-playing game

Mode(s) Single-player

Rating(s) CERO: B / ESRB: T / OFLC: M / PEGI: 16

Media Blu-ray Disc (PlayStation 3) / DVD DL (Xbox 360)

Input methods Gamepad