Final Fantasy XIII. Part 1 : Overview

 
So where do I start?

Final Fantasy is a game of extremes, but also compromises. It is a bastion of JRPG conventions, yet a willing executioner of its most highly-regarded traditions. It is chock full of flair, but also conservatism. An amalgamation of brilliance, interspersed with unmissable flaws. It is, in essence, a conflict of loyalty, progressiveness, and dare I say it, Japan VS North America.

The game has been gracing storefronts since December 17th 2009 (Japanese) and March 9th 2010 (English version), and to date has sold nearly 3 million units in less than 3 months of sales. Square Enix have said that it is the fastest selling Final Fantasy in its history. But does commercial success translate to critical acclaim?

This is where the picture gets slightly murkier.



 On the surface, if you are new to the universe (or should I say, multi-verse) of Final Fantasy, this game is a thoroughly amazing advertisement for the creativity, innovation and genius of game developers, particularly the team behind this iteration; Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshitaka Amano, Yoshinori Kitase, Motomu Toriyama, Toshiro Tsuchida and others.

Yet if you are a long-time follower of the series (as I am, since the days of FF7, 13 years ago), then this game could end up being a shock. A real big shock. In fact, it could be traumatic. JRPGs, should they follow the lead established by FFXIII, will never be the same again. But enough philosophical dithering. What of the game itself?

Final Fantasy XIII is set in the world of Pulse, and the massive twin world that floats above it, known as Cocoon. Cocoon is in essence a floating planet that is above Pulse's surface, and was created and maintained by the game universe's most powerful entities, the fal'Cie (pronounced fal-see). Humans that live on Cocoon are watched over by Cocoon's fal'Cie creators, and administered by a human government called the Sanctum. They live in constant fear of anything related to the world below, Pulse, due to transgressions committed by Pulse's fal'Cie and armies in years gone by.

Into this setting comes our protagonist, a strong-willed and battle hardened former sergeant of the Sanctum Guardian Corps, Lightning. She is joined on her journey by 5 other protagonists - Snow, a small-time rebellion leader of the group called NORA; Hope, a teenage boy driven by grief and despair, Vanille, a red-head with nary a care in the world; Sazh, a man with a quirky personality and wit; and Fang, a woman with mysterious motivations of her own. Another major, but non-playable, character, is Lightning's sister, Serah, who is engaged to Snow, creating  another set of complications.

They are all joined together after being branded / cursed l'Cie (luh-see) by Pulse fal'Cie, meaning that they have to accomplish a 'Focus' or mission assigned to them by that particular fal'Cie, or risk a fate worse than they could ever imagine.

(L-R, Front) Fang, Serah, Hope

(L-R, Rear) Lightning, Sazh, Snow, Vanille

The first thing that anyone and everyone needs to know about FFXIII, is this : this game is incredibly linear. It is the one thing more than anything else that has nerdrage (that's an actual word) on fan forums boiling over to previously unimaginable levels, coupled with the loss of other JRPG staples, such as towns, a world map, mana points (MP) and traditional levelling up mechanics (EXP, AP).

You level up in this game by defeating enemies and gaining CP (Crystogen Points) which are spent on activating nodes in Crystarium that correspond to attributes or skills. It is very similar to FFX's Sphere Board, although it does not have as much freedom. There are no shops as such, as many things are done through Save Points, such as purchasing new weapons & items, selling unwanted items, and weapon upgrading. Items you collect as battle drops (loot) can be used to upgrade your weapons, which gain RPG-esque characteristics and can be leveled up.

The loss of so many traditional JRPG elements renders Final Fantasy XIII as a radical departure from the series, yet what it excels at enhances its claims as a true guardian of the Final Fantasy name. It is indeed, a game of extremes and compromises.

And what does it excel at? The magnificent execution of its Battle System.

Part 2 : Battle System (coming soon)