Final Fantasy XIII is the appropriately named thirteenth direct installment in the ongoing Final Fantasy series. In this game, you switch between playing six (read it, six) different storylines of six different characters that ultimately come together with the united goal of saving the world as they know it. Just like every other Final Fantasy!

However, this Final Fantasy takes place on two vastly different worlds: from the Final Fantasy VII inspired, technologically advanced world of Cocoon, where plants are sparse and neon colors and sleek technology reign free, all the way to the nature-filled, picturesque world of Gran Pulse. With mostly loveable characters, great gameplay mechanics and a…well, a storyline, this Final Fantasy offers something new and different than previous installments.
 
Highlights
What’s the storyline of Final Fantasy XIII? Good question. I’m still not sure, and I’ve beaten the game. Out of all the games in the series, this one has probably one of the weakest storylines, convoluted and stacking on top of itself until the player has next to no idea what’s even going on or what they’re fighting for. Each character’s personal story is easy enough to understand and sympathize with, but the overarching story quickly becomes lost in a stream of terms that are used in context to tell us what they mean but don’t actually convey the meaning, which ultimately leaves the player simply hoping the next FMV (Full-Motion Video, aka cut-scene) will explain it better. It took me nearly half the game to fully understand the difference between a l’cie, a fal’cie, and a c’ieth, no matter how much they used it in context, and those are three terms vital to the story. And let’s not get started on the various villain characters and their roles: I’m still trying to fully figure out the roles of Cid, Bosch, Nabaat, and Barthandelus, among others.
 
However, although the storyline isn’t much to brag about, I have nothing but praise for how well some of the characters were developed, with Lightning and Hope as my focus. The rest of the characters feel fairly static for the most part, not developing much past what is initially presented, and though each character has their reasons why you want them to win in the end, after being presented a sob story, there’s not much more delving into their characters. For Lightning and Hope, though, their growth and exploration of character is shown quite well as the story progresses: Hope goes from a spineless momma’s boy to an independent fighter who stands up for what he believes in; Lightning’s characterization is fully developed and explored, and she does quite a bit of maturing.

 
However, speaking of the (long ago) aforementioned FMVs, those run terribly rampant in the first several hours of the game, and before long, players who aren’t die-hard fans (and even some who are) will find themselves tempted to skip the cut-scenes simply to get on with the part they’re actually involved in. From the get-go, it seems as though the first four or five hours of game time goes much like this: run 30 steps, FMV; fight a battle, FMV; walk down a corridor, FMV; sigh in exasperation, FMV. Each one of these cut-scenes is supposed to further the storyline, but with said storyline as confusing as it already is, these FMVs merely come off as a blatant display of how far Square Enix can push the technology available to them to give the player an absolutely stunning display of movie-esque graphics, which is something to speak highly of for this game. The graphics are absolutely beautiful, FMV and in-game. The switch between the two is nearly flawless, and nothing short of spectacular. Everything from the characters to the scenery to the weapons and architecture is amazingly rendered and looks comparable to the CG used in movies.
 
When the FMVs finally give way to some actual battles, Final Fantasy fans will notice a few things right off the bat. First, no money is earned from battles. That’s right, battles are used solely for the advancement of the characters’ abilities and stats. So to get all those potions, phoenix downs, and various components to upgrade your weapons, you’re going to have to sell the random valuables you get in battle or treasure chests, and simply hope it’s enough to tide you over.

 
Another thing about the battle system is that it differs from all the previous Final Fantasys –  you may or may not agree, but I found the system enjoyable, if not one of the best the series has seen yet. It is probably one of the best hybrids between real-time battle and turn-based battle, which won’t make much sense unless you try it out. The action in these battles is fast-paced and enjoyable. Players can auto-battle their way through, which is the downside to this system, especially after the strategic gambit system from FFXIII’s immediate predecessor.  However, players are also challenged with the new paradigm system, which allows you to change what is, in essence, their characters’ job class mid-battle, adding new strategy when deciding whether to go offensive, defensive, or a mix of both, depending on the situation.
 
Also, there is the ability to retry a battle when you lose, or feel like you could do better. Simply press start, select ‘retry,’ and your party will be reset to just before you got into the fight so you can reconfigure your battle party, equipment, and paradigms before trying that battle again. Or, if a battle is too difficult, you can just select ‘retry’ and bypass it altogether. The lack of serious consequences, such as restarting at the last save point, makes battles more enjoyable and allows the player to experiment more with their party. Did one paradigm combination not work out for you? Retry and pick another!
 
The first twenty or so hours of the game is spent running down corridors or in areas where there is pretty much one way to go, and that is forward. There isn’t much room to explore until you reach the lower world of Gran Pulse, and even then, many of the enemies in that area are too difficult to defeat on the first visit there. However, after that point, things start to get broader, more open, giving way to a bit more exploration, though it’s safe to say the game is quite linear. In fact, click the map to the left for a glimpse of what the first hours entail.

 
The music in FFXIII is wonderful. The pieces are well put together, conveying the proper emotions at the right times that lead up to some intense situations. The Theme of Serah is repeated in several different melodies and adds a certain sad hope to the scene; the battle theme (Blinded by Light) has an almost elegant edge to its desperate feel; several piano pieces set the moodier tones, while organs and guitars add a sense of determination and victory. There are several tunes that will easily get stuck in your head (note the battle theme), and some that are forgettable, but in the end, this soundtrack is extremely good, with or without Nobuo Uematsu.

Overall
Although it sounds like there are far more negative aspects than positive, I actually really enjoyed this game a lot. I won’t say it’s a groundbreaking new RPG, but the cinematics are beautiful (and skippable! Bonus points!), the characters are endearing, and the gameplay mechanics are a lot of fun to play with and experiment with. This game definitely doesn’t cater to the casual gamer, and even new RPG fans will probably find that a previous Final Fantasy will better suit their needs but overall, this game is flawed but very, very enjoyable.
 
ComicsOnline gives Final Fantasy XIII 4 optional cutscenes out of 5.
 
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