"Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII" marks the
end of the “Final Fantasy XIII” trilogy. A series beloved in its native Japan,
but panned by western games for its linear design and convoluted story line. Having
played all three games to completion, I can understand why the game isn’t so
loved in the west, but for all its weak points, there are strong points that
are often ignored which balance the game to a satisfying level. Firstly, the game
is absolutely gorgeous to look at, with first class art direction. Secondly,
the combat system is challenging and has a depth that you won’t discover until
you try to take down some of the harder bosses. This trilogy is not the
travesty a lot of people try to make it.
Ok, now that that’s
out of the way let’s talk about FF LR:FFXIII, one of the most under-rated games in
recent years. The story takes place 500 years after the events of FFXIII-2.
Lightning has been recruited by God to save as many souls as she can, 13 days
before the apocalypse. Working together with “Hope”, she encounters many past
characters that she must save from despair. Like with all good stories, a twist occurs when
Lightning discovers not everything is as it seems.
The FFXIII trilogy is not the easiest story to follow, with
many confusing elements that often had me scratching my head. LR:FFXIII thankfully tones the story down, and
the game is better for it. The game ending I found particularly beautiful, and
as someone who had invested a lot of time in these games, I was touched.
The gameplay takes place in real time, with a countdown
clock constantly ticking to the end of days. At the end of each day you are
transported to a home base (The Ark) even if you are just about to complete a
main quest. At first I was worried this feature would ruin the experience, having
to run around with no time to farm levels or Gil. However, soon into the game
you gain the ability to freeze time for a short period. Once you work out how
to spam this ability, you can pretty much explore at your own leisure and take
the game at your own pace. If at the end of day 13 you are not ready to face
the final boss, you can warp back to day one with all your perks intact, grind
some more, then sleep until the end of days.
Battle this time around is a solo affair for the most part
(in some instances characters will join you in combat). Lighting is able to
switch between three jobs, represents by different garbs. You will collect many
garbs throughout your journey, each with distinct abilities and styles of
combat, such as warriors, mages, support classes, rouges etcetera. The combat
is fast, and takes place in real time, with abilities placed on corresponding controller
buttons. It is also challenging, even more so than previous games. Bosses will destroy
the unprepared, and make you tinker with all the right combinations and
techniques to be able to bring them down. Even some common spawns will require
constant strategy and careful planning. I would recommend playing this game on
easy. Think of easy as normal, and normal as hard. Enemies in this game will
punish you.
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| Lightning wearing "Cloud" Downloadable Garb |
LR:FFXIII is different this time around, in that you do not
level up from destroying monsters. Rather, your stats increase with each quest
you complete, main quests giving you the biggest increase. You can however use
materials from monsters to upgrade all your moves for more damage / support.
The game is non-linear, and you can undertake any main quest within the four
different worlds, at any time. I enjoyed being able to free roam all maps,
exploring wherever I wanted to from day one.
I had a blast with this game, but with that being said, it
is not a game for everyone. Some people will be turned off by the pressures of
playing to a time limit; others may be turned off by the constant combat, which
can become a tad repetitive. RPG fans should definitely check this out. I can’t
remember the last time I played a game to this extent in such a short period of
time. The open world, non-linear play style was refreshing. I even enjoyed the
pressures of the world clock forcing me to prioritize my actions. I for one
will miss Lightning, but the pain is eased knowing “Final Fantasy XV” for PS4
and Xbox One is being released later this year.
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