The Final Fantasy series has always been part of a so-called ‘niche market’.
The jRPG genre (japanese role-playing games) has been met with far less interest in the West than it has in the Far East. That being said, the Final Fantasy series is quite possibly the one series of that genre which is easily able to capture the interest of the Western market. The opinion-splitting nature of the series can be seen even within the Brake for Frogger camp with my unquestioning love of the series and Cameron’s unchangeable boredom with the series. (See podcast episode #2 ‘We Wish We Could Fly’ for the discussion about Cameron’s ‘Final Fantasy VII’ Games Exchange debacle!)
The major point at which the series became truly popular over here was with the release of Final Fantasy VII. Despite having had a following for the original Nintendo series of games (I – VI), the new 3D graphics and other major tweaks made a huge difference to its accessibility. Since FF7, the Playstation/PS2 has been the exclusive release platform for FFVIII, FFIX, FFX (FFX-2 as well… but we’d rather forget about that. *sigh*) and FFXII. When Final Fantasy XIII was announced, I expected to be disappointed as an Xbox 360 owner, with no real desire to purchase a Playstation 3 for the sake of owning one game. As such, I was delighted when it was announced that the game was going to be released for the Xbox 360 too. I had resigned myself to not being able to play this game and was very excited to discover that I would be able.
Last week, I finally got my chance to play as a copy arrived for me. I whacked it into my console and leapt headlong into the deep, deep storyline that each and every one of these games has. First impressions were fantastic. The opening FMV sequence showed beautiful animation of landscapes, creatures and introduced the two characters with whom we get to begin the game. Moments after the sequence, you get to experience your first battle. This is where the distinct improvements are visible.
Firstly, the ‘random’ battling has been stepped away from in the Final Fantasy series. Improvements were made in that area in FFXII, but in XIII the difference is amazing. You are able to see your enemies on the path ahead of you rather than you having to get “whooshed” at before a battle. The transition from exploring to battling has become seamless and it’s all the better for it.
As always, the game focuses on a group of intrinsically linked people around whom the story-line will focus. The story’s main character is Lightning, a soldier with a group of governmental military called ‘Guardian Corps’ and the plot is based upon her desire to save/avenge her younger sister, Serah. Lightning is supported by a number of other characters: Snow, Serah’s fiancée; Sazh, a man whose curiosity overcame him, leading him to tag along with Lightning; Hope, a teenage boy who has recently lost his mother and blames Snow for her death; and Vanille, a bizarre teenage girl who befriends Hope after his mother’s death. With a game such as this, I’m loathe to give too much away about the characters and story as the Final Fantasy series is so story-driven that it would seem foolish to spoil that for anyone.
Also, as is the way with a story-driven RPG, the game is very linear. I don’t think that this is an issue that detracts from the game itself though. I feel that a person who is likely to consider purchasing a Final Fantasy title will be able to understand that it is quite different from the recent spate of first-person RPGs, such as Fallout 3 or Oblivion, wherein the story is directed by your choices and exploration of the landscape, or third-person titles such as Mass Effect or Dragon Age, where you are able to choose how you approach situations even down to the conversations you have. Final Fantasy XIII will play exactly the same each time that you play it. That is,with the exception of the battles, which rely heavily on your own tactics and perception of how best to defeat your enemy. In that sense, there’s really nothing new on offer other than the fan-pleasing tried and tested FF format. I’m not complaining. I thoroughly enjoy my progression through the world and meeting it’s populous. I don’t want to bore anyone with meticulous detail about the battle-system because, again, you’re either interested or you’re not. The new aspects are good though: the ATB attack queuing system, paradigm-shifting and ever-present summons, with their new Gestalt mode, help to keep things fresh and enjoyable in that area.
At the time of writing, I’m around 17 hours into the game. Rumour has it that the game can be completed in 25 hours, but if previous FF games are anything to go by, it is probably going to be something more in the region of 40-50 hours for me. As with previous incarnations, the first disc (which doesn’t apply to PS3 owners and the Blu-Ray version. In that case, t’would equate to Chapters 1 -3) is essentially you getting to know the main characters and learning how to play properly. It’s only when you progress onto the second disc (Chapter 4 onwards) that the game really starts to pick up pace and become really interesting.
I must confess that despite my good feelings towards the game, I do have a couple niggles about it… As part of the menu system, there is a detailed section where all the events that have taken place are recapped. Each and every one of these recaps seems to be written with the idea that the reader has not been playing the game and has not read any of the recaps before it. It might seem overly dramatic to complain about it, but after a while you can become bored of the constant repetition of story aspects. In addition to that, levels or areas can seem to drag a bit. I have spent a lot of time running through them feeling like not a lot is going on. Again, not much of an issue as there is plenty of action in the game and plenty of chance for it too but the times when the player feels like the game is dragging on aren’t going to do it any favours.
All in all, Final Fantasy XIII is nothing new, or particularly earth-shattering. I don’t see it causing anyone who is not a fan of the series to have an epiphany-style moment and suddenly decide that they have an intense love for jRPGs but it is certainly good enough to please its very established fan-base and keep people loving the series and constantly waiting for the next instalment. The characters lives and back-stories will draw you in and keep you wondering about the people you are playing with. The twists and turns are there, set to surprise you and prevent things from become too predictable and dry. Battles have a steep learning-curve but are ultimately enjoyable. All said and done, it’s a good quality game that’ll make you feel like you got your money’s-worth from it.
Impressed? Not really…
Satisfied? Very much so.
Bravo, Square Enix. Roll on Final Fantasy XV.
