Final Fantasy XIII Review
Final Fantasy XIII has already been out in the market for
quite some time now. It is one of the first titles that made its debut on
Playstation 3. Having two sequels
already, FFXIII left positive and negative impressions on the old and new
supporters that resulted in countless debates and unending opinions whether it was the Final Fantasy as we know it or not.
As an old fan of the series, I am one of those few people who took the whole experience differently and saw the inner beauty of XIII. Seeing and feeling those “unique elements” that the previous titles had was more than enough for me to conclude that it was still in line with the franchise that I fell in love with, many years ago.
Game Features
XIII has a completely
different approach compared to the traditional Final Fantasy in the past by introducing a new fast-phased battle system, strikingly detailed graphics that will enhance
the overall experience, and a handful of basic elements from its predecessors.
There is a lot to talk about in XIII and let me give you a quick rundown.
Its greatest strength is the unique experience that it
can offer by having a creative storyline and its captivating world. Other than
that, the characters have different stories and backgrounds which are worth
mentioning that will immerse players to see and feel the special
bonds connecting each character making the whole plot more interesting.
Many are claiming that the main storyline was nonsensical compared
to its predecessors but let me tell you this. I am one of the few who will
contest that claim because of my firsthand experience of analyzing the story, and the result was unexpected. Indeed the story needs more
elaboration to establish itself. It has missing details that raised questions and
debates but overall, saying that it was garbage was completely unreasonable.
One must do research regarding the whole story to fill on
those gaps and have a better understanding of the lore. Other missing plots can be
explained by analyzing those in-game materials called “Analects” or exploring
other materials across the internet. The inner beauty will only be realized upon
knowing at least the origins of the story itself hence it can back up some of
the unexplained phenomena.
One of the downsides is story progression. The game was
divided into chapters as you go along, meaning you will have linear gameplay
until a certain end which many fans are angry about. I myself didn’t like this since it gave me the
impression of linearity and felt that I was being controlled and had no
freedom of exploring at all. To be reasonably fair, this design can already be observed even with the most celebrated Final Fantasy Titles. Meaning having not much freedom and the length of exploration is questionable as well.
Aside from having linear gameplay, let’s now talk about the
battle system and its features. In fact, it discouraged a lot of fans because of altering the traditional turn-based design and deriving it into a real-time battle approach. It is more like of an action RPG ( but not exactly an ARPG ) that requires timing and precision as
players execute real-time commands to get the job done. Each character has a
role now to fulfill in every encounter and players can experiment and switch
between these roles to adapt to whatever situation may be, this feature is
called “Paradigm Shifting”. Survival will depend heavily in effective paradigm
setup so be sure to study every role and its advantages in battle.
Of course, basic elements are still present like character
stats and equipment that will contribute greatly to your journey. Unlike in the
previous titles, character stats only includes HP, ATB level, Strength, and
Defense. No MP stat this time instead, ATB bars replaced it and each command
has its corresponding ATB cost.
Here’s a different take, the whole battle system alone was
well designed with smooth gameplay, satisfying command animations, and effects.
It is easy to feel the intensity of the battle and they, in fact, did a pretty good
job and you just need to get used to it. Equipment of course plays a vital role
and players can upgrade them by the use of materials and Gil. There are lots
of items and equipment to explore thus making better gears for your
characters will be fun and make your stay worthwhile.
“ Summoning is getting better and better. ” these were my thoughts
after I did my first summon. Here in XIII, Summoning and other abilities
require “ TP ”. Not only it is flashy but you can control your character and
“ Eidolon ” during this phase. After calling the Eidolon, it will fight along
your side replacing other party members and you need to chain your attacks with
it and fill the “ Gestalt Gauge ” to the full to enter “ Gestalt Mode ”. During
this mode, you can input commands displayed on the “ Gestalt Dial ” and each
command has a “ Dial Count “ cost. Be aware that the Dial depletes over time
and when it reaches 0, Eidolon will be dismissed.
Take note that Eidolon’s SP depletes as the battle goes on
or upon receiving damage before Gestalt Mode. When it reaches zero, the Eidolon
will disappear as well so it is advisable to immediately enter Gestalt Mode
before this happens. However, entering “ premature ” ( gauge was not fully charged )
Gestalt Mode will result in having fewer dial counts resulting in fewer moves and a much weaker finisher.
Another feature worth covering is the “ Crystarium ”. Similar but not exactly alike to the FFX’s Sphere Grid, players can increase character stats and acquire new
abilities with the use of “ Crystogen Points ” that players can get after every
battle. I want to mention as well that the " Crystarium Stage " determines the number
of crystals available for upgrades but the catch is, that it only increases at certain points in the game. You cannot do an extensive grind to outbalance
the game. What you can only do is to avail every crystal at the moment to be
prepared.
What about side quests? They have Cie’th Stones and it will
be introduced later in the game. Each stone contains a mission and a reward
after finishing it. These stones are quite numerous and if you plan to finish
them all, it will require time and effort.
Time for the spices, whenever I think about its visual fidelity, I always tend to think of the entire Final Fantasy series as a whole. Over the years, Square Enix is widely known for having high standards regarding this matter and the series already left its mark in the gaming industry. XIII was released 6 years ago (2009) but it is still better or comparable to the latest PS3 games nowadays in terms of content and visual design. Creatively unique characters, monsters, and world design empowered with gorgeous graphics is really something worth checking out. Character models and places blend well together making it soothing to the eyes that you will want to ask for more.
The whole Final Fantasy series is known for great end-game challenges, especially in terms of secret bosses. I was surprised and disappointed that they lower their standards in XIII. Having a fair difficulty in the main storyline is understandable but XIII lacks end-game content. I was expecting for more like a bonus dungeon with back-breaking boss fights like in the past. I am completely lost and wondering why they didn’t design it that way. On the other hand, new missions with new difficult bosses will be active post-game but none of those can reach the standards like in the previous titles. On the other hand, getting all trophies was not that difficult so if you want to spend additional hours to stretch the game, this is a good avenue to do so.
To sum it all up, I
found XIII a masterpiece in its own way despite the barrage of negative
comments and opinions. If one can understand and accept how the series is
evolving and deviating from its roots, it is easy to recognize its “inner
beauty”. One may accept change, and embrace it as
I took it that way. Recognizing the same series that I love since my
childhood days in a completely new experience this time was a gift. It is a choice to let go of
the past and move on or lose faith, and let this be your final fantasy.
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