It’s tough to know where to begin with Final Fantasy XIII. I’ve been playing it avidly since the retail release last month and enjoyed the vast majority of my time with it. I’d be a fool to say it’s brilliant though. It’s not. It’s deeply flawed in places. The first few hours of the game are really not indicative of what’s to come and I can’t blame those with busy lives when they complain that it’s too slow and they haven’t got the time to devote to it. To be fair, it’s not that bad. Yes it’s all very linear for the first couple of hours, and all you’ll be doing is mostly running through a tunnel, watching some cut scenes and pressing A every now and then. But think of it as an extended tutorial.
I promise you it does get better. It’s just a shame that it starts out so slowly. I’m a huge RPG fan. I’m used to RPGs taking a while to get going but this does away with any thinly veined attempt at making you think it’s not linear. It is, just accept it and move on. Odds are you’re an RPG fan too. You know this is what happens. Just be patient. Things are confusing at first but it’s worth it in the end. Final Fantasy XIII is a curious juxtaposition you see. On the one hand it’s extremely welcoming to newcomers to the series in terms of its game mechanics, but on the other hand its pacing is incredibly off making it a battle of patience in the first few hours.
Final Fantasy XIII is quite a departure from previous games in the series, while still maintaining familiar elements. Yet more juxtaposition. The battle system is the biggest departure. Right from the start it’s obvious just how much has changed. Battles are much faster paced and more frantic. However this is at a considerable price: players don’t control the entire party. Instead you just control the main character (pre-defined for much of the game although later stages allow more flexibility) and once that character dies, it’s game over regardless of the status of the other two members. It’s a monumental shift from conventional Final Fantasy games and one that I approached with great hesitation. For the most part though it works, with only occasional frustration. It’s more a matter of adjusting your strategies to ensure that the main character never dies. Crucially the game does help you in this endeavour and introduces the various combat elements gradually, again making it ideal for newcomers. The other two AI managed characters are controlled via the Paradigm system. This system sets certain roles, or classes, for each character. For example, the main character can be a commando that attacks unrelentlessly while another character is a medic/healer and the third is a saboteur casting debuff magic at the foe. The player can set various different paradigms and switch from one to the other during battle depending on what the situation calls for. Again, it sounds a little overwhelming at first but the game is appropriately paced in terms of introducing new game mechanics and by the end it’ll be amazing how quickly you’ll find yourself switching paradigms during a frantic boss battle. There is also the introduction of the Stagger system which is often vital to succeed in battle. This involves striking a foe quickly and frequently enough that it is ‘staggered’ meaning that future blows inflicted by the player are much stronger and that the foe can be launched into the air, stopping it from fighting back.
The stagger system and paradigm system are a huge shift from the usual Final Fantasy method but it works extraordinarily well after an adjustment period. There are also other noticeable changes such as the fact that the party always has its health fully restored after each battle so potions are only ever needed during combat. There’s no sign of limit breaks and even the Eidolons, Final Fantasy XIII’s equivalent of summons, are really quite weak and rarely needed. You can’t run from a battle any more, but if defeated a simple tap of the ‘Retry’ button returns you to moments before the fight so that you can try again. In many ways it makes fighting in Final Fantasy XIII much simpler to learn however, with yet more contradictions, it’s also some times much harder with many of the bosses needing more thought and more tactical thinking. When you are eventually killed though it rarely feels cheap, it’s simply because you didn’t plan your actions thoroughly. The only time I really found fighting infuriating was during the Eidolon battles. At a few predefined moments throughout the game, you must ‘capture’ an Eidolon by doing certain actions enough times before the time limit runs out and you die. Without prior knowledge of what’s to come, far too often does it feel like a matter of trial and error with it often taking a few attempts to figure out how to ‘solve’ the battle. Other than this though, the battle system while no doubt infuriating many Final Fantasy purists, works very well in being both deep yet welcoming. In a rare change, debuffs are actually very useful in Final Fantasy XIII with the likes of Imperil, Curse and Deprotect being frequently essential against bosses. A far cry from far too many RPGs which throw such spells in but hardly ever requires them.
Another twist which is yet again new but familiar is the crystarium system. It’s like Final Fantasy 10′s Sphere Grid method of levelling up but simpler to get to grips with. It works on a class basis like some earlier Final Fantasys did before it. The classes are quite typical with a few twists thrown in to accommodate the stagger system, such as the Ravager which is an offensive class that helps build up the stagger bar faster than the more conventional Commando/attacking role. There’s also the addition of the Sentinel class which is a defensive role where the character taunts the foe to attack it then constantly defends, typically allowing other characters to remain untouched. The Sentinel starts out quite useless in early sections of the game but it’s not long before playing defensively is vital in some battles.
Of course this is Final Fantasy, it’s not just about the mechanics behind it, there needs to be a compelling storyline to keep you playing. This is where Final Fantasy XIII fell down the most for me. At times I really felt for the characters involved, especially earlier on. Szah in particular stands out as a charming but sad character thanks to the various problems that have befallen him and his son. Vanille, while being in possession of the most irritating voice I’ve ever heard, develops into quite an interesting role, but ultimately no one stands out enough. The potential is frequently there with various tragic events occurring to all the characters but the storyline never goes that one step further to truly captivate you. It also feels as if Final Fantasy XIII is lacking one truly evil bad guy, akin to the likes of Sephiroth or Kefka. Instead the development of the fal`Cie, Barthandelus and Orphan just doesn’t excite in the way that the truly evil Final Fantasy bad guys in the past have done. At least while the story is not quite up to par, the musical score and graphical prowess on display is as strong as ever. Even on the supposedly inferior Xbox 360 version the graphics are stunning in places and the system never appears to struggle with fast paced action.
As I keep saying Final Fantasy XIII is a contradiction of itself, it really is. It even goes against the grain by introducing an ‘end game’ section to proceedings. Following completion of the storyline you can return to the world of Pulse to gain more experience, explore further or complete the numerous Cie’th Stone missions, something which I strongly recommend players do upon completion. Who ever heard of a JRPG having a significant end game portion though? It’s actually infinitely more enjoyable than the first 10-15hrs of the game which is just silly really.
The thing is I loved my time with Final Fantasy XIII. I still do in fact as I’ve still got the last remaining Cie’th Stone missions to complete and I’d quite like to max out my Crystariums before I put the game aside. A game that despite its flaws still keeps me playing for 60 or more hours has to be something special. It’s just still not quite as special as it could have been. It’s full of loving nods to the series with Chocobos, Tonberries and Cactaurs making numerous appearances yet it’s also an entirely different beast, a true evolution perhaps? My one great hope is that Square Enix builds upon what it’s designed here. The foundations are brilliant and with a more captivating story and a few of its irritants corrected, Final Fantasy XIV could be something truly mind blowing. As it stands though, Final Fantasy XIII manages to be both wonderful yet flawed, but it’s still there to be loved. You just might be a little confused as to your true feelings for it.
VideogameUK verdict: 8/10
