Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII is the follow-up to Final Fantasy XII and was the first game in the series to be released for both the PlayStation and Xbox at the same time. The game is now also available on Steam, but unless something has changed very recently, it’s actually very hard to play this game given that it is not yet available on most modern consoles.

In addition to XIII, Square-Enix also released Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns as sequels to the main series entry, which help to round out the story and continue building on the gameplay and mechanical elements of the game world. Many of the elements would become mainstays within the series including the Active Time Battle (ATB) system paired with AI-controlled party members.

The game includes 13 chapters to play, many of which are completely linear and lend themselves to a very one-dimensional style of play until the story and gameplay opens up towards the end of the game. This is also the first entry into Square-Enix’s “Fabula Nova Crystallis” series which helps to build on a unified world between other Final Fantasy titles including Type-0 and Final Fantasy XV.

This section of the site contains a full walkthrough, strategy guide and tips and tricks for completing Final Fantasy XIII.

Review

To say that Final Fantasy XIII is a polarizing entry into the Final Fantasy series would be putting it mildly. The game introduced a different playthrough style that parted ways with some of the open world elements that became a mainstay for games like VII, VIII and IX and XII. At some point in their stories, these games released the player into an open world which they could explore, often with the aid of a Chocobo or an Airship.

Arguably, it was Final Fantasy X that took the first turn into a more linear game story, as it was the one of the first Final Fantasy games that, while it provided you with an Airship, would only allow you to select from a preset list of locations to visit and would spawn you in the same spot every time you arrived. Final Fantasy XIII went one step further and removed any open world components including the Airship.

There is a bit more of an open world feel once the player reaches the Archylte Steppe in Chapter 11, and even after completing the game’s story, one can return to the Archylte Steppe to complete the optional content and side quests. However, the game sets you up in a way where you can easily skip past this section entirely, walking straight from the entrance to Archylte Steppe to the next dungeon (Mah’habara Subterra).

Because all of this content was skippable, and because the game essentially directs you to the next dungeon through destination markers on the mini-map, most players skipped right through and completed the story without completing any optional content at all. This story progression and setup led to Final Fantasy XIII being heavily criticized for how linear the gameplay is, and this was exacerbated by limited character development elements, an overly complicated (and superfluous) equipment upgrade system, and a story that, at many times, felt like you were watching and extended FMV/cinematic.

The limited character development came through as a frustrating element of play from two different angles. During many sections of the game, you are limited to just two party members, and have very limited options in terms of leveling and growth; most non-standard Crystariums are locked until much later on in the game so that characters can focus on their strongest party role. This results in the first chapters of the game being played the same way, and using the same strategies, for every playthrough and by every gamer.

Added to this frustration is Final Fantasy XIII’s equipment upgrade system. It somehow has the distinction of being both unnecessarily complicated but also extremely easy once you get the hang of it, but you never need to get the hang of it because upgrading your equipment is completely unnecessary. Many players just didn’t upgrade their equipment at all and, even in this guide in fact, it’s recommended that you not waste time with “unnecessary” upgrades early on in the game.

Because of this, the first time you play through the game can be a somewhat frustrating experience, but even for subsequent playthroughs of the game, you’re really just rushing through the first 10 chapters of the game so that you can get to Chapter 11 and the Archylte Steppe. Only then can you truly begin customizing your party, customizing their roles and paradigms, and begin exploring some of the optional, more challenging components of the game.

So now that this review has spent many paragraphs focusing on the negative elements of XIII, let’s turn to the positive elements…

This is a game that has really managed to stand the test of time. Graphics and story wise, it still holds up extremely well, and if you know what you’re getting into in terms of linearity and the first 10 chapters of the game, playing through Final Fantasy XIII and the strategies you can employ with your role and paradigm setup, make this an extremely enjoyable game.

Many of the battle and gameplay elements that first made an appearance in Final Fantasy XIII have been recycled, at least partially, in many of the subsequent main series titles. The battle system in Final Fantasy X and XII are completely done away with, and you’ll notice many common elements that are carried forward have their humble beginnings in both XIII and also X-2 (with the mid-battle job system / costume switches).

As with most Final Fantasy XIII, the story and the music are what really drive the narrative elements home. Many of the scenes and background tracks will stick with you long after playing the game (two of my favorites include “The Sunleth Waterscape” and “Desperate Struggle”). It was mentioned that these elements hold up well and it can’t be overstated; the game looks like it could have been released in the last couple of years even while some of the older Final Fantasy games are starting to show their age.

Many fans of the Final Fantasy series continue to regard Final Fantasy XIII as a blemish in the series and it tends to be one of the lower ranked games when compared to other entries, but I would encourage you to give this game a revisit when you get a chance (ideally if the re-release it for one of the modern generation systems). It’s retrospectively won me and a lot of other fans over and I’d encourage you to give it the opportunity to do the same for you.

7.5/10