(originally written in GameAxis Unwired January 2010. Title stolen from a GameAxis Online post I did which was a 30+ hour preview of the game)

Not Your Father’s Final Fantasy

There comes a time when one has to accept that videogame companies will not always tailor-make games for you no matter how much you whine about it. Barring a few retro-flavored exceptions, a franchise that has endured for 20 or so years will have to evolve and gain new fans to keep up with the times, and earn its keep. The Final Fantasy franchise has always been the poster child for staying relevant, it is a pioneer in the Japanese RPG field after all.

This brings me to one question: Who are these new gamers that the thirteenth iteration of this revered series is trying to attract? For those wishing for a Second Coming ala Final Fantasy VI, keep waiting.


Out With The Old



Let’s get on the good points first. The new Optima Change system used in combat is a must to learn and perfect if you want to make it out of the game alive. Think of it as a “new age” version of Final Fantasy’s patented Job System. Each of your party members has up to three main roles that they can switch at any time in the game. These Optima roles can be powered up by putting in Crystal Points (FFXIII’s version of experience) in a leveling tree called the Crystalium System, with each tree set up differently for each individual. People initially complained from the previews shown on gaming websites that you can only use one party member; FFXIII’s blazing fast combat wouldn’t work as such if you actually have control of all three characters at the same time.

Your battles require thought, patience, and the ability to switch between Optima configurations. Enemies eventually get harder to kill and figure out, but you will never die due to the enemies being cheap or your party not being at a higher level. The game’s path is made in a way that you can go from point A all the way to the end without any need for tireless grinding.

Speaking of path, there aren’t any of the traditional RPG towns or monster-free zones. There also aren’t any time-wasting puzzles in labyrinths that make you backtrack copious number of times to complete. Think of these exclusions as trimming the fat off of a fabulous Wagyu steak; you just want to get to the really good stuff quick and fast. FFXIII is streamlined so that you can just focus on the great combat system, doing aerial juggles and firing off area-wide elemental blasts to your heart’s content.

Even better, the ill prepared can quit out of a battle (with your equipment intact) and readjust your Optimas as they see fit. Save points are abundant, and open up the options for you to either buy new gear or upgrade your weapons and accessories. When you get to the large outdoor areas, after 30 hours or so of game time, you get the chance to do some constricted world exploring if you’re the sort who loves grinding and dicking around with optional missions.

Have I mentioned yet how frickin’ gorgeous this game looks? Just watching it in motion will make you be a believer that Square Enix is (still) a master in their craft.


The Left Side of My Brain Now Speaks...



One, however, can bring in the argument that “streamlined” is a nicer substitute for “dumbed down”. Why does Square Enix need to put an exclamation mark to where my party is going when the path is more or less a straight line? Why do they show me all of these cool things the main characters can do, yet all I can do is watch them do it? Why does the camera get all wonky whenever I try to outflank an enemy? Is there anything more to do than following the main story and hunting missions that FFXII already did four years ago? Where the hell are the rest of my Final Fantasy staples like the battle & victory fanfare, moogles, and airship driving?

It’s a step down in game design as a whole. Previous titles gave you some semblance of freedom when handholding you down a path weaved, but FFXIII just forces you in that direction. Cut scenes feel like interruptions than something that naturally flows with the game (ironic, since the majority of the scenes are in-game graphics). I am aware that it’s an imperative feature in a JRPG, but when they start showing off segments in excess that could have been set up as an interactive portion, taking away what scraps of non-linearity the franchise imposed on past games, you forget that you’re playing a videogame.

Let me clarify that I get JRPGs. I get the fact that in a JRPG, I have my hand being led on by the storytellers and directors and follow their path of the story and kill lots of fantasy things in the way. But what I don’t get is that you would think that Square Enix, after years of making these games, would have it down to a science and expand their formula further. They did that with FFXII, they did that with even FFX-2. Even some parts of FFVII and FFVI with its huge central story lets you deviate from the path and let you include not-essential-to-the-story characters (Yuffie pre-FFVII-whore-out-bonanza, Gogo, etc.). One would think that FFXIII would evolve beyond that.


In With The New?

Throughout this analysis of sorts, I have yet to answer the simple question: Is this game fun? Yes, because it’s easily the most graphically impressive game on the block. Its deceptively-simple-but-complex-in-nature battle system, intriguing plot, likeable cast, and intuitive features also help make the experience go by as smooth as possible. Is it an evolution of the genre? Lord no, because it’s a step backwards in emphasizing the “role-playing” part of a role-playing game. With titles like Dragon Age: Origins showing new and invigorating things that can be done with the genre, FFXIII feels like it’s resting on its laurels.

Square Enix have been at the top of their game for many years, and the Final Fantasy franchise is by far the most recognizable property in digital fantasy story telling. However, in an effort to create a game that’s more accessible to a wider range of gamers, Final Fantasy XIII marks a turning point away from RPG trappings. How much YOU like the game will really depend on your taste for a linear action-adventure instead.

(on a side note, I won't be surprised if gaming mags and websites gave the game the equivalent of 7s or 8s)