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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review
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on 2012-04-20 at 23:46 (6908 Views)
Some of you might not know this, but the origins of BlueGartr are rooted in the Final Fantasy franchise. As such, it’s only fitting that that latest entry into this franchise, Final Fantasy XIII-2, be the subject of my one-year anniversary review. XIII-2 has the distinction of being only the second numerical sequel to one of the major entries in this franchise. However, in contrast to the first numerical sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, this game followed a game that had been received far less positively than Final Fantasy X. As a result, during its development, SquareEnix promised to eliminate the complains raised against its predecessor and return the Final Fantasy name to the prestigious position so many gamers once held it to.
Back in 2010 (2009 in Japan), Final Fantasy XIII was released to generally divided reviews. On one hand were those who appeared to only have disdain for the game. The game was criticized for being too linear, for having an overly simplified battle system, and for deviating too much from the franchise’s roots. Conversely, some contested that the criticisms were unjustified. The shocking linearity was only the result of eliminating the illusion of freedom; the battle system was actually more complex and involved controlling the flow of battle rather than just the battle; and while different, the changes from established norms of the franchise fit within the context of the game. Personally, I fall into the latter camp that enjoyed XIII. XIII-2 occurs three years after the end of XIII. However, the world players find themselves in is not the same that they left at the conclusion on the plains of Pulse. Instead, the game opens on a world where Lightning has been removed from history following the end of her adventure. Strangely, the only person with any memory of Lightning following the crystallization of Cocoon is her sister Serah. In an effort to relocate her sister and understand her conflicting memories, Serah teams up with Noel, a time travel who suffers from holes in his memories, and a Moogle with a variety of useful abilities who is sent by Lightning to look after Serah. The three of them set out a journey to unravel the mysteries surrounding the timeline, reunite with Lightning at the end of time, and stop the ambitions of a figure from Noel’s past.
Like a younger sibling, XIII-2 will inevitably be compared to XIII. In XIII, players experienced Lightning’s story as she sought to challenge fate and reunite with Serah. XIII-2 tells a similar story, only from Serah’s perspective as she tries to find Lightning. Going into this game, one thing I cannot stress enough is that this is Serah’s adventure. For how little a role she has in the game, a lot of the attention leading up to XIII-2 was focused on Lightning. In fact, all the familiar characters from XIII are relegated to observing Serah’s adventure from the sidelines. That said, there were a few points where it felt like they had to stretch too hard to keep those familiar characters relevant. In my opinion, the story would have been much better if it didn’t rely so heavily on the characters from XIII, insist on dragging them through the adventure, and had invested more in developing its own characters.
In previous entries, I’ve discussed how Japanese RPGs have been criticized lately for being too unrealistic in that they lack an element of choice. There’s certainly a degree of truth to this critique -- J-RPGs give you a goal and then constantly push players along towards the eventual conclusion without much opportunity to create your own story. However, as someone who grew up playing and loving J-RPGS, I feel obliged to defend them. While claims that they lack choice are justified, I question a person’s sense of realism when they compare J-RPGs to their western counterparts. After all, which is more realistic: becoming a government fugitive who is trying to prevent the death of millions and therefore every step of the journey is towards that goal, or being the only hope for the universe, but spending days mining minerals, resolving the personal problems of your crew, and answering calls for help from every person across the galaxy you encounter? In an effort to answer some of the criticisms directed at its predecessor, XIII-2 is far less structured, giving players the opportunity to step away from the main quest. Serah and Noel’s adventure constantly has them travel through the Historia Crux, a strange passage that connects various time periods. As the story progresses, players gain access to more and more time periods which they can revisit at any time. These areas, many inspired from locales in XIII, offer branching paths, hidden areas, and multiple paths toward the same goal. Not only that, but adding the element of time adds another level of variability to the game. Players must often travel between time periods to resolve problems arising from the shifting timeline. Taking cues from Chrono Trigger, players are able to revisit previous time periods to unlock additional endings. Quite perplexingly, while a number of my favorite games incorporate time travel, I’m actually not a big fan of the concept. XIII-2 unfortunately suffers from a lot of inconsistencies that plague the time travel genre. While I liked being able to revisit locations with stronger characters, having access to time periods I had essentially wiped out made no sense. Combined with how unnatural the inclusion of characters from XIII felt, I couldn’t help feeling that the time travel aspect required more polish.
As I mentioned earlier, a number of people criticized XIII’s battle system for taking away control of 2/3 of the party and automating many elements that previously required more management. However, by doing so, the game allowed players to control the flow of battle, allowing for faster, and in my opinion, very enjoyable battles. Access to six unique roles, based on traditional Final Fantasy jobs, allowed players to rapidly adapt to sudden changes during battle through Paradigm Shifts. The system returns, albeit with a few significant changes. For starters, since the party consists of only two members, the third slot is filled by one of three captured monsters. Similar to Tales of Symphonia 2, Serah and Noel are able to tame monsters to fight on their side. These monsters each take on a different role. However, that you could only have three types of monsters, combined with the fact that neither main character felt like they excelled at any particular roles, made this limitation feel far more restrictive. A lot of complex battles required access to three tanks which essentially limited the flexibility even more. It’s fairly irritating given that allowing players to ‘equip’ six monsters would have completely eliminated this problem and added a lot more complexity to the game’s battles.
Like many unplanned sequels, much of XIII-2 is reused from its predecessor. As I mentioned earlier, many of the locations that Serah and Noel visit are the same ones that Lightning and her group visited a few years earlier (or more depending on when they visit). While it’s nice to revisit these locations, sometimes from new angles, a lot of the game felt reused which was fairly disappointing. Sure, when you revisit locations in different times they look different and have different obstacles, but in the end it still feels like the same areas. Honestly, I think Serah and Noel’s adventure takes them to less than a dozen areas. Since these areas are essentially the same, the majority of the monsters encountered are also reused. Maybe it was just me, but a lot of these enemies just didn’t feel as challenging as they did in XIII.
Back when XIII was released, SE mentioned that it would not have any DLC. This announcement was especially surprising considering it was coupled with the revelation that enough material to double the size of the game was cut before its final release. XIII-2 does not follow this trend. Instead, the game has offered a plethora of DLC options. These have ranged from coliseum battles to unlock additional monsters, to side story additions, to various costumes. Now, like many gamers, I generally despise DLC although I can see the benefit when it comes to adding additional bonus features after the conclusion of a game (like extra multiplayer maps or bonus scenarios). However, XIII-2 commits the sin of including prompts for DLC during the course of the game. There is a casino like area called Serendipity that Serah and Noel visit. Here, players can participate in Chocobo Races, gamble off slot machines, or play cards. Or rather, they can play cards if they invest in DLC. To achieve a perfect completion of the game requires a degree of participation in these activities, which early on translates to throwing money to chance with the slot machines. Now, I know we’ll never be free of DLC, but something about the card games being DLC did not sit well with me. After all, can you imagine if parts of the Gold Saucer had been restricted by DLC? It certainly would have changed that part of FFVII and possibly its legacy.
Unplanned sequels have always perplexed me. On one hand, you get to revisit a world and see how things have changed after the conclusion of the original narrative. On the other, it’s strange when a story with a definite conclusion receives a successor, and XIII-2 is one of these enigmas. After all, how did we go from ‘the world is saved and people are trying to get their lives together’ to ‘oh by the way, the timeline is spiraling towards oblivion’? Honestly, I think your level of satisfaction with XIII-2 will depend on which camp you fell into regarding XIII. For some, the freedom to choose time periods and explore less restrictive areas will come as a blessing. Personally, I really liked XIII, and so this sequel felt unnecessary and fell short of its predecessor. Is XIII-2 worth picking up? In a lot of ways, while I do have my reservations regarding the game, I can see that SquareEnix is trying to craft a more complete world. While many parts of XIII-2 did not live up to XIII, they landed close enough where I think it’s worth picking up. If for nothing else, it’s worth seeing what has happened following the collapse of Cocoon.
The future won’t change if you don’t take the first step ~ Noel
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