After the lacklustre performance of Final Fantasy XIII, can Square Enix improve with the immediate follow-up of XIII-2?



The modern evolution of Final Fantasy has been, if anything, a convergence of too many ideas. For two decades, Square (now with added Enix), has taken hold of the JRPG genre and explored almost every way to tell a story. Those that criticise the formula, typically players who prefer western RPGS, forget that the game plays more like an interactive experience rather than a fully-fledged, open world mecca such as Skyrim. The primary idea is that you are playing through a story, putting yourself in the shoes of an avatar with an established fate, and going along for the ride.

Personally, I think the genre peaked pretty hard and fast with Final Fantasy VII, which seemed to arrive in the right place at the right time. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was one of the first mainstream efforts at the genre that successfully fused a cast of great, likeable and personable characters with dark, well-paced story and an incredible score. The games that followed slowly seemed to forget the elements that made VII so successful. While VIII and X were well received, neither managed to match the impact of VII.

FFXIII-2 arrives into a crowded and difficult marketplace, following on from an anticipated release that just didn’t meet the mark. The situation called for change, but in what way? Should the developers listen to fan suggestions, revisit successful features or copy their competitors innovations, or stick stridently with the experiment, hoping the natives will eventually turn around and learn to embrace and enjoy the new experience?

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SE ended up choosing the former, and this, without a doubt, is a very positive direction going forward. Most of the gripes that many players had with XIII, including myself, related to the two major changes to the series that shared the same problem - linearity. Everything felt claustrophobic, from watching your characters decide their attack choices to rigidly winding your way around the environment. The game did eventually break up into a more open space, but not before the incredibly drawn out, boring story found most players ditching it altogether.

XIII-2 has taken almost all of the major issues of its forebear and tweaked them to create a much tighter package. The story is significantly more interesting, and while a little convoluted, harks back to the original FF themes of consequence and redemption. Set a few years after the end of the original (a synopsis helpfully provided for the many who didn’t make it through), we find Lightning defending the last bastion of civilisation at what looks like the end of time. We have no idea how or why she is there, until one of our main protagonists Noah, literally falls into the city through a portal of sorts.

Lightning tasks him with finding her sister, Serah, and to travel back and forth through time; solving the “paradoxes” that have been created by an unknown enemy, and to ultimately stop Cocoon from disappearing from existence. It’s an interesting setting, although the world isn’t as particularly varied or exciting compared to earlier titles (an unfortunate carry over from the original), the idea of exploiting multiple time lines isn’t one that’s been covered in the series before, and is a refreshing change from the usual “end of the world” guff.

What has also changed for the better is the dynamic between the two main characters. Rather than peppering you with far too many redundant characters and over the top personalities, the two main protagonists are actually quite calm and likable. Limiting the playable base to two allows for a significantly more intimate portrait to be created, and it makes it easier to appreciate the growing relationship between them without a bunch of silly comic relief or awkward love triangles. Saying this, the English voice track still leaves a little to be desired, and some of the dialogue feels a little forced.

But the freedom that has been allowed, in the way you can travel back forth between time periods, choice multiple paths, and most significantly, make active dialogue changes, provides the player with a lot more opportunity. While the crux of a JRPG still exists (most paths lead to the same place, most choices don’t provide enormous difference in outcome) the ability to become part of your avatar, if only briefly, makes a huge difference in connecting with the story.

The changes carry over to the combat system, but in a way that’s a lot more subtle. If you weren’t a fan of the “paradigm” system, like myself, you may find the changes don’t go far enough. The ability to change phases, such as from an offensive stance to a defensive one, is instantaneous, as are the effects. The addition of monster taming allows you to customise your team with an extra participant that provides extra healing, magic, strength or defensive elements.

The problem with this is that the difficulty has been increased to offset the improved mechanics. Some bosses are deceptively difficult, putting down “wound” attacks that deplete your max HP and force you to fight faster. You’ll need to focus on attacking at time the enemy is staggered or open, and defending when they complete devastatingly strong attacks. I mean it - a missed change to a defensive stance can wipe half the HP off your party, and push you into a slow burn slog of attrition. Thankfully, if you die, you don’t have far to walk.

I’m frankly not sure if I’ve been sold on the combat yet. A QTE system has also been added to break up the action somewhat, and funnily enough, it works quite well. But while I find the system easier to use and customise, I dislike the overly twitchy nature of it. I barely have time to think up a strategy before the boss rips out my asshole, laughing at my ineptitude. I also don’t enjoy spending ages inside a menu, which has been the problem of Final Fantasy games as of late, nor do I like putting characters into a simple box that decides what spells to cast.

But that’s the key. Whether you will love or hate FFXIII-2 is based on how willing you are to master the combat. Because, frankly, every other aspect of the game that failed has been fixed; the story is deeper and more interesting, you actually care about the main characters and the villain actually looks, sounds and acts like a bad arse. The music is better, and a little more subdued, while the ability to invest in your character and change the course of time is brilliant.

I can’t discount the lengths to which Square Enix have gone to make up lost ground. There’s items to collect, sub-missions to complete, and a huge casino to visit. There are thousands of NPCs, all willing to provide information about the world and their place in it. You can ride chocobos. You have your own personal Moogle that allows you to pre-emptively strike enemies or avoid them altogether. Basically, the game allows you to have fun again, and has some fun with itself in the process.

So should you buy it? If you were underwhelmed with the original and were hoping for a genuine improvement, this is it. If you are a JRPG fan and are looking for an excuse to come back, you have one. Combat gripes aside, there has been a concerted effort to bring back what made Final Fantasy fun and exciting in the first place. But there hasn’t been enough done to the combat in particular to make a stellar game, just a better one - although what’s here is definitely a sign of good things for the future.

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