Final Fantasy XIII Review

Written 04/25/2010

Note: This is for the PS3 version of the game. Screenshot and video courtesy of Google Images and Youtube respectively, and credit goes to the original recorders.

It's been four years since Final Fantasy 12 on the good ol' PS2, and fans of the Square-Enix super-franchise have been itching for the next installment after finishing FF12. We've been teased with tidbits of Final Fantasy 13 for almost the entirety of those four years, and now it's finally here. Was it worth the wait? Does it hold up to the rest of the series? Does it compete with the most legendary entry of the franchise: Final Fantasy 7? In short, yes, yes, and yes. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy, or JRPGs at all, go buy this game right now. I'm serious, stop reading, go to GameStop or Wal-Mart, and buy this...right now!

Visuals and Presentation

Square-Enix claimed during FF13's development that the game would tap into the full power of the PS3. After spending a considerable amount of time with the game for myself, I can believe it! Think of the best CGI cutscene you've ever seen in an RPG, and that's how FF13 looks at all times. Everything you can see in the game is absolutely spectacular, and I mean everything! Sure, there is still the occasional CGI cutscene, but at times it's nearly impossible to tell if you're watching events unfold in CGI or in-engine.

Although everything in the visuals department is superb, I have to make special mention of the facial animations. They are of such a high quality that any emotion or motivation a character experiences is etched into his or her face, which will change the character's body language dramatically. At times, those animations can be more expressive than a talented real life actor or actress. I could on and on about how good FF13 looks, but I think I'll leave it at this.

Visuals and Presentation Rating:

Sound

This is the first Final Fantasy that I've played which strays quite a bit away from the series's traditional sound techniques, and thankfully it doesn't suck! The typical intro song you're likely used to is replaced with a calming, yet somewhat sad, piano score that portrays the journey your party goes through very well. The victory song that has been in every Final Fantasy that I can remember is gone. That's right, that iconic fanfare jingle you either love or hate by now...gone! While some may be shouting for joy at this, I personally kinda missed that little tune during my playthrough. The new music and sound that is there though is very appropriate and of great quality. The voice acting itself is excellent, and matches what's portrayed in the animations perfectly. The dialog is also well written for every character. Overall though, the sounds take a backseat to the amazing visuals.

Sound Rating:

Gameplay

It is in gameplay where Final Fantasy 13 is the most different from every other entry to the franchise. If you've played any Final Fantasy, you know the combat consists of both sides standing opposite of each other with each taking turns using skills and magic until the opposing side dies. You may also recall that in Final Fantasy 12 the ability to move around freely during combat. The combat in Final Fantasy 13 is a hybrid between those two systems with turn-based combat and a limited amount of free movement. There are four fundamental differences that make this system unique however: control, speed, staggering, and paradigms.

Basically, you no longer directly control your entire party, but only the party leader. To help prevent things from becoming utter chaos however, a class-based system was instituted which allows you to better focus the skills of your now purely AI companions. A paradigm is formed when you put together different classes in the same group. For example, one of the paradigms I use the most is Relentless Assault, which means I have one character as a Commando and the other two as Ravagers. What if I need healing though? Neither the Commando or Ravager classes have any curative spells. Well, considering that every character can specialize in as many classes as you choose, you can switch between up to six paradigms on the fly during combat depending on how you set up your party's classes. So when I need a quick heal during combat, I switch to a paradigm like Combat Clinic, where one character is a Sentinel and the other two are Medics. When I'm appropriately healed, I switch back to the offensively oriented Relentless Assault.

Controlling only the party leader in combat seems ridiculous I know, but once you see that the combat moves so quickly that you hardly have enough time to issue commands to just one person, the idea will start to grow on you very quickly. Fights that would normally take you two minutes in a traditional Final Fantasy take between 10-30 seconds in FF13. Something that truly is ridiculous is the fact that if your party leader is defeated it's game over, even if someone in your party is still alive to revive you. I'm sorry Square-Enix, but that was a bad design choice on multiple levels.

During combat, you will also notice a light-brown bar at the top-right corner of your screen. This is the Stagger Meter. As you do damage, it will gradually fill. When it eventually does fill, your target will be staggered for a short amount of time and you will do at least 300% damage until the Stagger Meter empties again. While in a fight with a high HP enemy or boss, staggering it can mean the difference between life and death. Overall, even with the one serious design flaw, FF13's gameplay is among the best of the series.

Gameplay Rating:

Story

This section is going to be short, and intentionally so. I simply can't think of a way to describe the story without revealing some pretty major spoilers. Basically though, the themes surrounding Final Fantasy 13 involve the irrational fear of the unknown to the point of hysteria, love, hate, loyalty, unjust destiny, and the tenacity to change that fate or die trying. They are presented in such a way that, if observed in the proper light, they could apply somewhat to the world today. The story is told and progresses well, but I did find myself occasionally lost as to what was going on; especially in the very beginning. Every time I did become lost though, the story would quickly tie up those loose ends and renew my understanding. In all, this is definitely a story worth telling and hearing, and should not be missed!

Story Rating:

Replay Value

This is a Final Fantasy, and that already puts its replay value pretty high. The problem is that this is the most linear of the Final Fantasies that I know of, and that makes FF13 considerably shorter than its predecessors. If you were to pass up every single side quest in the game, you could easily finish it within 30 hours. Considering that every other Final Fantasy I've played takes at least 80 hours to finish, that's a pretty huge cut in gameplay time. If you decide to take on every side quest though (of which I believe there are about 60-ish), you can easily extend your gameplay time to the 60-70 hour range; which is far more acceptable. The game itself is worth at least one entire replay, if not more, due to the exceptionally strong gameplay and story. It really just depends on how much you liked the game the first time around.

Replay Value Rating:

Final Thoughts and Overall Score

On the whole, Final Fantasy 13 takes quite a few risks to achieve what it is; but I think they all paid off excellently. This is a fresh approach to the tried and true formulas founded throughout the franchise's history. It's definitely not a revolution, but more of an evolution. Personally though, I feel that Final Fantasy 13 has the potential to influence how JRPGs are made in the same way that Final Fantasy 7 did many moons ago. Great job Square-Enix, you've given us yet another classic!

Final Fantasy XIII Overall Score: