Final Fantasy XIII-2

Unreleased

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, a part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series. It takes place three years after the events of Final Fantasy XIII, and depicts the story of Serah's journey across time and space to prevent the end of the world while searching for her missing sister, Lightning.

It was announced at the "Square Enix 1st Production Department Premiere" event on January 18, 2011 and is set to be released in December 2011 in Japan and in January/February 2012 for the rest of the world on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Like the first installment, the game will be directed by Motomu Toriyama. The game's battle system will be evolved from Final Fantasy XIII.

Gameplay
Final Fantasy XIII-2 retains the Command Synergy Battle and Paradigm Shift systems from its predecessor. One new gameplay element called the Mog Clock has been added, where the player must attack monsters on the field before the time's up to get the upper hand in the ensuing battle. When the player attacks a monster, the screen lights up and the scene switches to a battlefield, marking the start of a battle. NPCs (such as the remnant PSICOM operatives) will react to the monsters that appear in the field and weaken them before a fight. Another new feature is the Paradigm Tune, which enables the player to customize how the AI-controlled party members use their abilities in battle. Though the player still controls one out of a three-member party, they will be able to initiate the Change Leader option to switch the party member they control during battle, and now the defeat of the human characters result in a game over.

Characters will grow via a revamped Crystarium System, and they will have levels unlike the previous game. These levels are gained by moving through the Crystarium. Each character's Crystarium is no longer in the form of tiers, but now takes the shape of their respective weapon, and now includes all possible Paradigm Roles on a singular Crystarium, similar to the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X. As a player advances through the Crystarium, they may choose which Paradigm Role to level up and gain bonus stat increases alongside level increases. Characters will also learn different attacks at certain levels throughout their Paradigm Role growth. Unlike XIII, there is no cap on how much a character may grow in the Crystarium at any given time. The weather or Climate Type in an area will affect battles, and at times, uncontrollable guest characters will join the party. It has also been confirmed that Summoned Monsters will return, but that these will not be in the same form as those in the original game, as the characters are no longer l'Cie.

Monsters can be caught, trained, and used as party members through the Summon Raid component. Three monsters can be held at a time, and depending on the role that a player shifts to in the Paradigm, the monsters will automatically switch to the chosen role. Players can customize a monster's stats via leveling up and even equip them with accessories to further boost their powers and sometimes change their appearance. By usage of the new Feral Link system, Noel has been shown to be able to access unique special abilities from the monsters in the party by pressing a combination of buttons once a synchronization gauge has filled. It is unknown if other party members will be able to do this. Certain enemy monsters will be able to do a new form of damage called Blood Damage, which lowers a party member's max HP during battle and cannot be healed, giving further incentive to defeat enemies quickly as possible as blood damage accumulates and max HP drops.

Players will be given timed button presses like the Reaction Commands of Kingdom Hearts during "Cinematic Action" sequences to gain the upper hand in battle and event scenes. There are also "Live" sequences, or real time cutscenes that occur to progress the story, meaning the player maintains control of their character although the camera is focused elsewhere. Another new element called the Live Trigger allows the player to choose their response in a conversation with a character by deciding on the sentence. The player character will now also be able to engage in conversations with NPCs with speech bubbles above them, and the other characters in the party will wander the area getting into conversations on their own. A new dungeon minigame system has been added called Temporal Rifts. The player must guide the character through the various puzzles, and they'll have to grab crystals along the path within a certain amount of time with the option to retry the puzzle if things become difficult.

Another new gameplay element is the Historia Crux feature, the Time Travel system in the game that can be accessed through the use of gates throughout areas on the field. The gates are activated by finding special Artefacts in hidden treasure chests using Mog, and by resetting the gates, Noel and Serah can redo their adventures. Using Historia Crux, the player will be able to choose the location or era to travel to. There will be a "gate matrix," where players will select their next location based on the game's AF (After the Fall of Cocoon) timeline. Players will also be able to access the save and main menus through gates.

The equipment system in the game is rather unique. Each character has four different slots for equipment and a maximum load that they can carry. These points up any way the player would like to, for defensive gear or stat boosting accessories, but cannot exceed the limit. Monsters which are in the party can be renamed and equip decorative items, such as tails, which change how they look in battle. They grow by purchasing items, unlike the other characters who use the Crystarium. Players can buy some of these weapons, armor, items, and monster training goods from the merchant, Chocolina.

The game will have a new area called Serendipity, an amusement park center complete with a casino and minigames such as Chocobo Racing and Slots, which has been compared to the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII. The game will retain the missions from XIII as well as alternate sidequests from various NPCs in which the player must find and retrieve specific items, for example. Unlike those in XIII, these will be available from an early point in the game.

Unlike the original game, XIII-2 will feature difficulty modes of gameplay: Normal mode and Easy mode. These can be changed at any time. There will also be the option to save the game at any point throughout the story from the Main Menu. The main quest can be played multiple times, but director Motomu Toriyama looked for an alternate means of achieving this besides a "New Game+" feature. This will be done by allowing players to reset the Historia Crux gates, and therefore take them back to the beginning of that time period. Players will have the ability to do this at any time, though certain content and endings will be unavailable until after the main quest has been completed at least once. The game will also have multiple endings, and Toriyama compared this mindset to the differences between Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 - the latter builds on the world and story of the former and thus can have a stronger focus on gameplay.

Setting
As a result of Cocoon's fall at the end of Final Fantasy XIII, some of its surviving citizens now reside on Gran Pulse, and the world has adopted a new dating system, since the fall of Cocoon ("AF" or "After Fall"). In the three years since, new towns and cities have been established. While searching for Lightning, Serah and Noel will travel to old and new places on Pulse and in Cocoon.

As they travel through time, some locations from XIII will show change in appearance. Eden is no longer the capital and the Sanctum is no more. The city of Academia is now the capital, and the new provisional government is run by the Academy, a scientific expedition group wishing to build a world that doesn't rely on the fal'Cie.

Playing as Lightning, there is a mysterious new world called Valhalla, the realm of death and chaos at the edge of time in the distant future, ruled by the Goddess Etro.

Plot
At the end of Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-, Lightning, who felt there was still something threatening the newly acquired peace, found herself being captured and dragged into the Historia Crux by Chaos, and taken to Valhalla due to the effects of a time paradox. Two years later, many former residents of Cocoon have created settlements on Gran Pulse like the village of New Bodhum near the crystallized structure, and believe Lightning to be dead or crystallized with Fang and Vanille; but only Serah knows that she is still alive. Snow tells Serah that he believes her, and promises that he will look for Lightning and bring her home, but a year goes by and he goes missing as well.

Inside Etro's Shrine, Lightning speaks with the Goddess about Valhalla being gripped by a mysterious sadness. Meanwhile, a man in purple named Caius Ballad lays a lifeless body to rest in the ocean. He summons an army of monsters and challenges Lightning to battle. She confronts Caius with her own army of summoned monsters and the Eidolons. They eventually meet each other and clash swords before Caius transforms into the entity, Chaos Bahamut.

Falling from the sky over the beach, Lightning manages to land safely on Odin in his Gestalt Mode, but is promptly pursued by Chaos Bahamut. Riding Odin, Lightning battles Chaos Bahamut, leading him into the city. Dodging Chaos Bahamut's attacks, she manages to defeat him with an attack from behind. As Caius is buried under the falling debris, Lightning is saved by Odin. Then she notices a familiar figure falling from the sky towards Valhalla. She recognizes it as the young man she had previously seen in a vision, Noel Kreiss. She saves him from his fall but Caius returns to continue to their fight. Unable to leave Valhalla unprotected, Lightning meets Noel and asks him for his help. She summons a gift for Noel to give to Serah, and sends him back through time alongside a large meteor before resuming her battle with Caius.

One night, Serah has a dream about Lightning's battle with Caius, and someone on their way to New Bodhum to help her. Then she awakens to find that her clothes have mysteriously changed. As she heads outside to the shouts of NORA, a strange crystalline meteor falls from the sky, and New Bodhum falls under attack by mysterious monsters from neither Pulse nor Cocoon. Amidst the chaos, Serah is saved by Noel. With little time to talk, Noel hands Serah a weapon, enabling to fight off the monsters with him. Afterward, Serah's weapon transforms into her new Moogle companion named Mog. Noel says Mog is a gift for her from Lightning. He also says that Lightning is waiting for Serah and offers to take Serah to her, but the members of NORA remain skeptical. Placing Serah's hand on the meteor that fell near New Bodhum, Noel shows them it is really a time gate, of which Lightning is waiting somewhere on the other side. he next day, he reveals to Serah that he is from a distant future where all of humanity was slowly wiped out until he was the only one left, and how he became the last hope for his friends and family. Joined by Noel and Mog, Serah leaves her home to find her sister.

Together, they travel to the Bresha Ruins in Cocoon at 5 AF. They battle an invisible giant called Paradox Alpha, later revealed to be Atlas. However, Serah and Noel are arrested by PSICOM for being in a restricted area. They are freed by Academy scientist, Alyssa Zaidelle, who asks them for their help in defeating Atlas before he causes the site to be shut down. Noel and Serah eventually find Atlas, now in his true form, in another part of the Ruins. By destroying the crystal on top of his head, Noel and Serah defeat Atlas.

The story is said to be more mysterious and darker than Final Fantasy XIII, and will also reveal events that took place behind the scenes in the original game. Past characters will return, but with important and unexpected changes. As the story of Final Fantasy XIII focused on the Maker and Lindzei, the Goddess Etro will be an important element to the story of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Square Enix stated a desire to create a world bigger and more alive that reflects the changes after the end of Final Fantasy XIII.

Playable Characters

 * Serah Farron (セラ・ファロン) - The main protagonist of the game. She is Lightning's younger sister, Snow's fiancée, and the only one out of her friends to know Lightning still exists. Gaining the abilities to have visions of the future and use time gates, Serah journeys with Noel to find and save her sister. Her weapon is a crossbow that can transform into a sword, though its true form is that of her Moogle companion Mog.
 * Lightning (ライトニング) - The narrator of the game. Having been attacked by the emerging Chaos and subsequently taken to Valhalla, Lightning is no longer believed to be alive by others except Serah. In reality, she has become a knight, protecting the Goddess Etro's shrine in Valhalla while being confronted by Caius along the way. She now wields a new gunblade resembling a combination of her Blazefire Saber and a traditional sword.
 * Noel Kreiss (ノエル・クライス) - The main male protagonist of the game. Noel comes from 700 years in the future, where he was the last surviving human in a world that faced destruction. After a chance encounter with Lightning, he travels into the past to find her sister, Serah. He sets off with her to save Lightning in the ultimate hopes of changing the future. As a hunter and beast tamer, Noel can command the monsters he defeats, turning them to crystals, and gain access to new monster skills by syncing up with them in battle through the Feral Link battle mechanism. He uses two swords that are able to combine to form a spear in battle.

Guest Characters

 * Snow Villiers (スノウ・ヴィリアース) - Snow left to search for Lightning two years after her disappearance, but is nowhere to be found at the time Serah set out on her own search. He is somehow transformed into a Pulse l'Cie again and appears as a guest character in the Sunleth Waterscape at 300 AF. He saves Serah and Noel from a mass-merging of Flan monsters, before being harshly criticized by Noel for his recklessness and inability to protect people. Despite this, he is said to be unconcerned about the relationship between Serah and Noel.

Antagonists

 * Caius Ballad (カイアス・バラッド) - A mysterious man who was once Noel's friend and mentor. He is also from the future, and is an important figure in both Noel's past and Serah's future. His reason for opposing Lightning is currently unknown, but it is said that he is of equal strength to her. He is said to be on a similar mission to Lightning's, and will be in her way as she tries to complete her own. Caius also has the ability to transform into Chaos Bahamut. He travels with his companion Yeul and they pursue Noel and Serah. It appears that Caius is a guardian of the timeline, as he intends to dispose of any 'contradictions' in it, namely Noel and Serah, believing them to be enemies. It has also been revealed that he is immortal and retains memory of all timeline events.

Other Characters

 * Mog (モーグリ) - Serah's new moogle companion and a gift from Lightning. Instead of a traditional moogle's pom-pom, Mog's pom-pom is a glowing crystal. He carries a rod adorned with a clock, and can transform into Serah's weapon. He is a treasure hunter and will reveal invisible treasure chests within dungeons. He can access treasure in out-of-reach places by being thrown by the player. He also uses his magic to execute the Mog Clock pre-battle system.
 * Hope Estheim (ホープ・エストハイム) - Hope is 24-years-old when he meets Serah and Noel, and is now the leader of the Academy, researching the world's history and looking for a new energy source for Cocoon in the absence of the fal'Cie. He is aware of Serah's travels through time because of his research and helps her in her search for Lightning. He also wants to change history in order to improve the world and bring back the people dear to him. It is currently unknown if he will be playable, but it is confirmed that he will have an important role in the plot and will be featured more prominently than the other returning characters due to his connection to the game's theme of regeneration and rebirth.
 * NORA - Snow's friends: Gadot, Lebreau, Maqui and Yuj have stayed with Serah during their years on Pulse while resuming their occupation as New Bodhum's neighborhood watch group.
 * Alyssa Zaidelle (アリサ・ザイデル) - A young girl who is part of the Academy and Hope's trusted assistant. They work together to understand the nature of paradoxes and help Noel and Serah in their journey. In the E3 trailer, she shows Serah the grave of a friend who died running from the Purge, and she helps Hope assist Serah and Noel in the "Change the Future" trailer.
 * PSICOM (サイコム) - The military corps from Cocoon now handles monster extermination on Pulse to protect the new cities that the citizens are building, and look over the rebuilding of the formerly floating world.
 * Paddra Nsu-Yeul (ユール) - A mysterious young girl with her face partially covered by a veil who is Caius' traveling companion, and has a strong connection to him. She makes a small appearance in the TGS 2011 Trailer, in which she tells Noel and Serah that she and Caius have been watching over them. She believes that she and Serah have the same ability to 'show people the way', presumably in how they can both have visions of the future. She was previously mentioned in Final Fantasy XIII as a Pulsian seeress and author of the fourth and ninth Analects.
 * Sazh Katzroy (サッズ・カッツロイ) - Sazh is currently engaged in activities to improve Gran Pulse.
 * Oerba Dia Vanille, Oerba Yun Fang, and Dajh Katzroy have made brief appearances in the "Change the Future" trailer. Vanille's English voice actress has also confirmed her reprisal. However, nothing else is known about their roles. One interesting note is that Fang doesn't have the l'Cie brand on her right arm.

Music
Composers of the original game Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki return, joined by Naoshi Mizuta, composer of Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and Final Fantasy XI. The game's main theme in the Japanese PlayStation 3 version is "Yakusoku no Basho," sung by Mai Fukui. An English version of the theme, called "New World", sung by Filipina artist Charice Pempengco, is used in the Japanese Xbox 360 and Western releases of the game. One of the songs in the soundtrack is called "Missing Link" from Russian singer-songwriter ORIGA. Another song in the soundtrack is "Song of Time's Poem".

The soundtrack will be released on December 14th, 2011, which includes the standard and limited edition. Standard version soundtrack will span over four discs, while the limited edition has a bonus DVD likely packed with the game’s trailers and promotional videos with unnamed valuables yet to announced. The standard edition will retail for 3990¥, and the limited edition is 4880¥. A selection of songs from the game are to be available with the Limited Collector's Edition of Final Fantasy XIII-2 in Europe and the entire soundtrack is to be available to those who purchase the Crystal Edition in Europe. However, neither shall include "New World" by Charice.

Development
Hints at a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII were first given when Square Enix stated they would be willing to create a direct sequel if the fans want it. They also said the first installment had enough cut content to fill a new game. Late 2010, in an interview from the Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega, Motomu Toriyama proclaimed the idea to make a story where Lightning "ends up happy in the end." Furthermore, an autographed postcard was personally sent by Tetsuya Nomura to members of the Japanese Square Enix Members community, with an artwork of Lightning and a message saying "She must not be forgotten." Later, Square Enix registered the domain for the game. The game was officially announced at the "Square Enix 1st Production Department Premiere" event on January 18, 2011.

Toriyama has said in an interview with Famitsu the main reason they decided to make a sequel is that there was demand throughout the world and because the development staff wanted to portray Lightning's character further, to give her a clear conclusion. When questioned about the fact that Lightning has lost her l'Cie powers, Toriyama joked that perhaps Lightning has become an even more incredible existence than a l'Cie.

He said that other than Lightning finding true happiness, the after effects of Fang and Vanille's sacrifice on her and the other characters will be another central theme in the game. He has even compared the light and dark appearances of Lightning and Caius respectively to those of an angel and the devil, but warned not to jump to conclusions about which one is which. Toriyama has said that the traveling system has been completely redone, as the team is trying to create a "truly living world, with lots of people living all the way to the far corners of the game". The game is also said to be more fantasy-oriented as opposed to the futuristic feel of its predecessor. It will also focus on the Farron sisters as opposed to how the first game focused on Snow and Serah. As opposed to the story of Final Fantasy XIII, where Lightning is on a quest to save Serah, the story of XIII-2 is the reverse, with Serah trying to save Lightning. The story of XIII-2 will also explore their relationship as sisters, and how they are similar yet different in their own ways.

Following player feedback on the linear, story-driven gameplay of Final Fantasy XIII, XIII-2 will focus on player-driven gameplay with a more open world that players can explore widely, triggering events as they find them. In all the different types of gameplay presented, the developers' goal has been to make the player the main focus and instigator, and the game design to promote the player progressing through the story rather than just passively watching.

Yoshinori Kitase, the game's producer, has revealed that players who own Final Fantasy XIII save data will unlock a special item for its sequel. Kitase would not reveal what the gift actually is, but said that "it would be something handy that would not break game balance". It is also revealed that an additional wallpaper will be given for the save file. Downloadable content will be released after the game and will contain additional weapons, costumes and monsters. Kitase assures players that the content will allow for even longer play. Post-release downloads also include a "Final Fantasy XIII Lost Report" which will be distributed through the game's official site and offer a look back at XIII's story through Rygdea and Yaag Rosch's perspectives. On November 11th, the online novella "FINAL FANTASY XIII - teacher & children" appeared on the official Japanese site.

Both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game only need one disc. In an interview with the magazine, director Motomu Toriyama says that the game actually has the same amount of volume as XIII. The reason they're able to fit the game in less space this time is that the event scenes are real time rather than prerendered. Kitase has also stated that there will be a downloadable version for Xbox 360, but it is unknown whether or not there will also be one for PS3.

Sequel
Square Enix registered a domain name for Final Fantasy XIII-3 on September 7, 2011. No development plans have been announced as of yet. A representative of Square Enix, however, notes that the filing is to protect the Final Fantasy XIII IP and is not indicative of a new title.

Japanese release
A Final Fantasy XIII-2 bundle will be released in Japan on December 15th, 2011 with a black 320GB PlayStation 3 Slim with an image of Lightning.

Square Enix will release two new books in Japan on the game's release date of December 15th. The first is a postcard book priced at ¥1,260 that will have 24 CG illustrations featuring characters like Lightning, Serah, Noel, and Caius, as well as an 8-page character introduction. The second is a 232-page book priced at ¥1,470, titled FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 Fragments Before, which takes place immediately before the events of the game and contains several stories revolving around characters such as Serah, Snow, Noel, and Rygdea and Bartholomew Estheim:
 * Serah: Memories of the year AF0.
 * New Bodhum: A story of the year AF3.
 * Snow: The story of his departure.
 * Rygdea & Bartholomew: The creation of a provisional government, and the secret history of the founding of the Academy.
 * Noel: The end of the world, a period of uncertainty.

Square Enix is teaming up with Morinaga to promote Final Fantasy XIII-2 in Japan; Morinaga's popular Potelong snack will, for a limited time, feature Final Fantasy XIII-2 themed packaging. To promote the game's upcoming release, AKB48 member, Yuko Oshima, was appointed the leader of a group of thirteen official test players.

North American release
The North American collector's edition will be available in limited quantities at GameStop, Amazon and Best Buy, and includes:
 * Packaging featuring artwork by Yoshitaka Amano.
 * A 4-disc official soundtrack.
 * A collection of concept artwork containing "a variety of never-before-seen illustrations, environments and more".

The collector's edition will sell for $79.99.

Ultimate Prize winners of the Word to Your Moogle tour will receive a pink and white PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 featuring Mog.

European and Australian release
It has been confirmed that Europe and Australia will get three different editions of Final Fantasy XIII-2. The Limited Collector’s Edition, with recommended retail price of £59,99/68€, will include the game; a composer selected soundtrack CD, an artbook, 6 postcards featuring CG artwork of main characters; and a high definition lenticular art print of Lightning.

The Crystal Edition, with recommended retail price of £79,99/91€, includes all of the items above, although the composer selected soundtrack is replaced with the 4-disc Final Fantasy XIII-2 Original Soundtrack (this sound track will include all background music from the game, but not the theme song "New World".) Also included is a T-shirt from the that will not be available for purchase elsewhere. The Crystal Edition will be a strictly limited edition and will be packaged in a presentation box.

The Nordic Edition will include the game and four additional downloadable pieces of content; an alternate costume for both Serah and Noel; a unique weapon for Noel, with a special look and gameplay effects; and a recruitable monster battle: Omega, the famous Final Fantasy boss monster, and if the player wins they can recruit Omega to join the party.

Preorder extras for Europe and Australia have also been released, available for customers preordering from certain retail outlets. The preorder extras include:
 * An exclusive steelbook case, a downloadable content pack, the “Fight In Style” pack, which contains a new recruitable monster (Omega) and alternate costumes for both Serah and Noel, Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-, a novella that fills the gaps between Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2, and three lithograph artcards, available from Game.co.uk.
 * A code which allows one to obtain a unique downloadable weapon for Noel, with special look and gameplay effects, available from Amazon.co.uk.

Staff
The staff behind Final Fantasy XIII-2 are as follows:
 * Producer: Yoshinori Kitase
 * Director: Motomu Toriyama
 * Scenario: Daisuke Watanabe
 * Art Director: Isamu Kamikokuryo
 * Character Design (Playable Character Faces): Tetsuya Nomura
 * Character Design (Playable Character Costumes and Non-Playable Characters): Isamu Kamikokuryo, Nao Ikeda, Yusuke Naora, Hideo Minaba
 * Battle System Director: Yusuke Matsui
 * Composers: Masashi Hamauzu, Mitsuto Suzuki, Naoshi Mizuta
 * Image Illustrator and Title Logo Designer: Yoshitaka Amano

Trivia

 * Final Fantasy XIII-2 marks the first time Hideo Minaba has done character design in a numbered Final Fantasy since Final Fantasy IX.
 * The object in the bottom-left of the in-battle HUD resembles the early Overclock concept seen in Final Fantasy XIII's E3 2006 trailer.
 * The moogles in Final Fantasy XIII-2 are different than the ones seen in the original game because another artist, Toshitaka Matsuda, was chosen to design them for this title.
 * The idea of monsters fighting in the player's party was previously used in International Version of Final Fantasy X-2, where monsters can be recruited and used in battle with its "Creature Create" system.
 * Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the second game in the series to have two sisters as playable characters, the first being Final Fantasy V.
 * Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the sixth game in the series to involve time travel as a major plot element, after Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy.
 * Final Fantasy XIII-2 mimics the logo of Final Fantasy X-2 by having the game's number in larger size (" FINAL FANTASY X-2" and " FINAL FANTASY XIII-2") and having single-colored characters in battle poses.
 * According to an interview with Isamu Kamikokuryo about the art direction, the colors pink and purple came up a lot, and consequently, they are the colors in the logo.