Final Fantasy XIII-2

Unreleased

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, a part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series. 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 early 2012 in 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.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is part of Square Enix's line-up at E3 2011 in a playable form.

Gameplay
Final Fantasy XIII-2 utilizes the Command Synergy Battle and Paradigm Shift systems from the original Final Fantasy XIII. The enemies are visible in the field and when the player runs into them, the screen lights up and the scene switches to a battlefield, marking the start of a battle. Though the player still controls one out of a three-member party, some monsters can be used as party members. 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. Noel seems to gain access to monster abilities and a unique set of commands. Also, a 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. A new element, called the Live Trigger, allows the player to change conversation by deciding on the sentence like in the Mass Effect games.

A new dungeon exploration system has been added called Unstable Rifts. As the player guides the character through the platforms they'll have to grab crystals along the path. The floor tiles are removed as they pass.

Story


At the end of Final Fantasy XIII -Episode i-, Lightning, who felt there was still something threatening the newly acquired peace, found herself in a mysterious empty dimension while searching for a way to save Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang. Five years later, though many of the surviving residents of Cocoon, creating the village of New Bodhum near the crystallized structure, believed Lightning to be dead, only Serah Farron refused to accept it. Soon after, New Bodhum is under attack by mysterious monsters as Serah is saved by a mysterious youth named Noel Kreiss. Joined by Noel, Serah leaves her home to find her sister. Part of the plot appears to involve an alternate world or universe, as in the demo of the game playable at E3 2011 involved a giant enemy called Paradox Alpha or "Atlas" which Noel stated to be fading in and out of time/space with only its left arm visible.

The story is said to be be darker than in Final Fantasy XIII, mysterious, and also reveal events that took place behind the scenes in the original game. Past characters will return, but with important and unexpected changes. The goddess Etro will be an important element to the game's story. Square Enix stated a desire to create a world bigger and more alive that reflects the changes after the end of Final Fantasy XIII. In the game's first trailer, Lightning, wearing a suit of armor, is seen kneeling to a crystal throne within a temple/resting place of goddess Etro, before crossing swords with an unknown purple-haired male character, who wields a large, elaborate sword emanating a purple flame. He is believed to be her rival, and is featured in the logo with her. Toriyama has described the male character as being of equal strength to Lightning, and being able to fight on even terms with 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.

Characters

 * Lightning - The main protagonist of the original game. Lightning has been missing since the ending of Final Fantasy XIII, but Serah refuses to believe that she is dead.
 * Serah Farron - Serah wishes to find her lost sister and sets out to search for her. Her weapon is a sword that can transform into a bow.
 * Noel Kreiss - A mysterious man who saves Serah from monsters. He accompanies Serah on her quest to find her sister. He uses multiple weapons ranging from a sword, two katanas, a bow, and a dagger.
 * NORA - Snow's friends: Gadot, Lebreau, Maqui and Yuj have stayed with Serah during their years on Pulse.
 * Alyssa - A young girl with short blonde hair wearing yellow and red clothes who is part of a research team. In the E3 trailer, she shows Serah the grave of a friend who died running from the Purge.
 * Mog - A moogle that can transform into Serah's weapon.

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 last year, 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. In the same interview Toriyama also said some characters from the first game will be returning in Final Fantasy XIII-2, but that the sequel will also have a number of new characters. The sequel's principal setting will be different from that of Final Fantasy XIII, although the world of the first game will return in some form. 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 her rival 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.

The team is also said to be investigating the possibility of giving something to players who have save data of Final Fantasy XIII in place.

Staff
The staff behind Final Fantasy XIII-2 are as follows:
 * Producer: Yoshinori Kitase
 * Director: Motomu Toriyama
 * Main Character Design: Tetsuya Nomura
 * Sub-Character Design and Costume Design: Isamu Kamikokuryo, Nao Ikeda, Yusuke Naora
 * Art Director: Isamu Kamikokuryo
 * Battle System Director: Yuji Abe
 * Image Illustrator and Title Logo Designer: Yoshitaka Amano

Trivia

 * Developers have said that the feathers shown in the trailer represent having a close connection with the gods.
 * The clothing of the dark-haired man was designed by Yusuke Naora, who is also the art director of Final Fantasy Type-0.
 * 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 seem to be a different variety than the ones seen in the original game. This may be due to the fact there is a Cocoon/Pulse species split with the moogles, similar to the split between chocobos and certain monsters, like the Behemoth.