Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Unreleased

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is the direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII-2, part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy series. Intended to end the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, it features Lightning as the protagonist. The game takes place hundreds of years in the future and will feature "a brand-new story, world, characters, and an enhanced gameplay system", according to Square Enix.

In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII the story will be complete within the confines of the game's retail version, meaning players won't have to purchase downloadable content to see the end of the story like in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Square Enix has also said fans of characters from the previous Final Fantasy XIII games will be happy with the characters' stories in Lightning Returns, and that loose ends will be tied up.

Gameplay
Players will take control of Final Fantasy XIII's main character, Lightning, as the sole playable character. She will traverse freely over the game's variety of terrain including the city. She can jump on obstacles such as telephone poles, and use elements of stealth and freely roam the world. Her abilities will differ based on her elevated height. The player can either walk between destinations or use the monorail for faster travel.

Monsters will range in size and can be enormous and will also appear in cities. Although many enemies return from previous titles, it has been said about half of the monsters in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be new. Because of the time's ever-flowing nature, the non-player characters' locations will keep changing.

Battle
The battle system will be a heavily modified version of the Command Synergy Battle system the two previous games used and will feature real time features, such as freely taking control of Lightning's movements and attacks, and a real time block system. The new combat system does not yet have an official name, but is tentatively referred to as "Amazing ATB" because it is derived from the classic Active Time Battle system.

Players can assign four commands to the controller's face buttons and instead of selecting commands, players will press buttons that correspond to the individual abilities. However, there will also be timing-based mechanics. Though the battle system is of an action-RPG, it will feature an ATB gauge; it appears that every action depletes this bar.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is said to feature a rich battle experience with tougher enemy types and boss battles with the key being destroying various body parts on the monsters. Lightning will have a variety of movements and will be able to climb, jump, crouch, take cover behind walls and objects, climb over and hang off ledges, and a variety of other moves both in and out of battle.

Lightning will be fully customizable with wide array of costumes, weapons, and different battle styles. Paradigm shifting no longer occurs in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, but has been replaced with Styles that allow players to put together a weapon, a shield, accessories and abilities to create different skills and attributes for battle. These abilities do not include just commands during combat, but also actions taken on the field. Players can preset different Styles and change between them, similar to how Paradigm Shift worked in earlier games. Abe states there is a lot of freedom in terms of customization, so the player can create a well-balanced character or an all-powerful one.

The "Doomsday Clock"
The game plays on the world-driven concept with a "doomsday clock" element that determines Lightning needs to prevent the world's destruction within thirteen days. She can turn back the clock by defeating enemies or performing certain actions and completing certain missions to give more time to the player. Sometimes if Lightning helps people it will reduce the life of the world. The "Overclock" feature allows Lightning slow the time for everything except her at the cost of consuming time from the thirteen day limit.

A day in the world of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII lasts twenty-four hours, like in the real world, as after the Day of Ragnarok in Final Fantasy XIII two hours were lost. This is to make up for the clocks in Nautilus and Oerba's schoolhouse in Final Fantasy XIII having 13-hour clocks. Mog's clock in Final Fantasy XIII-2 is also a 12-hour clock to show the change in a day's length. According to Motomu Toriyama the developers are still determining the length of an in-game day, with the current popular choices being between one and two real-time hours. Time stands still when the game's menu is open.

The player may want to be in specific locations in specific times where black haze called Cie will appear indicating the area is monster territory where the player will find the toughest opponents. Defeating monsters gives items used to strengthen equipment as well as points to extend the time on the doomsday clock.

Because the play time can be extended it allows for a player-specific game experience, and different choices yield different events. It will not be possible to see every cutscene in one playthrough and the time management structure means players can have different experiences each time they play the game. However, Abe has stated he acknowledges players want a 100-hour RPG experience and that is possible with Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

Story
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will conclude Lightning's story and follow her quest to save the world as it will face Armageddon in thirteen days. The game takes place hundreds of years after Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning will enter the final battle against a fate brought about by a new deity. Director Motomu Toriyama has stated Lightning is stronger now, and is a 'considerably more refined person'. It has been stated that unlike its predecessor, the game will feature just one ending.

The people from Final Fantasy XIII-2 are not dead due to chaos having rendered the world timeless, thus nobody ages and many characters will make a return. Hope Estheim will aid Lightning by sending her messages via wireless com. It has been revealed Snow will make a returning appearance in an unknown role.

Bhunivelze, the god who created the other fal'Cie gods – Pulse, Lindzei and Etro, will feature heavily in the story; whereas the other games in the series have focused on the other Fabula Nova Crystallis gods, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will focus on Bhunivelze's awakening. The people of Luxerion will worship him and want him to create a new world.

Chocolina and Noel Kreiss seem set to appear as both are seen briefly seen in the announcement trailer.

Setting
The game is set in a world called Novus Partus (Latin for "New Offspring," "New Birth," or "Rebirth"), a world created when Gran Pulse and Valhalla came together. It is composed of four continents (two natural and two cityscape) surrounded by a Sea of Chaos and connected by a monorail system. The game is said to contain traditional RPG elements such as dungeons, towns, and shops. Novus Partus is said to be an active open-world with many platforming elements. Isamu Kamikokuryo has said players have a high degree of freedom and will see new roads and cities from tall landmarks and can easily get lost.

Novus Partus has been designed similar to a "tourist guide style" seen in MMORPG's and each team presented the continents in this style. Abe stated that in Final Fantasy XIII many areas were places the player could only pass through, but in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, there are many places to explore. Keywords for the world's design are "gothic, mechanical, and fantasy." According to director Motomu Toriyama the world will face constant changes by the hand of a new weather system and day/night cycles, with monsters becoming more vicious at night time. The world is said to be finely detailed and to change in real time along with the passing of day and night and is said to have links to the real world, and "will see setups with the world of Final Fantasy entering into our everyday lives."

NPCs dress up in a variety of ways: some wear long robe-like black and white garbs with golden masks and mechanical backpacks, while others, such as thieves, dress up in a "cyber-style."

Novus Partus will contain a complete mix of architecture ranging from medieval-style to modern. One example being in Luxerion, the largest city in Novus Partus. The city will have clocks in various places so the player can see the progression of time. Etro's Shrine is present in Novus Partus, and behind it floats Bhunivelze, the new Cocoon. The world is said to be the most vicious setting yet seen in the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy series due to the results of chaos infecting the planet.

Playable Characters

 * Lightning (ライトニング) - The main protagonist of the game. After sleeping in crystal stasis for centuries since the death of her younger sister Serah, Lightning awakes in Novus Partus. She learns that the world faces oblivion in thirteen days and fights to save it.

Other Characters

 * Hope Estheim (ホープ・エストハイム) - Hope returns to help Lightning save Novus Partus by providing her intel on a wireless communicator.
 * Snow Villiers (スノウ・ヴィリアース)
 * Chocolina (チョコリーナ)
 * Noel Kreiss (ノエル・クライス)

Music
The music for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be composed by Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta and Mitsuto Suzuki.

"", the track from the JumpFesta announcement trailer, was released on December 23rd, 2012, on iTunes as part of the game's promotion campaign.

Development
Square Enix registered a domain name for Final Fantasy XIII-3 on September 7, 2011, but no development plans were announced. A representative of Square Enix noted that the filing was to protect the Final Fantasy XIII IP and was not indicative of a new title. During the interview with 4gamer in early December 2012, Kitase said that the team decided not to name the game Final Fantasy XIII-3 as it "would give the impression that it was a direct evolution of XIII-2, rather than the 'new experience'".

The Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania Omega book released on June 21st 2012, contains an interview with Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama that sees the pair suggesting a successor to Final Fantasy XIII-2. Kitase stated (the last part about Lightning’s DLC Episode) that "explaining 'XXX Years Later' would be pointless. It might seem that the line 'To Be Continued...' means that Lightning’s chapter will continue in more download content, but we are doing it in a different interpretation".

In a scenario interview with Toriyama and Watanabe, Toriyama said that although Final Fantasy XIII-2 didn't bring the happy ending for Lightning he promised before in Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega, he hopes to tell more stories from the Fabula Nova Crystallis.

At the end of July 2012, Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase has told the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu that work on the "Lightning Saga Project" has already begun. On August 22nd, Square Enix launched an official website regarding the Lightning Saga.

At the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary event, the Final Fantasy XIII stage took place at 11.30 on September 1st, titled 'Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Saga: New Developments Presentation', where Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII was announced. Motomu Toriyama, Yuji Abe, and Isamu Kamikokuryo each presented an element of what the game would be about yet only disclosed that Lightning's new appearance, designed by Tetsuya Nomura, will play on her light, speed, and elegance.

As of September 4th, 2012, the game was confirmed to be 30% complete. As Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is the third title on the current generation hardware, Motomu Toriyama has said it to be the most complete and polished game in the Final Fantasy series.

In a developer interview with Famitsu on September 6th, 2012, Kamikokuryo stated that Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is using newly designed assets to build the game. Novus Partus is being built from the ground-up from many drawings, as well. Graphically, Lightning herself also looks quite beautiful now.

On October 10th, 2012, Nomura reported that he has finished the designs of the outfits for Lightning and Snow Villiers and that his work in the game had been completed. In terms of technology, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII shares the same elements from Final Fantasy Versus XIII, while sharing a few gameplay and design elements of Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2, as well.

On November 22nd, 2012, Yoshinori Kitase posted on the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Facebook and Twitter accounts giving a development update. Kitase stated that the first part of the game has been implemented to a certain extent and that they have been collecting play test feedback. Using that, they will continue to strengthen the game. They'll repeat this several times over in order to polish the quality of the final product in a variety of ways.

Art Direction
A number of artists are involved with crafting the world, particularly the city of Luxerion with careful detailing in crafting specific sofas, chairs and telephone booths. Isamu Kamikokuryo revealed the gothic feel and the monochromatic color scheme of Luxerion were chosen to represent a surreal twilight.

Kamikokuryo said the concept of a dying world in which technology is slowly deteriorating was the foundation of the artwork. Motifs from 19th century London during the Industrial Revolution, Asia, and the Middle East will appear in Novus Partus depending on the location. In order to contrast the high-level modern civilization depicted in Final Fantasy XIII, Lightning Returns will have a more retro feel.

Producer Yoshinori Kitase has explained that the title logo was revamped because the team wanted to convey the "newness" of the installment compared to previous Final Fantasy games. The intention was to use an emblem with sharp edges and a symmetrical design.

Square Enix has stated the team wanted to make a new logo. The idea was to draw up the logo from scratch and create something different from the usual Yoshitaka Amano outing. They went through many different designs until they decided upon the concepts: "lightning" and "metallic." The symbol will also appear in the game, for example: Lightning's default outfit.

Themes
The main theme of the story is "the salvation of souls." Having awoken from her crystal sleep, Lightning has now somehow become their liberator, and is tasked with guiding the souls to a new world. The concept of religion is also prominent in Lightning Returns, as shown by the worship of Bhunivelze in Luxerion.

Trivia

 * The winner of Square Enix's "Final Fantasy Superfan" contest will have their name credited in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
 * On November 15th, 2012, official Facebook and Twitter accounts were updated in which it was promised that these two accounts will be updated daily. It was said that the development team is nearing the moment in which they can show the world publicly.