Serendipity (Final Fantasy XIII-2)



Serendipity (逸楽の宮殿ザナドゥ) is a location in Final Fantasy XIII-2, labeled as the legendary Palace of Pleasure though it was never completed. Serendipity exists within Void Beyond and is said to have been molded from nothing more substantial than hopes, dreams, and passions.

It is a massive casino city that floats in the sky and is filled with minigames such as chocobo racing and slot machines. It is here where fragments can be used to obtain unique abilities. Players who possess save data from Final Fantasy XIII will get higher success rate in the casino.

Datalog
'Serendipity' is the name of a fantastical wonderland that appears in the folklore of Gran Pulse, and was first imagined by a certain minstrel of old.

''This mythical palace exists on the border between life and death, and is said only to open its doors to those chosen by Lady Luck. The fortunate souls that gain entrance experience joy and amusement beyond measure, cavorting in an eternal 'now' that knows neither day nor night.''

Story
Serendipity is largely an optional location in the game's main storyline, and Noel and Serah are never required to explore its wonders, but in the DLC scenario "Heads or Tails" the player gets to control Sazh Katzroy who has ended up in Serendipity after being separated from his son Dajh Katzroy. Sazh meets the mysterious owner of the establishment who explains that both Sazh and his son are in a state between life and death. Instructed to gamble his way into winning Fortune Medals to be reunited with Dajh, Sazh proceeds to gather the amount needed while meeting Chocolina, the future incarnation of the Chocobo Chick that accompanies him.

Once reunited with Dajh, Sazh learns from the owner that Serendipity's coins are turning up tails as a sign that time is unraveling. Though the owner accepts the waiting doom, Sazh convinces the man to send him and Dajh to a point in time where they can help save the world.

Areas

 * Temptation Plaza
 * Hall of Gaming
 * Chocobo's Mystic Chamber
 * Racing Reception

Chocobo's Mystic Chamber
In the Chocobo's Mystic Chamber the player can obtain fragment skills by showing their obtained fragments to the mystic. The skills improve abilities such as improved Moogle Throw and the ability of regulating the frequency of random encounters. After having completed the main storyline the player can come here to obtain Paradox Scope, an ability that lets the player trigger alternative outcomes to events of the main storyline.

Casino Coins
The currency used at Serendipity is called Casino Coins. The player can buy them for gil at the exchange desk located in the house where the card tables and slot machines are found. The exchange ratio is 10:1 when buying Casino Coins with gil. Casino Coins are also won from the minigames. The coins can be exchanged for various prizes at the exchange desk. The player may also find Casino Coupons during their adventures that can be exchanged for Casino Coins. Amassing 10,000 Casino Coins in Serendipity's minigames earns the player the "Serendipitous" achievement/trophy.

Chocobo Racing
Chocobo Racing in Serendipity is similar to the concept in Final Fantasy VII. A chocobo is picked from a list, and the player must race it to the end of the track. The chocobo ranking first wins. There are five race tiers of varying difficulty: Cocoon, Monster, Weapon, Guardian and Fal'Cie. Each of these yield different items upon succeeding, but by winning races, the player must move up a rank. There are also secret races which can be entered after clearing specific conditions.

Four different parameters must be paid attention to when choosing a chocobo. Speed, the measure of how fast the chocobo can run over short distances, and Stamina, how long the chocobo can last in the race for long distances. The other two are RP or "Race Points", which are used up each time a race is entered, and Skills; abilities which vary from chocobo to chocobo, but can give each racer an edge on the track.

Chocobos can be given items before races to perform actions such as leading the pack or staying in the middle. When the race begins, can be pressed to make the player's chocobo dash out of the gates. In the middle of a race, the button can be pressed again to make the chocobo dash. This makes the player's chocobo run faster, but drains the "boost gauge" in the process.

List of Chocobo Skills
Each skill possessed by a chocobo corresponds to a specific passive ability in their arsenal.

Chocobo Titles
The following table shows the possible titles a chocobo can win during a career.

Slot Machine
Matching up the slots perfectly may allow the player to rack up to 50,000 Casino Coins. The slot machines look like the hoverbikes used in Final Fantasy XIII and normally take 5 casino coins to play, but will accept 5 or 10 in Victory Mode, and 5, 10 or 100 in Super Victory Mode.

Winning 7,777 coins from the slot machine awards the player with the Lucky Coin fragment. This is one of the hardest Fragments to obtain in the game. It is not necessary to win the 7,777 coins in one sitting -- all winnings count toward the total.

How to play

 * The player inserts 5 coins, pulls the lever, and then stop the three slots.
 * A row of moogles gives a x1 pay-out; hitting a single bomb in the left lane grants a pay-out of x2; a row of chocobos a x3 pay-out; a row of cactuars a x4 pay-out; a row of red nines a x50 pay-out; and a row of microchus a x500 pay-out.
 * The machine has colored lights on the sides that light up during play and if the player gets all light up they activate Jackpot Mode. In order to do this you must first get a bomb in the left reel, or 3 cactaurs, followed by either 3 more spins with a bomb in the left reel or 3 cactaurs (and very rarely at random). There is a large difference in the two different circumstances; if the bomb appears on the left you only get one shot while with the cactaurs you have 3 opportunities to get a bomb in the left slot or 3 more cactuars.
 * In Jackpot Mode the odds of a player getting a row of nines or ochus doubles.
 * After getting a row of nines, the player enters Victory Mode and can choose to put 10 coins in to the slots as opposed to 5 and the odds of getting a row of nines or microchus quadruples. Victory Mode ends if the player gets a row of cactuars or a bomb. The player must aim to light up the side-panels and enter Jackpot Mode. After hitting a row of nines the player wins 500 coins and enters Super Victory Mode.
 * Super Victory Mode allows the player to bet 100 coins at a time to increase the odds of getting a row of nines or microchus by 10. If the player hits a row of moogles in Super Victory Mode there is a 50% chance the mode will end. There is a potential to hit a row of microchus in Super Victory Mode and get a maximum pay-out of 50,000 coins.

Mechanisms
The slot machine is based on luck and it is impossible to manipulate the slot machine by trying to aim the reels. Having the Eternal Crystal item in the player's inventory stops the slot machines from ever having the worst odds and only have either "That machine's on fire!" or "It's like a hot summer's day" as its "mood". The item is received by having Final Fantasy XIII save data at the starting on a new game of Final Fantasy XIII-2.

The slot machine has the best chance of winning when the attendant in front of it says "It's like a hot summer's day". In order to have the best odds, the player should keep entering the Historia Crux and talking to the attendant until they get her to say either of these phrases. If she states "That machine's on fire!", the player should then continue talking to her until she states "It's like a hot summer's day".

The game gives an auto-play option, and one way to win coins with minimal effort is to use a rubber band on the controller to permanently push the button that puts the slot machine on autoplay, and let the machine work until enough coins have been won. This, however, cuts the chances of winning by 33%.

Serendipity Poker
Serendipity Poker is one of the two card games unlocked with the downloadable content episode Heads or Tails?. Only Sazh can participate in this card game.

The game works in the same way as in standard poker, where players can stake Casino Coins if they think that they have a better hand than the other players, or bluff in an attempt to make the other players think they have a better hand than they actually possess.

The player (Sazh) and three computer-controlled players start the game. First the player must choose a buy-in amount of either 1,000, 10,000 or 100,000 Casino Coins (subject to funds available). Depending on the buy-in amount, a standard bet is worth 10, 100 or 1,000 coins respectively.

At the start of each game players are designated the following roles: Small Blind (SB), Big Blind (BB), and Dealer (D). in each round The Dealer is always the last player make their turn.

Whenever it is the player's turn, the following commands can be selected:
 * Call: If a bet has been made in the round, the player matches the current highest bet by shouting "call".
 * Check: If no other player has made a bet during a current round, the player may pass their turn to the next player without betting by shouting check.
 * Bet: If no other player has made a bet during the current round, the player can start by placing a bet of 10, 100 or 1000 casino coins depending on the buy-in amount selected before the game.
 * Raise: The player raises the current bet, meaning all other players must now call (or raise) the amount placed to stay in the game. The player may raise up to four times the standard bet, or may shout "All In" to bet all their coins in their buy-in stack.
 * Fold: The player forfeits their hand and is out of the game, losing all their coins they have bet.

Each game goes through the following stages:
 * Start: Each player are given two cards (known as Pocket Cards).
 * Pre-flop: The Small Blind automatically bets coins equal to half a standard bet and the Big Blind automatically bets coins equal to a standard bet. The first round of betting commences. The next stage commences when all players still in the game have bet an equal amount of coins and these coins will be placed in the pot.
 * Flop: Three cards are placed on the table (known as open cards). These cards may be used by all players along with their pocket cards to make up their best hand. Another round of betting follows.
 * Turn: A fourth open card is placed on the table and a round of betting follows. The next stage commences when all players still in the game have bet an equal amount of coins.
 * River: A fifth open card is placed on the table. A final round of betting follows.
 * Showdown: If there are at least two players left in the game, all players must reveal their pocket cards. The player with the strongest hand made from the five open cards and their two pocket hands wins the game and receives all the coins in the pot.

At any time in the game should all but one player fold, the remaining player also wins all the coins in the pot.

The following table shows the possible hands in Serendipity Poker, in ascending order of strength.

Should there be more than one player with the same type of hand, the hand with the highest number within the hand will win the game, with the Ace as the highest ranked card. Should the hands be identical, if the players have a pocket card that is unused in the hand (known as the kicker), the player with the highest kicker wins the game. If this does not separate the players, the players will take an equal share of the pot.

Once a player loses all their Casino Coins in their buy-in stack, they are considered bust and must leave the table. When three players are bust, the remaining player wins a bonus 2,000, 20,000 or 200,000 Casino Coins depending on the initial buy-in amount. This means a player can obtain up to six times their investment by winning all the other players' Casino Coins and receiving the bonus payout.

The player can also leave the table at any time, and their stack will be added to the player's Casino Coin total.

Chronobind
Chronobind is the other card game unlocked with the downloadable content episode Heads or Tails?. Only Sazh can participate in this card game.

Chronobind is played using a standard deck of 52 playing cards, and a "clock" with one hand and thirteen positions numbered 1 through 13 clockwise. In this game, Ace = 1, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, and King = 13. Suits are irrelevant.

To begin a session of Chronobind, you must first Buy-In with 1k, 10k, or 100k coins. Depending on the amount you choose, all bets in the session will be made in increments of 60, 600, or 6000 coins, respectively. Once you Buy-In, the first game begins.

At any time between games, you can choose to walk away with your current winnings. However, if you have the most winnings at the table when one player busts, the session automatically ends, and you will earn a substantial amount of coins on top of your current winnings.

In each game, players make increasing bets with each round that passes, represented by four equal Stacks of coins. The goal of the game is to strategically bide your time, then swoop in when the pot is large enough to your liking. The longer you wait, the more you stand to win... or lose.

At the start of each game:
 * The hand of the clock is set to the "13" position.
 * Each player makes a starting bet of 60, 600, or 6000 coins (depending on the Buy-In).
 * Each player is dealt a hand of 5 cards.
 * The dealer draws one more card, and moves the hand clockwise a number of positions equal to the value of this card.

The game is divided into rounds, which consist of the Draw, Showdown, Clock, and Bind phases.

In the Draw phase, each player draws cards until they have five in their hand, and then choose cards to play from their hand. Each player may put down either a single card or multiple cards of a single rank. For instance, if the player has a hand of 3-3-4-5-8, they may play a single 3, both 3s, a 4, a 5, or an 8. Playing multiple cards in a round does not increase their value; however, there are other benefits to doing so.

In the Showdown phase, all players reveal their chosen cards. The player with the highest ranking card (or cards) wins the Showdown. If two or more players tie for the highest ranking card, no one wins the Showdown.


 * Cards are ranked as follows: Low Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, Clock, High Ace.
 * Clock cards refer to any card with a rank matching the clock's current position. For example, if the hand is on the 8, 8 cards are Clock cards.
 * Aces are low if NO Kings or Clock cards are played in the current showdown.
 * Aces are high if at least one King or Clock card is played in the current showdown.

In the Clock phase, if there was a winner in the previous Showdown, the following steps take place:
 * The winner must move the clock hand either clockwise or counterclockwise by the number of positions equal to the rank of the card(s) they played.
 * If the player moves the hand so that it stops or passes the 13 position, the clock "charges", and players increment their wagers once (by 60, 600, or 6000, depending on the Buy-In).
 * If the winner lands the clock hand on a "bind point" (a position with one or more coins bound), they may choose to end the game ("clockout") and win coins from the other players, or let the game continue in hopes of getting a better payout.

If there was no winner in the previous Showdown, the following occurs instead:
 * The clock hand is not moved.
 * The clock is "charged" a number of times equal to the number of cards tied for the highest-ranking card in the Showdown.
 * Each player increments their bets by the number of times the clock was "charged". For example, if the clock was "charged" 3 times in a 10k Buy-In session, each player adds 1800 (600 x 3) coins to their wagers.

Finally, in the Bind phase, all players must "bind" one coin to the clock positions for each card they played in the Showdown. For example, if a player puts down two 3s in the Showdown, they must place two coins at the 3 position. As the deck used is a standard deck of 52 cards, the maximum number of bindings any position can have is four.

The game ends either when one player chooses to "clockout" or the dealer runs out of cards in the Draw phase.

When the game ends by a player choosing to "clockout", they win all of the coins bound to the clock, plus part or all of the coins wagered by the other players, depending on how many coins are bound to the clock hand's current position.


 * 1 Coin: Single Bind. One quarter of all opponents' wagers.
 * 2 Coins: Double Bind. One half of all opponents' wagers.
 * 3 Coins: Triple Bind. Three quarters of all opponents' wagers.
 * 4 Coins: Full Bind. The entirety of all opponents' wagers.

Any coins the winner does not take are returned to their respective players.

If the game ends as a result of the dealer running out of cards, all wagers are returned to their respective players, but the coins bound to the clock are taken by the house.

Music
Serendipity's eponymous theme is titled "Serendipity", and plays in the main areas. This song was composed by Naoshi Mizuta and his concept was to place the sounds of '80s music into the game. Because there are rarely scenes in a game in which this style can match well, Mizuta never had the opportunity to write anything like that until Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Another theme that plays in the Hall of Gaming, "All or Nothing", is a rearrangement of the area's main theme. "Chocobos of Cocoon -Chasing Dreams-" plays within the Racing Reception. The theme "Ragnarok" from Final Fantasy XIII plays in Chocobo Mystic's Chamber.

When playing the slot machine in Victory Mode, the music is Final Fantasy XIII's "Blinded By Light", and in Super Victory Mode it is "Start Your Engines".

Etymology
The term "serendipity" is used to describe a situation in which oneself finds something he/she was not expecting. The name comes from the letter of to  in which Walpole mentions that he read a book about the Three Princes of Serendip where accident caused fortune to those who weren't looking for it, and this "accident" he calls "serendipity".

In the Japanese version the location is called Xanadu. was the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China, before he decided to move the seat of his dynasty to the Jin Dynasty capital of Zhōngdū, which he renamed Dàdū, the present-day Beijing. Italian explorer Marco Polo is widely believed to have visited Xanadu in 1275. Xanadu became fabled as a metaphor for opulence, most famously in the English Romantic Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem . In the poem, Xanadu is constructed as a paradisical garden isolated by walls.

Trivia

 * Serendipity is reminiscent of the Gold Saucer from Final Fantasy VII and the Nautilus Amusement Park from Final Fantasy XIII. Motomu Toriyama has confirmed that the resemblance to the Gold Saucer is intentional, with the camera view set at a distance rather than following the characters closely.
 * The Chocobo's Mystic Chamber resembles the area of Bodhum that housed the statue of the fal'Cie, Siren, in Final Fantasy XIII.
 * The START menu in Serendipity is different than the regular: instead of being a dark blue, it is a perky red with the slot symbols spinning.
 * Although referred to as "nines", the "nines" on the slot machines are actually the number 7 in the Etro Script, possibly alluding the connection with Gold Saucer of Final Fantasy VII.
 * All the star-ranked chocobos in the racing laps have names from characters in the Final Fantasy XIII universe.