Generally RPGs allow you to explore, to find yourself completely off-track tackling sidequests and ignoring the main story. Final Fantasy XIII has very little of this. Though the game does open up in its latter stages somewhat, the areas you'll pass through for a good portion of the game are single-direction paths that can never be returned to once traversed. In terms of pacing and structure this game is a lot closer to an action game such as Uncharted 2 than any previous Final Fantasy title, with the story set out in specifically structured chapters. Whether this is a good or bad thing really depends on what kind of game you want Final Fantasy XIII to be.
Where's Wander?
Staying with the Uncharted 2 comparisons, Final Fantasy XIII looks truly incredible. The in-game character models in this title are virtually equivalent to the CG offerings of other games, to the point where you'll sometimes simply stop and admire the characters and environment. The CGI scenes are on another level entirely, similar to the Final Fantasy VII film Advent Children in terms of quality. Whether the 360 port of the game will maintain the same graphical integrity as the PS3 version is yet to be seen, but let's cross our fingers that it will be up to scratch.
Since the big emphasis in Final Fantasy XIII is on battling, we'll focus on that aspect of the game in this preview. There are no random battles, with all enemies appearing in the environment. Final Fantasy XIII utilises the Active Time Battle system last seen in Final Fantasy X, though things unfold a little differently. Instead of one long bar filling up that allows you to perform one move, Final Fantasy XIII uses multiple smaller bars in which your basic attack will cost you one of those bars. Fill up four bars, and you'll attack four times. There might be a more powerful move worth three bars. You could use that three bar move plus one regular attack. But you don't have to wait for all the bars to fill every time. If you want to quickly dispatch an enemy on their last legs before they can get off another attack you can interrupt the ATB to execute whatever moves you already have lined up.
The most critical element of Final Fantasy XIII's battle system is Optima Change (which will be named 'Paradigm Shift' in the Western release). Optima Change refers to the set of roles your party uses at any one time. There are six roles (all of which will have different names for the Western release) including the self-explanatory Attacker and Healer. There's also the magic-wielding Blaster, the Jammer (for debuffing), the Enhancer (for buffing) and the damage-absorbing Defender. Party members start with specific roles and can learn others as time goes on. Roles are leveled up individually in the Crystarium, which is extremely similar to Final Fantasy X's Sphere Grid.
Battles tend to have a lot going on at any one time.
You can have up to six combinations of roles with any three party members. For example, you may be using the party of Lightning, Hope and Snow. For when you're on the offensive you could use an Attacker-Attacker-Blaster combination, when under attack you might opt for Attacker-Healer-Blaster, and when you're taking a defensive stance you might opt for Defender-Healer-Jammer. Switching between Optimas can be done at virtually any time in battle with the press of a button, and you'll need to get a feel for switching at the right time to get the most out of your party.
You only control the leader of the party during battles. While some may object to not having full control of the party, it's a necessary evil because the battles are so fast paced that it simply wouldn't be workable to be controlling everyone. Unfortunately, if the leader is killed, the whole party is defeated. Though you can revive fellow downed party members, they won't get the chance to revive you.
The other mechanic we have to touch upon is called Break. Every enemy has a bar in the top right of the screen that fills up as the enemy is attacked. String enough attacks together quickly and the bar will fill up, 'breaking' the enemy for a short amount of time. In a broken state enemies are weaker and more susceptible to attacks. In every fight you'll be aiming to achieve this state in order to end the battle as quickly as possible and therefore improve the star ranking you receive. Break ties in closely to the Optima Change system. While spells from a Blaster will make the Break bar increase very quickly, it will decrease just as fast. Attackers on the other hand don't cause a large increase to the Break bar, but will slow down the ever-decreasing bar. This puts a whole new spin on strategies and priorities. You'll need an Attacker and Blaster on hand at all times in order to efficiently break enemies, but you're not always going to be able to have that combination if you want to keep your party alive.
Lightning doesn't quite get the concept of the nipple cripple.
But is this system any good? Well, yes. It's very good. It's fast, strategic, and beautiful to watch. It engages the player constantly and thoroughly, requiring decisive action instead of chin-stroking deliberation. The Optima Change system is very satisfying to use and it connects cleverly with the new Break mechanic. It's also far more punishing, and therefore more rewarding, than previous battle systems. Regular groups of enemies will wipe the floor with you if you don't pay attention to what's going on and bosses truly live up to their name.
With all that said, Final Fantasy XIII may be the most divisive title in the series yet. There will undoubtedly be a portion of the fan base upset that the exploration and endless sidequests of previous games have been all but neutered in this title. On the other hand, there will be those who appreciate the game's faster pace and more straightforward approach. The battle system may be a unifying factor however, retaining the core of traditional battling while implementing some very welcome innovations. There's no doubt that this is a Final Fantasy game through and through, but you'll have to wait until March 9 to find out whether this is the Final Fantasy game you've been waiting for.
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