This innovative masterpiece is an artistic majesty that emotionally draws you into its moving story.
I understand Final Fantasy XIII has taken a lot of abuse from the standard "hardcore" gamers, and long-time Final Fantasy fans. Its linear game play style, very melodramatic story, and of course, the new and innovative battling style have all contributed to the bitter dislike for the title. I'm going to review the main points of the game and explain why I believe this game is not only a masterpiece in itself, but an innovative game that should be instrumental in the formation of future Final Fantasy games.
The Battling System
It is terribly obvious that almost all of the elements of turn-based JRPG-style battle action was dropped in this title when we bumped into the first baddie. A bold move on Square-Enix's part. This left long time JRPG fans such as myself feeling like newbies to the genre. "Great", many thought, "A new system to master." However, I was completely enthralled by this new battling system. The battles consist of only 3 members at a time (like FF X), and you can change your formation outside of battles but not in battle ( a little different from FF X). What wasn't akin to XIII's predecessors was the paradigm. In the paradigm, each member has his/her own role (Commando, Ravager, Synergist, Saboteur, Sentinel, and Medic). Commando and Ravager are offensive and involve strength and magic. Saboteur uses magic and debuffs the enemy. Synergist, Sentinel, Medic are defensive and boosts team buff's, enhances defense, and boosts HP. These roles are the center of the battle system and must be successfully utilized against individual enemies along with a successful strategy. Considering the accessories you must use, the stats of the enemy (which can be discerned with time or items), and the level you currently are, this can be as hard as (or harder than) it sounds. It often means a ridiculous amount of restarts, and trial-and-error. In my opinion, there is much more strategy involved with this game than previous JRPGs in general. This is an enticing element for me. I for one, love when a player must put his "inner commander" to the test and come up with unique and effective strategies for his success.
The Leveling System
Okay, the leveling system is very much like FF X's sphere grid, but it's charmingly simpler. The leveling system in FFXIII is called the crystarium, and there exists six categories of the crystarium for each member that matches the six roles. In each battle, your team earns a certain amount of CP (for all members, not just the ones who participated in battle. Poor Kimarhi was put in the wrong game ;), and these points can unlock spheres which hold upgrades in strength, magic, HP, and new abilities. There exists 5 levels for each role. Unlike FF X, you cannot waste points. There is a main path you must take to reach the next level, but from that path branches extra stat upgrades you can take. These are optional of course, but are necessary if you wish to 'max' out your cyrstarium. For a quick diversion, I wish to stress the beautiful attention to graphical detail in this system. The crystarium planes are brilliantly colored and everything shines as though it was made of real crystal. The point denoting your current position is an intense ball of light that isn't drowned out by all the other lights. As you progress, a distinct "hovering" sound gives the feeling of ascendence and just blends perfectly with the surrounding. The artistic value of FFXIII is something I will discuss later. To top it off, I just want to say that I find this system perfect. It isn't as simple as a bar moving from one side of the screen to the other until you *gasp!* reach level 12! However, it isn't needlessly complex like FF X where you must expend various spheres, and move in strange directions.
The graphics/cinematics
Square-Enix really went overboard on creating unbelievable visual pleasures in this game. The landscapes are vast and give a feeling of immense depth. The urban areas also feel very large and look futuristic but crowded. The baddies are fitting for their environment and are intimidating. Sometimes the developers try to trick us with seemingly weak characters who, when tested, give us an unpleasant surprise, such as the infamous Tonberry. The battles are also magnificent. The camera views are positioned at good angles to give us a very interesting perspective on the battle. The magic spells create an array of amazing colorful explosions that throw enemies to the ground. Plus, the in-battle character animations are really nice and dramatic. Lightning in particular, while a commando, uses her incredible physical and acrobatic skills to annihilate her enemies. I've already mentioned the leveling system so I won't review it here. Finally, I must digress that the (female) characters are incredibly attractive (I say this without shame! :). The cut scenes are even more detailed than the actual game play, and are heavily interspersed throughout the story. Though these cut scenes are very crucial to the development of the story, many of them are needless. I for one, greatly anticipated the next "main" cut scene. However, I understand why many were irritated by the over use of them. For a game whose value greatly relies on it's visual majesty, I really didn't have too much of an issue with the very long and often occurring cut scenes. I believe that XIII, of all other FF games, allow you to grow close the the characters you are playing as. The realistic graphics/animations make the story more emotionally impacting and allow you to feel as though you were there yourself.
The Story
It's very obvious that Final Fantasy XIII is an incredibly story-oriented game. I find it very confusing that fans of JRPGs and other Final Fantasy fans give this particular game so much grief for it's heavy and melodramatic story. As most JRPG fans know, a good story practically defines this genre. Final Fantasy has almost always been heavy in story, and this game does not deviate from that path. Actually, there are quite a few stories in this game. One focuses on the main goal (Defy Fate!), and the others deal with the personal goals of the characters as well as their relationships with one another, their pasts, and changing personality. In fact, the protagonist Lightning's personality goes through a complete 180 degree turn. She starts out as a hot-headed, battle hardened, nihilistic cynic. By the end, she is completely softened by her incredible experience and those she shared it with. Lightning is my personal favorite character, probably because I just like that iconic anime-style attractive yet withdrawn "Tsundere" tough girl, but also because of the great amount of attention Square puts into her emotional development. So, I find that FFXIII really follows the traditional style of JRPG in the fact that it has a great story. Though many find the story overly-emotional and just plain lame, we must consider the incredible amount of work the writers put into it to make it interesting. Even if some don't find it as moving as others.
The linear game play
Oh, how I hear the mourning voices of those who despise linear game play. Their cries are more loud than ever after playing just the first chapter of this game. I would like to remind every one reading this again that Final Fantasy XIII is a JRPG, not a western style RPG. JRPGs are traditionally based on linear game play, some more than others. Though I have not played any western RPGs I understand that their game play is more open-world and this is fine. However, let's not confuse it with their Eastern counterparts. When I look back on previous Final Fantasy titles, I see the same (possibly slightly less) amount of linear game play as XIII's. I suppose I was not as angered with the linear style because I went in expecting this. I suppose this style is just what I personally enjoy. I do not blame players for being angered by this play style and I sympathize a little, but let's just remember that is how JRPGs traditionally play. Plus, once we reach chapter 11, the game becomes much more open-world. Once the game is completed, everything becomes open world.
Extras
Square-Enix certainly didn't end that game once Lightning and Co. defied fate and changed their destiny. There are many things to do and trophies/achievements to get after your done. For one, you can complete the 64 missions or side quests. Though these missions really only involve going to an enemy's location and killing it, you can get a lot of different accessories, CP, rare items, or weapons. If you manage to complete all the missions with five-stars, you will most likely have a maxed out crystarium and have obtained many of the trophies (I'll use trophies from now on since I use a PS3 :). If you are like me, and go for 100% completion, this game will offer you a real challenge. The Treasure Hunter Trophy takes absolutely forever to obtain, and the Adamantine Trophy will make you want to smash you head into walls. So if you are a completionist, you won't be disappointed.
If you've gotten this far through my long-winded review, I thank you for bearing with it. :) To finish, I'll just say how much I liked this game in almost every aspect. The graphics, story, battling, and leveling system all worked great and complemented each other well. I found the characters to be very likable, and looked forward to each step in their development. I was a bit irritated by the fact that you can't return to any points in the story once you beat it and save, but it's not too bad considering they are not crucial for 100% completion after you finish them. For someone who spent 160 hours on this game, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys JRPGs, the Final Fantasy series, or games with strong stories.
My score: 9.7/10.