Final Fantasy XIII-2

Did You Know?

• The game features downloadable content including outfits, weapons, scenarios, recruitable monsters, and minigames.
• Players who own XIII save data can unlock an additional wallpaper (PS3) or gamer picture (Xbox 360).
• A sequel, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, was released in 2013 in Japan and 2014 worldwide.

Synopsis

The story of Final Fantasy XIII-2 follows on from that of Final Fantasy XIII. In XIII, a fal'Cie transformed a team of six people into l'Cie, hoping they would crash Cocoon into Gran Pulse. At the finale, two l'Cie transformed into a crystal pillar to support Cocoon. XIII-2 begins three years after that event. Most of Cocoon's inhabitants have moved to Gran Pulse, and some have learned magic. A scientific body called the Academy becomes a new technocratic government. The story jumps between different time periods and parallel versions of places via the Historia Crux, taking place on Gran Pulse, inside Cocoon, the Void Beyond, and Valhalla, the capital of the goddess Etro. Lightning appears only as a supporting character and narrator. The main playable characters are Serah Farron and Noel Kreiss, a young man from the distant future. Hope Estheim becomes leader of the Academy, and Snow Villiers, Serah's fiancé, set off to find Lightning. New characters include Caius Ballad, the primary antagonist; Paddra Nsu-Yeul, a seeress; and Alyssa Zaidelle, an assistant to Hope.

Development

Development of Final Fantasy XIII-2 began around March and April 2010 and lasted about one and a half years. It was carried out by Square Enix's 1st Production Department. Many key personnel from Final Fantasy XIII remained: Motomu Toriyama as director, Yoshinori Kitase as producer, Tetsuya Nomura as character designer, and Isamu Kamikokuryo as art director. The game was officially announced in January 2011 and released on December 15 the same year. The troubled development of Final Fantasy XIII led to a rethinking of production for high-budget games. The team consulted European subsidiary Eidos to adopt a Western approach, introducing monthly schedules and project milestones. Unlike its predecessor, XIII-2 was not entirely developed in-house; Japanese studio tri-Ace was contracted to help with game design, art, and programming to keep internal staff numbers lower.

Reception

Final Fantasy XIII-2 moved over half a million copies in its debut week in Japan, with the PlayStation 3 version topping that system’s sales charts. The Xbox 360 edition, by contrast, placed 48th. By the close of 2011, total Japanese sales exceeded 697,000 units, ranking it fifth overall for the year and the best-selling home console title in the region. In the US, it was February 2012’s second-best seller, trailing only Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, while in the UK it claimed the top spot for that month. Worldwide, the game had reached 3.1 million copies by January 2013, with an additional 400,000 Steam registrations by 2017. Japanese critics were highly enthusiastic, with Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation awarding perfect scores. Reviewers highlighted the improved gameplay, reduced linearity, and strong presentation, noting that issues from the predecessor had been addressed. The game earned the Future Division award at the 2011 Japan Game Awards and an Award of Excellence in 2012.