Final Fantasy XIII
Thirteenth mainline Final Fantasy title, flagship of Fabula Nova Crystallis.
Final Fantasy XIII is a 2009 role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and later for Windows in 2014. It is the thirteenth mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series and the flagship title of the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection. The game introduced fast-paced combat, the Crystarium leveling system, and the customizable Paradigm system, while retaining series elements such as summoned monsters, chocobos, and airships.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Developer
- Square Enix 1st Production DepartmentPorted to Windows 10 by Virtuos
- Publisher
- Square Enix
- Director
- Motomu Toriyama
- Producer
- Yoshinori Kitase
- Programmer
- Yoshiki Kashitani
- Artist
- Isamu Kamikokuryo · Tetsuya Nomura
- Writer
- Daisuke Watanabe · Motomu Toriyama
- Composer
- Masashi Hamauzu
- Series
- Final Fantasy · Fabula Nova Crystallis
- Engine
- Crystal Tools
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3 · Xbox 360 · Windows
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Final Fantasy XIII takes place in the fictional floating world of Cocoon, ruled by the theocratic Sanctum government. The story follows former soldier Lightning as she fights the Sanctum to save her sister, who has been branded as a l'Cie—an unwilling servant of a god-like being from the feared world below, Pulse. Lightning is joined by a band of allies who also become marked by the same Pulse creature, and together they rally against the Sanctum while trying to discover their assigned task and whether they can avoid being turned into monsters or crystals upon completion. Development began in 2004, and the game was first revealed at E3 2006 as a tech demo, with the official announcement and title coming later at E3 2008. It is the first game to use Square Enix's Crystal Tools engine.
Reader's Guide
Final Fantasy XIII was critically acclaimed in Japan and received mostly positive reviews from Western publications, which praised its graphics, presentation, and battle system, though its linearity received a more mixed reception. It sold 1.7 million copies in Japan in 2009, becoming the fastest-selling title in series history at that time. As of 2017, the game has sold over 7 million copies worldwide on consoles, and the Windows version has sold over 746,000 copies according to SteamSpy. The game was added to backward compatibility for Xbox One in November 2018 along with its sequels, and is Xbox One X Enhanced, allowing higher resolution. Two sequels followed: Final Fantasy XIII-2 (2011/2012) and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (2013/2014). As of September 2014, the entire Final Fantasy XIII series has shipped over 11 million copies worldwide.
Did You Know?
- The game sold 1.5 million copies in its first week in Japan, but the fastest-selling title in series history at that time was Final Fantasy VII, which sold over 2 million copies in its first week.
- The Windows version was released in 2014 and has sold over 746,000 copies according to SteamSpy.
- The game was added to Xbox One backward compatibility in November 2018 and is Xbox One X Enhanced.
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