Could anyone have predicted that Final Fantasy XIII would get two sequels? That isn’t to say that the first game was bad, but between its over-complicated plot, the underdeveloped characters and the linearity of it all, the only thing I could think of that would keep anyone going would be the combat and the visuals. Hell, I didn’t even finish FFXIII. I quit during the very last chapter of the game, so I have no idea how it ends. Remember when Final Fantasy XIII was supposed to be a part of a bigger mythos? Is that concept still around?
Sure, maybe you could argue that Final Fantasy XIII-2 was necessary. It improved on the shortcomings of its predecessor by tweaking the combat a bit, adding towns, new game mechanics and making the game a lot less linear, but that should’ve been the last game, right? The game ending with ‘To be continued’ shouldn’t have even happened. Well, technically, it didn’t, because XIII-2 had a couple of DLC episodes that expanded on the game and its story. So, were two games not enough to tell…whatever story it is they’re trying to tell?
At what point do we hear the, “We’ve had these ideas since the beginning” or “XIII and XIII-2 contained hints towards Lightning Returns” lines?
Yes, Lightning Returns could be a good game, maybe even the best one out of all three; these details that Andriasang translated from a Famitsu interview do make the game sound really interesting. Though would that negate the fact that it’s the third one? Meanwhile Final Fantasy Versus XIII is still MIA.
I suppose that’s a part of the issue as well. There’s a chance—and what a good chance it is—that all three Final Fantasy XIII games will come and go before Versus XIII sees the light of day. And that’s a little unsettling. Square Enix has a tendency to work on a lot of games at the same time, and with Lightning Returns only being 30% complete, just how much longer do we have to wait?
I do find it a little funny that Square Enix called the next game Lightning Returns and not Final Fantasy XIII-3. Apparently, even they realized that putting a ‘3’ at the end of XIII would be too much (and maybe too confusing for those who don’t know what’s going on).
In 2010, Final Fantasy XIII was thought to be the only game to take place in that specific universe with those characters. No one had any idea that the story it contained would somehow warrant a direct sequel, followed by another sequel centered on Lightning. A small handful of years later and it would seem like the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy idea is no longer as important as Square initially let on, and instead they continue to focus on the games/stories that have already had their moments to shine.
Here’s to the Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy and to waiting some more. I think I’m beginning to love this part.
