Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (2013) - Game Review
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII... I can't wait to explain how I love this game... or not:
Okay, so even though the first Final Fantasy XIII had many areas that felt like corridors, I still loved it. I was less enthusiastic about FFXIII-2 due to the time jumping nature. In that game, I felt disconnected from the main story as though I didn't have a home. Each time we started a play session we had to spend 15 minutes trying to figure out what place/time to jump into in order to complete the next task. But now we have Final Fantasy XIII Lighting Returns. Just like Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, Lighting is coming back with a vengeance to set the evil empire of lame games on its back heels. Will Lighting show the world that she can come back into the scene and restore the miss-steps of the previous installment?
You don't know how much I would like to say YES! Actually, my answer is a little more complicated than a yes or no.
First, this game lost my attention and I was never able to fully complete it. Joe and I are completionists. We like to take our time and explore all areas, find all secrets, and power level from time to time. With Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Returns, there is a HUGE game clock (ala Zelda: Majoras Mask), and you are constantly pressed for time. If you don't move on from an area to the next area quickly enough, you are squandering precious time. There is limited time till the world ends.
Yes, I did find some small ways to add onto the time and make it last longer, but we were still pressed and didn't feel we could completely explore areas as we wanted. It felt less like exploring and more like crazy mad dashing to the finish line in each area.
The battle system we reworked from the previous installments and actually felt fresh and new. There is quite a bit of variation that can be set up with the Schemata. It felt like we had plenty of options when customizing the roles and preparing for battles.
The quests in this game are sometimes a bore, with monotonous fetch quests such as talk to this guy over there or fetch this item for me. The ones that deal with combat are more interesting, but can still be repetitive.
The story didn't capture me either. As I said, there is the big world clock ticking down to doomsday that's constantly pressing the player to move on. Lightning is not a very likable character with this newest incarnation feeling even more disconnected. Many of the characters from the previous FFXIII games make an appearance, but don't feel the same. Some have even become evil.
Suffice to say, between the world clock and boring quests, the game got old. We didn't complete it fully and put it back up on the shelf. It looks nice there, and for my library, that is where it belongs. I am sure there are plenty of gamers and Final Fantasy fans that love the entry and didn't have trouble with the time clock, but as for me the game has found its final resting place.
It's unfortunate that my shelf is not big enough to see the title of the game and instead just the bottom, but I am not losing any sleep from it.
Okay, so even though the first Final Fantasy XIII had many areas that felt like corridors, I still loved it. I was less enthusiastic about FFXIII-2 due to the time jumping nature. In that game, I felt disconnected from the main story as though I didn't have a home. Each time we started a play session we had to spend 15 minutes trying to figure out what place/time to jump into in order to complete the next task. But now we have Final Fantasy XIII Lighting Returns. Just like Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, Lighting is coming back with a vengeance to set the evil empire of lame games on its back heels. Will Lighting show the world that she can come back into the scene and restore the miss-steps of the previous installment?
You don't know how much I would like to say YES! Actually, my answer is a little more complicated than a yes or no.
First, this game lost my attention and I was never able to fully complete it. Joe and I are completionists. We like to take our time and explore all areas, find all secrets, and power level from time to time. With Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Returns, there is a HUGE game clock (ala Zelda: Majoras Mask), and you are constantly pressed for time. If you don't move on from an area to the next area quickly enough, you are squandering precious time. There is limited time till the world ends.
Yes, I did find some small ways to add onto the time and make it last longer, but we were still pressed and didn't feel we could completely explore areas as we wanted. It felt less like exploring and more like crazy mad dashing to the finish line in each area.
The battle system we reworked from the previous installments and actually felt fresh and new. There is quite a bit of variation that can be set up with the Schemata. It felt like we had plenty of options when customizing the roles and preparing for battles.
The quests in this game are sometimes a bore, with monotonous fetch quests such as talk to this guy over there or fetch this item for me. The ones that deal with combat are more interesting, but can still be repetitive.
The story didn't capture me either. As I said, there is the big world clock ticking down to doomsday that's constantly pressing the player to move on. Lightning is not a very likable character with this newest incarnation feeling even more disconnected. Many of the characters from the previous FFXIII games make an appearance, but don't feel the same. Some have even become evil.
Suffice to say, between the world clock and boring quests, the game got old. We didn't complete it fully and put it back up on the shelf. It looks nice there, and for my library, that is where it belongs. I am sure there are plenty of gamers and Final Fantasy fans that love the entry and didn't have trouble with the time clock, but as for me the game has found its final resting place.
It's unfortunate that my shelf is not big enough to see the title of the game and instead just the bottom, but I am not losing any sleep from it.
Happy Game Nights!
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