Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

I debated calling this game Final Fantasy XIII-3 on my blog, since that is what it is essentially. Squenix, however, never one to shy away from confusing name conventions, decided to call it Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, so I'll stick with that.

For those who need a recap of the events of the previous two games, one can't do better than the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Retro-spective Trailer. Honestly, that almost looks like more fun than the two actual games were.

Source.

It was the end of the world. It had been 500 years since the chaos had been unleashed from Valhalla. Black storm clouds rolled and roiled over the shining lights of the city below. At the top of a clock tower, crimson bolts of lightning struck. Our heroine appeared at their apex. Her name, Lightning, having woken from a long crystal slumber. She had been awoken by the sleeping god, Bhunivelze. Or as the people now called him... simply God. She was now God's savior, who would lead souls to salvation. She was here, in the city called Yusnaan, to save a particular soul... of the one called Snow.

I was really surprised how this game immediately pulls no punches, naming Lightning's patron "God" with a capital "G". Later on, he, Bhunivelze, is separated more from the Christian notion of God, but it's very interesting, even jarring at first. I'm really surprised the translation had the balls to go all-out with this, but hey, maybe I'm just used to 90's era Nintendo super censorship.

The intro level to the game has Lightning breaking into a palace where Snow is now ruler, or the "Patron" as he is called. I guess it's worth noting that he's still alive after 500 years because the chaos has a created a world with no aging. People may still die from disease and accident, but there is no new life, and no one dies of old age. So Snow has 500 years of moping and guilt on his shoulders from the death of Serah. Lightning surmises he may have changed... and as it turns out, he is none too pleased to see her.

Snow and Lightning locked in combat. Source.

There is a quick fight between the two that plays out in a cut-scene. Then the room is infused with chaos, creating monsters that Lightning must fight. Lightning is the player's sole character, and she moves about dynamically from a third-person camera perspective. The battle system is new, but reflects some of the mechanics of the previous Final Fantasy XIII games. Lightning has three "schema" at a time, which are based off outfits, but are analogous with the "jobs" of early Final Fantasy games. Much like Final Fantasy 10-2, the player can switch modes in the middle of battle. Staggering again plays a part, but it works differently than the previous games. Each creature has certain conditions that will cause them to stagger, than this causes various effects. These usually cause the enemy to take more damage, and may also cause their weaknesses to change, and possibly stun them.

This is what combat looks like in LR. Source.

Back to the story... Snow runs off, leaving Lightning to fight off some monsters. She has to follow him, while the player is introduced to the game mechanics. It turns out he has barricaded himself in a room that is filled with dense chaos. For some reason the chaos looks like a sphere with a checkerboard pattern, it's not explained why, but it is a cool effect. 

Snow uses his ice powers to save the folks hanging out under this falling chandelier, so he hasn't completely changed.

It appears to be too dangerous to enter the chaos... so Lightning is stuck for the moment. She is also confronted by a mysterious girl, who bears a striking resemblance to a young Serah. She is all at once witty, dark, hurtful and helpful.

This b*... Source.

Lumina is very mysterious, she summons a monster that Lightning must battle, but you also get the sense she is not necessarily a villain. She drops too many hints, dripping with sarcasm, for her to not be interested in Lightning's success on some level.

After her encounter, Lightning is returned to the ark, by her compatriot, Hope, who has already been introduced in the game. Hope sits at the control center, guiding Lightning along. He is the command center, and Lightning is the field agent, working together to do God's work.

Hope plays Charlie to Lightning's angel.

There is a lot to absorb early on in the game. The abnormal setting is laid out: it is 500 years since the events of XIII-2 unfolded, the world merged with Valhalla just as Caius wished. There is no new life and no aging, because the Goddess Etro is dead. Chaos has destroyed most of the new world, leaving an island that will be absorbed in 13 days. These 13 days also mark when God, Bhunivelze, will reawaken, and create a new world, to start anew.

The new world will be populated by souls that are saved by having their burdens relieved. The one who will do this is the Savior, the role that has been placed upon Lightning. In return for her service, God has promised that Lightning will be reunited with her dead sister, Serah.

"Every soul you leave behind will be lost for all eternity." -Hope. Source.

The 13 day time limit isn't just a set piece, it is represented by a real game clock. An hour of play time equals 24 hours of in-game time. That's right, Squenix took some hints from Western RPG success stories and made an open-world game. Then... slapped a time-limit on it. Yes, this does seem counter-intuitive. It once again, sure is BALLSY though! Don't worry, I'll analyze the good and the bad of this time-limit plenty as I play.

Quite a lot to absorb right? The game doesn't pull-punches. However, if the player is lost a bit in the all details, the game does contain the helpful Datalog, like its predecessors.

Play Time: 1 hour