Here To Save You All: Lightning Returns Video Game Review

LIGHTNING RETURNS: Final Fantasy XIII

Rating: 8 moogles

Platforms: PS3, XBOX 360

Publisher: Square-Enix | Developer: Tri-Ace

            Earlier this month, Square-Enix released the highly anticipated conclusion to its famed Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, appropriately titled Lighting Returns – and what a finale it turned out to be. Just when I thought it was nearly impossible to top Final Fantasy 13-2, publisher Square-Enix proves me wrong yet again. I’ve been a big Final Fantasy fan for as long as I can remember and the titles only get better every time so I set the bar pretty high for this game. Before you commit your life to another 40+-hour venture, just be mindful that Lightning Returns is certainly not your typical video game or Final Fantasy title. This one’s a race to the finish with all of humanity weighing heavily on your shoulders.

            Claire “Lightning” Farron returns to life 500 years after her deep sleep in crystal and is called upon by the almighty god, Bhunivelze to save the souls of all humanity before the end of the world takes place. The god of light, Bhunivelze awakens Lightning from her long sleep and promises her that if she does his work as savior, he will unite her with her younger sister and last remaining family member, Serah Farron. Bhunivelze will use the souls that Lightning acquires to populate a brand new world. During her last days in Nova Chrysalia, Lightning finds her precious seconds, hours, minutes and days quickly slipping away from her right through her very fingertips. Will Bhunivelze keep his promise and give Lightning what she’s been after for more than 5 centuries or will betrayal be the common thread that binds them together?

THE BAD & THE UGLY

            When I picked up my preorder of the game, my buddy over at GameStop asked me if I wanted to get the strategy guide with it. I usually don’t pick one up because I’ll just log on to IGN on my iPad if I get stuck but something told me to grab one anyway because I got a good deal on it. If you didn’t get the strategy guide, you’re sure to miss out on many of the side quests that Square-Enix likes to bombard you with. Normally, you can backtrack and get things done at a later time but without a car or airship to get you around, time is of the essence. In Lightning Returns, you have 13 virtual days to complete five main quest lines. 13 days sounds like more than enough but every minute is a second of real time so there is little room for error and much room for confusion and disillusion. Traditionally, you would level up your characters in previous titles by defeating fiends accompanied by some kind of grid or other apparatus. In Lightning Returns, you level up by helping out the patrons of the four islands that fall victim to the chaos spreading across the world of Nova Chrysalia at every waking moment, leading to a heightened sense of difficulty even for the avid gamer.

            There were definitely some key pieces of the franchise that were missing in Lightning Returns. Summons (aeons, espers, eidolons, etc.), which have been a staple for much of the franchise, are nowhere to be found in this one. Except for the Angel of Valhalla in the Wildlands and Fang in the Dead Dunes, Lightning is a party of one for most of the game, which can be daunting, especially during boss battles. DLC hawks, beware; there are very few DLC packs available which doesn’t help their cause in the least. A flurry of rumors going around claims that Square-Enix is not welcoming fan-made garb for the game, which could’ve been a grand opportunity to capitalize on. Garb based on characters from previous titles would have added to the excitement of this title but is a prospect that remains to be seen.

            Lightning’s progression in the game is dependent on Eradia – energy that the savior gathers as a result of “freeing the hearts of people from the darkness that has consumed them”. The more hearts you free, the more Eradia will be gathered and the longer time can be extended to save more souls and get stronger. So what happens if you awake on the thirteenth day when the world is destined to end and you haven’t completed the required quests because you’re not strong enough and/or you run out of time? Naturally, apocalypse waits for no one (savior or not) and the player will reach the only Game Over screen of the game, leaving the player no choice but to restart Lightning’s adventure from Day 1. The mere thought of it is enough to want to through your Playstation out the window but you know what they say – don’t knock it till you try it.

…BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS…

            Despite its aforementioned shortcomings, Lightning Returns is your quintessential Final Fantasy game that will place right up there with the series’ elite. There is no doubt that Lightning and company would have looked dashing on a next gen console but I feel like Square-Enix did the right thing bidding the trilogy farewell on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles where the magic began. Masashi Hamauzu (who also composed and arranged the music for Final Fantasy X, Dirge of Cerberus, as well as the first two Final Fantasy XIII’s) returns as composer and arranger for Lightning Returns and is nothing short of spectacular. The four-disc soundtrack can be purchased on iTunes for $20, which is a steal at $5 a CD. When I’m not playing the game, I’m rocking out to the soundtrack on my BlackBerry, hoping to encounter high-powered fiends on my way to the post office.

The battle system in Lightning Returns is a notable facet of the game; think Final Fantasy XIII meets Final Fantasy X-2. Lightning prepares for combat with schemata – various pieces of equipment infused with abilities that revolve around the garb that Lightning will use in different combat situations. Since there aren’t any summons in Lightning Returns, I used my imagination, provided color palette, equipment and garb to design schemata for each of my favorite summons from the Final Fantasy X HD remake (which is coming to a PS3 & PS Vita near you on March 18). Also. the likelihood of somebody wanting to replay this game is very high, making it virtually painless if you reach Game Over and have to start a New Game+. Don’t worry – all is not lost. A New Game+ will enable players to begin an all new game keeping most of all your attributes and equipment of your past life to give you a competitive edge in your new play through.

            The Final Fantasy XIII trilogy was a wild ride but all great things must come to an end, even entire worlds. Because Square-Enix never ceases to amaze me, I’ll most likely be picking up my Playstation 4 as soon as Final Fantasy 15 is released in the near future. I must admit that Lightning wasn’t always my favorite video game vixen but because Square-Enix did a really good job embodying her in a single title, I’m going to really miss her. I would venture to guess that the apocalypse is going to be a recurring theme in gaming but let us not forget which game sets the standard. In Lightning Returns, Lightning’s here to save you all. Don’t be surprised if you too are saved in the process.