Jade Defends: Final Fantasy 13

[JadePharaoh]

So, in the wake of the release of Lightning Returns, I thought I'd take a look back at Final Fantasy 13, one of, if not THE most polarizing game in the series. Some like it, many despise it with every fiber of their being. I may not put it in my top five, but I still enjoyed it a lot. However, I thought I'd take a look at both the good and the bad of this game, as well as hopefully get some input from the rest of you as to how you felt about the game and why.

THE BAD. Might as well get this out of the way. Most of the criticisms I've heard of the game revolve around one or both of the following:
LINEARITY: This is the the biggest gripe about the game that I can actually agree with the most. I've heard of the game mockingly referred to as "Hallway Fantasy"; the whole of the game summed up by critics as "Walk down this hallway, cutscene, walk down another hallway, another cutscene, walk down another hallway, fight a boss, walk down another hallway, cutscene...", repeat ad infintum. Granted there's a bit more to it than that, but I can't deny that the majority of the game is just one dungeon right into another. There is no world map to explore, no towns, no real sidequests until about 75% into the game, just traveling from one dungeon to the next in a very linear fashion. It's not until you get dropped onto Gran Pulse rather late in the game when something resembling a world map gets opened up, where you can explore freely and complete sidequests. Up until that point the game is extremely linear and it's understandable how that turned some RPG veterans off.
THE BATTLE SYSTEM: Holy crap, if it's not the linearity of the game that gets bashed on, it's the battle system. It's very different from previous games, and traditional RPGs as a whole, and this apparently pissed a lot of gamers off. I feel it's as simplistic as it is deeply involved. Rather than select commands manually from menus, your characters will auto-battle, in a way similar to the Gambits of FF12, here called Paradigms (However your lead party member can still select commands manually, along with a handful of special commands). There are six Paradigms in total; Commando (emphasis on physical attacks), Ravager (emphasis on magical attacks), Medic (healer), Sentinel (defender), Synergist (buffer), and Saboteur (de-buffer). You can customize your party with assorted combinations of these Paradigms and then switch between them freely in battle. Another unique battle mechanic is "Stagger", where under certain conditions, an enemy will be in a more vulnerable state and take more damage. Knowing how to utilize Paradigms and Stagger enemies effectively will be the key to doing well in this game, far more so than mere level-grinding. However, I feel a LOT of critics stop at the "auto-battle" portion I mentioned, and just claim that "The game plays itself! There's no challenge at all! You just mash 'X' to win!!". The people who say this, I feel, just played the first hour or so of the game (when you don't have very few abilities at your disposal; just like most RPGs) and gave up, wrote their review, which got passed around via word of mouth, which then tainted even more peoples' opinion of the game before they even played it at all. I'm not gonna try to say it's the best battle system of all time, as it certainly has flaws, but it is far, FAR from the worst. And the game does get a LOT harder later on; as I said, you will have to know how to use Paradigms and Stagger after a certain point. If you don't, you WILL get your ass handed to you. One thing that doesn't help matters, I will admit, is MY biggest gripe with the battle system; if your lead party member is downed, IT IS AN INSTANT GAME OVER. Doesn't matter if you have another Medic with the Raise spell, doesn't matter if you're sitting on a mountain of Phoenix Downs; if the lead party member goes down, apparently everyone else gives up and goes home... Granted it's not THAT bad; Game Overs in this game are a slap on the wrist, very much like FF Mystic Quest, where you just get booted back to the point just before you encountered your last battle, as opposed to getting kicked back to the title screen and reload your last save. Still, it has been infuriating to have almost beaten a strong boss, only for them to get a single lucky blow (or better yet, an instant Death spell, like the final boss has...) and forcing me to start the battle all over.

THE GOOD. The previous two went into greater detail with as they seem to be what get the most flak. Now for what I really liked about the game.
THE STORY: RPGs mean little without a compelling story with interesting and likable characters, and this game did a great job in that regard. The game takes place in a world where humans are the pawns of god-like beings called Fal'cie, that have been in a centuries-long power struggle. Humans drafted into service by the Fal'cie are known as L'cie and are forced to do their bidding or suffer a terrible fate. The world consists of a floating metropolis called Cocoon, and the world below, Gran Pulse, regarded as a savage and violent world by the blissful citizens of Cocoon. One day, a young woman from Cocoon named Serah vanishes near the remains of a Fal'cie from Gran Pulse that attacked Cocoon long ago. This event draws six other unlikely souls into a quest where the fate of the world hangs in the balance (because what Final Fantasy game would it be if that weren't the case?). The story might be a little confusing at first, but it's not difficult to get the gist of. There is a Datalog in the game's menu that includes TONS of supplementary info if you feel like perusing through it, but it's not mandatory to get the basic idea of what's going on. FF13 has a very extensive mythology (that the two direct sequels only build on even more), and it's clear that a lot of thought was put into it. Maybe a little too much, due to the linearity of the game, as mentioned above.
THE CHARACTERS: As I said, the best games - hell, the best stories - have a diverse cast of likeable characters that you can actually care about; you want to be able see what happens to them next. And I can say I really felt this way toward the rag-tag group of FF13. We have Claire "Lightning" Farron, Serah's older sister; often thought of as a female Cloud, she's a cool, but also passionate soldier that sets out to rescue her sister, but encounters a lot more than she bargained for. Sazh Katzroy, an airship pilot looking for his son, who has also been forced into being a pawn of the Fal'cie (He's also got a wicked afro with a baby Chocobo nesting in it!). Snow Villiers, the leader of a resistance faction in Cocoon, as well as Serah's fiance, who would stop at nothing for her sake. Oerba Dia Vanille, a mysterious young lady that seems to be along for the ride, but also seems to know more than she lets on. Hope Estheim, a boy who blames Snow for the death of his mother, and follows him as he plans his revenge. Last but certainly not least, there's Fang, a L'cie hunter that appears to know Vanille and is searching for her. I feel that the characters grow and develop very well as the story progresses. Case in point; I thought Lightning was a complete and absolute bitch at first, particularly in her treatment of Snow. But as the plot progressed and her character developed, I grew to appreciate her a lot more for it. And it sounds like I'm not the only one who thinks so; Lightning is apparently Japan's favorite female Final Fantasy character (FF13 as a whole seems more popular in Japan than it is in the west, which would explain why Squenix has done so much with it and has put Lightning in particular in so many games; she's almost becoming as much of an icon of the series now as Cloud was in the PS1 days), and it sounds like even people who didn't like FF13 as a whole liked Lightning. And for good reason; she is a strong female character and is the closest the game has to being the main protagonist (the only other female characters that could be considered the main protagonists of their respective games are Terra in FF6, Ashe in FF12 (both games could be argued to have multiple main characters, though), and Yuna in FF10-2 (which most people hated almost as much as this game)). Also, I think it's worth mentioning that the voice acting is very good as well.
THE BATTLE SYSTEM: What??? I just listed it as a reason people HATE this game, now here I am listing it as a good point of the game?! Well, hear me out, because for all the crap the battle system got, I feel it's a double-edged sword, with plenty good about it as well. It's true you don't have as much direct control as you did in other games, but I, as an older gamer, feel that isn't necessarily a bad thing. People often criticize the slow, dull monotony in RPGs were you have to always be navigating menus, often selecting the same commands over and over and over. Yet, FF13 introduces a system that trims the fat, so to speak, and people complain even more! Unpleasable Fanbase, anyone? Generally, battles go a lot more quickly and smoothly once you know how Paradigms work, although bosses and some stronger enemies are still difficult, with massive amounts of HP that you have to figure out how to Stagger them to take them down efficiently. Oh, and one cool thing; de-buff spells are infamous for being neigh worthless in RPGs, but in this game, not only are they useful, but they're absolutely essential!!
THE MUSIC: This is a given, what with being a Final Fantasy game and all. The series is known for having spectacular soundtracks in its games and FF13 is no exception. From utterly beautiful melodies like 'Sunleth Waterscape' to the rocking battle theme 'Blinded by Light', the soundtrack is as superb as always.
THE GRAPHICS: Another given. Square does not pull its punches when it comes to graphical presentation, and again, this game is no exception. Everything is gorgeous and amazing. The only downside to the attention to graphical detail is that it once again left me wanting more exploration; such as to be able to freely explore Cocoon rather than just run along the rails.

So, overall, while I don't think FF13 was the best game ever, I feel it's far from being a bad game. I would give Final Fantasy 13 at least a 8/10. For those of you who have not played it yet, I would recommend picking it up (you can get it pretty cheap nowadays) and at least giving it an honest try before you jump on the bandwagon of hate.