Before we start talking about Final Fantasy XIII-2, we want to start by asking a fairly simple question: What the hell happened to Final Fantasy? Back in 1994, we were all hooked on the involving storyline of Final Fantasy III, and then in 1997 Square came back with hell-fired thunder with Final Fantasy VII, which turned the franchise from a cult favourite into a mainstream blockbuster. Unfortunately, since then, it seems as if every Final Fantasy has struggled to find the correct balance between game and story, with CGI cut-scenes and anime clichés taking up as much time as the gameplay. Anyway, enough ranting for now.
We’re still trying to understand why Square Enix decided to play around with our emotions by featuring FFXIII’s main character, Lighting, all over the place. The pink-haired warrior hottie is featured in the trailers, the advertisements, and even on the game’s cover art. Unfortunately, Lightning was used more as a marketing tool than anything. She’s more of a motivational goal here than an actual character. Sure, she has a part to play in the game, but the game is more about her sister, Serah, this time around. Serah’s personality isn’t really as “Girl Power” as her sister’s, but that doesn’t stop Final Fantasy XIII-2 from delivering a decent mix of storytelling and action.
In this addition to the Final Fantasy family, Serah and her partner, newcomer Noel Kreiss, set out on a journey across time, jumping from one level to another, with each one representing a different place or time. These two are your only party members, apart from a third slot for monsters added to your group, and their relationship with each other is bland, at best. Where Final Fantasy XIII’s party members had a lot of interpersonal conflicts to overcome, Serah and Noel get along well enough. Moments that could have pulled a lot of emotion in the first half of the game, with all the reunions with former cast members, seem to have no real tension or emotional impact. In a word: Meh.
One of the best additions to Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the ability to capture the monsters you fight and recruit them into your party, kind of like “Pokemon” meets Final Fantasy. Now, this of course doesn’t apply to boss monsters (you knew that), but any other monster you fight in the game has the potential to become your new best friend. Monsters start with their own set party role, advancing by ingesting special items found in battle or bought from a vendor. You can even dress your monsters up with silly decorations, too.
We’re going to let you know right now, you’re going to end up exploring every inch of the game to find all of the rare monsters. These guys are usually a lot more powerful than the other monsters. Getting the monsters is only half the fun. You can feed your levelled-up monsters to others to strengthen them, and make even more powerful beasties. It’s an awesome monster-collecting experience tucked inside a great RPG.
Ultimately, there are a lot of good and bad points about the game. Don’t worry though, Final Fantasy XIII-2 may not be the uber-great RPG you might have been expecting, but it’s still a very good one.
