When Final Fantasy XIII-2, the show’s most infamous middle kid, came out first, it was well received by people who played it but overlooked by almost everyone else. Having just celebrated their 10th anniversary in Japan this week, it’s one of the stranger and electrifying spin-offs from Square Enix is now available in Game Passand you all have to play it.
You probably know that when Final Fantasy XIII came out in 2010 and was treated by many fans as a disaster for the genre and a death knell for the series. You may even know that years later the record is set to do just that pretty awesome actually. It’s less likely that you’ve heard it’s a sequel FFXIII-2 is usually even better. While the previous game because of its linear gloriole-inspired structure and overly streamlined combat, FFXIII-2 turned things upside down with time travel and mixed the fight with a Pokémon
The story revolves around Serah (sister of the protagonist of the previous game, Lightning) and Noel, a time traveler from the future who chases paradoxes that have begun to disrupt the fabric of reality. They jump to different places at different times to try and stamp out these anomalies Chrono trigger-Style and along the way, begin unraveling the mystery behind what started all the chaos in motion. It’s kinky, but no more than your standard Dr. who Arch, and much easier to follow than FFXIII thanks to the decision to drop much of the jargon associated with the impenetrable world structure of this game.
While the premise makes for some gorgeous JRPG sightseeing, harvesting monsters will keep any new dungeon from exceeding its reception. Enemies are the third companion to round out Serah and Noel’s party, who you will capture, enlarge, and switch between throughout the journey. There are over a hundred of known ones Final Fantasy Staples like chocobos and cacti to new enemies including a number of mechanized golems. Each has a unique class and skills that you can expand over time, but filtered back into the very accessible “paradigm” combat system taken from the first game
All of this is neat and surprisingly well done since Kotaku older Mike Fahey would have told you if you had read his original review from 2012. But on this solid foundation FFXIII-2 pulsates with a fearful and indomitable energy, from the abundance of puzzles, mini-games, and arcade-like timers and scores to its frenetic soundtrack imbued with house music. Some of these tunes are absolute bullshit, with nu-metal raps that match the time-changing landscapes like oil and water. Others are pure jams, from Eccentricities to the Soul shattering transcendent.
The Xbox Series X shows the game in 4K, but even the Series S still looks gorgeous than ever and runs great at 60fps. This is admirable evidence of Microsoft’s continued investment in backward compatibility optimization, but also especially noteworthy considering that gamers are still having issues with the PC version of the. Report FFXIII-2 (it’s not yet clear if the PC Game Pass version fixes it) and the game is not available on PS5, PS4, or even to be streamed through PlayStation Now. To be ashamed of.
Square Enix spent less than two years playing the game, thanks in part to what could be re-used FFXIII and support from external studios like Tri-Ace. Combined with the toxic name recognition, it was easy to miss FFXIII-2 at best as glorified standalone DLC, and at worst as B-sides of a game that a generation of Final Fantasy Fans about the modern storytelling of the series. FFXIII-2 It deserves to step out of the shadows of its older siblings and to be judged and valued on its own terms.
Maybe we should just start calling it Final Fantasy: The Paradox of Time or so. That sounds kind of cool. At least cooler than a jumble of Roman and Arabic numerals. Whatever you want to call it, do yourself a favor and give it a try.
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