Final Fantasy XIII
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Final Fantasy is one of the most established names in gaming. What began as a last-ditch effort from a dying company has become a storied series encompassing thirteen main games, two online offerings, and a smattering of spin-offs on various platforms. Final Fantasy XIII marks the series’ long-awaited arrival on the PS3 and Xbox 360. This is a game many have been looking forward to for years, and a game that I wanted desperately to like.
The separate pieces of Final Fantasy XIII seem solid at first glance. Lush, beautiful environments, a story of epic proportions, and a shiny, new battle system inspire excitement as you take your first steps in the world of Gran Pulse. Excitement soon fades to boredom, though, as poor design decisions begin to become blatantly obvious.
The most obvious annoyance lies in the level design. A typical RPG provides expansive environments to interact with. Towns filled with NPCs and dungeons filled with secrets are typical for the genre. Final Fantasy XIII is quite the opposite. Levels are painfully linear and traversal is uninteresting. The map usually reveals a single path to follow, with the occasional offshoot that always ends in a treasure chest with questionable loot. Usually, when a developer directs the player in such a linear fashion, it’s because there’s some well thought out encounter or visual treat ahead. In FF XIII, this is not the case. Sure, the scenery is nice, but the linearity just feels lazy. The world has an empty and sterile feel for the most part, and the game does little to hide the fact that the world isn’t fleshed out beyond the narrow path you carve through it.
The separate pieces of Final Fantasy XIII seem solid at first glance. Lush, beautiful environments, a story of epic proportions, and a shiny, new battle system inspire excitement as you take your first steps in the world of Gran Pulse. Excitement soon fades to boredom, though, as poor design decisions begin to become blatantly obvious.
The most obvious annoyance lies in the level design. A typical RPG provides expansive environments to interact with. Towns filled with NPCs and dungeons filled with secrets are typical for the genre. Final Fantasy XIII is quite the opposite. Levels are painfully linear and traversal is uninteresting. The map usually reveals a single path to follow, with the occasional offshoot that always ends in a treasure chest with questionable loot. Usually, when a developer directs the player in such a linear fashion, it’s because there’s some well thought out encounter or visual treat ahead. In FF XIII, this is not the case. Sure, the scenery is nice, but the linearity just feels lazy. The world has an empty and sterile feel for the most part, and the game does little to hide the fact that the world isn’t fleshed out beyond the narrow path you carve through it.
The battle system, which is actually quite enjoyable, is hampered by poor pacing. The battles themselves clip along at a fast pace and can be extremely satisfying, but Square Enix has seen fit to dole out the mechanics individually over the course of the game. You won’t learn key elements of the system until you’re a dozen hours into the game. A steady drip of new abilities can be rewarding and keep things fresh, but in this case, the system just feels incomplete until late in the game.
The same poor pacing filters back to the levels. It isn’t until chapter eleven of thirteen that the world finally opens up, and by then, it’s too little too late. I spent twenty seven hours waiting for chapter eleven on the recommendation of others, and when I arrived on the plains of cocoon, I was too exhausted to care about the modicum of choice that finally entered the game.
The same poor pacing filters back to the levels. It isn’t until chapter eleven of thirteen that the world finally opens up, and by then, it’s too little too late. I spent twenty seven hours waiting for chapter eleven on the recommendation of others, and when I arrived on the plains of cocoon, I was too exhausted to care about the modicum of choice that finally entered the game.
With all these hindrances to enjoyment, only a mind-blowing story could keep me playing. Unfortunately, the dialog and characters prevent what could have been a cool story from reaching its potential. The plot follows a group of humans who have been exiled by fate as they fight for their equality and their lives. The premise is interesting enough on its own, but the characters are so shallow and stereotypical that I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of their problems. The dialog is cringe-worthy - filled with long monologues on hate, love and fear. The emphasis here was obviously placed on the plot, which simply isn’t enough to overshadow the frustrating, melodramatic characters.
I really wanted to like this game. Great JRPGs have become a rarity in the past few years, and this was the only bright spot on the horizon. I gave FFXIII more than enough time to grab me, but it simply failed. The linearity, juvenile characterization, and butchered progression of the battle system gave me no reason to play on. The most telling thing about my time with this game is that I had no desire to finish it after playing for thirty hours. I forced myself through eleven chapters but didn’t even care to push on through a few more chapters to see the ending to a story that meant nothing to me. It’s sad, but this is a bad Final Fantasy game. I can only hope that Square Enix learns from their mistakes and finds a way to breathe life into the name that once meant quality.
I really wanted to like this game. Great JRPGs have become a rarity in the past few years, and this was the only bright spot on the horizon. I gave FFXIII more than enough time to grab me, but it simply failed. The linearity, juvenile characterization, and butchered progression of the battle system gave me no reason to play on. The most telling thing about my time with this game is that I had no desire to finish it after playing for thirty hours. I forced myself through eleven chapters but didn’t even care to push on through a few more chapters to see the ending to a story that meant nothing to me. It’s sad, but this is a bad Final Fantasy game. I can only hope that Square Enix learns from their mistakes and finds a way to breathe life into the name that once meant quality.
