The only salvageable part is the end boss. Headache of a game.
This review contains spoilers
After really enjoying Final Fantasy XIII-2, I was really looking forward to how they would improve the Battle System and exploration. It was quite a shock to see the direction they took in this game! It ended up being good, just a bit worse than XIII-2, but I really appreciate when game developers take risks and try out different approaches to their game, so in a way I must applaud them for this.
The strongest point in this game to me was the Story, after following the characters from this Trilogy all the way, I was really curious to know how they would end up. Although most of the game makes you spend time with side-quests, the main line story was very beautiful with an amazing ending!
Combat is the real big change in this game, the new "Garb System" makes you build synergies between loadouts to have you face against your foes. I really liked how I ended up really going for different garbs and spells during the Early and Mid-Game, later down the line I did stick to my one and only loadouts, but that makes sense as you begin to learn more about the enemies, ATB Costs and whatnot. However, I really feel like NOT having a party is a let-down, this trilogy had Sazh, Snow, Noel, Vanille, Fang but throughout the game you barely spend time with them. By the way, how come Noel is not involved in Caius's main quest? I just wish the game had more content with them.
Exploration is all right. You always have something to do thanks to side quests, but after completing all the main quests I felt like I had no incentive to keep playing at all. I did decide to do a lot of side quests and extinction hunting, but the time spent doing those were not really fun, just a big grind.
The game is based on a limited amount of days and time to save as many souls as possible. From the start of the game, this mechanic made me stress out a lot, life is already a game of chasing time, I was not looking forward to managing it in this game as well, but with the time stop ability you actually have plenty of time to do everything. I feel like this mechanic serves more of a story purpose rather than enhancing gameplay. It doesn't really hurt you that much, but it also does not add much.
Well, if you have already played XIII and XIII-2, you should play this game. It is good! Just not my cup of tea.
The strongest point in this game to me was the Story, after following the characters from this Trilogy all the way, I was really curious to know how they would end up. Although most of the game makes you spend time with side-quests, the main line story was very beautiful with an amazing ending!
Combat is the real big change in this game, the new "Garb System" makes you build synergies between loadouts to have you face against your foes. I really liked how I ended up really going for different garbs and spells during the Early and Mid-Game, later down the line I did stick to my one and only loadouts, but that makes sense as you begin to learn more about the enemies, ATB Costs and whatnot. However, I really feel like NOT having a party is a let-down, this trilogy had Sazh, Snow, Noel, Vanille, Fang but throughout the game you barely spend time with them. By the way, how come Noel is not involved in Caius's main quest? I just wish the game had more content with them.
Exploration is all right. You always have something to do thanks to side quests, but after completing all the main quests I felt like I had no incentive to keep playing at all. I did decide to do a lot of side quests and extinction hunting, but the time spent doing those were not really fun, just a big grind.
The game is based on a limited amount of days and time to save as many souls as possible. From the start of the game, this mechanic made me stress out a lot, life is already a game of chasing time, I was not looking forward to managing it in this game as well, but with the time stop ability you actually have plenty of time to do everything. I feel like this mechanic serves more of a story purpose rather than enhancing gameplay. It doesn't really hurt you that much, but it also does not add much.
Well, if you have already played XIII and XIII-2, you should play this game. It is good! Just not my cup of tea.
An extremely underappreciated and underrated game that was bashed because of a herd effect and because most people haven't truly understood what it is and means.
LR is not a standalone game. Yes, it was sold as a standalone game, but it very much is the end of Lightning story and the end of FFXIII. The whole FFXIII saga should be treated and appreciated as a single game, rather than three separated and different games.
That's the reasoning behind the structure of LR: it's the traditional sidequest rush and worldbuilding before the last boss. While Lightning is in the cover, the main characters are the world and it's people, the discussions on eternity, longing, loss, end and new beginnings. The game portrays a dead world and you're the merciful executor. There is beauty in its themes that is almost always ignored by people who consume for pure consumption and take their worldview from youtube essayists and opinionated hacks.
The class system with different outfits is good and reminisces of another ill-received but mechanically sound FF entry, X-2. It is also a reflection of the pacing choices made the creators in turning the entire game into the pre-ending portion of a traditional jRPG.
The soundtrack is effective in conveying its themes for those who want to hear it. It is a Final Fantasy entry, so this is something that should be the case anyway. Graphically, the game is competent - not groundbreaking as the debut of the Crystal Tools engine, but still pretty good.
The pacing is weird, but deliberately so. The game is, as mentioned, just the latter third of a larger game so it might have weirded people out that the whole game feels like an ending portion - there's no discernible early or middle story portions. This weirdness is the thing I'm most fond of about the game, however.
The ending was cute, but I'm still kinda torn about it years later. While I like it, I can understand those who think it's too corny.
LR is not a standalone game. Yes, it was sold as a standalone game, but it very much is the end of Lightning story and the end of FFXIII. The whole FFXIII saga should be treated and appreciated as a single game, rather than three separated and different games.
That's the reasoning behind the structure of LR: it's the traditional sidequest rush and worldbuilding before the last boss. While Lightning is in the cover, the main characters are the world and it's people, the discussions on eternity, longing, loss, end and new beginnings. The game portrays a dead world and you're the merciful executor. There is beauty in its themes that is almost always ignored by people who consume for pure consumption and take their worldview from youtube essayists and opinionated hacks.
The class system with different outfits is good and reminisces of another ill-received but mechanically sound FF entry, X-2. It is also a reflection of the pacing choices made the creators in turning the entire game into the pre-ending portion of a traditional jRPG.
The soundtrack is effective in conveying its themes for those who want to hear it. It is a Final Fantasy entry, so this is something that should be the case anyway. Graphically, the game is competent - not groundbreaking as the debut of the Crystal Tools engine, but still pretty good.
The pacing is weird, but deliberately so. The game is, as mentioned, just the latter third of a larger game so it might have weirded people out that the whole game feels like an ending portion - there's no discernible early or middle story portions. This weirdness is the thing I'm most fond of about the game, however.
The ending was cute, but I'm still kinda torn about it years later. While I like it, I can understand those who think it's too corny.
FF 13 is ok.
FF 13-2 is ok.
BUT LIGHTNING RETURNS? BULLSHIT.
FF 13-2 is ok.
BUT LIGHTNING RETURNS? BULLSHIT.
shit sucks
My first Final Fantasy
I loved every single minute of it.
Great customization and gameplay is pretty good. I like the exploration and story and sidequests. Great nostalgia for me.
I loved every single minute of it.
Great customization and gameplay is pretty good. I like the exploration and story and sidequests. Great nostalgia for me.
Le meilleur opus de la trilogie selon moi avec son gameplay unique à la franchise à faire si vous aimez l'univers de final fantasy XIII
The bosses are the major highlight of this game and where combat shines, all except that final boss. At that point, I wanted to say stagger is good but shouldn't be centered, it should be supplementary.
The general gameplay loop of "side quest life progression" felt awful. 85% of the game was just busy work and real no connective tissue for the series. I get "hey, I want u to engage w/ the world" but barely any side-quest had great stories. I respect the effort tho, this is an idea that could be returned to, but modified. possibly in a self-constrained area instead of 2-3 areas at once.
Music, Cutscenes, and Animations were all great tho.
The general gameplay loop of "side quest life progression" felt awful. 85% of the game was just busy work and real no connective tissue for the series. I get "hey, I want u to engage w/ the world" but barely any side-quest had great stories. I respect the effort tho, this is an idea that could be returned to, but modified. possibly in a self-constrained area instead of 2-3 areas at once.
Music, Cutscenes, and Animations were all great tho.
The limited time clock system really did not help my anxiety at all, but I'm a lil gay boy so I just enjoyed dressing up the personality-free Lightning in such bizarre outfits.