I remember jumping on this game right after platinuming FF13, thinking it would be more or less the same. It was hard imagining what a sequel could look like, given how final the ending was for Lightning and friends. I suppose too much was invested into the world building, lore, and canonical history to not explore further.
Taking place immediately after the first game, you play as Lightning’s sister, Serah, on her journey to find Lightning who has gone missing. Fal'Cie, L'Cie and Cie'th are all still around and just as confusing as the first game, although they play a much smaller role in this entry. The similarties between both entries are apparent right as you boot the title screen; everything that was green is now pink, everything that was thin is now bold. One thing I found to be unfortunate is how FF13-2 did not share the same crystalline tone and aesthetic that the first game had. Everything is bolder, fatter, and quicker paced; gone are the sleek menus with animated character portraits. While the game has its own unique appeal with the addition of rock battle OST and faster animations, it’s too unlike the first game for my liking. I guess it’s a matter of expectation.
While Noel's design felt fresh and reminscent of prior Final Fantasy games, the remaining cast felt sparse and unmemorable. Caius on the otherhand, was the perfect villain for a game like ths. It's no surprise that his silhouette is featured on the game's logo; his dark purple appearance strikingly compliments Lightning's softer pink design. Giving the adversary a face, a name, and a goal makes the entire journey feel that much more cohesive.
One of the core gameplay changes would be the removal of a third permanent party member. For the entire game, the only two party members you’ll play as are Serah and Noel (excluding guest characters). The third party member will be a monster that you’re able to recruit during battle. The upside to this is that it diversifies the amount of skills and attacks you can have in your party. The downside is that you’re less likely to get attached to the cast due to its tiny size. Every cutscene and story beat will primarily star Serah and Noel.
The way FF13-2 addressed the first game’s criticism of being too linear was to allow the you to teleport to previous areas, and also allowing you to visit alternate versions of areas that take place in parallel timelines. A neat idea, but given that each alternate area felt far too similar to the original area, it really just felt like you had a handful of areas that you were cycling between.
The vibes of the first game aren't entirely here, going more for a J-Pop ""pink"" aesthetic with Serah's costume mimicking an idol's dress. There is also a less foreboding tone overall, with the lack of a countdown on the character's mortalities. The difficulty was about on par as the first the game, without the massive weapons grind. The platinum trophy also posed very little challenge aside from finishing all the side-quests and hunting down all monsters. An upgrade from FF13 in some ways, and a downgrade in others.
Overall Rating: 80
Personal Difficulty: 40
Trophy Hunting Difficulty: 45
Taking place immediately after the first game, you play as Lightning’s sister, Serah, on her journey to find Lightning who has gone missing. Fal'Cie, L'Cie and Cie'th are all still around and just as confusing as the first game, although they play a much smaller role in this entry. The similarties between both entries are apparent right as you boot the title screen; everything that was green is now pink, everything that was thin is now bold. One thing I found to be unfortunate is how FF13-2 did not share the same crystalline tone and aesthetic that the first game had. Everything is bolder, fatter, and quicker paced; gone are the sleek menus with animated character portraits. While the game has its own unique appeal with the addition of rock battle OST and faster animations, it’s too unlike the first game for my liking. I guess it’s a matter of expectation.
While Noel's design felt fresh and reminscent of prior Final Fantasy games, the remaining cast felt sparse and unmemorable. Caius on the otherhand, was the perfect villain for a game like ths. It's no surprise that his silhouette is featured on the game's logo; his dark purple appearance strikingly compliments Lightning's softer pink design. Giving the adversary a face, a name, and a goal makes the entire journey feel that much more cohesive.
One of the core gameplay changes would be the removal of a third permanent party member. For the entire game, the only two party members you’ll play as are Serah and Noel (excluding guest characters). The third party member will be a monster that you’re able to recruit during battle. The upside to this is that it diversifies the amount of skills and attacks you can have in your party. The downside is that you’re less likely to get attached to the cast due to its tiny size. Every cutscene and story beat will primarily star Serah and Noel.
The way FF13-2 addressed the first game’s criticism of being too linear was to allow the you to teleport to previous areas, and also allowing you to visit alternate versions of areas that take place in parallel timelines. A neat idea, but given that each alternate area felt far too similar to the original area, it really just felt like you had a handful of areas that you were cycling between.
The vibes of the first game aren't entirely here, going more for a J-Pop ""pink"" aesthetic with Serah's costume mimicking an idol's dress. There is also a less foreboding tone overall, with the lack of a countdown on the character's mortalities. The difficulty was about on par as the first the game, without the massive weapons grind. The platinum trophy also posed very little challenge aside from finishing all the side-quests and hunting down all monsters. An upgrade from FF13 in some ways, and a downgrade in others.
Overall Rating: 80
Personal Difficulty: 40
Trophy Hunting Difficulty: 45