Final Fantasy 13 is a game that tosses flexibility out the window and leaves it to you to play it by the rules and conditions it sets for you for a good 3/5 of its content. This really isn't a bad aspect per se, many jrpgs follows the trend of using the same strategies over and over, and to Final Fantasy 13's credit it is more about how you utilise the jobs/roles and making each party member complement each other with buffs, debuffs, enemy staggering, tanking and so on. Which leaves the restrictions even more to shame, since there's only single set paths you can take throughout a very large portion of the game. there is no hp and mp conservation in this game. After every battle you fully reheal with an exception of the tp bar you can easily refill from battle rankings after encounters depending on time duration. Battling is pretty much risk free and if you die, just try again, without any real punishment. The enemy variety is pretty lacking and makes battle strats very repetitious throughout the majority of the game chapters.
The battle encounters still has a nice flow, and the paradigm system works well with combining different character roles/jobs for different situations. Once you have a good rhytm against a large row of enemies it can be really fun and hectic. Boss battles in particular are always a really good highlight and offers cool usages of the paradigm system.
Once you get to the final chapters of the game, you really need to understand the system and respect the assigned roles you give your characters as it could evolve ff 13 to range from one of the easiest to one of the hardest in the series depending on how well you utilise the paradigm system and this is honestly one of the best things about the battle system as good tactical balanced usage of roles really matters.
90% of the game are dungeons, some areas stand out with awesome scenery and multiple paths while others are just literally stretched out corridors that goes on too long.
Redemption and atonement plays a central theme in 13 and the cast of characters all have their own strides and personal conflicts which initially might make a good portion of them seemingly unlikeable, though as the theme goes they do get better and the chemistry of the cast does get pretty heartwarming once the story gets to that point.
Final Fantasy 13 has a fantastic presentation, with a solid english dub and a very catchy soundtrack of which is more what would drive me to go back to the game than the otherwise once and done gameplay structure it so merits.
The battle encounters still has a nice flow, and the paradigm system works well with combining different character roles/jobs for different situations. Once you have a good rhytm against a large row of enemies it can be really fun and hectic. Boss battles in particular are always a really good highlight and offers cool usages of the paradigm system.
Once you get to the final chapters of the game, you really need to understand the system and respect the assigned roles you give your characters as it could evolve ff 13 to range from one of the easiest to one of the hardest in the series depending on how well you utilise the paradigm system and this is honestly one of the best things about the battle system as good tactical balanced usage of roles really matters.
90% of the game are dungeons, some areas stand out with awesome scenery and multiple paths while others are just literally stretched out corridors that goes on too long.
Redemption and atonement plays a central theme in 13 and the cast of characters all have their own strides and personal conflicts which initially might make a good portion of them seemingly unlikeable, though as the theme goes they do get better and the chemistry of the cast does get pretty heartwarming once the story gets to that point.
Final Fantasy 13 has a fantastic presentation, with a solid english dub and a very catchy soundtrack of which is more what would drive me to go back to the game than the otherwise once and done gameplay structure it so merits.