"Sometimes shadows will darken our path, we shall tremble in fear before the night. But we won't be alone. We will reach out our hands and in the warmth of another hand holding our own, we will know hope."

There is a fairly rare event in my media consumption history when I have to sit and reflect and have a moment with myself after the credits roll or the book closes. Those moments come about because seeing the end of those particular things is like saying goodbye to a loved one; the realization that everything you've gone through together will soon only exist in memory is a powerful one. Lightning Returns gave me one of those moments.

The wonderful thing is that the idea of memory--that our loved one's memories of us is more powerful than our soul--is a central tenant of Lightning Returns. I'm reminded of a side-quest that made me and my wife ugly-cry, and it's the story of our little robot Bhakti.

Bhakti was conserving oil and we needed to get him some, and once we did, he was excited to be able to give oil to his friends who had been waiting for centuries behind a big door in a tomb. Of course, those friends were human, and poor Bhakti didn't know they weren't like him. His memories of them kept him going for centuries, and Lightning assuages Bhakti's woe by letting him know that the knowledge of his deep care for them surely lessened their own anguish.

Lightning herself is a character who has become very close to my own heart--she reminds me quite a lot of myself. Guarded, shy, afraid of the pain that can come with closeness. It's in this game that she experiences a real transformation; she lets others in for the first time. Lightning allows for the fact that she cannot go it alone; she needs others, and others need her too.

"We hope in the face of despair--that makes us strong!"

I could go on about the story and ideals of the game forever, and the way in which the series of FF XIII games has made its home in my heart forever, but Lightning Returns is also a video game! And it's a dang good one! I absolutely adored the combat system--it was engaging and visceral and just really fun. There's a real meatiness to when you stagger an enemy that I just found so satisfying! I also loved the dress-up dolls! I put a pair of glasses on Lightning almost right away and never took them off, but other than that I was in and out of various outfits all game.

There are moments in this game that will stick with me forever, both in gameplay and in story. I think this is probably the best Final Fantasy game ever made.

Thanks for the journey, Lightning. It meant a lot to me. I hope you're happy in the new world you helped to create with your friends.