A race against time to avoid becoming a crystal or a monster
In short: In the floating world of Cocoon, being marked by a god-like being is a death sentence. Characters must complete a mysterious "Focus" to achieve eternal life through crystallization, or face a darker fate: transforming into mindless monsters known as Cie'th.
Released internationally in March 2010, Final Fantasy XIII is the thirteenth mainline entry in the long-running series. Developed by Square Enix using the Crystal Tools engine, the game follows the former soldier Lightning as she fights the Sanctum government to save her sister, Serah. The narrative is set against a backdrop of tension between the artificial, floating world of Cocoon and the futuristic world of Gran Pulse, a conflict rooted in the ancient War of Transgression. This conflict is exacerbated by the mechanical beings known as fal'Cie, who govern these worlds. These entities possess godlike power and are responsible for maintaining Cocoon's levitation.
The game's mechanics introduced several new systems to the franchise. The "Crystarium" serves as a semi-linear leveling system where players use Crystogen Points to unlock bonuses and abilities across six distinct roles. In combat, players utilize the "Paradigm" system to assign roles—such as Commando, Medic, or Saboteur—to their party members. While the player directly controls the lead character, the other two members in a three-person party are managed by artificial intelligence. Players navigate these environments either on foot or via chocobos. Additionally, save stations allow for item purchases and weapon upgrades.
The combat system also features a "stagger" mechanic, where players use magic and physical attacks to build a chain bonus. Once a specific threshold is reached, the enemy is staggered, allowing for massive damage increases. This high-speed combat was a hallmark of the title, which became the fastest-selling game in the series' history, selling 1.7 million copies in Japan during 2009 alone. By 2017, total console sales had exceeded 7 million copies worldwide. The title was also available on Xbox 360 and later for Windows. It has since been added to Xbox One via backward compatibility.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Final Fantasy XIII
- Also: Wikidata — Final Fantasy XIII-2 · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Final Fantasy XIII · CC0
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