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Jonathan leaps to the defense of Final Fantasy 13, which is A-OK by me. I thought Square Enix's newest over-the-top outing was a return to form after the confusing, MMO-inspired mess that was Final Fantasy 12.
Final Fantasy 13 is an incredible Japanese role-playing game that overwhelms the senses with gorgeous 3D graphics and entertains with an engaging storyline packed with epic cutscenes.
Many reviewers slammed the game for its flaws, but I think it deserves more attention for what it accomplished. In fact, I think it was such a rousing success, that it's hard to summarize its achievements in a single article. The title is that humongous.
To simplify the discussion, I'm going to break this game down into different parts. This article, part one, will discuss the improvements the developers made to the Final Fantasy battle system.
With Final Fantasy 13, Square Enix finally cleaned up the series' interface by implementing a form of real-time fighting. Unlike previous installments, the developers chose not to restrict the characters to a sequence of regimented exchanges that required them to wait for their turn to move.
This means that individual characters and enemies can attack whenever they want as long as they have recovered enough stamina in the Active Time Battle gauge to pull off the move. As a result, the encounters end up looking more like all-out massacres than a round of glove-slapping between polite gentlemen.
As the game continues, tutorials teach the player how to cast upgrades and downgrades that buff and debuff stats. The brilliant Paradigm Shift system, which changes each party members' roles in battle, allows the player to control the functions of his or her A.I. partners (and the dynamic of the group as a whole). Simply pressing the shoulder button and scrolling through the Paradigm menu changes the flow of an encounter.
The system categorizes spells into different Paradigm roles. For example, the Synergist role unlocks spells that enhance each party member's statistics with a few quick button presses. A Saboteur can cast debuffs, which lower the enemies' stats.
It all plays out much like real-time strategy game: It's a matter of keeping a bunch of plates spinning at once. A fighter has to keep track of buffs and debuffs, damage dealt to enemies, and the health of his or her friends. The need for player input is constant, without ever becoming frantic. And once you get the hang of it, it's hard not to fall in love with the new possibilities that real-time encounters allow for.
To be fair, Final Fantasy 13 still has problems balancing the practical aspects of battle with its menu-based level-up system. The characters can only upgrade their skills for each role through a predetermined Crystarium tree. In order to boost stats, a player fills each branch of the tree with experience points. Fighters can only gain new abilities by following fixed paths in each role. This makes leveling a bit more static than in Final Fantasy's Western counterparts.
In truth, it's just an evolution of Final Fantasy 10's Sphere Grid. Final Fantasy 13 tends to restrict the Crystarium so that characters cannot build up their abilities in every role. (Switching a character's general build can be done, but it's not really worth it.) This means that party members don't have access to every type of ability until the very end of the game when they've fully upgraded the Crystarium. And even then, they are likely to be less effective than another party member who specializes in that class.
As a result, the fighting system never reaches its full potential. But that's OK. All the battle mechanics make fights more entertaining and exciting than any previous entry in the franchise. The entire game ends up being a visceral, action-packed experience. It's not perfect, but I have to say that the press' ill will toward the title seems a bit unwarranted.
What do you think of the mechanics of Final Fantasy 13's battle system? Do you think it's a revolution for JRPGs, or a step in the wrong direction? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
In part two, I'll discuss how the action in this game turns the Final Fantasy experience into a tense, adrenaline-pumping road trip like no other.
