Thread: Final Fantasy XIII- The Facts

Final Fantasy XIII: Everything We Know
The must-read resource on Square Enix's ravenously anticipated RPG.
by John Tanaka, IGN.com
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/105/1055994p1.html

December 16, 2009 - It's been three and a half years since Final Fantasy XIII first made its surprise appearance at E3 2006. The trailers, teaser websites, and teaser websites teasing trailers are at long last coming to an end. Final Fantasy XIII hits Japanese PS3s tomorrow, and we've got all the information Final Fantasy fans need that just can't wait for the March U.S. release date.

In Japan, the latest numerical Final Fantasy remains a PlayStation-only title. We in the United States, of course, will get the game on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3, like so:



Japan gets it like this:



To the left is the standard version of the game, priced at 9,240 yen (that's pretty standard pricing for major releases like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest). To the right is the Final Fantasy XIII Lighting Edition hardware bundle, which bundles the game with a special white, 250 gigabyte PS3. This is priced at 41,600 yen and is so incredibly rare that auctions are inching towards the thousands of dollars per unit.

Regardless of which version you get, the dual-layer 50 gigabyte disc containing Final Fantasy XIII will be the same. And what exactly is on that disc? That's why we're here.

Square Enix has been providing updates on Final Fantasy XIII to Japanese gamers through frequent appearances in such publications as Weekly Shounen Jump and Weekly Famitsu. More recently, the game was featured in a series of guide books detailing the story, characters, world, and basic gameplay systems. We've gathered these key points together for this extensive pre-release preview. Read this to get the basics on Final Fantasy XIII so that you'll know your l'Cie from your fal'Cie when people around you are discussing XIII following tomorrow's Japan launch. Don't worry: everything that we write has been shared by Square Enix itself, so there shouldn't be any material that will spoil the story for you.

Story

Final Fantasy XIII's story centers on four key terms: Cocoon, Pulse, l'Cie and fal'Cie.

Cocoon is a floating world that appears like a giant moon in the skies of Pulse. The people of Cocoon consider the world to be a utopia, in contrast to the feared and detested lower world of Pulse.

fal'Cie are protectors of mankind. They oversee the Cocoon government, which otherwise consists of elected officials.

The central event in the Final Fantasy XIII "pre-story" involves a fal'Cie from the Pulse world being discovered in the underground of Boudam, the city that's home to the game's protagonists. Cocoon's peace comes to an end as the Cocoon government attempts to remove those having taken influence from Pulse.

The term l'Cie describes people that have been turned to servants by the fal'Cie. Branded with a special marking, they are cursed to fulfill a particular "Focus" (or objective) given to them by the fal'Cie, or become zombie-like Cie Corpses.



Characters

Final Fantasy XIII has six primary playable characters. Each primary character is a l'Cie, chosen by a fal'Cie for some task, and has the marking or tattoo somewhere on their body to show for it. They're each paired with an Eidolon -- a connection that plays a part in the story.

Serah is listed here as well. As far as we know, she's not a playable character, but she is one of the central figures -- if not the central figure -- in the Final Fantasy XIII story.

We've added a few additional details to Square Enix's official English language descriptions of the characters, below.

Lightning

"This solitary young woman speaks little of herself -- even her true name is a mystery. She is known to others simply as 'Lightning.' "

Lightning was the first character introduced for Final Fantasy XIII and, if there has to be a "main" character for the game, she'd probably qualify (she is on the box, after all). She's formerly a member of a security force in Boudam, operating under the Cocoon government.

Her last name is Farron, but Lightning is not her real first name. When she was young, her parents passed away. Wanting to become strong and care for Serah, her younger sister, she decided to rid herself of the name given to her by her parents.

Lightning's Eidolon is Odin, who transforms into a horse. Her default weapon is "Blaze Edge," a prototype army weapon that combines a gun and a sword.



Snow Villiers

"An irrepressible, fiery young man, Snow dives headfirst into danger using nothing but his powerful physique as a weapon. Easily swayed by emotion, he is prone to rash words and actions. Nonetheless, many are won over by his outgoing and optimistic nature."

Snow was first introduced to Final Fantasy XIII through a trailer in which he appeared in the scene on a motorcycle. He's head of a group of ragtag rebels called Nora. He's also engaged to Serah, having proposed to her even after learning that she was chosen to be a l'Cie.

Snow's Eidolon is Shiva, a pairing of two sisters Nix and Stella, who merge into a motorcycle form. He fights with direct punches and kicks, although his weapon is actually his coat, which assumes various patterns depending on the current effect. By default, the coat is in "Wild Bear" form.



Oerba Dia Vanille

"Vanille is an endearing young woman with a relentlessly sunny disposition. Her bright personality gives no hint of the dark resolve that lies within."

Vanille appeared in XIII trailers long before we knew her name, shown looking out upon the world of Pulse (her pigtails made people refer to her as "pigtail girl" for some time). She appears to be close to Hope, whom, as depicted in the Advent Children demo, she meets in Hanged Edge. Like Hope, she was selected by the Cocoon government to be purged to Pulse.

Vanille's Eidolon, the last one revealed for the game, is Hecatoncheir, who transforms into a mech. Her default weapon is the "Bind Rod," an original Final Fantasy XIII creation that attacks enemies with wires and hooks.

Sazh Katzroy

"Sazh is a friendly, cheerful man who is never without his curious companions -- a Chocobo chick and a pair of pistols. He is quick to banter, but also keeps a mature perspective on matters. Uncontrollable events have set him on his current path, but another purpose compels him to walk it."

Sazh is a private pilot who ends up moving alongside Lightning following Boudam's purge. He has a son, Dahj, whom he raised alone following the death of Dadjh's mom (Square Enix hasn't referred to Dahj's mom as Sazh's wife yet, so we're not going to assume anything). The Chocobo chick was a present from Sazh to Dahj when the two were visiting a resort colony.

Sazh's summon is newcomer Brynhildr, who transforms into a hotrod-like vehicle. As his weapon, he makes use of guns which he holds in holsters attached to both legs. His initial weapon is Vega, a pair of guns that can be combined into a rifle.



Hope Estheim

"Hope has enjoyed a markedly uneventful youth on humankind's haven of Cocoon. His life is turned upside down at the hands of the Sanctum's Purge."

14-year-old Hope and his mom were visiting Boudam when the purge took place. As depicted in the Advent Children demo, Snow was unable to keep Hope's mom safe after she volunteered to assist Nora in their rebellion. As a result, Hope resents Snow.

Hope has the biggest summon of them all, the massive Alexander.

His weapon is a boomerang, initially the Air Wing. Boomerangs are apparently a big thing now in Cocoon extreme sports (we're not sure if this means there'll be a boomerang mini-game or not). Hope's pockets also have a bit of technology in them. They serve as a transport mechanism, which carries the boomerang when he enters battle.



Oerba Yun Fang

"Fang is a mysterious woman who is working with the Sanctum military, despite bearing the mark of the detested l'Cie. She has a strong-minded personality and is unconcerned with trivialities."

Fang was the last major character introduced for Final Fantasy XIII. It's unknown why she supports Cocoon despite bearing the l'Cie mark. Square Enix's official character profiles also point out that she and Vanille both have "Oerba Yun" in their names. Perhaps there's some connection between the two characters?

Fang's summon is Bahamut, who transforms between bipedal and flying dragon forms. Her default weapon is the Blade Lance, a dual-bladed lance.



Serah Farron

"Serah is Lightning's younger sister and Snow's fiancée. Always showing concern for Lightning, she has an inner fortitude that allows her to make her own decisions without relying on her older sister."

Serah, three years Lightning's junior, is the first person to be selected by the Pulse fal'Cie. She fulfills her duty and is converted into crystal form before Snow and Lightning's eyes.

Side Characters

The side characters Square Enix has introduced for Final Fantasy XIII can be split into two groups, Nora and Sanctum.

Nora
Led by Snow, this group took it upon themselves to keep the people of Boudam safe from monster attacks and the like. They didn't particularly like being controlled by the Cocoon government in the first place, but the purge caused them to take up arms in revolt.



In addition to Snow, the group consists of at least four members:

Maqui: A young boy who admires Snow and heads up maintenance and modifications on weapons and vehicles.

Gadot: A childhood friend of Snow, Gadot makes use of a machine gun as his weapon.

Lebreau: Another childhood friend of Snow, Lebreau makes use of large guns during combat.

Yuju: Little is known about this young fifth member of Nora.

Sanctum
"Sanctum" is the name of the powerful army run by the Cocoon government. It consists of regional security forces (including the one in which Lightning was stationed) and the PSICOM -- an elite group which focuses on Pulse's security.

Fang is technically considered a part of Sanctum, but aside from her, Square Enix has detailed five characters:

Yaag Rosch: Heads up his own group of PSICOM soldiers. He has a strong sense of justice and thinks first and foremost about Cocoon's safety. He was placed in charge of the Hanged Edge/Boudam purge which was depicted in the Advent Children demo.

Jihl Nabaat: A military elite who heads up her own group of PSICOM soldiers. She believes the purges should become policy.

Galenth Dysley: The elderly head of the Cocoon government, Dysley is trusted by the Cocoon residents as a lover of peace. He was the one who issued the purge directives following the discovery of the Pulse fal'Cie. It should be noted that Dysley isn't a dictator. The Cocoon government consists of elected representatives, overseen by the fal'Cie. Dysley is one of these representatives. He stands between the fal'Cie and the other representatives.



Cid Raines: Every Final Fantasy game has a character named "Cid." Final Fantasy XIII Cid appears to side with the bad guys! Cid heads up an air patrol that is so important it has its own large class airship that can speed to trouble spots. Previously, Square Enix has said that Cid has some doubts about the government. Incidentally, Cid outranks Jihl and Yaag.



Rygdea: Cid's right-hand-man. He also appears to have some reservations about the government. In fact, it seems that he's earned Lightning's favor because of his opposition to other army higher-ups.