Final Fantasy XIII-2 Hands-On Preview

Final Fantasy XIII had quite a few issues, like extremely linear maps, a lack of towns, and a story with no branching paths or user input. Yet hardcore Final Fantasy fans enjoyed the game despite its flaws. I got to try out a demo version of Final Fantasy XIII-2 at E3, and this upcoming sequel looks like it will give the fans everything they wanted to see done in Final Fantasy XIII while keeping all the good parts of XIII intact.

The demo started by introducing two of the main characters. There's Serah, who we've met before as a key character in Final Fantasy XIII, and Noel, who we don't know much about. All we really know is that he fights with two swords and he looks and acts like an adult version of Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Oh yeah, we also get to meet a Moogle named Mog who transforms into Serah's weapon, a bow and arrow. I'll contain my childish glee over the return of Moogles...

(Yay Moogles!)

So right off the bat we were thrust into a battle with an absolutely gargantuan boss named Atlas. At first glance, the battle system seemed pretty similar to Final Fantasy XIII's. The same ATB system had returned, complete with auto-battle, A.I. teammates, and Paradigm Shifts. One noticeable addition is the inclusion of quick time events called "cinematic actions." If you fulfill a certain objective—like reducing the enemy's hit points a certain degree or surviving in battle long enough—the game goes into cinematic action mode and you have to perform the correct button commands as they appear on the screen. Doing so not only deals massive damage, but also grants you certain benefits you might not otherwise have. The cinematic action we completed peppered Atlas with an air strike from a ship flying above. When everything was said and done, Noel had Brave and Serah had Faith cast on her, and neither had access to these skills normally.

I did notice a couple extra skills when I wormed my way through the menus, implying that characters may have much more complex Crystarium trees. The Square rep that was showing me the game told me "flexibility and character growth are key aspects of the Final Fantasy franchise." Although he couldn't say that the Crystarium system was coming back fully intact, characters did earn Crystogen points after battle. So take that as you will.

After the battle, we were allowed to explore a town—yes a town! Those of you who remember Final Fantasy XIII may also remember that there really weren't traditional towns to explore. This town, however, had everything you could want from a classic RPG pit stop. It had tons of NPCs to talk to with useful information to the plot. It had save points, though we couldn't use them because it was just a demo. It had secret passages leading to treasure—Mog helps you out by flying over areas that may have hidden or invisible items—and much more. It was a breath of fresh air, considering all your shopping needs were handled by save points in Final Fantasy XIII.