Audio:
Noel and Serah are provided stellar voice work that provides a wide range of emotions and is a highlight of the game as a whole. Laura Bailey returns to provide our main heroine Serah a soft but determined voice and Jason Marsden does an admirable job as Noel. The returning characters from the past game are provided with the same voice actors as before and even the various NPCs you meet will have great voice acting, which provides a surprising level of consistently high quality voice work.
Another highlight of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the background music that is like liquid gold for the ears. The soundtrack is a mix of multiple different genres, ranging from metal music to orchestral tunes that are delight to listen to. However there is one thing that is very interesting about the soundtrack, and that is that there are actual lyrics to most of the background songs. Even the vocals vary greatly with aggressive lyrics for key battles to soft and mellow lyrics for scenes that deserve it. As a whole the music choices for the game are superb, with map themes flowing perfectly into battle themes whenever an enemy is encountered there is never a break in the quality.
Gameplay:
As I’ve mentioned before, one term which cannot truly be applied to Final Fantasy XIII-2 is linear, and that is just as true in the gameplay as it is in the story. There are no longer narrow corridors that players will simply run through in a straight line going from place to place. As you jump from place to place through the time traveling mechanic with the use of the Historia Crux timeline navigation system, each area you venture to will have a large map full of areas to explore.
These areas often include a decent sized map for battling monsters on and finding treasures while also containing an area where players will be able to interact with NPCs,, advance the story and even pick up a number of side quests that then enforce more exploring of the maps. Among these other things are Artefacts which must be found hidden through areas, or received from completing side quests. These Artefacts are then used to open up Time Gates which allow the player to venture forwards and backwards through the timeline.
Speaking of time traveling, the stores in FFXIII-2 have been compressed down into one scantily clad woman who dresses with plenty of Chocobo feathers and leaves plenty of bare skin. Her name is Chocolina and she is a time traveling saleswoman who is always happy to see you and greet you with a bubbly personality and a Choco-boco-lina!
There are a number of new features included in the game outside of the battle system, which I will go over momentarily. One of which is your cute new companion Moogle who goes by the name Mog. Mog is a gift to Serah from Lightning and will be very useful in your journey. Players will mostly be using him to uncover hidden items by distorting time or even to fetch items that are unreachable normally by throwing him at them. Besides being an item-finder, Mog also provides the new Mog Clock. The Mog Clock is a way to allow players to pre-emptively attack enemies to gain a bonus in the battle. Then he will become Serah’s weapon which shifts between a sword and a bow interestingly enough.
Those eager to collect everything possible in the game will be eager to go after all the side-quests possible because nearly all the side-quests are tied to the fragment system while others are simply scattered around the different timelines. There are 160 fragments total to be found and it is completely possible to finish the main story with less than a third of the total. This means there is a lot of exploring to be found, as these fragments can then be used in interesting ways to expand the options of your game.
Besides item collecting and fighting, there is also the addition of a casino-like area called the Serendipity Zone. This area has been lost in time and is full of various mini-games for the player to enjoy such as slot machines and even a chocobo race track. The Chocobos in this race track are able to be trained, betted on and even leveled up. Players can then use their winnings to receive rare items.
One of the problems with traveling through time and messing with the space time continuum are the paradoxes that occur, however this time around you must fix the paradoxes which are causing problems with the world. To fix some paradoxes, players must enter Temporal Rifts which are miniature puzzles that must be solved. While this does add some diversity to the game most of the puzzles are very dull and seem to serve little to no purpose which makes them reek of filler content.
While everything else mentioned already may be an interesting diversion, most of your time will be spent battling against the various enemies you will encounter traversing through time and space. The Paradigm Shift system has returned and retains much of what made it great in FFXIII with fast role switching and constant action. The Paradigms actually shift even faster than before, allowing players to quite literally change tactics in the mid-attack.
One new addition to the battle system is a Wound mechanic which actually causes long lasting damage to your player. Wound damage subtracts from your total HP meaning the more damage you take, the less health you have to take normal damage and not die. Another addition is the fact that players no longer need to desperately watch their Leader character’s health bar for fear of failing the fight. If your Leader is knocked out the Leader role will adjust automatically to the last standing human character, allowing the player to keep fighting and resurrect their other party member. Players can also choose to change Leaders in mid-battle if they feel like.
Perhaps the biggest and one of the best new features of the game is the ability to use monsters in your party. Monsters are recruited through battling them and obtaining their “crystal” through random drop. They can then be leveled up in their very own Crystarium, customized, have their abilities tweaked and up to three at a time can be assigned to your Paradigms to round out your party. The ability to take your favorite monsters and use them as your own adds a completely new level of depth to the game that never existed before.
Each of these creatures has their own special attack called a Feral Link which can be triggered to deal large amounts of damage to your opponents and each one is unique to that monster. They are activated through Cinematic Action sequences which are Final Fantasy XIII-2’s take on quick time events. These Cinematic Actions occur throughout the game at multiple points. Most of these occur during battles where players will have to press the buttons fast enough to successfully perform actions in the battle cutscenes. When correctly performed they offer bonuses to the player, such as buffs, staggering the enemy or even final blows. These cinematic actions are actually very impressive to watch happen and usually will put a delightful finish to the end of some story related battles.
Overall:
With such a stigma on the name Final Fantasy XIII, a lot of people may be more than happy to pass up on its sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2. However those people would be missing out on a great experience. Final Fantasy XIII-2 has addressed multiple complaints that were made about its predecessor. The combat system has been made even better than before and the ability to add monsters to your party is an enjoyable touch.
While the storyline may be convoluted and a bit confusing at times, it is also full of choices for the player to make and the game has completely shrugged off its linear shackles. While there are only two main characters this time around, the development Serah and Noel are given will keep players coming back for more, although others have been pushed to the background this time around. As a whole Final Fantasy XIII-2 has brought the series closer to its core, by providing a lengthy and enjoyable experience full of charm that has redeemed the series.
A retail copy of the title was provided by Square Enix for reviewing purposes.
