Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review (Xbox 360)

The original Final Fantasy XIII was rather polarizing, as it made huge changes to how this RPG franchise is played. Extremely linear and prone to ’auto-pilot’ play, it was one of those RPGs that either won you over with its plot or simply fell flat. I was among those who liked its story, so the idea of continuing it while fixing the flawed game mechanics sounded great. Thus, direct sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 arrives with a lot of potential and lives up to most of it; only some strange design choices and quirks in the writing drag it down at points.

It’s assumed you have played the original FFXIII, though a story primer tries to help those who haven’t. Initially set three years after that game, you’ll see some of the old cast return in various supporting roles. FFXIII-2 mostly focuses on Serah, sister of the last game’s protagonist. She’s troubled by hazy memories, recalling things her friends don’t (or remember in notably different ways), and hopes to find out what really happened to Lightning. Serah isn’t the obvious action heroine Lightning was, but she’s a fairly good lead character who takes meaningful action in the story and whose concerns aren’t presented in an overly heavy-handed way.

She’s joined by newcomer Noel, a young man who claims to be from a ruined future where he is the last living human. This seems absurd at first, yet when he repeatedly knows things about Lightning that only Serah should be aware of and he offers to reunite the pair, Serah accompanies him. Their travels take them through a series of ’gates’, portals to different locations and points in time. This journey is the main narrative focus, presenting the duo with challenges to overcome, people to help, and situations to set right on their way to find Lightning. While Serah’s concerns are mostly on a personal level, Noel’s stakes are much higher; he’s trying to earn a future worth living in and this makes him a much more assertive character.

With the basic story laid down, we come to the other half of a RPG: the actual game mechanics. It won’t surprise you to learn that most of FFXIII’s systems have carried over to its sequel, but they have mostly been improved upon. Where the original was extremely linear and allowed almost no exploration of note until its later segments, this game tries to give you some freedom. Several sections are still very straightforward and guide you right to their objectives, but many others are much more open and have interesting secrets to find. While it may not open and free in the same way as games like Chrono Trigger, FFXIII-2 does a good job of letting you have some control as to when and how you solve some portions of its story.