Summary: A new game begins! Meeting Sazh and Lightning. Escaping a train into a city at war. Manasvin Warmech. Exploring early menus.
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What I Know Going In
Being around the community these past years, I’ve heard a few things about FFXIII:
-One of the sequels is “Lightning Returns,” and Lightning is a female character. I assume we’ll meet her at some point and she’ll eventually leave or die, returning in the sequel.
-The game has “paradigms.” No idea in which context that word will matter.
-It’s polarizing. I know more FF players dislike it than many prior games, but I also know some people love it.
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Setting Up
-I’m digging this music that plays on the intro screen!
-That logo is very interesting. It looks like there’s a globe with different shit coming out of it.
Two women (maybe) appear atop the glob, with… a horse wrapping below? Ixion maybe?
-Hopping into the settings before starting up a new game. Adding speaker names to subtitles.
-I’ll leave Battle Difficulty on normal for now, but I’ll change the speed to Slow.
-There’s a list of controls here but these terms (like paradigm and gestalt) don’t really mean anything to me. I assume they’ll introduce these via tutorial.
-New game time. It offers me the chance to choose normal or easy mode. I’ll go with normal.
[Non-rhetorical question: What’s the difference between the normal/easy mode choice here versus the normal/easy mode choice in the settings under battle difficulty? Also, am I making a mistake by choosing normal mode? Like, it is geared towards experts?]
-As y’all suggested, I’m skipping the initial idling video and just hitting New Game.
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New Game
“The thirteen days after we awoke were the beginning of the end.”
-XIII looks to have a futuristic setting rather than high fantasy, judging by this train in a tube.
-Inside the train car are a bunch of folks in hoods. Are they passengers?
-A soldier in a weird scuba mask patrols by. The passengers are probably prisoners.
-Two hooded characters talk to each other, Sazh and Lightning. Sazh is also black, which is rare for FF.
-They break their chains and LIGHTNING IMMEDIATELY KICKS ALLLL THE ASS!
Flips, flying kicks, the works. She must be a monk or martial artist or something.
-Sazh is tells one of the other passengers/prisoners that he’s “not a L’Cie,” which calms them down. Hm.
-he’s got a bird friend awwww!
-The train emerges from a tunnel into a super futuristic cityscape.
[Later edit: it looks less like a city and more like a “Hellraiser”-style abstract hellscape. Jagged metal structures placed almost haphazardly.]
---
What I Know Going In
Being around the community these past years, I’ve heard a few things about FFXIII:
-One of the sequels is “Lightning Returns,” and Lightning is a female character. I assume we’ll meet her at some point and she’ll eventually leave or die, returning in the sequel.
-The game has “paradigms.” No idea in which context that word will matter.
-It’s polarizing. I know more FF players dislike it than many prior games, but I also know some people love it.
---
Setting Up
-I’m digging this music that plays on the intro screen!
-That logo is very interesting. It looks like there’s a globe with different shit coming out of it.
Two women (maybe) appear atop the glob, with… a horse wrapping below? Ixion maybe?
-Hopping into the settings before starting up a new game. Adding speaker names to subtitles.
-I’ll leave Battle Difficulty on normal for now, but I’ll change the speed to Slow.
-There’s a list of controls here but these terms (like paradigm and gestalt) don’t really mean anything to me. I assume they’ll introduce these via tutorial.
-New game time. It offers me the chance to choose normal or easy mode. I’ll go with normal.
[Non-rhetorical question: What’s the difference between the normal/easy mode choice here versus the normal/easy mode choice in the settings under battle difficulty? Also, am I making a mistake by choosing normal mode? Like, it is geared towards experts?]
-As y’all suggested, I’m skipping the initial idling video and just hitting New Game.
---
New Game
“The thirteen days after we awoke were the beginning of the end.”
-XIII looks to have a futuristic setting rather than high fantasy, judging by this train in a tube.
-Inside the train car are a bunch of folks in hoods. Are they passengers?
-A soldier in a weird scuba mask patrols by. The passengers are probably prisoners.
-Two hooded characters talk to each other, Sazh and Lightning. Sazh is also black, which is rare for FF.
-They break their chains and LIGHTNING IMMEDIATELY KICKS ALLLL THE ASS!
Flips, flying kicks, the works. She must be a monk or martial artist or something.
-Sazh is tells one of the other passengers/prisoners that he’s “not a L’Cie,” which calms them down. Hm.
-he’s got a bird friend awwww!
-The train emerges from a tunnel into a super futuristic cityscape.
[Later edit: it looks less like a city and more like a “Hellraiser”-style abstract hellscape. Jagged metal structures placed almost haphazardly.]
I’m getting a few FFVII vibes here. Characters fighting against enemy soldiers on a train, and now a green-tinged future city.
-There’s a rebellion or civil war or something going on. The city is suffused with civilians and soldiers firing at each other. It’s so fast-paced that it’s hard for me to follow the details.
-Lightning and Sazh successfully took the train and are now firing bazookas and shit at pursuing aircraft.
-Nearby soldiers summon reinforcements from blue portal thingies. They look like mecha-beasts.
-One mech beast catches and rips open the train.
-Sazh and Lightning crawl out of the wreckage and it looks like it’s time for a tutorial boss, the Manasvin Warmech. Its strong resemblance to VII’s Guard Scorpion adds to the FFVII feels.
-This is an “Active Time Battle.” (I’m a bit disappointed it’s not the slower FFX system.)
-Interesting – you can spend charges of ATB gauge segments individually, like Cyan’s techs in VI.
-Auto-battle queues up a set of commands tailored to your situation. That sounds a bit like XII’s gambits.
-I’m just controlling Lightning now. I can either do a double-attack auto battle string or I can use Blitz, which costs 2 of some unknown unit (presumably mana).
-The Warmech shakes us off the train and into phase 2.
-I used a potion after its Wave Cannon did a mess of damage and it works on ALL ALLIES! I wonder if that’s just this tutorial potion? I hope not.
-The boss has some stuff above its head that I’m not sure about. Numbers, as well as possibly a health meter. I loved the health meter in FFXII. Super happy if it’s returning!
-It goes down and the game gives me a report card on the fight. Duration, initiative bonus, points per second… I wonder if score and rating get me any tangible rewards, or if it’s just an achievement thing.
-Holy SHIT Lightning has a cool weapon! Her sword kind of folds in on itself to become sheathable.
SAZH: “Aren’t you supposed to protect civilians, soldier?”
LIGHTNING: “I was a soldier.”
The FFVII vibes continue.
-Lightning is “Sanctum,” and yet she’s trying to stop “the Purge.” Sanctum must be those soldiers we fought off, and the Purge is probably whatever shitty thing they’re up to.
-Combat frazzled Sazh much more than Lightning. I get the sense that he’s not a professional soldier.
-OMG SAZH’S BIRD IS CALLED CHOCOBO AND SHE’S SO CUTE
-They walk towards the next zone, “Hanging Edge: The Restricted Zone.”
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Tutorials and Menu Exploration
-Some more tutorials here. The datalog seems to collect a lot of good info.
-These character portraits are GORGEOUS! And more generally, the graphics in the game are as good as anything I’ve ever seen in any game. Like, some of the close-ups of Lightning have looked like photos.
Sazh’s pose is kind of hilarious.
-There’s a rebellion or civil war or something going on. The city is suffused with civilians and soldiers firing at each other. It’s so fast-paced that it’s hard for me to follow the details.
-Lightning and Sazh successfully took the train and are now firing bazookas and shit at pursuing aircraft.
-Nearby soldiers summon reinforcements from blue portal thingies. They look like mecha-beasts.
-One mech beast catches and rips open the train.
-Sazh and Lightning crawl out of the wreckage and it looks like it’s time for a tutorial boss, the Manasvin Warmech. Its strong resemblance to VII’s Guard Scorpion adds to the FFVII feels.
-This is an “Active Time Battle.” (I’m a bit disappointed it’s not the slower FFX system.)
-Interesting – you can spend charges of ATB gauge segments individually, like Cyan’s techs in VI.
-Auto-battle queues up a set of commands tailored to your situation. That sounds a bit like XII’s gambits.
-I’m just controlling Lightning now. I can either do a double-attack auto battle string or I can use Blitz, which costs 2 of some unknown unit (presumably mana).
-The Warmech shakes us off the train and into phase 2.
-I used a potion after its Wave Cannon did a mess of damage and it works on ALL ALLIES! I wonder if that’s just this tutorial potion? I hope not.
-The boss has some stuff above its head that I’m not sure about. Numbers, as well as possibly a health meter. I loved the health meter in FFXII. Super happy if it’s returning!
-It goes down and the game gives me a report card on the fight. Duration, initiative bonus, points per second… I wonder if score and rating get me any tangible rewards, or if it’s just an achievement thing.
-Holy SHIT Lightning has a cool weapon! Her sword kind of folds in on itself to become sheathable.
SAZH: “Aren’t you supposed to protect civilians, soldier?”
LIGHTNING: “I was a soldier.”
The FFVII vibes continue.
-Lightning is “Sanctum,” and yet she’s trying to stop “the Purge.” Sanctum must be those soldiers we fought off, and the Purge is probably whatever shitty thing they’re up to.
-Combat frazzled Sazh much more than Lightning. I get the sense that he’s not a professional soldier.
-OMG SAZH’S BIRD IS CALLED CHOCOBO AND SHE’S SO CUTE
-They walk towards the next zone, “Hanging Edge: The Restricted Zone.”
---
Tutorials and Menu Exploration
-Some more tutorials here. The datalog seems to collect a lot of good info.
-These character portraits are GORGEOUS! And more generally, the graphics in the game are as good as anything I’ve ever seen in any game. Like, some of the close-ups of Lightning have looked like photos.
Sazh’s pose is kind of hilarious.
-Lightning is listed as the party leader and Sazh is listed as a member. I hope that doesn’t mean he’s temporary or a guest.
-Lightning starts with significantly higher stats (strength/magic) but slightly less HP.
-I really enjoy the music playing in the background. The electronics mixed with a lone violin at times give things a “Firefly” feel.
-Lightning has an ability called Blitz that “deals physical damage to targets in range.” I wonder how range works. Maybe it’s like FFX and flying enemies can be out of range. Or maybe it’s just a front row/back row thing.
-AHA! Blitz’s cost isn’t mana, but ATB charges.
-Each character’s weapon descriptions confirm my initial impressions of the characters. The Blazefire Saber is a gunblade issued only to highly trained soldiers. Lightning was a big deal.
(It’s also described as a new weapon type. Maybe gunblades were just invented.)
Sazh’s gun is a self-defense piece for civilian pilots.
-Both weapons are “Lv. 1” I love weapon upgrade systems! …well, in theory anyway. I had a hard time with those systems in FFVIII and Dirge of Cerberus.]
-I don’t see armor slots. Just accessories. I like this – keeps things simpler.
-Not sure what’s up with the “Components.”
-There are a few key items. The Unicorn Mart electronic pass hints at perhaps a way to buy from vendors on the go? Or maybe just lets me access a specific type of vendor.
“Survival Knife: Lightning’s birthday present.” Lolol who gives a survival knife for a birthday present? What kind of life has she had?
-There’s also a Grav-con Unit, a personal gravity control device. Could be for some kind of gravity-based combat system. Idk.
-The Datalog is already great. It logged that opening event as “Defiers of Fate” and fills in some gaps. For instance, the train was a “Purge” train, taking a group of civilians into exile.
“[Lightning’s] impressive display inspires Sazh and the other civilians to take up arms against the soldiers.”
I had thought they knew each other before the train, but it seems they just met there.
-The datalog has a ton of other info about the battle system and more that I’ll look at next time.
Before logging off, let me take a sec to praise the fascinating asymmetry of Lightning’s design.
Her left side has a red cape, some kind of shoulderpad with two light beams (perhaps just cosmetic, but perhaps indicating her former rank), and forearm guards. Her right side is bare.
I also wonder if this is representative of her being half soldier, and half… well, half whatever she is now post-soldier.
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Next time: the datalog and moving forward into the Hanging Edge.
