PAX: Lightning Returns -- Final Fantasy XIII Announced

[madrid]

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Square Enix has announced Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Set to arrive in 2013, Lightning Returns will incorporate “a brand-new story, world, characters and an enhanced gameplay system,” according to Square Enix. The game will feature Lightning as a solo playable character and allow her to freely roam a new world.

Other details regarding Lightning Returns are limited. We do know that the main story takes place hundreds of years after Final Fantasy XIII-2, set in a world called Novus Partus -- which is composed of four islands connected by monorail. The development team told IGN that three of the guiding pillars for the art direction in Lightning Returns are "gothic, mechanical and fantasy."

The most startling change to Lightning Returns comes in the form of the doomsday countdown. According to Square-Enix, the world will end after 13 days, and a massive clock will count down constantly in the corner of the screen to indicate this looming deadline. Any action players take, even taking the monorail from place to place, will spend time and hasten the end of days.

With Lightning as the only playable character, players will have unparalleled control over customizing her looks and combat style. The battle system itself, a greatly modified version of the previous two, will feature real-time elements including direct control of Lightning's movement and her attacks, as well as time-based moves that drain the doomsday counter. Lightning Returns will also include a real-time block system, designed to make battles much more active and time-based. Even dying mid-battle will activate a prompt to give players the choice to rewind their mistakes at the expense of the timer.

Lightning Returns was announced at today’s Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Event, which Square Enix has been teasing since last month. In early July, Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 director Motomu Toriyama hinted at the project, which entered production at the beginning of August, followed shortly by a teaser site.

Square Enix confirmed that Lightning Returns will be the final chapter of Lightning’s saga, which began in Final Fantasy XIII back in 2010. Lightning’s sister Serah was the focus of Final Fantasy XIII-2, which hit stores earlier this year and received downloadable content that continued Lightning’s story.

No other details have been announced, but be sure to check out Square Enix’s official Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII site for more updates as they’re revealed.

Article from IGN

Is it worth to be excited about?

[Renz8]

A must have for FF fanatics like me good news indeed.......

[Blackbeard]

Lightning Returns

With Lightning as the only playable character

LIGHTNING!

RAITONINGUUUU-CHAN!!!!

ALLMYMONEY.swf

[aj_se7en]

nah wa pa gani ko kaduwa sa FF13 og FF13-2, naa napud lain sequel... saon nalang.. haha.

[madrid]

I think this is a trial for the up coming FF Versus, which from the videos would only have one playable char. Just like the last remant they take the command style and battle then made an improvement which we now know as FFXIII, but for me i just wait and see.

[DEMONOCIETY]

ang d lang nako nahan sa FF13 ky kadahuman ug away naay mogawas rating maka slowdown sa gameplay my tag lahos2x ang away ani if c lightning ra jud ang playable character

[Blackbeard]

Dark Souls/The Witcher 2 gameplay mechanics + Lightning = Game of All Years

boner achieved.

[BlueNoodle]

ff xiii-3...um... i've played ff13 and i guess i'm like one of the very few who thought it was ok... CAN'T JUST SQUEENIX just please please please make ff versus xiii the first priority? maybe i'm wrong and it's another development team working on that but COME ON. the first trailer for ffvs13 was like released in 2006, well cgi footage. its been like 6 years? maybe we'll find out in this year's tokyo game show...

[ExcEsc]

Check out the LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII - E3 Demo Gameplay