Final Fantasy 13 Is Very Solid (Why You Should Give It A Chance)

[@hajde8128]

Also the goal of Orphan was to bring back the "Maker" (Bhunivelze), their logic being that when a person dies, their soul creates a tiny breach between the mortal world and the world of the dead (Valhalla). If they were to die and allow Cocoon to fall, the instantaneous deaths of billions of souls would cause a massive breach between the realms that the Maker would have to intervene and return to the mortal realm. Funny enough, Orphan eventually got their wish at the end of XIII-2 when Etro died and there was no longer a veil between the two realms and Bhunivelze had to act.

[@bleh._.6194]

What I never really understood about people hating XIII was that it's actually pretty similar to X which a lot of people compared XIII to. if you think about it X and XIII have a LOT of similarities, XIII and X really open up and let you do sidequests once you reach the calm lands/archylte steppe, the crystarium and the sphere grid are pretty much the same and both are very linear, also if you paid attention in oerba and zanarkand the overworld music keeps playing even in battle xD . Funfact: SE was planning another Dungeon that was similar to the fifth ark where you would fight a fal'cie that looked like Anima from chapter 1. But they first kinda scrapped it due to not wanting to delay the game any longer so they planned it as dlc which then was ultimately scrapped bc of shipping issues to the psn store/ xbox store. Some of the data still exists in every ps3 and pc version. Probably also xbox. Tho the scrapped fal'cie boss was then later used in XIII-2

[@TransWitchReviews]

Absolutely agreed! It's wild the amount of hate 13 gets when 10 does a lot of the same things design wise. Especially since Toriyama directed both games and probably had similar design philosophies in approach to both. They're structured in very similar ways and it's very funny to me how incredibly disingenuous people are about how tend to pretend that isn't the case. I do think there is an interesting discussion to have in comparing their approaches but both are valid and interesting takes on similar design ideas. And yeeeah the anima boss in 13-2 is pretty rad and I really dig the reuse of the unused falcie or monster for the secret boss of Lightning Returns. It's a neat way to reuse and repurpose those ideas.

[@americasteam2112]

I love both games, while both are very linear, FFX has a lot more exploration and side content than FFXIII. Majority of FF13 you are constantly moving straight until you get to grand pulse. Once you leave grand pulse you can’t explore Cocoon. You can talk to npc and explore towns in FFX. Again I love FF13 but it would have been better if had more exploration on cocoon to break up the gameplay.

[@gysahlfields7506]

X has an Airship that you can at least take you places, X has Prelude, X has Victory Fanfare, X has Backtracking and, X has Towns, X has NPCs you can talk to, X has involved side mini games. That's the things I think people prefer X for. For me, my bottom 3 FINAL FANTASY Instalments out of all 15 are: #13 = II #14 = X #15 = XIII

[@walterbiggenback4678]

I love to see new perspectives and new love for FF13 overall. I will say though that Sahz's response and getting over vanille is very realistic and in theme with the overall helplessness the characters fight against given greater forces. When you get older and have other responsibilities hate doesn't linger as it should. Sahz may have found out what she did but also gained a new found hope for what was his lost son, the biggest connection that he has. Given that vanille's childlike and kid nature its very reasonable for a father to forgive and understand where she's coming from. A tempered response is what makes his character great, the jaded seniority that he brings to the party was very refreshing. Pain does not always so individually placed, sahz from the beginning was a jaded individual who questioned things from the beginning. So focusing on the greater picture I don't think is out of character or out of place. Take it from an old fellah who's been through some traumas. Sahz really resonates.

[@TransWitchReviews]

That's totally fair, I'm coming at this from the perspective of a 26 year old non parent so it's totally unknowable for me in practice outside of how my parents raised me and what I've been told by people/friends with kids, it was more just a feeling about how I think a parent would react. But honestly this makes total sense and I see where you're coming from. I think I just wish that the game still had something acknowledging more of it after they kinda hash it out especially given his visible discomfort with working with both Vanille and Fang later on in the game. But at the same time it could be that maybe he doesn't see it as worth bringing up again or that he can deal with it since Fang and Vanille are both on his side trying to save Dajh. Thank you for your perspective on this!

[@walterbiggenback4678]

@@TransWitchReviews Ultimately I think what we can all agree upon is we needed more Sahz in general, he's such a great character that gets overlooked

[@coblamoration1102]

The XIII series from a lore, gameplay, and music standpoint has been my favorite FF since jump. I understand the criticism for some of it, but everything I listed above was always my thing. I already knew about Bhunivelze from the first game cause I was actually paying attention to the datalogs and the lore so when the end of XIII-2 hit I was already like 'OH IT'S HAPPENING'. And gameplay wise you hit the nail on the head, so many people said 'it plays itself!!' and my response would always be 'then why are you struggling? 🤔'. This, more than most FF games, forced you to learn the system or get wrecked. Period. And once you knew it, ohhhh boy, it was divine.

[@pinhead8030]

all of this⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

[@itsChanandler]

Did you know that Vanille is supposed to be the main protagonist here but they already showed the announcement trailer so it was a bit too late because people already associated Lightning with FFXIII which is normal.

[@TransWitchReviews]

Honestly that makes WAY more sense given how well her part of the story plays out.

[@hajde8128]

The best thing about Lightning and Hope's dynamic is Hope openly expressing to Lightning about his plan to kill Snow and Lightning is just, "I've got zero problem with that, I'll even help you figure it out tbh" Also the fact that Snow is voiced by Troy Baker was sufficient enough reason for me to dislike him on sight. I'm sorry but Troy has the voice of someone that you'd need to cover your drink when around them.

[@TransWitchReviews]

Snow is such an unlikeable character in that game that when that happened I genuinely laughed even if I thought it was compelling. Lightning is so fuckin petty at that point in the game and it just works so well lmao. And fair enough lmao I can agree with that and I honestly think that's why his voice is so perfect for Death Stranding tbh lmao.

[@sansaaaaa202]

sweet jesus, thank you i have loved this game since I first played it about three years ago. I avoided it for the long time because of its rep, but it's an incredible game and one of my favorites in the series now. I'll be honest and disagree with you on a few things tho: - I don't think it's necessary to read the Data log early on. I don't think the details there are important for the story in the beginning: the most you need to know is that you're running, trying to survive. Cops bad, run from cops. It's there if you want to know the details but you don't *have* to know them to understand. I never read the datalog early on and didn't feel too out of place - the basics that the characters give you at the beginning are fine enough to explain. The game explains what PSICOM and fal'Cie and l'Cie and all those Proper Nouns are in the narrative when it's ready to, when they become important. -Oerba is empty because it needs to be. FF games often use this trope of "on the run or trying to escape the starting area, the party meets some Wise Old Sage or something that gives them the exposition needed to push the plot along and get motivation to keep going". Think like, Crescent Lake in FF1, Thamasa in FF6, Cosmo Canyon in 7 and Black Mage Village in 9. Oerba is established as being that place and when it's empty, when the only one there is Barthandelus, when the only option for the party is to rely on each other and decide to save Cocoon on their own, it reflects the game's theme of connections and of seizing control of your own destiny. Having Oerba existing and being populated would kinda just...kill the whole realization that everything the characters understand the world to be was fake and an artifice constructed and that literally the only ones the party has are themselves. Love the vid tho. You're not the first trans person I've met who connects with the game. The person who first got me to look past the rep and play it was also trans and I, also, am trans. So maybe FF13 is just trans culture and you need hrt to appreciate it.

[@JimmyPageTV]

I agree! Awesome take and I felt the same way with Shumi Village in FF8 (optional town but answers a lotta questions)

[@Pongu-]

Really detailed video! Loved every second of it!

[@TransWitchReviews]

awww thank you!

[@One.Zero.One101]

🔖The myth that the game plays itself and you can beat it by button mashing is an absolute lie. There are enemies that require quick and frantic paradigm shifting, there are enemies that require precise timing when switching to SEN SEN SEN or MED MED MED. There are enemies that require debuffs like Deprotect. There are enemies that are immune to stagger. The fact that they don't know this tells me they are noobs who played on Easy and didn't need any strategy.

[@CoreCaMilo13]

The appeal to pick up was just because of LIGHTNING! that aside, the linearity of the game never once bothered me, other than being disappointed not staying in an area long enough to bask in the views. The cutscenes make up for the journey every step of the way, and Gran Pulse is indeed a barren wasteland to even be bothered trying out some missions. FF13's flashback moments are beautiful, but the way its structured could've been improved to make it mix and match with its current events to know the impacts first time playing it. Still remains my favorite Final Fantasy because of the endgame moments and.. ..Lightning

[@TransWitchReviews]

True, Lightning does own. Yeah I think people complaining about the linearity of this game are honestly really really silly. And agreed! While I do think the intro and the structure of the story is messy, where it all ends up going is worth it and the beginning hours have really great ideas in general. Just wish it was a little better executed.

[@reloadpsi]

My issue with this game was every time it introduced a new mechanic it was a feeling of excitement and relief akin to finding water in the desert... but then the desert flooded overnight and instantly dried up the following morning. That's how the loop of this game made me feel. I thought the pacing of this game was horrible (I've beaten it once, tried to play through it three other times and always quit out of boredom at Palumpolum) and its storytelling still stands as the sloppiest I've ever seen in my life. Something I've always committed to doing whenever I'm criticizing this game is to completely avoid mentioning its linearity, because there's plenty of other things I intensely dislike about it, such as the nonsensically non-linear storytelling resulting in characters reacting to weighty statements we've no reason to understand yet because the datalog hasn't explained it (the first such instance being less than an hour into the game when Lightning tells Sazh her 'angle,') the party AI being frustratingly poor (no, Fringeward is not a way around the idiotic AI positioning; it's the game admitting that it isn't good and that the devs couldn't improve it,) and how entire sections of the game are so padded the characters literally discuss the fact that it's a training area to grind levels. The character arcs between Lightning and Hope are fantastic though, and the one time I actually beat the game that was the main thing I was invested for.

[@nav2Max_Light]

By far as much reviews I have seen on youtube about FFXIII - this 👌 is the most balanced neutral review I have seen !! Perfect ! Exactly what I felt ! I got into Final Fantasy Games due to FFXIII introduction by a walkthrough gameplay on youtube !! But after playing the game, I felt though some parts of the game was awesome, certain parts of the game felt BLAND !! Unfinished was what I found later on due to the developers having issue with Crystal Game engine , and how porting the game onto PS3 was a nightmare due to it's complex software architecture !! Oh by the way the ports on PC - is so bad - Had to Mod this game to play smoothly on 4K display - 60FPS !!

[@thetrashman5258]

played the trilogy 2 times, i spent the most in LR ( I finished it for like 5 times coz I love it ), 13 is too good after once you reach post game and start grinding stuff, tests your ability to paradigm shift (which is better in 13-2 but lacks the bosses needed for it to be really engaging) the first 13 is cheesy if you know what spells to cast without libra, and learn how to start as being a synergist, and mess around with the ultimate skills

[@tenormartin277]

I think the game really suffers from the choice of starting the story in media res. Once you understand what happened in the previous days, all the character intentions make sense. The first time through, though, they all kind of come across as idiots (Snow, Vanille) or a-holes (Lightning, Hope). In a story driven genre like JRPGs, I think that drives a lot of people off. The gameplay itself is ok. The battle system has its interesting bits, but it does feel bogged down by padding. Many of the levels feel too long by about 30% (imo) - the worst offender to me being the airship. There are also too many encounters and some can really wipe you immediately if you don't get the start attack. All in all, I'd say it's a good game. But for the FF series, it's probably towards the bottom of the list for me.

[@faidou9954]

If only the FF XIII trilogy was available on modern consoles.

[@proginger]

Oh so this is that game where those lesbians are from

[@TransWitchReviews]

This be the game with the absolute GOATed Queens

[@OrenjiMochi]

You know what’s funnier than Final Fantasy 13? Final Fantasy 14! #DadJokesRule

[@blainashmoore4387]

It was stated in interviews and such I guess what I am trying to say is that it's not misunderstood it's merely the most mainstream FF game probably

[@TransWitchReviews]

Final Fantasy has already been extremely mainstream far before 13 happened at all. I feel like this is completely ignoring how FF7 was made, marketed and pushed all over, how 10 was. Like I can get the point of them trying to better adjust to the tastes of the PS3/360 HD era and trying to "modernize" ATB and what not which I do think is true for 13. Sales have 0 to do with reception and I think this game is misunderstood due to the reception it has generally carried for years since its release which I was there for. I can totally get and respect it not working for you but I do think I make a pretty clear point on why it absolutely deserves the new cultural lookback it's been getting more recently after how long it was hated for both its combat and being seen as a "hallway" game with not much else commentary. I just felt like people's reads on it have been fairly shallow about it.

[@blainashmoore4387]

@@TransWitchReviews I believe I read various statements in disclosures press releases, interviews or wherever they came from, mainly I remember online articles and in magazines the game creditors officially stated they wanted to really make a more popular FF game And this was one of the most mentioned quotes or statements about the game in its reception and surrounding coverage. I am sure if I looked then I would probably be able to find some of the material. The main idea is that this is the reason the serious tried so many different things, they released two sequels to 13 because they wanted to perfect a new battle and gameplay system which was elaborated more on in ff15 and ff7 Remake, and the reason why the games took such a departure from the last ATB turn based system, they have said numerous times they felt the series was dwindling in popularity and they needed to find a way to revitalize it and these are all efforts at doing so. Past games were marketed of course, but I imagine to different demographics probably, like I said I believe they attempted to be more mainstream here, instead of simply focusing on gaming demographics and hard core gamers or fans of the series. I feel like this is really obvious in the style they chose for the games, for some reason I feel like I’m playing an Xbox game like Halo that took inspiration from FPS games that were popular at the time, the genre that is with online play still being easier to access. The games stylistic design and choices feel like they lack more depth compared to previous iterations to me for some reason but this could be considered subjective as well all the games are different stylistically at least, but for me the story, tone and style are not usual of the series fare you would expect.

[@blainashmoore4387]

@@TransWitchReviews I forgot to mention; it’s obvious with the gameplay mechanics too, there’s no shops and hardly any NPCs or towns and they tried to make the game a lot faster with its battle system especially and the long tutorial it’s because they tried to make the game more mainstream. I really like the final fantasy franchise I am a big fan, I am playing through them again because there are aspects of The story I wouldn’t understand when I was younger but it’s the only iteration in the franchise I don’t really like, I really really hard to get into it but I just can’t. I am interested in the sequels but I am not a hardcore gamer so I’ll probably pass right now but I digress

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

Yes, Fang and Vanille are gay. 🌈

[@TransWitchReviews]

Hell yeah they are!

[@bleh._.6194]

I'm honestly not so sure about vanille maybe she's bi? She and hope had their moments throughout the game and then there was a certain cutscene on I think it was Gran pulse? Also SE made it pretty obvious in LR that hope at least had a big crush on her. But fang is 100% gay

[@LesbianLoki]

I'd love to. But there's no PS4/PS5 port.

[@TransWitchReviews]

Yeah that's fair. I'm honestly still surprised they haven't ported them in a trilogy collection by this point but maybe they think they wouldn't sell well or something.

[@itsChanandler]

The Haters are the one that’s too stupid and whiney to understand the paradigm system

[@blainashmoore4387]

I don't think there's was ever that much to understand, I think 13 was the product of square enix trying really hard to cater to mainstream audiences and is almost an insult to intelligence as a result tho it is one of the best selling FF games, so...