The Complete Story of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

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Welcome to the complete story of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the conclusion to the often sadly overlooked Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, this last instalment undoubtedly being the most overlooked of them all. But thankfully, we’re here to help you remember, and to help keep the flag of Final Fantasy XIII flying high.
Unlike the previous games, especially the original Final Fantasy XIII, there are many ways to play Lightning Returns so retelling the game's story will always entail pinning down events in a specific way, even though players have more freedom to pursue the story in the order they desire. But don’t worry, all the parts are there, carefully curated for your maximum enjoyment.
This video was commissioned by David Lejenkins over on Patreon.
Thanks again David.
The script for this video is partly based on the great work already done over at: finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/...
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[@Fourtune1]

Story is complicated but once you understand it you can appreciate it.

[@richardwilliams8008]

I can't believe this game came out 10 years ago, - man time flies. Thanks for making this video and tying up the trilogy; I'll always consider the Lightning Saga as Square's flawed but brilliant and ambitious masterpiece. More videos please!😁

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Hadn't actually finished Lightning Returns before starting work on this video but it was well worth it. Wish the Lightning Saga was better received because it has so much to offer!

[@mynameisntpatrick1476]

This game was kind of fun but Ill be honest I couldnt remember the plot if my life depended on it.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

This video to the rescue!

[@agravain9006]

Was a wild trilogy with highs and lows but ultimately I'm fond of it. More specifically XIII-2 and LR. She's not the most complex MC but I do like Lightning's growth from being aloof, cold-hearted, and mean to being more open, caring, and nice while still retaining a good amount of her stoicness and snark as well as her relationship with Hope. Weird how LR kinda has different plot elements in English compared to the Japanese but oh well.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I've only played the original XIII in Japanese. Any plot elements you remember being different?

[@agravain9006]

@BirdsOfPlay Some of the dialogue minimizes Lightning and Hope's relationship and Bhunivelze has a different goal. Instead of wanting to use Hope as a vessel to be a merciful God among humans and understand them in the new world but remove them of their individuality in Japanese. But in English he wants to turn humanity into puppets and use Hope as a vessel to rule over them.

[@booradley6832]

@@agravain9006 When you break it down and really look at it, that's sort of a semantics argument. But its also a philosophy thing: Is it possible for a God to be benevolent if he removes one of the most intrinsic aspects of his subjects? If he makes them all one universal copy of a creature with subservience to him, even if he "understands" them is he not just using Hope's body to rule over them regardless? Is forcing change onto them not just forcible dictatorship to begin with? I think the localizers probably did the right thing by reflecting what a society values more. In the west, especially America, the idea of Tyranny is looked down on (even if we dont recognize it in our own government somehow,) whereas in Japan where the laws are much stricter and the crime rate much lower, having a new dominating ruler may just be a "Same product, new logo" type change. Removing their individual traits is the same type of "goes against all we believe in" that the idea of losing freedom is to Westerners. I could very well be wrong of course but its just something to think about.

[@agravain9006]

@booradley6832 I agree with some of what you said but not all of it. I would have to share my philosophy about the nature and authority of "God" that I don't really have the energy to go into. The thing is, Bhunivelze didn't make humans in the XIII Continuity.

[@Iautocorrect]

“1000 AF” Why’s this so funny to me.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Because your sense of humour is top-tier!

[@jameswest9469]

What an amazing conclusion to an epic story. I played the first one but never finished it, but after watching your recaps on the story, I realize it is one of the best modern final fantasy stories.

[@QuijanoPhD]

The most convoluted chapter of the most confusing story in any videogame franchise and you still make it digestible! Kudos on another great video!

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Thanks so much!

[@diegeticfridge9167]

YES! So happy to see this finally make it to yt! It’s surreal seeing my name in one of the videos! Thanks so much! 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Thanks for all your support! 💪

[@snazzydrew]

Despite the story being typical of these kind of RPGs, playing through the entire trilogy is truly an emotional journey. I just finished Lightning Returns after spending the last year getting through the series. That ending is so damn cathatic and gratifying. I legit cried when Lightning was able to hold her sister's hands again after all this time. Serah will go down as one of Final Fantasy's most important characters of all time.

[@lilliel2686]

Cried at the end of the video haha. I love this trilogy! I play it every year. The meaning behind it all always gets me. Kind of reminds me of FFXVI too if you really think about it... Thanks for making these videos! You guys rock! 😭👍🏼

[@bryan1637]

So good! And you guys do such a good job recapping it!

[@CouchtrollPodcastDS]

Game looks better than most games released in the past 5 years lol Thank you for the content. This game has incredible combat and one of the craziest stories ever

[@905GHOST]

Dude your content is amazing, I hope you keep growing

[@jianpanglam570]

“Instead, she slaps him around” omg your accent really made me lol there hahaha

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Haha, love it 😀

[@TheFinalFantasyX]

Another well done episode 👏 My favorite birds in my neck of the woods

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Thanks for the kind words! Caw-caw!

[@Alcyeragraeth]

This is why I love 7 the most. Made the most goddamned (in every sense of the word) sense. Love your work.

[@shayanwallace]

What a nice surprise! Can’t wait to watch!

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Hope you like it!

[@anonymoususer69420]

I was just thinking “where that Lightning Returns video that birds of play was creating” THANK YOU Didn’t play XIII trilogy but when I saw another recap video of the ending it definitely became one of my favorite FFs. Love how the knife was passed down.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Thanks for thinking of us! Love the XIII trilogy, although it took a while to reach that place. Never going back.

[@ballroomscott]

Yay! I’m so happy to see this!

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Glad to see you here!

[@komlat253]

people hate 13 but this is probably the best ff story. its sad and alot of losing involved but they made it . the conclusion is epic af too . id say the only other ff game with a wild story like this is ff9 where it seem that there was simply no winning in a reality that just sucked and there was no way around it but to simply go forward .

[@takeysha2332]

Lightning went through the most!! I was happy for her! 😊

[@stephenmalmberg8895]

Cant wait for the final fantasy 16 explained! Great video guys :)

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Starting on the script today! 🖋️

[@salieroldan9682]

Thanks ❤

[@brektekblukutuk5779]

I did not played lighting returns because the ending of XIII-2 makes me sad. I stop playing any XIII & -2 at all or search for any info about next sequel. I'm glad to see the happy ending 🥲

[@DarioSot]

Right! I watched this video after having played the whole trilogy and also found the ending of XIII-2 sad. I was hoping to see a scene where Vanille and Fang and the others would reunite again, but wanted so bad to see what came next that I played Lightning Returns right after beating XIII-2. I for one found the ending of XV to be even sadder. At least XIII ends happily 😅

[@brendanyoung5532]

Amazing. I am loving these videos! I am wondering though… speaking of time-related games… would you ever consider doing a Complete Story for Chrono Trigger? Or other Square IPs? You guys are awesome, thanks so much for providing this content, especially to people like me who are not able to game at the moment!

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Would definitely consider it! 💪

[@brendanyoung5532]

@@BirdsOfPlay wonderful! I’ll remember that when I have some extra money to throw your guys’ way!

[@alexb.9446]

You are really nice narrators! Will you do a "5 ways to improve..."? This is the only game of the trilogy without it!

[@Juankprieto]

I think one of the key elements for the lack luster results for all the XIII franchise is the vast amounts of incomprehensible and, rather obnoxious, names. Even hearing you drop term after term in an easy to understand narration, makes it sound a bit repelling. It’s a shame

[@nunuonroad9969]

I think you’re right I really enjoyed 13 and 13 2, but halfway into the first game I stopped caring what l cie, fal cie, etc all of that. It was just noise at that point. 13 2 didn’t make it any better with its convoluted time travel gimmicks Which is a shame cause this trilogy had in my opinion some of the best characters and sub plot. Not to mention top 3 I’m the series in art direction,

[@mattb6646]

It's a fever dream of a story.

[@brandonotto3031]

You guys ever want to play some dungeons and dragons let me know 🎉

[@riotking77]

I never got a chance to complete it bc my brother and I tried beating the game together on his file and he wound up not having enough time. When I played I pretty much got the hang of how to get enough time but if you do it too fast with out doing other missions you can still fail. I went on a hiatus and never got back to it. Hence why I’m here lol

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Glad we could be a part of your Final Fantasy XIII journey!

[@Terranigma23]

Oh, I thought it was the story (development wise), but I still liked the video ahah. The FF13 trilogy is such unique (the only mainline trilogy). I'm curious to know why they decided to made a trilogy. 😁

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Thanks for watching! Probably wanted to reuse some designs and assets to save on development. Whatever the reason, we're here for it!

[@duroprem]

The XIII trilogy is basically just Lightning faffing about for three games until she finally escapes blandness and finds some character.

[@Thecommander248]

Only for her to create Earth, with office buildings and commutes. Truly, the blandest of characters. XD

[@michaelapucca1]

I disagree. I've seen many moments of her having character throughout the games. She's not completely bland

[@niXonc0x]

Oh shiittttt, my favorite birds are back

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Caw-caw! 🐦

[@vino.vvveeee]

One of my favorite FF games ever, SO UNDERRATED AND MISUNDERSTOOD. It's a flawed gem that deserves more love

[@ridensroom6957]

I never bothered with this. I was happy for it to end with the dark ending for 13-2. Maybe one day

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I recommend it. Took a while to get into it but it was worth it!

[@Thecommander248]

So they created our world? With homework and the 9 to 5? I didn't realize that Lightning and the others were villains all along... (I kid, of course).

[@dgripper05]

It’s not that I overlooked this game Ff13 and Lightning herself are some of my favorites from FF. It’s just that when this game dropped I was going into basic training so I didn’t have the time and when I was finally out and free the ps4 had dropped and so many new games were out. I did buy the game twice though on ps3 and steam lol

[@Prilliyo]

None of this even matters the first one ended well

[@shunkun8668]

AAA LET'S GOO My favorite ff game with type 0

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Should do "The Complete Story of Final Fantasy Type-0" to finish the Fabula Nova Crystallis games!

[@shunkun8668]

@@BirdsOfPlay yesss

[@vino.vvveeee]

impeccable taste

[@GhostOfAvras]

It's funny and wierd how ff13 trilogy is the only ff game of the series with a happy ending

[@jaysayspidey4013]

Thank you for putting together these videos! I always wanted to understand the story/plot of the FF13 series. I personally really enjoyed the ending of the original FF13 and was not a fan of how the characters were thrown back into turmoil. Especially Sazh, just let the man be a father in peace. Lol That being said, I really loved the ending of Lighting Returns. Glad they all finally get to live in peace.

[@alexandermalin6027]

Thanks for putting together this video - saved me from having to force myself to play it. This was the only game in the trilogy I didn’t play and I’m glad for that, the story and characters seem like they suck like they did in the previous two games. Man, such a shame this trilogy was such a disappointment, while making each game that came before it in the trilogy completely pointless also.

[@vidarye5859]

For someone thats never played the series, based on fan-tellings, i assumed Lightning beat the final boss with one hand behind her back while eating a sandwich. This was a group effort and makes much more sense than fan wank. Clive beat his creator at the end of XVI by himself, but at the cost of his own life. The way this ending was described to me and many online, it was horrendous, however i definitely like the actual one.

[@emeros8631]

I don't know if it's because of the way you retold it or something else but I feel like FF13-III story is a better version of FF16

[@OrphansCorpse]

Had to watch this coz the combat is possibly the most unfun combat system I ever played. I loved 13 and 13-2 but I tried and tried, but the combat system killed the game for me.

[@brendanalexcurran3429]

I beat all 3 right after each one came out. Part 3 i didn’t like because FF13-2 was such a magnificent sequel which you rarely see in games. I received the platinum reward for doing everything and anything and in that game that i played so much i couldn’t understand much of the story for 13-3. Like what was the point of the journey to make cocoon float? Then at the end even though Serah died, cocoon was afloat but there was no mention of cocoon or grand pulse in the last game. Also another time is in 13-2 how is it that Yeul has visions and dies around 14-18 years old (i forget its been years since i played) but Serah had visions for less than a year and she dies after her 3rd or 4th one? Also how in the world the Serah get the eyes of etro when Yeul already had them? When 13-3 came out i only finished it for the story, i hated how you had 1 person only to control. It took out the traditional FF games style of having various party members with different abilities (just like FF16 which i hate lol). Also what ever happened to Lightning already becoming Etro in part 2 and then in 3 they wanted to make her Etro again? What happened to her powers to control monsters? So much of this games story in the Final installment didn’t make sense. It’s like they rushed to get it out. Then the battle style in 13-3 was like a cheaper version of the first 2 games…. I was iffy on 13-1’s battle style but 13-2 was more free and more fluid with the monsters being able to learn different abilities. Ugh sadly it’s overlooked because 13-3 literally negates everything done in 13-2 basically wasting our time. I’ll always love the first 2 games and the finale ending of 13-3 when lightning had on a semi doctors uniform with a suitcase. I just wish we could’ve seen how after coming to the new world did they grow up? Like it seemed like lightning remembered things from the old world with that last comment of finding everyone. Were they reborn as babies or as adults? So much doesn’t make sense it hurts my heart. In all 3 games it’s safe to say i invested somewhere between 450-500 hours smh 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@BirdsOfPlay]

If you like what we do, please consider subscribing to the channel! You can also support us over on PATREON: www.patreon.com/birdsofplayYT Would love to see you around! PS. This video was uploaded on July 1st but due to copyright issues it wasn't published until the 31st. This means that the patrons who subscribed after the 1st of July are sadly not featured in the credits. We still appreciate you and your support!

[@martinmp19]

I loooovvveee 13-2 and this game turned me off immediately.

[@Faceless_XIV]

Playing FF with a countdown timer was the worst idea they ever came up with. This game was complete shit.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I quite liked it, even though the timer stressed me out at first.

[@lerrysorroche5922]

Wow, what a huge pile of shit. Couldn't even finish FF13 because I was disgusted at how terrible the game and its story was, but I had no idea that it got even worse in the sequels. If you actually think this is anywhere near good, you got mental problems. Seek help fast.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

I must be crazy then. All the 13 games have something to offer if you can open your heart to them. Although I'll admit it took me a while to get into them.

[@lerrysorroche5922]

@@BirdsOfPlay if it took you a while to get into them, then that means you realized they were bad. You simply changed your mind because you wanted to like them and kept telling yourself that. The mind is a wonderful thing. Keep telling yourself something is good, and eventually you'll start believing it's true. There's a reason why theses games were completely destroyed by fans when they came out. It didn't matter how old you were, or anything else, everyone realized they were terrible. As time passed and the quality of Square's games started to decrease, and we started getting fewer and fewer games, some people started telling themselves that the games were not that bad, and then that they were ok, and then absurdly that they were good. That almost happened even to me. I tried to play these games 4 or 5 times. Last time it was last year, and I actually gave them a real shot, played FF13 for over 30 hours. And then suddenly I realized "wtf am I doing, this sucks, I could be playing literally anything else". Sorry, but these games are a joke, and history has proven that.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

It can also mean that it can take a while to adjust expectations and learn the value of new things.

[@lerrysorroche5922]

@@BirdsOfPlay I understand your point of view, but I really don't agree with it. As I said, I tried playing the game many times, and I just can't stand it. Either way, my criticism is towards the games, which I think are terrible, but I still watched all 3 videos about the 3 games to finally see what I was missing. The videos were great and entertaining, but I'm glad I didn't stick around and finished the games lol. Looking forward to watching other videos, I play games mostly because of great stories. Cheers.

[@BirdsOfPlay]

Thanks for watching. I can of course only speak to my own experience so I don't mean to discount you not finding much worthwhile in the XIII trilogy. Hope to see you around since we have a lot of story videos. Cheers🥂