In 2019, we marked the 10th anniversary of Final Fantasy XIII, and 2020 was the anniversary of its
wide release. It had a unique battle system, an experimental story structure, and a powerful group
of characters that together brought Final Fantasy into the HD era of western games.
This…
is the Final Fantasy XIII Iceberg.
Tier 1, FF XIII in a Nutshell
The story, while incredibly linear, veers quickly into the strange and absurd.
You follow Lightning, a former soldier in Cocoon’s Guardian Corps army,
and five other people brought together by fate. They face a series of trials while trying to
change their destiny and stop an ancient conspiracy to destroy Cocoon from within.
It was developed by Square Eenix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 3 60,
and released in 2009. It includes fast-paced combat, a new abilities system,
and plenty of elements from the other games. This was the 20th anniversary of the series.
For that reason, It included tons of references to the previous games as a homage to the series.
It was also the only final fantasy game with two follow-up games - it had two direct sequels for
just the single storyline, and it stood out for that fact amongst the others. The two companion
games were meant to flesh out and explain the story, and give the characters happier endings.
A New Direction
Veering so far off the traditional path of FF games, several facets of the game are
unique to itself. One such defining aspect is the after-combat healing.
Outside of tactics, this is the only FF game to fully heal your party after each encounter.
However this was a necessary change, as Random encounters are much tougher in this game,
and can require a lot more planning between fights.
A New Theme
For the first time in the mainline FF series,
the prelude and the prologue songs were swapped out in lieu of new and original tunes.
The classic victory fanfare was also changed.
This was perhaps because it was the first mainline FF game that was not composed by noh boowoh oouh
mahtsu (nabuo Uematsu) . The game's theme was originally announced to be composed by him, but
upon being selected as the new composer, Masashi Hamauzu opted to craft something entirely new.
We cannot go on without you.
Aside from a few brief moments in FF 6 and FF9, this game was the first in the series that results
in a game over when the party leader is killed in action. Even if the other team members stay alive,
if the party leader perishes, it's game over. Luckily this was changed in the sequel,
where the team leader position can be swapped over to a living character.
Tier 2, Mixed Reception & Criticism
The game, on the whole, was met with mixed reactions.
Metacritic put the reviews at 83 out of a hundred for ps3, and 82 out of a hundred for Xbox. It was
awarded at the Japan Game Awards in 2009 and 2010 and was nominated for several others.
Truthfully, this means it was well-received but might have been before its time. The story
structure was tunnel-like, though this may have been in and of itself a vehicle for story-telling.
Square Enix revitalized their old series formula as it propelled into a different era,
a different audience, and more. It was hyper-focused on the story it
wanted to tell, which diverged from the previous games in the series.
Despite this, it was also criticized for shortcomings in the story and the
strange new format. Critics praised Square Enix’s attempt to revitalize their old series formula.
Still, many fans found it too linear and disliked the change. It was referred to by GamePro as,
“a long hallway towards an orange target symbol on your mini-map,” and that “target” was usually
just a cutscene, a boss fight, or both. Another complaint was that the game felt like it took a
long time to access all the gameplay - and it was interpreted as a “lengthy tutorial.”
Louis (vuitton) Vuh tahn Cross Promotion:
After months of planning with the Square Enix marketing team, they struck a deal with Louis
vuh tahn to create something incredibly different for this franchise. They worked together with the
fashion company to incorporate Lightning in their line as a model. While this cross-promotion did
serve the purpose it was there for, some might have argued that it wasn’t the right
demographic to appeal to. They conducted a fake interview, which would later be published
by the Telegraph in 2016, with Lightning discussing the line and their collaboration.
Tier 3, Uncommon, Trivia-Worthy Facts
Made for PS2
While most fans and casual players might already know about the story and mixed reception,
there are a few lesser-known facts about the game. The fact that the game started its development
journey on the PS2 alone might set a player apart from the casual masses. There was development
centered around the engine from Final Fantasy X-2 story. They worked with a separate team to
mock up the assets and aspects of the game. While it was eventually shifted to the PS3,
the core concept was kept the same. Unfortunately, any work they had done
on it already would have had to be redone, as it couldn’t carry over between platforms.
Character Revisions
Games often undergo rigorous changes during development, and thirteen was
no exception - in fact, there were a handful of significant character changes during the game.
At one point, vineel (vanille) almost became the pro tagginest over Lightning. Then vineel's
partner, Fang, was going to be a man. The only reason her gender was changed was that the seventh
team member was cut loose, so they changed Fang’s gender to even the numbers out. Obviously, that
seventh member - Serah - was re-worked to later be playable in the sequel as the main character.
Two Direct Sequels:
As mentioned before, another fact about this game is that it’s the only of its kind - meaning, the
only Final Fantasy game with two direct sequels. FF VII has canon titles like Crisis Core and Dirge
of Cerberus. Still, they acted more like spin-offs rather than how these two were more continuations.
Instead of creating additional downloadable content, these two reused assets and created
another game. This was to capitalize on the development costs of this game, which took longer
than most others in the series - and hopefully, by telling more stories, recoup losses from it.
Frustrated Animations
The characters of ff13 were given a unique animation in response to some of your actions.
If you press the analog stick in circular directions,
your characters will become frustrated with your commands.
Each character has their own unique animation to display their disapproval of your actions.
The Forgotten Twin Sister
One of the most popular summons in the FF franchise, Shiva, has her first appearance
as the twin sisters. She is originally said to embody these two sisters, Nix,
and styria. In nearly every other appearance of Shiva, you will only see ONE scantily clad ice
queen. But in FF13, the summon features the two individual sisters. The older sister, styria,
has the dark face. While the younger sister, Nix, has the light face. 13 is also unique,
in that summons can become vehicles. With Shiva becoming a motorcycle,
and Odin becoming a horse-drawn chariot. Rumor has it, Doom train from FF8 was considered to
be another ridable summon. But they struggled to fit it within the game.
Lionel Richie Inspiration
Sazz was said to have his character model influenced and inspired by the famous singer,
Lionel Richie. The similarities are visible when comparing the two side by side.
Tier 4, A little Deeper: The Stranger Things
Fabula Nova crystallis:
Originally, FF XIII was planned to be part of a much larger compilation titled Fabula
Nova Crystallis. 13 would have been its own individual entry within the series. It would have
expanded into an extended unifying universe, that would tie them together. Ultimately,
the scope of these games had to be narrowed down until only two games were technically released.
FF Versus XIII was eventually worked into FF 15. And Agito XIII turned into FF Type-0.
Episode Zero: Promise.
Within the game, you’re exposed to the story flashing back to a thirteen-day window before the
game kicks off with Lightning and sazz. In Japan, the prequel novel containing short stories was
released to Japanese audiences. In these markets, it made sense - and the short stories were there
as a companion piece. However, , it took nearly ten years before it would be translated to a
western audience, which made this a memorable mystery within the game for quite some time.
The Seventh Ark
FF XIII went through so many developmental changes that affected many different parts of the game.
One significant change was the removal of a dungeon called Seventh Ark.
While scouring through the game’s source codes, players were able to discover a secret dungeon.
Which was not in the game at all, and is only accessible via saving hacks and clever gameplay.
Its name is the Seventh Ark. It was purportedly meant to serve as a place for side missions and
battle gameplay. But as the game narrowed its scope in development, it was taken out.
In its partially-completed state, players have found models and renderings for the
dungeon that never came to fruition, ostensibly missing only Monsters.
Allusions To The Rest Of The Series
There are plenty of easter eggs within the FF XIII series. For instance, in Lightning returns,
two mysterious NPCs exist with obscured faces, and they act as gatekeepers to the industrial area
passageways. These two characters are Biggs and Wedge, traditional character favorites
originating from FF 6. They’re obscured until you finish the arena missions in the industrial area.
You can later find them at night, in Yusnaan, playing the Classic FF6 Terra’s theme.
This is only achieved after completing the death game.
Die-hard fans would know that almost every game includes a Cid appearance - and this
game is no exception. The fan-favorite makes a pseudo-appearance as a “manifestation of The
Chaos.” This is a singular personified embodiment of the tortured souls.
They would appeal to Lightning towards the end of the game.
Elixir Drink
This is in reference to the Japanese beverage based off the restorative item from the FF
franchise. These were made for the release of FF13, each of which came with a different
character imprinted on them. They were sold as individual cans, larger packs with an included 4
ench collectible figurine, or in collector's boxes with all 16 cans, as well as a collectible mug.
Tier 5.,Within The Community: The Internet and Beyond
Any good community has a solid fan base, and strong fan bases breed
creativity. It's hard to argue that point - with tons of fan theories,
fan art, and fan fiction out there throughout the series. Obviously,
not every idea has merit - and much of this is speculation - but some do hold their own.
A Story-telling Device
In the narrative, each character serves a purpose - with their own goals and plans.
This further helps to pull them together and connect them in the
end as the group realizes they were raised together but forgot over time.
Much of the story leans heavily on themes of theocracy and totalitarianism - as the group
in many ways lacks a sense of autonomy in their decisions, and follows instructions blindly.
This mirrors directly on how the game is played. You move forward without thought
like you’re being pulled down a long hallway to meet cutscenes, markers,
and boss battles as they come up until you reach Grand pulse, where the world suddenly opens up.
This sort of gameplay alludes to a ludo narrative consistency as the storyline goes on to mirror
the gameplay. You’re meant to feel attached to these characters as you experience their
feelings of a lack of control in real-time. In this case, the player connects more deeply
with the game because it doesn’t allow you to deviate from the story and play style they want.
The fan theory suggests that this is potentially meant to make you feel how the characters think,
manipulating your sense of empathy as the game opens up. It forces you to relate to
your character on a much deeper level and thus makes their stories more hard-hitting.
The Three Faces of Eve,
We see this formula throughout many of the ff games.
This is a philosophical concept that features three female characters.
Each of them are said to represent the three most important points in any woman's life.
The first stage is the child, representing innocence. The second stage is the maiden,
otherwise known as the seductress, who represents sexuality. And the final stage is known as the
mother, who represents wisdom. This can be seen in every mainline FF game that did not feature
online play. The formula mold was broken with 15, however, as the cast of that game is all male.
The Five Stages of Grief
The team members are all said to be suffering from the various stages of grief. They are going
through grief because they've either lost someone, or from learning their fate as a luh-see (l'cie) .
The first stage of grief is denial. Vineel (vanille) is said to be currently residing
in this stage. She acts cheerful and happy, but mostly to repress her guilt and despair.
The next stage of grief is anger. Both Lightning and Hope are currently in the anger stage. Their
sole focus has been on fighting to keep themselves moving forward. The next stage is bargaining,
which is where Snow resides. He believes that if he tries hard enough, and does the right things,
something will eventually appear to resolve the situation and make things right.
Sazh actually moved quickly into the final phase of grief, acceptance.
As he was already resigning, accepting his fate and potential execution.
And all of the characters deal with the depression stage at various points of the game.
Fully-Rendered Model in the Game Files
Some things seem a bit off about the game files - though, this only came after players began to
scour them for exciting information. Nothing could have prepared them for the revelation that a naked
vanille existed within the game files. Fully animated and rendered, this file was used for a
scene where she transforms between being a crystal and back to human - and thus, she’s fully covered.
It’s not scandalous, not really - but it’s still strange that the files existed in near-complete
form like that. This is one of those things that likely was meant to remain a secret. Instead,
it crawled into existence as people prodded at the code in a way developers didn’t expect.
Original Plans for Vanille and Fang
This theory almost feels like fan service in some ways and representation in
others - It hinges on the fact that Final Fantasy has yet to have an established gay pro tagginest.
Some minor NPCs, but never one of the party. The reason isn’t apparent, as Squaresoft doesn’t seem
to have a morality issue with it. As they’ve featured LGBTQ characters in other games.
This theory also hinges on the fact that this game underwent some rigorous changes through
its development. As we covered, a few characters had to be reworked, as it was required to create
the story they wanted. Fans suggest that Fang and vineel (vanille) were meant to be lovers.
Previously, Fang was planned to be a man. But it was rewritten as a woman to even the numbers out.
It was never made explicit because they would have been two women instead.
The relationship between the two women mirrors that of lovers,
clearly caring for one another deeply, and caressing each other romantically when they
first meet. They share dialogue that would be easily mistaken for love in another context.
In the end, they are both transformed into naked hand-holding crystal statues.
The Dragon Extinction
FF 13 is the only game in the mainline series that doesn't feature dragons.
Reddit user, bang your fluff, brings up a theory about the reasoning behind this.
They suggest that the Fal see (fal'cie) considered them too much of a threat. They have typically
been on the stronger and more intelligent side of enemies throughout most FF games. Even if they
were not a threat to the fal see, they might have posed too much of a threat for humanity.
And since they needed humans to bring back the Maker, it would be necessary to eradicate them.
Dragons only briefly appear with a handful of appearances in 13
2 and lightning returns. But they might have considered options for making it story driven.
Something similar to this can be seen with the lack of dragons in Chrono Trigger.
The story for its followup game was heavily dependent on the missing dragons.
Having just passed the tenth anniversary of the series, we’re allowed to look back on the
innovative structure, the strong characters, and everything that players have found between
the lines. Shifting away from the old style of turn-based combat was a controversial choice.
Still, it managed to find a middle ground between the old and the new,
for returning players and new audiences alike. I hope you've enjoyed the video