Lightning Returns is the third and final chapter in the successful but equally loathed Final Fantasy XIII saga. (I happen to enjoy Final Fantasy XIII but don’t quite understand why Square Enix has been so obsessed with sequelizing it.) This game also sounds as if it’s going to be quite a bit different from the previous two games.
As the title suggests, Lightning is the focus of this trilogy closer, starring all by her lonesome as a solo playable character in a new storyline set hundreds of years after XIII-2. The game takes place in the free-roam world of Novus Partus, which consists of four islands connected by a monorail system, and progress through the game is governed by a persistent countdown called the doomsday clock. In the game, the world is set to end in 13 days, and every action the player takes will come at the cost of time on this clock.
Combat will be heavily modified from previous installments, incorporating real-time control over Lightning’s attacks, blocks and movements.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be out in 2013 for PS3 and Xbox 360. Scroll down for early concept artwork. Click over to the official game website for access to a four-part video presentation introducing the game.
Matt Litten is a 28 year old from-the-womb gamer turned video game reviewer/blogger and current editor/owner/operator of VGBlogger.com. Matt got his first taste of gaming as a youngster on the NES and Atari, and the rest is history from there.
In 2004, three years removed from high school and still looking for a career direction in life, Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com, and after a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez Matt turned his attention to VGBlogger, and to this day is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary. 