Square Enix has revealed new info about Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. In an interview with 4Gamer, director Motomu Toriyama, producer Yoshinori Kitase, lead designer Yujii Abe and art director Isamu Kamikokuryou explained more about the game’s mechanics, plus why it isn’t called Final Fantasy XIII-3.
According to a translation by Final Fantasy Network, the team believes the entry is unique enough to warrant a different name, “as calling it XIII-3 might give the impression that it would be a direct evolution of Final Fantasy XIII-2.” Kitase referred to the game as “a new experience.”
Toriyama noted that Lightning Returns will be “world-driven,” as opposed to the “story-driven” Final Fantasy XIII and “player-driven” XIII-2. The idea of a “world-driven” game is “to put the player in a world that is constantly shifting and changing — one that doesn’t necessarily revolve around the player.” The world will reportedly run in real time 24 hours a day, giving the player “a sense of time and urgency to experience content that will not always be waiting for them.”
Players will manage the game via Lightning, who will slow down or speed up the world based on her actions. According to Abe, the day and night cycle of the game has not been completed but will be “roughly one to two hours.” Toriyama noted that experiencing everything in Lightning Returns will likely require multiple playthroughs, as with Abe saying that he wants players to think “oh! I didn’t know that event occurred” while on their second time through.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII was originally announced in August. The 4gamer interview reflects comments from Square Enix earlier this year that Lightning Returns encourages multiple playthroughs. Back in September, Toriyama confirmed to IGN that Lightning Returns will be the last Final Fantasy XIII and that some familiar faces will return.
