Motomu Toriyama, one of the main visionaries behind Final Fantasy XIII, has revealed to the Japanese press that Final Fantasy Haeresis XIII is very much alive, and has been for many years. In fact, the trademark expiration was just to put people off the scent.
When speaking to Japanese publication Famitsu, who had the first glimpse of the game, Toriyama said "I'm very happy to finally reveal this game after keeping it secret for so long. It's a core part of Square Enix's continued growth strategy and will further the Fabula Nova Crystallis franchise like nothing you've seen before. That's why we had to let the trademark expire, so people would stop nosing around."
Indeed, the title is going to be very experimental. Lightning will return as the main character yet again, but the game will now be a third-person shooter, with an upgrade system that will allow Lightning to augment her body.
"When we looked at the poor sales of Final Fantasy XIII-2 in the West, we couldn't help but be confused," continued Toriyama. "We addressed all the feedback and made a game that had everything they wanted, but they still didn't want it."
Square Enix has dished the dirt on a new system for Final Fantasy XIII-2 called Historia Crux. It will be a time travel system that allows you to visit different space-time locations in the game.
Motomu Toriyama, the game's director, believes the system is quite similar to a traditional "home menu". In other words, it will be at the core of the game's story, but it will also allow you to visit other areas from previous parts of the game.
Further to this, depending on choices you make throughout the game, you will be able to access different parts of the Historia Crux. This is how you'll be able to access side quests and the various secrets the game has in store for us. It will also be a key element in uncovering the game's multiple endings.
It looks like Square Enix didn't waste time dropping the bomb, as Final Fantasy XIII-2 has been announced at the Square Enix 1st Production Dept. Premier Event.
It will see another game focussing on the story of Lightning, as apparently, a sequel has been constantly requested by fans. It's a nice reason, but I highly doubt they made the game due to fan feedback.
It'll come out on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and according to Toriyama, it will be out in Japan during 2011.
According to Motomu Toriyama, the director of Final Fantasy XIII, the main story for Final Fantasy XIII will be around 50 hours long. He also believes that it could go up to 60 hours for players who are new to the franchise.
The quote appeared in a Japanese magazine, and it's definitely promising news. With side-quests included, it sounds like there will be quite a lot of length, but then this is common practice with Final Fantasy games. However, usually when directors make these claims, they are grossly over-exaggerated, so it'll be interesting to see how accurate it is.
Except even more little tid-bits to be released in the lead-up to the game, which is released in Japan in just a couple of weeks.
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