Things of Note

Things of Note

Summoning an Eidolon

The following are of specific note to you as you start playing - this information will clear up some of the confusion that tends to exist whether you are a new FF fan or an old hand.

Jobs, Leveling, and XP

There are a total of six specializations - Commando, Medic, Ravager, Sentinel, and Synergist, and Saboteur, and the system of buffs, debuffs, and active powers will be familiar to fans of the series.  In fact other than variations on the names and titles the underlying system is very similar to the other titles in the series, which makes this an easy transition into the new environment.

The big difference in XIII relates to the experience system - which does not use XP per se, but rather makes use of the Crystarium System that was used in X to replace the encounter-based XP system used in the other games in the series.  This is actually pretty simple - think of Crystarium Points (CP) as you would Experience Points (XP), and then factor that rather than gaining CP for everything that you do, you only gain it from battle encounters.

Where XP would be directly applied to your character causing you to level up automatically, CP is a points system that is banked, and is only used when you activate the interface to the Crystarium System and actually spend the points to upgrade abilities and stats.  That is as simple a description of the differences between XP and CP as I can draw.

At the conclusion of a battle, the CP earned is applied to the CP bank, which basically accumulates until you use it.  When you do use it you can spend it to upgrade specific skills in whatever path you are following - there is a sort of concentric set of rings with the various paths flowing from it and while that does not make a lot of sense now, once you actually unlock the interface and start using it, it will make sense.  Really... 

Summoning System

One minor alteration to the game is the Summoning System - which follows the alternate system of a single summons that is crystal dependent.  Called  'Eidolon' in this game, the power to summon springs from the crystal that is integral to the characters Mark of L'Cie - which means that once the creature is summoned it essentially replaces the character in the battle unless the character activates Gestalt Mode, in which case they will link together with the summoned creature, which will take on a special form or function, and then become one with it for the fight. 

Some old and familiar creatures reappear here - Shiva and Bahamut come to mind - as well as new creatures, and of course there are the creatures summoned by the enemy via the summoning portals, representing a mixture of organics and machine. 

Before we move on I want to underscore that summoning is a major feature in the game both in strategy and challenge, and it is one area that you, the player, will want to concentrate in order to become familiar as quickly as you can.  Doing so will remove a lot of the slope off of the learning curve here - I cannot stress that enough.

The fal'Cie and L'Cie

The fal'Cie are basically mech's - technologically-based beings with serious powers who were created by a being called The Maker.  Though they are not strictly speaking "the government" their influence over civil affairs and the lives of the people of the two worlds of Cocoon and Pulse blur the lines in every direction. 

Especially resented by the human inhabitants of these worlds, the fal'Cie are really only one of the enemies here - the humans that cooperate with and even actively support the fal'Cie are the other element.  Clearly the general population is oppressed, and the oppression is not veiled or hidden.  The relocation - pr Purge - that is underway is only a thinly disguised culling.  It becomes very clear that the purpose is to kill the humans no longer considered viable by the powers that be, and not relocate them.

The big issue is the aims of the fal'Cie, which to be frank, while we can easily understand the outward process of, are still largely not known.  We know that they consider the L'Cie to be a necessary part of their search for knowledge, but we do not know what the search is for - what knowledge they are seeking.  We know that they do not value human life at all - considering that the reward for cooperation is death, and the punishment for failing to complete the assigned task given to you is - wait for it - another form of death!

Add to that the fact that the whole issue of cooperation is a trap in itself - after all they subject you to the conversion process and make you an L'Cie but they do not even give you a hint at what specifically it is that they want you to do after that!  And even if you do figure out what it is that they want you to do, if you fail to complete that task in a timely fashion - the time limit being set by the fal'Cie don't you know - you die.  Man if that is not a raw deal, I don't know what is!

On the upside though, once you have completed the conversion process you have special powers and abilities and can summon a monster/being to fight for or with you.  In fact that is so cool that if death was not your ultimate reward and punishment, it wouldn't be so bad really...

Characters(1)

Like in all of the games there is a cadre of characters around whom the events and action focus as it unfolds.  For FFXIII that group includes the following characters that you can play:

Hope Estheim (Hopu Esutohaimu) - At 14-years-old Hope is the youngest member of the team.  Known for his rather colorful style of dress and badass attitude, there is a lot of baggage in that small head.  For instance despite the fact that Snow is ostensibly his protector, Hope hates him, in part because he blames Snow for his mother's death when she was part of the resistance serving under him.

Hope was subjected to conversion as an L'Cie, and his Eidolon is Alexander - who transforms into a fortress in Gestalt Mode.  Alexander is a light elemental warrior - infer from that what you will about the character of Hope - and his Gestalt Power seems to me to be about as appropriate as they come when you consider that he is basically protecting a child. 

Lighting (Ekureru Faron / Éclair Farron) - A former Sargent in the Guardian Corps, she has become disillusioned with the entire societal structure that she once served.  Much of her emotional baggage revolves around her sister, who she swore to protect after the death of their parents - a task she did not manage well, resulting in her sister being converted to an L'Cie.  When Lightning attempted to intercede she was herself subjected to the conversion process, and is an L'Cie herself.

Her specialty weapon is the "Gunblade" - a device that transforms between a gun and a sword, and her Summon is Odin - yes, THAT Odin - who takes the form of a stallion that Lightning can ride when she triggers Gestalt.  Odin has a matched set of detachable blades that Lightning can access when he is in travel mode, and use as her active weapon.

Oerba Dia Vanille (Oruba-Daia Vanira) - A younger Ginger-haired girl who was, until the government crackdown, simply a citizen of Cocoon.  Not much is known - or revealed - about her personal background, so it is mostly her characteristics that we focus upon.  Young, loyal, passionate, and obstinate when she has made up her mind, Vanille serves as the narrator for the story.

Her special weapon is a fishing rod with multiple lines that she can deploy to damage enemies (?!) which is rather an odd choice of weapon if you ask me...  Her Eidolon is Hecatoncheir, who takes the form of an Earth Elemental, which is pretty cool.  When he is in Gestalt Mode he transforms into a Mech Unit (yes, really) that Vanille then pilots, delivering some decent air-support.

Tag Line: "Well that wasn't scary at all!"

Oerba Yun Fang (Oruba-Yun Fangu) - The second of only two L'Cie ever given the Focus to summon Ragarok and a past associate of Cid (remember Cid?!), Yun is a raven-haired warrior whose special weapon is a spear that can transform into a triple-staff (a flail weapon of Chinese origins).  We meet Yun last, but it is often true that life saves the best for last, and there you have it!

Her Eidolon is Bahamut, and in his Gestalt Mode he becomes an airborne warrior.  One of my best mates is gay, and he swears that Yun is a lesbian and the strongest warrior save for Lightning in the game.  He believes that Yun, who was originally scripted to be a male character, is Square's homage to gay gamers.  I dunno mate, could be...  Stranger things have happened.

Tag Line: "As if there was any doubt!"

Sazh Katzroy (Sazzu Kattsuroi) - An ex-military pilot, Sazh is something of an enigma.  Despite the fact that it is suggested that he does not know Lightning well from his comments during the opening sequence of the tut just after the battle on the train, that is a little misleading.  He may not know her personally, but he knows her type - and in particular the military mindset.  From that familiarity comes the advantage of understanding her mindset and discipline - and though this is not really touched upon in the dialogue when you examine the decisions that he makes and the way in which he manipulates her, Sazh  has a bit more understanding than he lets on.

He is an enigma of sorts - for instance it is often difficult to tell just what motivates him.  He has a young son who was chosen and subjected to conversion as an L'Cie - but Sazh is also L'Cie - and that at least partly explains his own willing involvement in the resistance efforts.  He has declared his intentions to rescue his son, so we can presume that this is at least part of his motivation, though he seems to be more of a follower than a leader, which makes the successful conclusion of that aim unlikely.

His weapon form is dual-pistols that can transform into a sniper rifle, and his weapon skill is long-distance shooting.  That actually makes a lot of sense strictly from a character point of view because there is a touch of the coward in him - you will see that as the adventure unfolds - and it makes it somewhat difficult to like and care about him completely.

His Eiodon is Brynhildr, a female Fire Elemental who transforms into a car that Sazh rides in during Gestalt Mode.  In case you have not tripped to this yet, Brynhildr is actually a Valkyrie from mythological legend (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brynhildr for more information). 

Like most of the main characters and supporting mobs in the Final Fantasy games, there is an element of mythology in play here - the games rely heavily upon a mixture of myth and legend from practically every culture in the world - which may be one reason why they are so popular!

Tag Line: "You Should See Your Daddy Now!"

Snow Villiers (Suno Viriasu) - A former resistance leader in the Team Nora, Snow is a simple package with some complicated edges to him.  He is not stupid, despite filling the role as the blond dude stereotype, but he is portrayed as the dumb-jock melee fighter nonetheless!  Considering that he is supposed to be the leader of an organized resistance band, that last but does not make much sense.

The strength of his abilities is his excellent physical condition and size - according to the chatter on the boards the developers often identified Snow with each other by his shoe size, the nickname intended as a comment on his physical prowess and abilities I assume.  His ability to soak up damage while losing health slowly is marked in play, in fact he is the most durable member of the team as far as I can tell.

According to canon, while his strengths lay in brawling and physical attacks, his motivation comes from his inner sense of responsibility for the people who follow him.  His Eiodolons are the Shiva Sisters (Nix and Stiria) who transform into a motorcycle that Snow can ride in Gestalt Mode. 

While mounted on the motorcycle Snow has access to a large gun as his specialty weapon, and when he is on his own feet he prefers the knuckle sandwich to guns.  He is pretty good with grenades too - something to keep in mind if you are facing multiple opponents in enclosed areas..

Tag Line: "That's what I'm talking about!"

(1) See Appendix A, Note 1

The Story (or how much to tell you?)

Here is the thing - knowing too much about the back-story here will actually make the game less entertaining for you.   What I mean by that is simple - there are aspects to this that while they are contradictory on the surface, come out in the end to explain what has happened and the decisions that were made, as well as what actually motivated the protagonists.  Knowing any of that before the end of the story would naturally detract from your enjoyment of it.  So I am going to be really careful about what I tell you, since I only really need to tell you what you need to know to play from the start!

First thing is, Pulse and Cocoon are not really two separate worlds - they are related halves of one world-society and each is somewhat dependent upon the other - but the human inhabitants are not aware of that.  These "worlds" were created by the fal'Cie around 1,300 years ago, but at some point in the intervening centuries the fal'Cie that oversaw each became enemies.

The war that they fought with each other is largely based upon propaganda, but both sides began to exploit the humans that reside in their sphere, and the humans largely had nothing to say on the matter.  Eventually the previous detentes that existed between the two groups broke down completely, and the War of Transgressions occurred, ending in a stalemate. 

The result was two armed camps that indoctrinate their humans to hate and fear the other side.  And the creation of L'Cie - but to what end that programs ultimate goal is nobody knows.  Once a human is turned into an L'Cie, they are basically no longer trusted or liked by most of the non-converted human population - but then again they are not liked or trusted by the fal'Cie either, so really the only choice they have is to embrace the suck and enjoy what time they have left before the fal'Cie either kill them outright or turn them into an abomination - which is just death in a different form.  Or do they?

Now we get to the part I cannot really tell you about - the motivation that sets Lightning, Snow, and the others on the path that they have chosen.  There is a goal - in fact it is a worthy one - but you will have to play the game to find out!  And don't even think about loading your web browser and hitting Google for that information buddy!  I can hear you thinking about it, you don't have me fooled!  Just play the game, and be surprised!