Everything We Know About Final Fantasy Versus XIII (Covers 2006-Present)

General Information

Official Japanese Website: Final Fantasy Versus XIII Official Japanese Website
Official North American Website: TBA
Official European Website: TBA

Publisher
Square-Enix

Genre
RPG

Platform
PS3 (Playstation 3)

Media
BRD (Blu-Ray Disc)

Number of Players
1

Release Date
JP: TBA
NA: TBA
EU: TBA

Price
JP: TBA
NA: TBA
EU: TBA

Rating
CERO: TBA
ESRB: TBA
PEGI: TBA


Main Developers

Director, Base Story, Concept Game Design, and Character designer
Tetsuya Nomura

Producers
Shinji Hashimoto & Yoshinori Kitase

Image Artwork
Yoshitaka Amano

Mechanic Concept
Takayuki Takeya

Clothes Design
Hiromu Takahara

Scenario Writer
Kazushige Nojima

Composer
Yoko Shimomura

Main Programmers
Hiroshi Harata & Kentaro Yasui

Planning Directors
Yuichi Kanemori & Takayoshi Nakazato

Planning Director (World)
Takeshi Endou

Event Planning Director
Jun Akiyama

Graphic Director (Character Model)
Tomohiro Kayano

Graphic Director (Animation)
Tatsuya Kandou

Graphic Director (Map model)
Masahide Tanaka

Graphic Director (Visual Effects)
Shuichi Sato

Graphic Director (System Menu)
Takeshi Arakawa

Art Director (Character)
Tomohiro Hasegawa

Art Director (Map)
Takayuki Ohtachi

Takeshi Nozue
Movie director

Information About the Game

Final Fantasy Versus XIII is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII was announced at Square Enix's E3 2006 Press Conference in Los Angeles on May 8.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII is focus around the “Fabula Nova Crystallis” myth. It does not take place in the same universe as Final Fantasy XIII does and is Tetsuya Nomura's interpretation of the myth.

Versus in Latin means “to turn around” and in English it means “against”. Both translations are the main keywords for this game.

Early Final Fantasy Versus XIII artwork showed dark and heavy images in comparison to Final Fantasy XIII’s white background. This is going to be translated into the game in a very particular way.

Premises and experiences that haven’t been seen in other Final Fantasy games or other games in general will be present in Versus XIII. It’ll be something truly interesting.

Versus XIII is a title that will unite the nostalgia of the past Final Fantasy games and will tie it to a whole new way to experience the franchise. Level and overall design will be extremely valued in this game.

This game will involve a lot of action, but old Final Fantasy elements will be present as well. They will be taken to a whole new level with the technology that Crystal Tools and PS3 are able to provide.

In Versus, there are two types of event scenes. Pre-rendered and real-time. The real time cut scenes are controllable. The team decided to get rid of the non-controllable real time cut scenes in order to keep the player from stopping. The controllable cutscenes will have more natural expression as opposed to the game-like expression of past games.

CGI cut scenes are present but there won't be much of it. This change has happened because the development staff has reached their target render for the world and the characters. Therefore, Jun Akiyama and the planning directors decided to scrap most of CGI scenes and re-do them in full real-time. Nomura confirmed that the opening scene in the 1st Production Department trailer is CG and everything else, such as the scene between Noctis and Stella, is real time running on the PlayStation 3 hardware.

One reason the game may look so good is because there are only minimal differences between the game's high and low quality models. Nomura says that they have kept the high and low quality models the same, with exception to the greater hair detail in the high quality versions. The inclusion of Takeshi Nozue on the staff also helped, said Nomura. Nozue was able to apply use his pre-rendering knowhow on the game's real time scenes, specifically with regards to lighting technology.

Yoshitaka Amano artworks will appear as paintings throughout the game and they will not be exclusive to the goddess fal'Cie Etro

Final Fantasy Versus XIII will using lighting technology from the Luminous Engine. Versus aims for photo realism so it places greater importance on lighting.

Versus XIII has its own action game-oriented engine. The lightning tech from Luminous is being coupled with this for Versus XIII.

As of July 2011. Nomura siad that because they're trying out a lot of new challenges, the development staff is still focused on the core members. However, they're making preparations to enter full production.

Also as of July 2011. They're also gradually recording the game's voices. Regarding the recording, Nomura said that there are many scenes where the four male characters are engage.

Story

Prologue

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
-William Shakespeare

The true figure is still hidden in the sleep.
An isolated nation protected by an ancient line of Kings. A modern civilization alive with crystal's songs of swords and sorcery.
A lone Kingdom fighting to forestall the outer world from imposing its heretic order. The struggle for the final crystal is merely a prologue to the chronicles of new era.
This is a fantasy based on reality.
A meeting predestined by the divine.
Eyes that see the light of expiring souls.
A act of love by the last king.
The figure that still lies asleep in the fantasy.


The enemy of Final Fantasy Versus XIII is the Kingdom of Nifiheim. At the beginning of the recent trailer, they are seen in their airships invading Noctis' country. This is the beginning of an "escape drama" for Noctis and friends but he thinks of himself as pursuing the enemy instead of fleeing instead.

The main character in Versus, Noctis, is a Prince. The heir to the throne. The throne to the last kingdom where the crystal was held. The Kingdom is modern, advanced and much further along then outside world, to the point that they have basically isolated themselves within. The city nation is said to be protected by a Magic Order, whom must stand against an invasion in the Kingdom. This fight over the last crystal is said to only be the beginning of a new generation.


Other Facts

Final Fantasy Versus XIII shares many similarities with the story of Hamlet. With even a quote from the story in the original trailer. Little else is know about the story of Versus at this point.

Early regions in the game are heavily inspired by western “bang-bang” movies.

The main design key point for the clothes is “Jet-black” and there will be a lot of scenes and circumstances where this design will show mainly because it is compatible with the mood of the game. Hiromu Takahara is working on the character clothes and his designs will be heavily influenced by the asymmetric forms as they have always been.

Most importantly, Final Fantasy Versus XIII will follow the Fabula Nova Crystallis Mythology, but does not take place in Final Fantasy XIII's universe.


Noctis Lucis Caelum
The protagonist of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, he is believed to be a tragic hero, like Hamlet. In Latin, the name "Noctis Lucis Caelum" means "Light of the Night Sky". Noctis is the next in line for the throne of the land he protects. Specifically the Prince protects a crystal of some great importance. In the trailers the Prince is seemingly emotionless, but incredibly brutal. Breaking necks, gory impaling, Noctis spares no effort in battle.

Despite this he is not a dark character and laughs at things usually with his friends but has an enigmatic face and a whole lot of mystery surrounding him. He’s a shy character to strangers and doesn’t talk too much but he is a pretty confident man and sometimes he lets it show. Noctis is very calm and feels embarrassed when his words don’t express the feelings in his mind. He can become extremely moody when this happens and he lets it show on his face.

Noctis' weapons are quite unique, and should make for quite a large part of the game play variations in the game, as he has many, many weapons at his finger tips. He doesn't carry or sheath his swords or holster his guns, they're simply with him. He seemingly wills them into materialization in an instant, dozens of them, rapidly. The amount of weapon switching seen is simply mind boggling. Noct also possesses the ability to see the Light from the Dead though prefers not to talk about it as it brings him bad memories.

Stella Nox Fleuret
Stella has been described as an unfortunate enemy of Noctis, as in, the two likely don't want to fight one another, but they must simply due to their allegiances. Stella hails from the Fleuret family from the Kingdom of Tenebrae. She is the only confirmed enemy character for the game so far, with virtually no other detail known.

She converses in very soft and polite way, generally goes directly to the point at hand and doesn’t fear a harsh reply. She doesn’t take things too seriously, but she will learn along the way that things are not the way we want, ever.

Stella has the ability to see the “Light” just like Noct has. She speaks openly about it without any restraints, feels intrigued by it and searches for answers on her first meeting with the Prince.

Ignis
Ignis is the only party member outside of Noctis whose name has been confirmed. He was raised from childhood to be akin to Noctis' military tactician. In the trailer, the selected scenes show that Ignis is counseling Noctis to make that relationship between the two clear. Ignis is a childhood friend of Noctis.

Gladiolus
A childhood friend of Noctis who fights with his bare fists. Gladiolus has not been confirmed to be his official name yet but it appeared in the recent trailers.

Prompto
A new, not childhood, friend of Noctis who fights with a gun. Like Gladiolus, Prompto has not been confirmed to be his official name yet but appeared in the recent trailers.

King Caelum
The father of Noctis who is a king that will not give up the throne and will be the final king. In the latest trailer, he is not saying this to Noctis like some people have thought. Who he is saying this to is a secret for now. The throne he sits on is not the same throne that Noctis sits on at the end of the recent trailer.

White Robes
Seen in a standoff and pointing a gun at King Caelum. Nomura said that the white robed character we see in this trailer is not the same as the one from previous trailers. The two white robed men are different.

Etro: The Goddess of Death
Goddess of Death/Shinigami – Etro is worshiped in the game and it is a fal’Cie. This is not to be confused with Etro from FFXIII, even though they are very similar. Two different universes here. There is a legend in the Kingdom of Tenebrae about Etro saying that she is said to greet the souls of the deceased and open the door to the afterlife. When that door opens, the released souls burst out in a streak of light that ascends to heaven. Very few people can see this light and those who can see it are given power from the Kingdom of the Dead. During their conversation in the technical demo, Noctis and Stella mention they can see the light, and the former wonders if they are dying. In the Fabula Nova Crystallis Mythology, Etro created mankind from her own blood.

Gameplay System
Interactive World

Final Fantasy Versus XIII will have a variety of "gimmicks". By "gimmicks" Nomura means things such as the overhead walkway gets destroyed by the Behemoth as Noctis crosses it. If Noctis never crosses the walkway, the Behemoth will not destroy it. Creating these types of gimmicks are tough on the development side of things.

The city scene where Noctis is fighting the Behemoth is full of destroyable objects such as trees and electricity poles for example. In the 1st Department Premiere trailer, you end up fighting the Behemoth on a three level freeway area where the road has been damaged so you'll need to move around by jumping. The buildings that line the road have some emergency stairwells that can be entered and climbed to get to the roof with Noctis then pulling himself to the very by using the air conditioner. These are just some examples on how interactive the game will be.


Event Scenes

Versus XIII will have event scenes that the player can control. In the recent trailer, we see a forest in the evening showing a low view point of Noctis running up to King Caelum. The view point is low because it's a flash back from Noctis' youth. This is just one example of a event scene that the player can control.

World Map

Regarding the fields, it's not a completely open world. It's like the 2D FF games but in 3D. Players will find a big world map with vast fields where the they will be able to explore as far as the eye can reach except the mountains. Terrain diversity is much more detailed and vast than in Final Fantasy XIII.
Battles will take place in real-time environments using all regions of the field, from up high buildings to down low streets. Players will have to fight using the full environment, both directly in front of them and above and below(aka vertical battles). This allows some battles to happen in very intense places.

Vehicles

It’s possible to fly airships over the world just like in older Final Fantasy titles. You'll be able to drive a car, ride mechs, tanks and Chocobos as well.

Day and Night Cycles
The day and night cycles and cloud formations are done by physical calculation. It was decided to be made this way to have a smooth change between the cycles and to have a much more dynamic lighting system, which reflects the mood of a certain region/place.
With addition to the day and night cycle, players will find different beasts at different times of day.

Monsters
Enemies will vary in sizes depending on the location. In the city, the Behemoth was large because of all the tall buildings. If it was small, their wouldn't be much of a impact.
The monsters wander throughout the field and sometimes hostile ones will suddenly appear to ambush you. It has been confirmed that a lot of different kind of monsters exist.

Seamless

The game is basically seamless. There will be seamless battles and no load times too. The only loading the player will experience is between large areas. They are also implementing a type of loading that happens while watching an event scene. This way it’s possible to give players the most immersive experience they have ever had.

It will be different from the battle system of Final Fantasy XIII. Versus XIII will draw the nostalgic feeling from old Final Fantasy titles and blend it with a whole new concept.

The action and the pace will be similar to the battles of Kingdom Hearts but united with new mechanics. Both, FF and KH, styles will be mixed into this game. Nomura said that the actions the character performs after selecting commands for them is close to that of Kingdom Hearts.

Characters will do actions like double jumping and so forth and move with great speeds.

The game will have elements of what Nomura referred to as a "TPS," or third person shooter. Your view of the action will change based on the weapon that you're using, in order to give the best control.

You can have up to three members in your party. The party members will be chosen for you as part of the story because of tutorial considerations. As you advance further into the game, you will be able to select your members. Noctis is always part of your party and if he dies, the game is over.

You will be free to switch between three party members during battle if you want to.

While Versus won't have team-up attacks that form super a super attack, Nomura said that players can time their characters to chain together multi-character attacks on their own. It's seen in the trailer but hard to noticed due to the speed of battles. Examples of this system involve using magic to send the enemy flying back and then switching quickly to another character to come in for an attack.

The trailer showed Noctis warping about while taking out enemies. Nomura explained that players wont be able to warp freely to every spot on the battle field. However, you will be able to warp to the location where you've placed your sword. You can also throw your sword into the distance, then warp to it. This is one area of the game where Nomura and crew are currently conducting test.

When asked about changing eye and hair color Nomura, the projects director, stated that his eyes and hair change with his emotions as well as different actions in battle.

HUD
The icons and gauges in battles are a mix of finalized and temporary. The commands are currently temporary and the gauges for HP and so-forth are final.

A sub window that copies Noctis and other party members expression is shown at the bottom of the page as they are fighting. This will help with things like knowing if a character is in trouble or not. Just like Kingdom Hearts but extremely more detailed.

Weapons

Each character has their own specialties and attack differently depending on the weapon.

Noctis will be able to have access to a lot of weapons like swords, axes, lances and guns. Some of the different types of guns for example are hand guns, machine guns, shot guns, rifles, bazookas and much more. The Versus team is placing a focus on making the the motions used on the variety of weapons look different from each other.


The trailer shows Noctis selecting from a number of different weapons to defeat the hundreds of enemy soldiers that stand before him. The various weapons in the game will have different methods of attack, and some will even be usable as shields to go along with Noctis's crystal power. Weapons will have some sort of customization element. Of course, the main character won't have his full arsenal available to him at the outset of the game.

Two or more weapons can be used by Noctis by going into the menu screen and equipping him with multiple weapons. These will automatically switch out as you fight and give you various combos depending on the weapons you have set up for him.

The other party members will be able to use only certain weapons.

Ignis specializes in support-style attacks. He is a strong magic user and can throw knives and many other weapons. He is seen wielding a katana blade.

Scar faced Character fights with his bare hands and can use larger and more heavier weapons like pile bunkers and broad swords.

Blonde Character is a gunner. With this character, the player will be able to display a targeting reticule which will allow you to aim for weak points on a enemy. Noctis can use guns but only has a auto aim function. His aiming is useful for large monsters who have weak points in various areas and can be targeted for positional damage.

Magic
All characters can use magic, but Noctis must be there as part of the story setting. This power of "light" that Noctis and Stella talk about is different from the power of magic Nomura states.

Summons
Summon beasts are in the game and to obtain them they have to be defeated like in Final Fantasy XIII.

Vehicles
You'll be able to ride Magitek Armor (mechs) and get on other vehicles to fire its weapons as well.

Other
Versus will have a job system but not for the characters that the player will control. Enemies will come in classes such as dragon knights and summoners. The Dragon Knight character seen in the trailer is a enemy who is part of a special group of people within the enemy army and uses unconventional armor that differs from the army's standard issue.

Nomura said that the game will have six axis support but gave no specifics about it.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Developer Comments:

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Interviews:

Tetsuya Nomura Final Fantasy Versus XIII Twitter Tweets:

source: finalfantasy-fxn

Looks good.

Thanx for posting this

+ rep

Good old Square Enix trolling you with the best game ever for like 5 years But this is the sole reason I almost bought a PS3 a few months ago, I still might

Bou wrote:Thanx for posting this

+ rep

Thanks

@Godlike I'm gettin' the vita first, but hopefully by that time i'll have a job to get the ps3.