No one saw it coming, not even our own GamerNode crystal ball fortune tellers. Alas, Final Fantasy XIII was shown by Square Enix at their exclusive theater at E3. As many have come to expect, the game will be nothing short of an epic tale that forces you to become attached to the characters and the plot. Unfortunately, the details were scarce. What we do know, however, is that FFXIII will be the first of the core series to feature a female protagonist as the main character, and the first of the series to be released on Sony’s Playstation 3.
The trailer started out with a glorious CG introduction as a train roared through a beautiful, technologically-enhanced, floating city that is gleaming in rays of sunlight. That is where the CG animation stops, and from here on out, the rest of the trailer is purely shown as in-game, real-time footage – and you cannot even tell the difference. The camera then shifts to onboard the train to a person that appears to be a member of security or military guarding a door that leads to the next cabin. The attention changes to our female protagonist who is walking down the center isle, proceeding towards the guards. In a quick motion, she knocks the guard unconscious and proceeds to the next cabin.
Then, the train emerges from a glass tunnel and collides with a barrier that’s placed on the train tracks. Immediately, the front end of the train is demolished and torn to shreds. The female character flies feet first onto the wall, much like Tifa does during the church fight in Advent Children. Thrusting off the wall with a giant leap, she proceeds to whip out her pistol-like gunblade and unloads havoc to the remaining guards. All at the same time, she is doing extreme acrobatic flips and abstract moves to dodge the attacks of her oncoming opponents.
Then the trailer focuses on a battle sequence that takes place outside of the train, in the glass tunnel that was seen beforehand. Once again, our female protagonist is dealing a fare share of ass-kicking to a handful of guards. This time, there are actually meters and bars on the screen that may represent HP and MP, but her name is not labeled anywhere on the screen. During this fight, she is seen using her gunblade as a firearm and a short sword, as well as casting fire magic upon her foes.
Fast forwarding ahead, the camera zooms through a twisting path in a luscious green forest, full of flowers and plant life. Our heroine then stops to observe the rays of sunlight gleaming through the taller trees in the forest. Flashing back to the train scene, there is now a giant white robotic creature that resembles some form of insect. The beast is straddling the train with its lower body and arching back to attack the female with the upper half. Zooming in on the female protagonist, the camera shows her take a battle stance and toughening the look of her face. The screen turns to black and the Final Fantasy XIII logo appears. Yes, the announcement and trailer for Final Fantasy XIII was truly breathtaking, but not as nearly as awe-inspiring as what happened after the trailer. Another FFXIII title was shown, titled Final Fantasy Agito XIII, which is a mobile game that guides the player through the happenings that occurred before the events of FFXIII.
After that short brief clip, a trailer for Final Fantasy Versus XIII was displayed showcasing a light colored male sitting on a throne. This title is for the Playstation 3 as well, and takes place subsequent to the plot of FFXIII. After contemplating about something for a short time, he stands up and walks out the door of his castle. There is a dark theme apparent in the trailer, opposite of the original FFXIII. After walking down a flight of stone stairs, he encounters a large group of angry people with guns pointing precisely in his direction. The crowd begins to open fire at the young man, but he throws a swift hand into the air and an invisible shield blocks the raging bullets. Again, the screen fades to black as the Final Fantasy Versus XIII logo appears.
Final Fantasy XIII will be the foremost title of the newly announced Final Fantasy XIII: Fabula Nova Crystallis establishment. Fabula Nova Crystallis, in Latin, means ‘the new tale of the crystal.’ Moreover, this huge compilation of games includes XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII for the PlayStation 3, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII for mobile phones. It appears that Square Enix is making a franchise out of each individual Final Fantasy installment, rather than having the series stand as a franchise on its own. We’ll have further information on Final Fantasy XIII: Fabula Nova Crystallis as more details fly out the door.
