Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Jump Festa media includes new screenshots and an extended trailer By Erren Van Duine on December 21, 2012 at 10:00 PM

Marketing for the latest chapter in the FFXIII saga kicks off today with an all new look at Lightning’s final journey.

Several hundred years have passed since she fell into a deep slumber. The world, diseased by Chaos, is on the bring of destruction. The people, hopeless and full of despair, stand by hopelessly and watch the horror unfold in front of their eyes. As the end draws near, she awakens. She is Lightning, humanity’s last hope.

Only 13 days remain until the end of the world.

As the chosen one, Lightning battles her way through the final 13 days in an attempt to save humanity and accomplish her ultimate goal.

With a brand-new battle system, the player will be controlling Lightning and Lightning alone. The Paradigm Shift feature has been replaced with a unique tactical system that will provide a fresh, interactive battle experience.

Lightning can jump, climb, swing and slide. Players can enjoy a variety of different actions by interacting with obstacles and objects. Explore every inch of the world using buildings, decorations, and furniture at your disposal.

Lightning Returns sees the return of composers Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta and Mitsuto Suzuki, who have all worked on the soundtrack for the previous title, FFXIII-2. Hamauzu’s track used in the trailer, “Crimson Blitz,” will be available for download on the iTunes Store on December 23 for $0.99.

Click to enlarge:

Lightning faces Anubys, a barbaric creature whose axe is as destructive as his rage. Will her new blade be enough to defeat this savage creature?

Customization is the name of the game! Unlike the previous installments, players can now mix and match abilities without the limitations of roles.

A brand-new world calls for brand-new monsters. Discover their weaknesses and devise the best strategy for victory.

Lightning finds herself in the city of light, Luxerion, where strange events seem to occur at every turn.

Lightning appears to be talking to a “disciple.” Who are they and what is their agenda?

An organization called the Order is in charge of keeping the peace in Luxerion. Called forth by the hearing officer, Lightning decides to look into the serial killings.

Lightning’s every move in Luxerion is being monitored, but by whom?

A group donning white robes gathers quietly in Luxerion as the clock strikes midnight. Some missions require skills of stealth as Lightning is ordered to trail this mysterious mob.

Interactable objects like this pole can be found around town. Utilize them to get around quickly and effectively.

The dawn’s light uncovers a secret code, one of the clues needed to uncover a mystery. More are hidden around town, but they can only be found during certain times of day.

The train connects all four continents, allowing for free travel throughout the world.

A clock hangs from the station’s exterior. As time management is vital, numerous timekeeping devices are scattered throughout the city.

The downtown area is located between the business district and North Station. Among the businessmen and window-shoppers, merchants can be found selling their unique products to passersby.

Information displays are hung near the ticket gate in the North Station. There are also shops tucked away in the back. The station’s busiest times are in the mornings and afternoons when people head to and from work.

Dangerous foes lurk even in towns. Depending on the time of day, you’ll have quite a battle on your hands! Be prepared for frequent monster encounters after dark.

The streets are full of hustle and bustle during the day, but few residents are seen wandering the premise at night. When darkness falls, monsters come out to play. Different foes can be encountered during different times of day.

  • http://www.facebook.com/choyd Daniel Choy

    I am thinking May, June, or July to be honest. I would honestly think earlier but since KH 1.5 is getting a late March release in Japan, that means that the US would probably see a late April release (if we were to get KH 1.5 here).

    Seeing as how SE wouldn’t release big releases that close together, there would need to be a few months between KH and FF. Realistically a June release seems likely; I am guessing a May release for Japan and a June release for everyone else. They were 30% done in September and 3 months have passed by then. If they started LR production after XIII-2 or after the Lightning DLC, a May release would be a year or so in production length.

    Since they are utilizing some of the same assets and game mechanics they wouldn’t have to build the game from ground up. The time frame between XIII and XIII-2 was 2 years. I think a 1 year development cycle for LR seems realistic.

  • Ehren Rivers

    For those wondering, (or bickering) here is a side-by-side comparison of Lightning’s face an arms from her official XIII, XIII-2, and LR XIII renders. The left column is just these being compared, no edits other than that. I placed them side by side so you could see the colors. In this column, it’s clear that Lightning’s under-arms are not the same color as her face.

    The right column is the exact same comparison, but with the ‘red’ set up to maximum saturation. As you can see, in the XIII and XIII-2 renders her arms and face continue to match. Not only do the arms continue to NOT match in the LR XIII render, but the only parts of the arm that change are the parts that are bordered by red or by reddish shadows in the original image.

    It is clearly, distinctly white. It’s also worth noting that Lightning’s skin seems distinctly more yellow this time around. We also know from the action screenshots above that Lightning’s underarms are the same color as her side, back, and inner thighs. So unless Lightning has suddenly become an albino from the neck down, this is a body suit and I think you’re going to have to learn to live with it.

    http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q247/Kaleden/ColorComparison_zpsf3ce2e45.png

  • Nathaniel Silversmith

    A few notes before I leave you to your stupidity:

    A gameplay video is not a “cover”, it is a gameplay video.

    Buying a game is a way of being able to legitimately vouch on how shit it is (if it is shit).

    You are a loser- “When I saw that SE was doing a 25th Anniversary event at PAX this year I was there. If you could ask any of my friends they would tell you I am a die hard XIII fan. I was part of the master word for PAX 11, I was at the midnight release for XIII, and I was extremely excited at the 25th Anniversary event when they introduced Lightning Returns. I have 1000 / 1000 both XIII and XIII-2.”

    Apparently having a conscience, criticising bad business practice and being a fan whilst not being a nerd with no life is called trolling. In that case, I love being a troll. Good night, goats. You may not pass the bridge unto the pastures of intelligence :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/choyd Daniel Choy

    I like how being a fan automatically makes me a nerd. I like how you have started jumping to just criticizing me as a person instead of arguing your point. I like how you know nothing about my life or what I do for a living yet you generalize me as a nerd. If liking FFXIII makes me a nerd then what are you? A fucking god because you “have a life?” Give me a break dude. If liking video games makes me a nerd I guess I’m a nerd. I really don’t care what you think of me as a person because I realize that you are just some guy on the other side of the screen. Lastly, I like how you are making fun of someone over the internet, talk about having a life huh?

    So you know business practice now? You work for a multi-million dollar company? You know how profits and revenues work? I’m totally shocked you don’t work for SE. You seem to have your head on straight and understand how the business world works. Care to explain why Activision continues to do what they do with the CoD franchise or just about any other major franchise that churns out sequels every year?

    And just because a TRAILER shows 30 seconds of gameplay that makes it a full on gameplay trailer? Did you just witness the whole game in its entirety from a trailer? Wow you must be able to see everything no wonder you are so much smarter than me. You saw a series of battle sequences and you saw Lightning climbing some ledges. OMG THE GAME IS BROKEN, SE CHANGED EVERYTHING, THEY RUINED THE GAME, OMG! OMG! And when I said COVER I was making a comparison, way to literally read it as that Einstein. I really really hope you never play this game since it sucks so damn hard. Boo Hoo cry me a river.

  • Nathaniel Silversmith

    Why would/do people care if it is or isn’t a body suit? They don’t want their waifuu to get a cold?