14 DAY TRIAL // Final Fantasy XIII-2 is getting ready for its release early next year, so Square Enix, its developer, has started talking about its various special features, and how the new game will try to build upon the legacy of the first XIII, which wasn’t that well received when it first came out.
We’ve already seen XIII-2 in action before, with the Japanese company even posting a special video guide of the new role playing game, in which it highlighted its main features, options and enhancements over its predecessor.
Now, Motomu Toriyama, the director of the game, has talked with the PlayStation Blog about the story and the all-new Historia Crux mechanic, which practically allows players to travel through the story of the game and just jump through it instead of enduring portions they might not like.
In terms of story, the developer says that XIII-2 will allow players to try out just the main narrative, but also branch out, depending on their preference.
“In Final Fantasy XIII, our concept was to be story-driven and so the game had a very linear development. In XIII-2, we changed the concept to being player-driven and so we’ve prepared story options based on the area and time period the player chooses with plenty of side quests. We have changed it so that the player can enjoy just the main story, or progress in the game while straying from the main narrative path.”
The Historia Crux mechanic, however, is designed to cater to busy gamers who don’t have that much time to engage in a sprawling RPG like Final Fantasy XIII-2 and just want to experience the best parts, leaving the rest for a time when they won’t be so busy.
“We have introduced a new system called “Historia Crux”, which is a portal menu that allows time travel. To best describe it, it’s as if you’re browsing videos on YouTube to get a preview of one part of the story, then the game progresses when you choose which time and area to go to next. It’s a system that’s geared towards busy adult users of this age. Plus, if you want to go back to work on a particular part of the game, you can always rewind the time of that area and try again as many times as you like. We hope you enjoy your journey with this interface with which you can freely travel through history.”
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is set to appear on January 31, in North America, and February 3, in Europe, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.