Game will deliver more feeling that series original

Nov 25, 2011 20:31 GMT  ·  By

Final Fantasy XIII was widely criticized after launch for failing to deliver the depth of feelings that characterized previous releases in the series but one leading developer working on the sequel says that the focus on Lightning and Srah will inject more sentiment in the game.

Yoshinori Kitase, who is the producer working on Final Fantasy XIII-2, told RPGsite that, “As far as how the sisterly love is depicted, I think that you will have a better sense of it once you play the game. As far as the differences between how they express their affections for each other, in Final Fantasy XIII Serah was a Crystal and Lightning, as an older sister, was trying to save her.”

He added, “Whereas Serah goes out looking for Lightning this time, who has mysteriously disappeared, it seems everyone has accepted the fact that she is gone, but she is determined to find Lightning and she has set off to go look for her. So you can tell that they are sisters, that they have similarities, strong determination and a strong core.”

The developer believes that the focus on a story which involves two sisters rather than two lovers allows more of the player base to identify with the situations shown in the game.

Square Enix stated that the sequel addresses all the problems that fans of the series have signaled for the original, including a better fighting system that is easier to understand and to use and a more open structure, allowing players to take different paths to their objectives.

The developers have also talked about narrowing the graphics differences between the two platforms on which the JRPG launches.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be launched on December 15 in Japan while players in the West will have to wait until the end of January and early February to get the game.