With those items out of the way, let’s discuss the battle system, which has seen a complete overhaul from past iterations of the franchise. Battles are not random, as you can see enemies on the map, and can either run from them or sneak up on them for preemptive strikes. About the only thing XIII has in common with the previous installment (other than seeing enemies on the map) is that you control one character at a time, but unlike XII, where things often felt boring and out of your hands while in combat, XIII is fast-paced to the point where you may react rather than think in certain situations. It’s not really turn-based in the traditional sense, as you have an Active Time Battle gauge that fills up and allows you to perform actions–simple ones take one ATB slot, while more powerful ones may take up to three. You can also stop the gauge and attack at any point by pressing triangle, so if you just need a quick hit or two and don’t want your gauge to fill up all the way, you can.

There are basic attacks and magic attacks, and these can be performed through either your own selection or through Auto-Battle, which selects the maximum (and most effective) attacks you can perform in one turn. If you know an enemy’s weaknesses (use Libra to view them) then Auto-Battle will adapt to that knowledge. It’s a good way to learn what hurts new enemies, even if you’re more comfortable picking your own attacks most of the time, and for those who may not be quick enough to select their own attacks, Auto-Battle works effectively. Your other party members are on permanent Auto-Battle, though just like with your main character, if they know the enemy weaknesses, they will use the most effective attacks and spells.

If it was that simple, the system would be boring, but it’s deceptively deep and very engaging, even if you only use Auto-Battle throughout the game. That’s because of two major items: the first is the “stagger” gauge, which is a damage multiplier. You will see this number start at 100 percent for an enemy, and let’s say they have a cap on their stagger of 200 percent. Once you cross that 200 percent threshold, the damage multiplier jumps to 300 percent, and continues to rise–staggering is the most effective way to dismiss more powerful enemies or those with shields that may be able to reflect or shrug off your attacks completely. The bar is also constantly falling back down towards 100 percent, so you need to keep your attacks up, which can be a problem in more difficult battles where you also need to heal. It’s a battle within the battle in many ways, and it keeps you on your toes and engaged throughout the course of a fight.

The second item is the Paradigm system. There are six roles in Final Fantasy XIII–think of them as a job system of sorts. The Commando, the Ravager, the Sentinel, the Saboteur, the Synergist, and the Medic make up the roles, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses. The Commando causes the most damage and helps to slow the decline of the stagger bar, but they do not raise the bar more than a fraction of a percent at a time. The Ravager does about half of the damage of the Commando, but the stagger bar jumps up the most from their attacks. The Sentinel takes a defensive stance to absorb attacks, and can only counterattack. The Saboteur uses status effect spells such as poison and slow, and can also reduce enemy defenses. The Synergist can cast haste, protect and other defensive spells on your team, and the Medic is capable of healing your group.

You make groups of these roles, called Paradigms. Say you have a Commando, a Ravager and a Sentinel–that’s called “Diversity”. A Commando, Commando, and Ravager would be “Relentless Assault”. Two Commandos and a Medic would be “Tireless Charge.” Two Saboteurs and a Commando is “Exploitation”. You can save up to six of these at a time with a specific party, and switch between them on the fly by pressing the left bumper. Say you had a Commando/Ravager/Saboteur party in order to fill the stagger gauge, and once filled, you wanted to cause the most damage possible–you could switch immediately to your Commando/Commando/Ravager paradigm in order to do so, and if you get the timing right, your ATB gauges will already be full. Maybe your attack strategy didn’t work and you took considerable damage–switch from your offensive position to something like Medic/Sentinel/Medic so you have time to heal while one of your characters tries to draw enemy attacks. It’s an incredible system that the game slowly unveils with time, and it keeps the game challenging and fresh throughout the 60 hour experience.

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About The Author

Marc Normandin was gaming editor of Blast from 2008 to mid-2010. You can reach him via e-mail at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @Marc_Normandin

3 Responses

  1. Shane

    Good review! This is the first Final Fantasy game I’ve played and am enjoying it. I wasn’t aware that it was so linear and usually hate that type of gameplay, but somehow I’m intruiged enough to continue playing this one. It’s unique, and a nice break from the FPS games I usually play.

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