It may seem like a long time ago, but it was only in 2010 whenFinal Fantasy XIIIwas first released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Later in 2014, it made its way to PC and finally to mobile devices in 2015 but only for Japanese gamers. The game is set on the world of Gran Pulse and the spherical man-made world, Cocoon, that floats above it. Both of these worlds are influenced by the fal’Cie, which are god-like beings who can impose their will onto humans by branding them as “l’Cie” and sending them visions of their “Focus”, the task they must complete. If the task is completed, the person gets to “live forever” in crystal form, if they fail to achieve their task, they become mindless monsters known as Cie’th.
Though the game receivedmixed reviewswith many critics disliking its more linear gameplay,Final Fantasy XIIIwas still considered a success and went on to have two sequels. But even for the most dedicated fans who have by now memorized the lore of the game, there’s a lot about this popularFinal Fantasysequel that they don’t know. Here are ten things aboutFinal Fantasy XIIIyou need to know.
10It Was Originally Destined For The PlayStation 2
Final Fantasy XIIIwas originallyintended to release for PlayStation 2however, after the positive reaction that Square Enix received over its tech demo, it decided to move development over to the next generation of consoles.
It was the first game to be developed using the new Crystal Tools engine, with the team initially thinking that a new engine would expedite the development process. However, using the Crystal Tools engine actually ended up causing a delay because the new engine had to also accommodate the other titles that were being developed at the time.
9It’s Part Of The Fabula Nova Crystallis
Though everyone is aware of the link betweenFinal Fantasy XIIIand its two sequels, many players don’t realize that it is part of a bigger collection of games calledFabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy,with its name meaning “new tale of the crystal” in Latin.
The idea is that the games have different characters and different worlds, but share the same crystal mythos at their core. The series includesFinal Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Type-0(Originally titledFinal Fantasy Agito XIII),Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Agito(a companion toType-0for mobile devices), andFinal Fantasy Awakening(a follow-up toAgito, also for mobile). Originally,Final Fantasy XIVwas going to fall under theFabula Nova Crystallisumbrellawith its original title beingFinal Fantasy Versus XIII, but this was later changed.
8It’s The First Multi-Platform Franchise Title
Final Fantasy XIIIwas the first multi-platform title in the franchise, breaking a long-running tradition of the recent predecessor titles beingSony console exclusives. The game had initially been confirmed as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, so when it was announced that it would also be released on Xbox 360, fans in Japan branded Square Enix’s CEO Yoichi Wada a liar and even sent him death threats.
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It was also the firstFinal Fantasytitle to receive an official release for China and Korea, and additionally was also the firstFinal Fantasytitle where Japanese voice-overs could be enabled by the player.
7Previous Characters Were Used As Stand-Ins During Development
Here’s a little bit of interesting trivia forFinal Fantasyfans out there: whileFinal Fantasy XIIIwas still in early development stages, the team used character models of previousFinal Fantasycharacters as stand-ins for the characters that had not been finished forXIIIyet.
The character models used wereYunaand Rikku fromFinal Fantasy X, and Vaan and Ashe fromFinal Fantasy XII. Interestingly, the development team forXIIIwas led by Yoshinori Kitase, and as such the team was largely the same as the one that worked onFinal Fantasy XandFinal Fantasy X-2.
6It’s The Fastest-Selling Final Fantasy Title
Final Fantasy XIIIbecame the fastest-selling title in thefranchise’s history, selling more than one million units on its first day of release in Japan and over one million copies in North America during the first month of its release.
Square Enix announced in 2014 that theFinal Fantasy XIIIseries, encompassing both of the sequels, had shipped over 11 million copies worldwide in total, and by 2017 it was announced thatFinal Fantasy XIIIalone had sold more than 11 million copies worldwide.
5The Characters Crossed Over Into Other Media
Final Fantasy XIIIproved so popular that the characters appeared in other media. For example, both Lightning and Snow featured in an advert for the SUV Nissan Kicks car in China. Lightning also appeared in a Sony PlayStation advert that featured many protagonists from multiple different titles, where she is seen talking toUncharted’s Nathan Drake.
One of the strangest collaborations has to be between Square Enix and Louis Vuitton, where Lightning modeled for the Season 4 spring/summer collection of clothes and handbags.
4There Is Some Missing Music
Final Fantasy XIIIwas the first main title in thefranchiseto not include either original “Prelude” or the “Victory Fanfare” music, despite both being two of the most recognizable musical pieces in the series.
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Instead, the new “Glory’s Fanfare” music played when players were successful in battle. Additionally, while “Prelude” doesn’t feature properly, there is a piece of music called “The Sunleth Waterscape” that features a short and fast piano mix that sounds similar, though it is not played as the prelude music, which is instead a new track called “Prelude toFinal Fantasy XIII”.
3There Were Plans For DLC
There were originally plans forFinal Fantasy XIIIto receive downloadable content; there is even information found in the game data that indicated a new area called The Seventh Ark. This unused area was an Ark from Gran Pulse that featured the fal’Cie Nemesis.
Hacking into the area allows the player to see a cutscene where the heroes speculate that Barthandelus plans to use the Arks to unleash Pulse weapons on Cocoon and destroy it from inside. Given how successful the game was, it’s likely that theDLCwas scrapped in favor of starting work on the sequel,Final Fantasy XIII-2.
2The Number 13 Is All Over The Game
Final Fantasy XIIIalludes to the number 13 many, many times throughout its gameplay. Just a few examples of this are: the game has 13 chapters, the flashbacks cover 13 days, and there are 13 party members in total when you include all the Eidolons, counting the Shiva Sisters as two people.
Additionally, the number 13 appears often, such as in Leviathan Plaza when looking at the Edenhall, players can see the number 13 on the left wall of the entrance, and also the Cocoon scrip on the arm of the Manasvin Warmech reads “CA13.”
1There Are References to Other Final Fantasy Titles
Final Fantasy XIIIis rife with references to pastFinal Fantasytitles, such as the fal’cie sharing names of past summons, an NPC child quoting Kefa’s line of “Run, run, or you will be well done!”, and some of the weapons alluding to other characters, such as Lightning’s Lionheart Gunblade referencing Squall fromFinal Fantasy VIII,to name just a few.
Additionally, many fans believe that the opening toFinal Fantasy XIIIpays tribute toFinal Fantasy VII, as there are parallels between Cloud and Lightning, withFinal Fantasy XIIIstarting aboard a train and Lighting telling Sazh that she is no longer a soldier. Furthermore, the Manasvin Warmech, the first boss, pays homage to the firstbossofFinal Fantasy VII, the Guard Scorpion.
