Final Fantasy XIII logo

When we think there's no hope left, we keep looking until we find some. Maybe Cocoon is past saving, but it's our home. And we'll protect it or die trying! We live to make the impossible possible!

Beaten: Twice, in 2010 and around 2012-2013, picked back up in 2024
Version played: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Steam Deck


I'm going to preface this with the fact that I run a website for the FFXIII trilogy. You should know my bias up front.

If there's one game in the franchise that's particularly maligned, it's Final Fantasy XIII. It's too linear, the characters are unlikeable, the battle system is too simplistic, the made-up words are hard to decipher and require the datalog, and so on and so forth.

I will grant you that the game is linear and doesn't do a good job of hiding it. The rest, I heartily disagree. I have written about this more extensively in this essay so I won't repeat it here, but on the whole, I find that FFXIII is regarded with more ire than it deserves.

But that's fine. Everyone has different opinions. Personally, I loved FFXIII immediately. It was the very first Final Fantasy game I got to play on launch day: I bought a PS3 and the game that very day and set about playing it on my absolutely tiny TV. I was utterly enthralled. Here we had a fantasy story that starts right in the middle of things and immediately goes from bad to worse.

FFXIII's biggest strength is its characters. Unlike a lot of FF games, the whole party gets actual arcs and development over the course of the story. Lightning may be the lead, but it's really an ensemble piece that doesn't work without the whole cast. It's a story about guilt, grief, and redemption. And I loved every minute of it.

It's not a game for everyone. But it's one of my favorites, and always will be.

Favorite character

Lightning isn't just my favorite FFXIII character, she's my favorite FF character period. Her story resonates very deeply with me, and always has. Even limiting it to just the first game, Lightning's journey is nothing short of wonderful.

But to be honest, I love the whole cast. I really mean it when I say that FFXIII is built on its characters. Vanille is a slow burn, but when the truth comes out about her, it's fantastic to watch. Sazh has some of the best scenes in the entire franchise. Hope goes through an absolutely gutting loss and has to find his way out of it. And Fang is simply the coolest.

I didn't like Snow my first time through, and he's taken a long time to grow on me. I like his portrayal in Lightning Returns more, I think.

Favorite music

Oh, man. FFXIII has one of the best OSTs in the series. Masashi Hamauzu went above and beyond with this soundtrack. It really fits the setting, from Cocoon's high tech to the wilds of Pulse. This is a soundtrack I'll easily pick up and listen to at any time.

Favorite tracks:

Favorite location

Man, this is a hard pick. I really like a lot of the areas in Cocoon, especially the Vile Peaks and the Sunleth Waterscape. I also really enjoyed going through Eden.

But man do I love the Archylte Steppe. It's so expansive and there's so much to explore, and it's incredible. I loved all of Pulse, to be honest — Taejin's Tower and Oerba stand out to me as well.

FFXIII may be mostly hallways, but they're very pretty hallways.

Gameplay thoughts

FFXIII has one of my favorite battle systems in the entire series, and anyone who tells you it plays itself is dead wrong.

The previous game had gotten deep into party AI, but FFXIII is where that idea gets further refined. The paradigm system is nothing short of incredible. FF has had a lot of job systems, but this is the first time you could freely change between them during a fight, going from a Sentinel to soak up damage to a Ravager to deal it out in a flash.

But of course it's all about the party synergy. It's deeply satisfying to tank a heavy wave of damage with a Sentinel/Medic/Medic setup, only to swap to Synergist/Saboteur/Commando to start applying buffs and debuffs. This might be the game that depends the most on buffs and debuffs; you really can't get far without them if you take on the harder content.

And then there's the stagger system. While FFXVI and FFVII Remake use the same concept, I think the original iteration is still my favorite. It's so much fun to figure out how to stagger each enemy and then absolutely destroy them.

I also really like the Crystarium, which is sort of a new take on FFX's sphere grid. The fact that it stops you from over-grinding is a little weird and I don't love it, but at the same time it forces you to understand the battle system. There are some boss fights that are genuinely very tough if you're not prepared — but if you are, they're an absolute blast.

It's been a long time since I've played the game, but I believe I did most of the Cie'th side missions in my last playthrough. I never finished getting all the ultimate weapons (I got bored of farming turtles), but I do remember really enjoying the side content. Since one of the trophies/achievements require you to get the best star rating on each of the Cie'th missions, they require some real planning! But it's a blast to take them all on.

Further reading

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