FTG Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2 | Front Towards Gamer

Thanks for trying, but I want to murder your moogle

As I touched on at the beginning, Square Enix heard our complaints about XIII, and tried to fix some of them for this game. While most of these changes are vast improvements, they also come off as transparent attempts to simply appease as opposed to impress.

While time travel can be a fascinating plot device, it became apparent that Square Enix was using it as a crutch at moments in order to simply open up the game. I lost count of how many times the words “paradox,” “distortion,” and “anomaly” were used to explain nonsensical portions of the story and ridiculously contrived puzzle sections. Still, the concept served its purpose of crushing linearity, as there are ‘towns’ galore and plenty of side quests to keep you occupied.

At no other time does the pandering become more apparent, though, than when your moogle companion, Mog, shows his face. Mog’s exclamations aren’t born from some cool-sounding, distorted synthesis of two animals; they are made by a woman saying “kupo” into a microphone, often after or during deliverance of what is supposed to be a crucial plot point. This utterly destroys any emotional moments you may encounter during the game. The worst part is that Mog’s presence never feels necessary. What you do with your annoying companion (who’s reason for existence is never coherently explained) could just as well be achieved with some magic gem or spell. But Mog wasn’t the only thing I wished I could mute.

Return to hell you demon spawn

DO forget the lyrics

What makes Final Fantasy music tolerable – in the rare instances that it isn’t great – is its universal appeal. Booming orchestral compositions, soothing melodies, and even some electric guitar here and there are all appropriate and fit the moments in which they are presented. You can’t say that the same about diva pop or screamo rock. This game features both, and usually at awkward times.

You see, lyrics tend to polarize, and because XIII-2’s soundtrack is rife with singing, it will be regarded as one of the worst in the series. While music in a Final Fantasy game usually burrows into my associative memory during these lengthy adventures, never have I had the urge to mute my television because I hated the singer’s voice or because the words being spouted were so forcefully connected to the scene at hand. It is a prime example of a musical director going overboard, and I hope it never happens again.

Alas, nothing is broken

Despite all the criticisms listed above, XIII-2 remains a refined game, at least in the sense of putting the disc in your console, sitting down, and gaming some game. Unless the story and characters offend you too much to continue, XIII-2 is a vast experience that may require up to 100 hours to fully complete. I finished at the 20-hour mark on the highest difficulty initially available (which is normal, by the way), but had only 40 out of the 160 collectible fragments, and left many of the areas unexplored. With plenty more leveling up, monsters to hunt, and items to find, I might even revisit the game down the road. Such is the staying power of a Final Fantasy game.

You can't ever say the game looks dull

XIII-2 is also, like its predecessor, one of the most visually beautiful things your console is capable of producing, even if Square Enix didn’t employ as many pre-rendered cutscenes as the last game (most likely to shrink the game down to one Xbox disc as opposed to XIII’s three). Artistic design – no matter how nonsensical it may seem at times – has never been a weakness of Final Fantasy, and the expanded world of Pulse is realized spectacularly.

Phew, let’s end this

I love the Final Fantasy series enough to realize we fans can’t give one of its entries a pass just because of its pedigree. It has to be held to the same standard as any AAA RPG, and perhaps even higher due to the plethora of near-perfection resting in its wake. Hopefully, we (and Square Enix) will all soon forget about this desperate attempt to squeeze extra profit out of the lengthy and expensive development process that was Final Fantasy XIII, and move forward onto something worth remembering.