While I will not deny I am more interested in the other characters of the Final Fantasy franchise which did not get as much of a chance to shine – the conclusion to Final Fantasy XIII-2 heavily indicated a sequel and that is what Square Enix have today announced. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII has been formally announced at consecutive events held in Shibuya and Seattle today.
The game will serve as a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII-2 and will focus on the final battles of main character Lightning. According to the producer Yoshinori Kitase, the game will feature a much more interactive and immersive world and game than before, as well as having the greatest opportunities to customize Lightning to your liking (Eg. Costumes, Weapons, Armor, Abilities etc). The game will also feature a new battle system, incorporating a mixture of elements from previous releases and new to the game. Further detail was not elaborated upon.
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Yoshinori Kitase – Producer
Lightning Returns takes place in the future from previous releases in an area known as Novus Partus. In this world, there is a doomsday clock that ticks down from 13 days until the end of the world – meaning that Lightning should only have 13 days to assumingly save the world, and features a day/night system to further add to your planning.
The company has now launched its official English website HERE, with plans for more information to be released on the 4th September 2012. As with Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2, the game is slated for release on both the Playstation 3 and XBox360.
Square Enix have also shared this footage from the presentation:
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Motomu Toriyama – Director
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Yuji Abe – Game Design Director
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Isamu Kamikokuryou – Art Director
