Doomsday Clock Will Feature In “Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII”
Square Enix has given more details about the upcoming title Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII in an interview with Famitsu, translated by Andriasang. The game will clock in at around 13 to 26 hours — a breezy affair by Final Fantasy standards — but Square Enix promises more intuitive combat and a clock mechanic that’s affected by how protagonist Lightning interacts with the world.
Hit the break for more details.
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Following the events of Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns features a doomsday clock timer. One in-game day will take up 1 to 2 hours of real time, with clocks scattered across the rendered landscape to remind players that time is passing. This will affect how players move Lightning around the in-game world, as trains run only during the day and take time to reach their destinations, just as they do in real life.
Questing can delay the end time, but it can also spring players forward in time. For instance, defeating enemies may move time backwards, while performing miracles can make time jump forward as Lightning pays a toll for her kindness.
Fights work with the ATB gauge from other Final Fantasy XIII games, but this time players will assign abilities to controller buttons. This should allow quicker play. Lightning fights alone this time, but players are free to move her anywhere on the battlefield. Timed parts of battles should make combat more intense, too.
With chaos preventing aging, old characters may return. Hope will definitely be in the game acting as Lightning’s guide.
The game ends when time is up. But instead of a twist like Final Fantasy XIII-2 tossed in, Lightning Returns promises a happy ending.
