Final Fantasy XIII-2 Update: Historia Crux (UPDATE 2!)

Posted on September 11th, 2011 by The Mistress

Looks like Final Fantasy XIII-2 is gearing up to be better than the first game. We’ve got juicy info on one of the game’s unique features, some screenshots, and some plot details involving our favorite protagonist, Lightning.

UPDATE NUMBER 2
Mai Fukui and Charice (yes, our very own Charice Pempengco) will be a duet for the theme song for the Japanese and English versions of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Wow, Charice has even swept Japan now? Anyway, video hit up!

BIG UPDATE!
Do a domain lookup and you’ll find out that the website finalfantasyxiii-3.com has been taken by domain registrar Corporate Service Company. No “Square Enix” is indicated in the said registration. Dubious? Not exactly. Square Enix has a long history of using Corporate Service Company as a means to register their game website domains. Some of these games include Nier, Mindjack, and the yet-unreleased Final Fantasy XIII-2. It is highly unlikely that this new registration is a complicated hoax brought about by the registrar itself, or else lawsuits would fly here and there. This might also just be a case of greedy hostile domain-takeover by Square Enix, but that’s what we also said when CSC registered XIII-2′s domain last January 2011. If this takeover is a sign of things to come, then we can expect the very first TRILOGY in the Final Fantasy series.

Speculation? I think Square Enix is anticipating player reactions from the upcoming XIII-2. Lightning’s appearances are significantly reduced and thus relegated to a backdrop for Serah and Noel’s main plot. Best guess is that the supposed third game will wrap things up on Lightning’s side, which may take place in Valhalla. If that doesn’t end the XIII series to a close, then perhaps the story will be a different adventure entirely, with a fully-reunited cast. Whatever it maybe, we’ll have to wait until Square reveals the details. Anyway, moving on to Final Fantasy XIII-2…

Chrono Trigger? On My Final Fantasy?
Final Fantasy XIII-2 hosts a new gameplay feature that may prove to be larger than anything we’ve had in Square’s eponymous game. Dubbed the “Historia Crux,” this new feature allows our two protagonists, Serah and Noel, to travel forward in time, around Pulse. Going around the world in different timelines can be done by looking for hidden Artefacts, and supposedly “reuniting” them with a specific time gate. Specific Artefacts can then send the protagonists into the future of some certain location on Pulse.

According to the game’s director, Motomu Toriyama, Historia Crux is the “heart of the story and gameplay progression” of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Aside from time travel, the protagonists can also rewind time in order to experience multiple possibilities of a certain area. Toriyama stressed the fact that XIII-2 will be more of a player-driven game, compared to its predecessor, which relied heavily on story progression. He adds that the game will have a “multi-layered exploration of history through the Historia Crux.”

Toriyama explains, “The Historia Crux branches off into multiple different routes depending on the player’s choices. You will be able to take a detour into areas that have branched off of the route you have taken, perform side missions and turn back time in each of the areas to experiment with all possibilities. It is of course also possible to progress simply following the main story, like in the original FINAL FANTASY XIII. The flow of areas accessible via Historia Crux has been structured so that all of the player’s actions and decisions will influence the gameplay.”

Perhaps the clincher to the Historia Crux gameplay is this phrase from Toriyama: “…to find additional secrets including the multiple endings that are hidden in the different routes.” “Depending on the player’s actions, new turning points to new futures will appear in time, and these will certainly form the basis for the multiple endings.” We’re having our very first Final Fantasy game with more than just one ending!

Players looking for a world map in the first game will be more than satisfied with the sequel, owing to multiple world maps created from the different timelines that Serah and Noel will come to explore. Numerous sidequests, plus mini games, will be available in this sequel too, due to the insistent reactions from fans. Characters from the first series will also make an appearance in the game. Although, there is a certain possibility that their looks might be different depending on how the timeline was altered. Finally, it’s also possible to turn back time and replay the map as if visiting for the first time all over again. Toriyama gave the assurance of a high replay factor for XIII-2!

Some Story Required
Everything in XIII-2 takes place after the events of the first game. You might notice that timelines are labeled in the “AF” era, which simply means “After Fall.” This pertains to XIII’s ending, the fall of Cocoon.
You might ask who the guy with Serah is. As you’ve read a few paragraphs above, his name is Noel. He came from a future where he is the last man alive. With the human race decimated in his timeline, he goes back in time in order to fix things and prevent this extinction from happening. At the same time, his mission somehow coincides with Lightning’s request to reunite with Serah.

And What Happened to Lightning?
Lightning is still integral to the plot of XIII-2. She’s left Pulse and resided in Valhalla to protect the goddess Etro. For some reason, she has this ongoing feud against the purple-armored character from the trailers shown before. And since Valhalla is in chaos, Lightning simply couldn’t leave Etro behind. It’s still questionable how she was able to contact Noel though, and how Noel’s mission is related to helping Serah back in Pulse. Unfortunately, for Lightning fans, she isn’t the central protagonist in the game anymore. Serah and Noel will be the main characters for this game. Our Odin-summoning warrior will have brief playable appearances in the game though.

This Should Be XIII Instead!
This major update about Historia Crux, combined with the plot details about the protagonists, have certainly caused quite a hype in the fanbase. Let’s hope that this time, XIII can earn its spot as a true numbered Final Fantasy eponym with all the compensation and changes Square made with its sequel. Still, just like the first game, expectations are high for this sequel. I certainly hope that these expectations will be well met once the game is released. If I recall right, the game’s due by the end of this year?

Only one last question remains… WHERE IS OUR VERSUS XIII???!!

Gallery