Lightning Returns – Demo Impressions, Lara Croft & Inside The Square “Directors Cut”

After a few extensive tests with the Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII demo the impression i’m getting is that Square Enix wants to do an overhaul of how their signature series runs. Taking a look at what’s going on with their next huge Final Fantasy title series with number XV, the push for a single character focus, like the Kingdom Hearts series protagonist Sora, Lightnings return see’s her taking the spotlight as the single heroine against the world.

The demo opens with the gorgeous opening cinematic showcasing our Heroine Lightning battling huge creatures, meeting a demon girl, and having a close quarters fight with Snow Villiers, the self entitled hero of the first game in the series, turned depressed guardian of this dying world of humans, partying at the end of days!

After Snow makes his move away the demo begins, introducing you to the games battle system with a tutorial. The new battle systems name is Schemata. Its a system created to replace the Paradigm, as there is no need for one with a solo character running the show. Schemata are changed using R1 and L1 (respectively on Xbox 360) and change between Lightnings classes instantly, granting the ability to switch it up in combat. Each Schemata has a gauge that slowly depletes as moves are used, how much depletes depends on the moves cost of course, more power = more ATB gauge usage. Once the gauge is down, switch to a new Schemata to keep the string of assault going. You can have 3 at once, and even the moves within those are customisable!

This system brings an extremely good “this is YOUR Lightning” feel to your battles. You can customise, tweak and adjust moves, locations of moves assigned to the primary 4 buttons from guarding, blizzaga to a huge Jump attack with the Dragoon class (a powerful move). You can also adjust things like colour pallets, as well as weapons used per class. Everything has its own attributes, stat bonus and negatives as well that can be combined to contribute to a more powerful version of Lightning.

After the first battle you can control Lightning directly running around and initiating battles by attacking enemies in the field with R1 to get a pre-emptive strike, lowering enemy max HP (or Lightnings if you fail!) to get the edge in battle. This demo takes place during a chase with Snow, following him through the linear corridors, jumping over some broken debris and furthering the chase fighting monsters as you go. A mysterious girl that looks strikingly like Serah (Lightnings sister) drops down to greet you as you reach the area exit and summons the demo’s boss monster Zaltys, a final test of Schemata changing, blocking and magical assault to bring your heroine to victory.

Once done, you are free to explore the area until the timer expires at 6am, at which point the demo ends. Using this time to re-battle the giant boss again and again to improve your time for more points is always fun, going back to the potion provider to buy magical boosting potions is a sure fire way of increasing your chances of beating Zaltys in less than a minute, I myself got to 47 seconds. The demo also showcases the Outerworld, the games “Sharing” system, allowing you to share screenshots from your game with Facebook and other playable characters online with their own Lightning.

Personally I do really like this new solo hero business, it focuses the stories perspective and allows for other characters to broaden their individuality around Lightning, instead of all being meshed together as one party all the time.

Other characters do surround Lightning on her quest as the goddess and those characters, some new and others returning from previous titles, will have a chance for one last hurrah as the game comes to its conclusion, and if the demo is anything to go by I am really looking forward to what it can deliver. This is a nice breath of fresh air, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it comes together in the finale!

Also just announced, Lightning will have DLC based on Lara Crofts Tomb Raider outfit! The new one, not the old one, from the Definitive Edition of the game. It will come with a Tomb Raider riot shield and survivors axe. This will be a launch day DLC available for both the Xbox 360 & Playstation 3!

Below is the new is the new costumes trailer:

 

Following this trailer Square have also released the “Inside the Square, Directors Cut” a thirty minute compendium of each of the previous three parts of the Inside Look at Square Enix, complete with little extra’s from the development teams. Get into the heart of Square Enix before Lightning Returns!