Final Fantasy XIII
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Final Fantasy FFXIII (ファイナルファンタジーXIII) |
| Abbreviation(s): | FFXIII; FF13 |
| Creator: | Square Enix |
| Date(s): | 2009 |
| Medium: | PS3, Xbox 360 |
| Country of Origin: | Japan |
| External Links: | Square Enix official FFXIII site |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Final Fantasy XIII is a major release in the Final Fantasy series.
Canon
The story of Final Fantasy XIII mainly takes place in the floating world of Cocoon, an artificial planetoid built by the sentient fal'Cie, godlike supernatural beings whom humanity view as their protectors. Cocoon floats in the sky above the land of Gran Pulse, a primeval world where beasts and plants can grow to tremendous sizes. The citizens of Cocoon view Pulse as hell for humans, greatly fearing the Pulsian fal'Cie who have waged war against Cocoon in the past.
The story follows a ragtag group of six people brought together by fate. They must face a series of trials while trying to change their destiny and stop an ancient conspiracy to destroy Cocoon from within.
The Sequels
Characters
Comments
A lot of the story takes place in the two week time-frame before the game itself actually begins, and is told intermittently through flashbacks from multiple points of view and in an Anachronic Order. The characters repeatedly use words like "l'Cie", "fal'Cie", "cocoon", "sanctum", and "focus" without any exposition to explain exactly what they're referring to, much less what their backstories and motivations are in the first place. The only way to quickly catch up with what's going on is to read the datalogs in the menu, which are several dozen pages long. Most notably, the main instigating event in the story, the part that puts the entire rest of the plot into motion—Serah becoming branded as a l’Cie—is never actually shown. While many players are able to enjoy the story regardless, others find the experience so alienating that they give up on trying to follow the story and characters altogether.[1]
When people complain about linearity in FFXIII, they are not complaining about the story structure or the inability to head backwards. They are dancing around the actual issue because it's a difficult notion to pin down, and linearity approximates its shape. Their actual complaint is that FFXIII totally abandons exploration as a mode of engagement.In every other Final Fantasy, the game rewards you for going off the beaten path to some extent. You're expected to talk to people in towns, find hints about secrets and sidequests, then explore areas to find great rewards. Whether it's finding Shiva in Castle Walse, getting the Al Bhed Primers and using them to solve puzzles, or bringing a Rat Tail to Bahamut, the games consistently reward exploration by providing you with powerful items, secret story beats, or background information on the world. Often, it involves all three.
The games use these tools of exploration to build up the lore, helping the player to become invested in the world and the characters who populate it. Whether you're helping Lulu put her former summoner to rest, learning more about Rydia's time with the Eidolons, or just helping an old man enjoy some coffee, these diversions are key to reinforcing the games' themes and encouraging the player to connect with them.
In FFXIII, sometimes the hallway branches for a few feet and you find a potion.
You know why the rest of the series doesn't rely on a codex for the player to understand what the hell is going on? They can explore the world and learn about it without needing a guidebook. FFXIII lacked this pillar of the series, and that made for a poor RPG and a poor Final Fantasy.[2]
Shipping
- Oerba Yun Fang/Lightning (FangRai, FLight)
- Hope Estheim/Lightning (HopuRai, HopeLight)
- Serah Farron/Snow Villiers (Snerah)
- Oerba Yun Fang/Oerba Dia Vanille (Fanille)
- Noel Kreiss/Serah Farron (Noerah)
Fan works
Fan art
- https://web.archive.org/web/20141003061119/http://skirtzzz.deviantart.com/art/Frozen-Fantasy-485325117
- https://crispy6usiness.tumblr.com/post/144529719459/ffxiii-week-day-five-farewell-bye
- https://crispy6usiness.tumblr.com/post/134622481164/a-million-tiny-ffxiiis-saving-the-universe-
- https://crimsaros-art.tumblr.com/post/188634242647/inktober-day-27-crystallized-cocoon-from-final
- https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/71092502
- https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/43651597
- https://www.deviantart.com/artnothearts/art/Farrons-315502126
- https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/46178227
- https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/71092502
- https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/49827673
- https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/40347339
- https://www.deviantart.com/nick-ian/art/Lightning-Returns-It-s-All-In-the-Past-Now-452182735
- https://www.deviantart.com/shinyseabass/art/Final-Fantasy-XIII-Sprites-151507908
Fan fiction
"Fatemates" https://web.archive.org/web/20210121071442/https://archiveofourown.org/works/9862508
Events
Memes
Cosplay
Archives
- Final Fantasy XIII Series works on AO3
- Final Fantasy XIII stories on fanfiction.net
- https://www.deviantart.com/ff13-lovers
- https://www.deviantart.com/finalfantasy13
Resources
Reference