Square-Enix has recently announced Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the third game in the Final Fantasy XIII series. Apparently numbers don’t mean much anymore.
In this game, the players will once again take control of Lightning, the protagonist of the original Final Fantasy XIII. However, unlike Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2, the maps in this game will be far more open. Lightning will be able to run, jump, and hang from ledges like Nathan Drake or Kratos. Supposedly, maneuverability is a big theme of Lightning Returns. The action will take place on four “islands” connected by a monorail.
The premise of the game is one of impending doom. The world will end in thirteen days, and it’s up to Lightning to stop it. It has not yet been revealed how these islands or this coming Armageddon intertwines with the plots of XIII or XIII-2, and I, for one, am confused.
Supposedly, changes to the battle system have also been made. Lightning can now be moved around freely during battle, something that couldn’t be done in previous games. In addition, Square has said that character customization will play a big part in battle, but they did not go into details about how. We also don’t know whether or not you will be able to control any characters other than Lightning.
Finally, it was revealed that Lightning Returns will be the titular character’s last game. Whether or not this means that the Final Fantasy XIII series is finally dead is uncertain, though this would make a fitting end to the trilogy.