Final Fantasy XIII Battle Explanation - WingDamage.com

Jesse Gregory of WingDamage.com explains how the unique battle system of Final Fantasy XIII works.

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== Video Script ==
Hey there!

Jesse Gregory here from WingDamage.com with with a quick look at what to expect from Final Fantasy XIII's battle system.

While the Final Fantasy series has a reputation of mixing things up with each new game, 13 takes an especially large departure from many of the staples we've come to expect.

Much like 12, the result of 13's changes have once again polarized many long time fans of the series.

While many of its other aspects are in debate, 13's strongest point is definitely it's battle system. Though you will control parties of up to three characters, only the party leader will be controlled directly.

The indirect control over the rest of your party comes in the form of roles, a job-system reminiscent of Final Fantasy X-2's Dress Spheres. At any time during battle, you can perform a paradigm shift and switch to a different set of these roles.

Roles will determine which abilities each character has available to them. While they may have new names, many of these roles are similar to past Final Fantasy games. The Commando is your warrior, Ravagers are essentially black mages, Medics have the healing power you'd expect from a white mage, and so on.

With this system comes a huge change in focus. Rather than micromanaging who is performing which attack, the most important thing is to know which roles to switch to and when to do it. Often times, you'll find yourself making tough decisions such as whether or not to hold on to your offensive roles for that last second before switching to a medic.

This change in focus is complimented by the battles extremely fast pace. While the ATB gauge is in place, you won't have to wait for it to fill completely to perform actions. Instead, the gauge is divided into sections.

Each ability takes a different amount of the gauge. To put it simply, a Fire spell only takes 1 point, while its more powerful versions, Fira and Firaga, take 2 and 3 points. Its up to you whether you unleash a full gauge worth of attacks or or just execute what's ready.

Another system to keep things interesting is Stagger. Continually attacking the same enemy will stagger them once their chain gauge has been filled. Once this happens, you can score exponentially increasing amounts of damage on them through multipliers.

Different character role's affect the change gauge differently. For example, while a Ravager can raise the chain gauge quickly, it's up to the Commando to prevent it from dropping just as quickly. This adds an extra layer of strategy in choosing your roles.

One of my personal favorite aspects of battles in Final Fantasy XIII is that, unlike many RPGs, each ability you get is actually useful. You'll find yourself making use of buffs and debuffs on a regular basis. Even bosses are often susceptible to debuffs to some extent.

Using all these spells feels great thanks in part to the lack of an MP system. Magic attacks and abilities are as free as performing a standard attack. There is, however, Technique Points, but they are only used for less common actions such as Libra and Summoning Eidolons.

Another way the battle system encourages you to go all out is by making every battle self contained. At the start of every fight, all your characters' HP will be full. In addition to that, losing a battle will start you over right outside the fight, ready to try again. This eliminates the frustration of having to replay sections over while also allowing for some genuinely hard and satisfying encounters with standard enemies.

While I wouldn't want every game to adopt this style of combat, Final Fantasy XIII's battles are a breath of fresh air to the genre.

To find out about the rest of the game, be sure to check out my full review on WingDamage.com

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• Final Fantasy XIII
• FFXIII
• gameplay footage
• game play
• battle system
• explanation
• tutorial
• video review

[MrNotRetardo]

@AddictedToMario yea yooou suck old man ff12 is a game young open minded people would understand

and we also like the other final fantasy games like Final Fantasy X which i loved playing and this video helped alot ill probbaly get it

[AddictedToMario]

Thanks for this. I was really confused about the battle system, and wasn't sure if it was going to be like FF12 (Which I HATED.)

I think this video will help my decision on whether to buy this or not :D

[Jevousza]

Nice summary there. I'm actually contemplating if I should continue playing this (about 30 hours in) or start Resonance of Fate, which has an equally cool looking battle system.