Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the direct sequel to 2009’s RPG, which now follows Serah Farron, Lightning’s younger sister. Whenever you hear about a sequel to anything, natural instincts of being wary of it, kick in. Will it be better? Just as good? Or something to avoid altogether?
Thankfully the 1.29GB demo of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is now live for everyone to try out.
The demo starts out in Chapter Two, interlude with Serah and Noel on Cocoon. There’s no time to explore as the very first thing that you do is fight. Here is your chance to get familiar with how the battle system works. You have the chance to either take the paradigm shift tutorial or not. Here you can change the strategy of your party members to better suit your playing style and to be victorious in battle. There are now cinematic battle scenes during fights, which requires you to press a certain button when prompt (think God of War).
Once the battle is done, you set off within the Bresha Ruins to find a way to finish off the giant monster, Atlas. This is your chance to explore and get a feel of what Final Fantasy XIII-2 is all about.
In Final Fantasy XIII-2, you have the ability to control fallen monsters to help aid you in future battles. If, at any time, you need help with how the game plays, how to fight, or any other possible question, Final Fantasy XIII-2 has pretty much everything covered in its primers.
One of the main focus of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is time and other realities. You will be able to go into the past and any events there or in the present will determine the future, where you can also travel to. To open up gates, you will have to find relics that do not belong in that particular time.
NPCs with something to say will have a small dialogue cloud above their heads. Your companion, if they have something to say, will say it, making the journey more real, instead of having companions who just follow you along, speechless.
The demo itself plays smooth with lot of helpful tips and know-how along the way. It feels like Final Fantasy XIII and overall it is a good demo for anyone interested in the game or for those who are worried about it.
Try out the demo for yourself before the game drops on January 31st (US) and February 2nd & 3rd (AUS, UK).