Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 694 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 336 out of 694
  2. Mixed: 128 out of 694
  3. Negative: 230 out of 694
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  1. TiagoRPG
    Apr 12, 2014
    3
    I don't know how square enix makes a game like this, it's like they losing the focus of ofinal fantasy series.. What the hell, a game that have a limit to finish? that have just one playable character? that don't let you do "what do you want" because u will not have enough time? i hate it, jut evolved in the battle system. please Square enix no more Lightning games!!
  2. Dyscordia
    Mar 25, 2014
    2
    unable to gain experience, totally fanservice, hybrid control system engages but becomes repetitive, and for fans of this saga, the only positive thing: the big world open for the rest a great disappointment.
  3. itsnotmyfault1
    Feb 18, 2014
    9
    The design choices made in Lightning Returns are interesting and well executed. The fact that grinding monsters no longer nets exp or levels changes the way you approach this novel RPG.

    Although the narrative is still as convoluted as the previous XIII games, the gameplay elements really help you get drawn into the story. How can we make players care about saving the souls of random    The design choices made in Lightning Returns are interesting and well executed. The fact that grinding monsters no longer nets exp or levels changes the way you approach this novel RPG.

    Although the narrative is still as convoluted as the previous XIII games, the gameplay elements really help you get drawn into the story.

    How can we make players care about saving the souls of random people, with their petty desires and melodramatic last regrets? By making it so that completing quests is the only way to strengthen your character.

    How can we give a sense of the world ending, and getting overrun by chaos? By giving the players more time in the world by killing enemies. Every random encounter is Lightning literally pushing back the end of the world. Those monsters also get stronger as time marches on, and you're constantly reminded of the time ticking away on the right side of the screen.

    This game also addresses the biggest complain of the original XIII. Right after the opening tutorial quests, the player is given a great deal of freedom in what quests to tackle next. Although plenty of those quests are essentially fetch quests, you'll be gathering most of what you need by simply exploring this open world, killing monsters as you go to hold back the unrelenting march of time. Additionally, most of the quests are completely optional. The most interesting thing about this open world, quests=levels system is that the rewards are closely tied to emotional impact or sense of accomplishment of that quest. If someone asks you to collect 10 X's for basically no reason at all, that quest is going to be worth practically nothing. Avenging the children of a man pushed into alcoholism in his grief may take a bit more effort, but the reward is fitting.

    The combat is much more satisfying than the previous XIII games. For me, it's a neverending struggle to hit perfect timings, and constantly failing to do so. Hitting a guard just before an attack hit tends to completely nullify all damage, and needs to be mastered immediately, for the sake of your wallet. Timing the blocks in a multi-hit combo is the key to success. Hitting an attack with perfect timing seems to net an extra 10% damage. Switching between different attacks will prevent the final move in a combo (the last hit deals extra damage, but has a much longer cooldown). Switching between magic and physical attacks will aid in managing your spacing, and you can even dodge certain attacks this way. Against some enemies, the easiest way to victory is to cheese juggling or "recoil" inducing moves. Most importantly, knowing your opponent's techniques and squeezing in the maximum number of hits before perfect guarding is critical to clearing large monsters quickly. It feels almost like darksouls or megaman in this regard.

    The "dress-up simulator" aspect of this game appears to be strongly dividing. Personally, I like it and I do enjoy matching my outfits with accessories, and coloring everything to match the environment. Much of that is optional, and I have sacrificed some combat strength to complete a look. I think that this element shows that the game could have done with a bit more polish, as many accessories will float off the character, and your sword will cut straight through most hats and parts of your dress. Which reminds me: Graphically, this game is not very impressive overall. I don't mind very much, but it's pretty obvious. During conversations, you'll often find the camera stuck behind a tree or a bush or something, and think "they really didn't put that much effort into that piece of grass..."

    Regarding Outerworld Services: You do not lose the item that you send via Outerworld Services, nor receive any gil if someone else buys it. A few kind people sent ethers before I was strong enough to take on big monsters to build up meter. If you're having trouble with the time limit, you should seek out the stronger monsters that net 2 EP. Remember: you're fighting to keep this world together, just a little bit longer. Also, people that heavily criticize the time limit need to get better at playing games. Introducing a time limit is also not really that new of a mechanic. Old school Prince of Persia comes to mind, as well as the Atelier games.

    To talk briefly about the soundtrack and audio effects: It's great and does an amazing job of filling out the setting and atmosphere. Zones will have different night vs day tracks, which matches well with the visual changes and monster types/frequencies. You could never confuse the calm desert nights with the lively party atmosphere of Yuusan. Another great touch is the various audio effects of the world around you. Forest mushrooms emit an eerie hum that matches with their florescent glow. Sliding down the sand dunes looks and sounds great. Various bards sing over the town track as you pass them.

    I think that the selling point is the open world and that the gameplay elements very strongly tie in with the setting.    … Expand
  4. Chris71186
    Apr 7, 2014
    0
    This game is just awful. Being a longtime FF fan this is truly the first game in the series that I absolutely hated and could not finish. I loved FF13 and FF13-2. Honestly not sure why people hate these games. They were the best games sense ff10. However what Sqaure seemed to do with the conclusion of the series is stick every sidequest I ever SKIPPED in previous FF games and made them aThis game is just awful. Being a longtime FF fan this is truly the first game in the series that I absolutely hated and could not finish. I loved FF13 and FF13-2. Honestly not sure why people hate these games. They were the best games sense ff10. However what Sqaure seemed to do with the conclusion of the series is stick every sidequest I ever SKIPPED in previous FF games and made them a primary factor of this game. I hate the time limit put on the game. It takes away everything that makes a FF game great.

    I hated the battle system more than anything. It was to "real time". What makes FF games battle system great is being able to strategize and think. This battle system feels to much like "legend of zelda" for my taste. It almost seems like they took the battle system from zelda and put a FF "coat" on it. In my opinion they shouldn't even call this an FF game. They took elements of other games, mixed them with the worst elements of any FF game, and created a disaster.    … Expand
  5. Ahree
    Feb 18, 2014
    10
    Easily the best of trilogy and a solid RPG in general with lots of challenge and replay value. It's a thrilling take on the action styled battle system with enough new things to keep things fresh.
  6. Jameron4eva
    Feb 18, 2014
    9
    Personally I've love the XIII series, due to i love the story, and the characters. People in AMERICA seem not to like it a lot, but they flip the bird to the international community who seem to really really love the series. I'm with the International crowd on XIII, XIII-2, and now since it's out, Lightning Returns. Contrary to IGN and Game-informer, i feel this game deserves an 8.5-9 inPersonally I've love the XIII series, due to i love the story, and the characters. People in AMERICA seem not to like it a lot, but they flip the bird to the international community who seem to really really love the series. I'm with the International crowd on XIII, XIII-2, and now since it's out, Lightning Returns. Contrary to IGN and Game-informer, i feel this game deserves an 8.5-9 in terms of score. The graphics are about equal, maybe a little better in places, a little less in others, but at the end of a console generation, for a cross-platform game, that's to be expected. The story is actually easy to understand if you would take the time to listen, but we American's seem to not want to. The combat is the most fluid out of the 3, and I'm glad were now seeing a faster paced combat system with the real time battle system. Each game is different, VII was a different one from VI, which was in turn different from V and VIII. We need to face it, America is NOT the end all, be all in video games, and Square will do what the WORLD WIDE AUDIENCE wants, not just one country. And I'm with the world wide audience in that the XIII series, and Lightning Returns itself is a success, and I'm glad to see the series end on a high note like LRFFXIII.… Expand
  7. connor0796
    Feb 22, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Lightning returns brings nothing big to the table, using an outdated engine. Its a disappointing experience in many ways, filled with fetch quests and it manages to bring in all the characters that you may have loved in the previous instalments and destroys them more or less. Its very far away from being a satisfying end to ff13. Although it does bring some fun into the experience which depending on who you are you might be able to play the game once or twice, the new style of gameplay is fun the new scenery introduced is beautiful and they give enough reason to play the new game +… Expand
  8. BaronMonaco
    Aug 4, 2016
    4
    The Final Fantasy XIII trilogy has been disappointing from the start but this third instalment lowers the bar even more and this is why.

    Technically the game is okay, no bugs, graphically acceptable for 2014 (not a lot of evolution from the first game), there's very few different characters and they all look alike, even some important characters have no particular design. The musics are    The Final Fantasy XIII trilogy has been disappointing from the start but this third instalment lowers the bar even more and this is why.

    Technically the game is okay, no bugs, graphically acceptable for 2014 (not a lot of evolution from the first game), there's very few different characters and they all look alike, even some important characters have no particular design. The musics are good and fits well in the game.

    Concerning the gameplay there's some good ideas concerning the fighting system: customization of three styles each with its own gear and skills set and most of all point of action (each skill use some point of action and they come back with time) but all those good ideas are simply hidden by a simple fact, it's boring to death, the enemies takes forever to die (they not really harmful but boy they have a lot of life points) even the most simple ones can take over 50 hits and boss fights are even more tedious, you could close your eyes as long as you smash the buttons in the right order. There's a solution to have shorter fights, you must farm like an idiot and do the same fetch quests over and over and have a character over powered, you'll kill the challenge but win time. For the RPG elements the open world is very small and I think that's the reason why there's a time limit in the game, if you go through the game you'll know every bit of the map too well.

    The story like all the XIII is pure garbage probably written by an unicorn who throws up rainbows,they all deserve a good slap as none of them seems to be able to think with common sense and the side quests have no interest except for farming, they all can be summarize in one sentence, so pointless. It will take around 40 hours to finish it and it was already too long after the fifth.

    So in conclusion Lightning Returns puts a nail to the XIII coffin, and we'd better hope she'll never return another time, despise some good ideas I don't advise this game to anyone (even for the ones that liked the previous episodes) as this is the worst JRPG I played in this generation .    … Expand
  9. StriderKiwi
    Feb 24, 2014
    7
    I went into this game expecting it to be pretty damn cool (loved the demo) but either way, this game is bound to disappoint some. The combat is great and a new twist that imo, the Final Fantays series had been failing in for a good several years now and the free roaming exploration angle is nice too as are the gear, weapon and overall cosplay-angle customization but the story is reallyI went into this game expecting it to be pretty damn cool (loved the demo) but either way, this game is bound to disappoint some. The combat is great and a new twist that imo, the Final Fantays series had been failing in for a good several years now and the free roaming exploration angle is nice too as are the gear, weapon and overall cosplay-angle customization but the story is really bad, the graphics aren't impressive at all and some of the new features like the time cycle and the fact that you only level up through side quests and not by fighting enemies are unwelcome. I still don't consider it to be a bad game per se but it's definitely not a great one either.… Expand
  10. Shockadelica
    Mar 4, 2014
    9
    I love this game! I am so happy that I followed my instinct on this one and did not fall for the percentage score. I am completely hooked and cannot believe how much I am into this game, as I am disillusioned with games in general and even the supposedly "greatest" games are boring and unfulfilling to me. I am actually excited to go home and play this. It may be a little intimidating atI love this game! I am so happy that I followed my instinct on this one and did not fall for the percentage score. I am completely hooked and cannot believe how much I am into this game, as I am disillusioned with games in general and even the supposedly "greatest" games are boring and unfulfilling to me. I am actually excited to go home and play this. It may be a little intimidating at first, it is a hardcore game but you will understand it more as you go. You have to kill enemies so that you can freeze time. I love how monsters can become extinct. I haven't even played the other FFXIII games and I don't need them to understand what is going on. It feels kind of mysterious this way. I am playing a game, I don't really need to know all the story details. I am baffled at the negativity being thrown at this game, similar to the ignorant misunderstandings towards the innovations of the masterful works of genius Final Fantasy VIII and XII. It is definitely as good or better than Bravely Default, which I love. For me it is much more entertaining and rewarding as higher rated games such as Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto IV and V, Uncharted, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, Halo, Call of Duty, Infamous, Battlefield, Fallout 3, Dragon Age, Ni no Kuni, Heavy Rain, LA Noire, Diablo III, Monster Hunter, etc as well as all the forgotten loads of garbage people are tricked into playing by these reviewers who are lying to us. For a game, I create the emotional connection, not necessarily because the game is trying to force me to feel that way. The ending of A Link Between Worlds made me tear up a little, and it wasn't even trying. I want a video game, not an interactive movie, there are no quick time events here. It is best to play on easy mode the first time. I have a friend who is playing it for the fourth time. Believe it. Try this game for yourself and make your own opinion, don't make the assumption that these reviewers actually know how to play games or even like games or know anything about music or art or any other form of entertainment. If you like Persona, Final Fantasy XII, Tekken, Street Fighter, Blaz Blue, Bayonetta or Dark Souls/ Demon Souls you will know what I am talking about. They review this like they are talking about a TV show or music. Lighting Returns has fantastic music by the way.… Expand
  11. cidgrad01
    Dec 21, 2015
    1
    Lightning Returns takes the crown of "Worst Final Fantasy Game Ever" away from FFXIII, a feat I hadn't thought possible. I had high hopes for this one because, while I certainly loathed FFXIII (despite putting over 100 hours into it and getting all achievements), I enjoyed FFXIII-2 a great deal. Sadly, I feel LR was made simply to troll fans as it combines all the worst elements of theLightning Returns takes the crown of "Worst Final Fantasy Game Ever" away from FFXIII, a feat I hadn't thought possible. I had high hopes for this one because, while I certainly loathed FFXIII (despite putting over 100 hours into it and getting all achievements), I enjoyed FFXIII-2 a great deal. Sadly, I feel LR was made simply to troll fans as it combines all the worst elements of the first two games and adds in some new bad stuff, as well.

    The characters and writing in FFXIII were horrible. They were bland, stupid, the dialogue consisted mainly of them repeating key plot points, and you had to play pretty deep into it to discover WTF was even going on. I feel Lightning herself is a pretty terrible protagonist, and sadly Squeenix decided to ONLY let you play as her in LR. Your only companion in this game is Hope, who does not travel with you but stays at your home base, called the Ark, and constantly bombards you with radio messages. These usually consist of repeating obvious plot information (like reminding you time is precious, saying something you just heard thirty seconds before, or literally: "Try not to die."). So the game is a whole, whole lot of Lightning conversing in her emotionless monotone with Hope at his most annoying. And whenever they have an interesting conversation, it takes them forever to get to the point, and remember: you're running against the countdown clock and generally don't want to stop & listen.

    Another thing FFXIII was criticized for was being insanely linear. LR opens things up and gives you freedom to choose which quests to pursue, but then bizarrely hamstrings you with a clock which counts down to the end of the world (and game over). So yeah, you can wander around and pick up random quests, but you have to do it all in a limited amount of time. Furthermore, some quests are only available at certain times of day. This means that, to realistically finish the game with a good ending, you will miss a lot on your first playthrough but also keep notes for a second playthrough or follow a guide. You get an ability early on which lets you freeze the clock, but doing so consumes a resource and the only way to recharge it is by fighting random monsters.

    Which brings me to the combat system: it sucks. Worst yet in the FF franchise. I wasn't a huge fan of combat in FFXIII or XIII-2, but it at least made sense. Combat has become truly Byzantine in LR. It revolves around cosplay outfits for Lightning, and you can have three of them active (so it's basically the same as the roles from earlier games, only you have no one else in your party). Each outfit has different abilities & stats and there are also different weapons, shields, and accessories. You can mix & match most abilities and can also synthesize new abilities. Some abilities & items you can only get as random drops from monsters, which sucks b/c remember: you are on a countdown clock. And you do not gain any XP from battles, as there are no levels in this game. You only gain stats by completing side quests.

    And combat basically comes down to how well you can block, which is a glorified quick time event. There is "blocking" and "perfect blocking", the latter of which helps stagger enemies, prevent damage, and get rare item drops. The problem is you have to press the button within 1/6 of a second before the enemy's attack connects. As you might guess, that means a lot of trial & error with learning animations of the various enemies and when their attacks will hit. So they went from combat which essentially played itself but at least looked nice and was cathartic, to combat which is frustrating & requires study of individual enemy weaknesses, constant reshuffling of how you build your outfits & gear (depending on what you're fighting), and expert timing of button presses (you can get "perfect" attacks as well as perfect blocks, but good luck with that).

    The graphics are pretty bad in LR, as well, another shame since that was previously the biggest thing the series had going for it. Aside from Lightning and her numerous outfits, textures are generally muddy and other characters (especially NPCs) don't look so great. Most of the monsters are, once again, the same character models first seen in FFXIII. As for the music, I wouldn't call it "good", but it at least doesn't grate on your nerves like a lot of tracks in the previous two games.

    The last straw is the incessant, pointless dialogue which accompanies practically every quest, whether a main story or side quest. I frequently found myself yelling, "JUST SHUT UP!" at the screen. Not to mention some of the completely stupid things you'll be doing in these quests: like talking to Dr. Sheep to help find his missing fuzzy sheep. Why should anyone care about finding their ship a few days before the end of the world? Who knows. Who cares? Side quest!

    Overall: LR is a gigantic disappointment in every way after the series saw an improvement in FFXIII-2. Got a bad feeling about FFXV..    … Expand
  12. Altenfinder
    Feb 19, 2014
    6
    Much less than i was specting , poor game interaction , you just talk , upgrade gear , battlebattlebattle and battle , just annoying for me , really..., and you gotta really be a fan of FF series to like and understand this game(story) , to like its mechanics and to play with "enjoyment", just another game that make me want my money back( I DONT RECCOMMEND IT if you never played finalMuch less than i was specting , poor game interaction , you just talk , upgrade gear , battlebattlebattle and battle , just annoying for me , really..., and you gotta really be a fan of FF series to like and understand this game(story) , to like its mechanics and to play with "enjoyment", just another game that make me want my money back( I DONT RECCOMMEND IT if you never played final fantasy before)… Expand
  13. Saxony
    Feb 28, 2014
    7
    I'm going to give this the score I think it deserves even though I agree with the people who are giving 10's to counter act the other people that are giving excessively low scores.

    I think this is being unfairly rated based on comparing it to other final fantasy games. While I understand the rational for this, it creates sort of a weird paradox where if you compare this to other games    I'm going to give this the score I think it deserves even though I agree with the people who are giving 10's to counter act the other people that are giving excessively low scores.

    I think this is being unfairly rated based on comparing it to other final fantasy games. While I understand the rational for this, it creates sort of a weird paradox where if you compare this to other games with a 5.6 score and the quality of this game is magnitudes higher.

    That being said this game has 2 major faults that I see.
    1) Chronostasis
    Now the concept behind this isn't necessarily inherently flawed but the execution was poor. As it is executed this feature acts as a major immersion killer. You are constantly having to micromanage this and it is disruptive to game play. You have to go 2 menu's deep to activate something that you basically have to do every 4th battle and not only that but the graphics and sound are very poorly executed. Activating is like a a flash grenade on your screen, you can't see for a few seconds immediately after activation. The sound that it does when it wears off sounds way too similar to the sound of an enemy spawning and is easily missed. In Summary it's a completely game disruptive and immersion disruptive feature due to execution. An easy fix in my mind was to increase the resources and duration of the effect and of course change the graphics and sounds.
    2) Sandbox Execution
    I understand that players have very much been demanding more of a sand box like gamestyle where you can explore and choose your own path. Past Final Fantasy games have been criticized for being too linear. This motivated the developers to try and create this atmosphere and naturally they tried to innovate on it. The end result was something that technically is a sand box but doesn't feel like it to the player. You are in a mediocre sized sand box and you have to replay it over and over again. Now to be fair the experience alters slightly on each iteration but the overall feeling of a sandbox game is completely lost.

    So I want to talk about Pros to the game:
    1) Graphics
    As usual the graphics and cut scenes are outstandingly crafted, additional cool features include being able to customize your look for the cut scenes. I don't see this game as really lacking in any way from past installments in terms of graphics.
    2) Combat System
    I for one am a fan of the combat system, so much so in fact that it is the driving reason I have played all of the FF13 games. I love the way they have balanced the needs for the different roles, nothing feels useless and nothing feels like it's so overpowered that you shouldn't use anything else. In contrast Bravely Default which I also enjoy uses the more historical combat setting and it is extremely unbalanced. The customization for your schemata in FF13LR is amazing, you can put a magic move in each scheme and switch between them while continuing a combo, or you can put all your magic on one scheme, all your physical in another and min max your stats for it. There's just so many possibilities and I have been using some for awhile then I go online and find people who are using something fundamentally different and being just as successful. It's a lot faster paced and skill dependent as well. Additionally it's not all about damage anymore, you can be successful while focusing on staggering and then turning on the damage for short bursts or you can just try to do it the traditional way and put out consistent damage (poison is helpful for this). I feel the combat system receives the most unfair criticism, people don't like it purely because it's different and they don't judge it based on it's own merits.
    3) Story
    I have to say that I am not a huge fan of the story, not necessarily because of the themes or the plot but just the character execution, motivations, metaphors etc... I'm not going to judge it harshly because I know a lot of people that enjoy these types of stories, but it is not my cup of tea. The biggest flaw I see in not just this story but other similar japanese inspired storylines are the excessive use of metaphors and lack of realism. To clarify I'm not talking realism like dragons and magic I'm talking realism like people's personalities and decision making. I would use metal gear solid franchise as another example of this.
    4) Overall Gameplay
    I rated this as a 7 as you can see, I love the combat, don't love the repetitiveness and micromanagement. Graphics and sound are great, story was so so.

    In closing I wish some of these people that rated it 0-4 would go play a game deserving of the rating and then come back and rate this properly. There are some truly terrible games out there, this game has issues but it is not one of them.    … Expand
  14. krangthebrain
    Mar 6, 2014
    9
    I received the game on release day, and wasn't influenced by any reviews. I wasn't a huge fan of the past two games (XIII and XIII-2) but I decided I would judge this game on it's own merits. I would agree that the story is a bit confusing, but I didn't think it was the hindrance others have made it out to be. Where this game shines is the battle system, which ranks as one the best ofI received the game on release day, and wasn't influenced by any reviews. I wasn't a huge fan of the past two games (XIII and XIII-2) but I decided I would judge this game on it's own merits. I would agree that the story is a bit confusing, but I didn't think it was the hindrance others have made it out to be. Where this game shines is the battle system, which ranks as one the best of any Final Fantasy game. Real time with variety and massive amounts of customization, makes the battles real enjoyable. The difficulty on of the boss fights surpasses many of the final fantasies and the fact that you have one character and few ways to heal flipped the script on the standard final fantasy. It's also a lot of fun and fresh to play New game +; it's awesome to start the game over with most of your gear and to smoke through all the things that battles that were tough earlier. I thought the graphics and the pacing of the game were exciting; the time limit is really only a hindrance if you make it. For example, I played probably 14 hours on ONE game day since you can use the EP ability Chronostasis (stop time). The cities were decently intricate and the soundtrack was solid and varied. Overall I give this game a 9, with only the story minorly detracting from one of the technically (graphics, battlesystem, soundtrack) superior Final Fantasies.… Expand
  15. Framar123
    Mar 18, 2014
    10
    This game might be the best one in its series, at first I did not like it that much. The timer put so much pressure on my shoulders, the story felt thrown together like a filler. But the more i progressed through the game I learned to love the game for what it is and is not probably one of my favourite final fantasy games of all time! The combat system is so awesome in this game and itThis game might be the best one in its series, at first I did not like it that much. The timer put so much pressure on my shoulders, the story felt thrown together like a filler. But the more i progressed through the game I learned to love the game for what it is and is not probably one of my favourite final fantasy games of all time! The combat system is so awesome in this game and it would be a shame to see the 13 fans miss a copy of this game if they feel like "FF13-2 ending was so lame they just want my money for a 3rd game" Its really worth it, don`t listen to the people who gives this score a 0 they understand nothing about change and they expect everything to be the same stuff over and over. This is bringing a fresh new game-play to the rpg scene which i spent hours,days heck even weeks trying to fit the perfect combinations together and crack the code for this beautiful and advanced combat system.… Expand
  16. truthasofnow
    Aug 5, 2015
    1
    This game is bad the story to the mundane battle system are bad. The only defense for the game is that others "hate" it for no reason. This games biggest problem is that it is named final fantasy, that name implies quality that this game doesn't have. After all this game is barely an rpg due to its lack of a leveling system. Anyone who grew up with the traditional jrpg experience that wasThis game is bad the story to the mundane battle system are bad. The only defense for the game is that others "hate" it for no reason. This games biggest problem is that it is named final fantasy, that name implies quality that this game doesn't have. After all this game is barely an rpg due to its lack of a leveling system. Anyone who grew up with the traditional jrpg experience that was final fantasy will hate this game.
    Some fans will praise this game because its name is final fantasy but that doesnt make it good others will praise it because at least its different however different doesnt mean good either the creators have decided to go this direction with final fantasy if anyone thinks that 15 is going to be a return to greatness they are mistaken this is in fact the death of final fantasy and the beginning of a new generation of games that will be defended by zealots and ignored by former fans.    … Expand
  17. SicSeph
    Dec 15, 2015
    0
    This would actually be a game deserving a merciful 4 only, and i really mean only, for the battle system. I gave it 0 because it is sold as a Final Fantasy, which is totally not. Final Fantasy used to have an at least decent story, or even less, an existing one, this one has not.
    Inconsistent ideas are put together: why would you create an open world to explore if you have a time limit?    This would actually be a game deserving a merciful 4 only, and i really mean only, for the battle system. I gave it 0 because it is sold as a Final Fantasy, which is totally not. Final Fantasy used to have an at least decent story, or even less, an existing one, this one has not.
    Inconsistent ideas are put together: why would you create an open world to explore if you have a time limit?
    Btw, time limit is stupid. Hell stupid.
    -Characters are insignificant.
    -The world is insignificant.
    -Made up story to call of the trilogy (maybe this is actually a good point, good bye XIII saga)
    -Even graphic sucks! There's some ambient looking ps2 stuff!    … Expand
  18. JaySilver
    Mar 27, 2018
    8
    My first Final Fantasy was FFVIII and probably one of my favourite games of all time. Through the years, the games have changed in gameplay and design and this is something other developers miss out. Although the game has technical issues and a terrible framerate sometimes, the combat, story and gameplay are worth your while. I just finished it last weekend and gotta say, It's an amazingMy first Final Fantasy was FFVIII and probably one of my favourite games of all time. Through the years, the games have changed in gameplay and design and this is something other developers miss out. Although the game has technical issues and a terrible framerate sometimes, the combat, story and gameplay are worth your while. I just finished it last weekend and gotta say, It's an amazing conclusion to the trilogy. FFXIII was pretty lame imo. FFXIII-2 started to make things interesting and Lightning returns takes the whole thing to a new level. At first I had my doubts because of the time limit, but then I grabbed it for 7€. The time limit is really not an issue. If you are constantly battling and replenishing your EP, you are able to spam chronostatis all the time and you won't have any trouble finishing the game on your first attempt. I actually finished the main quest after day 4 (you have 12 or 13 days in total), so enough for grinding, sidequests or exploring. The gear system is great and allows lots of different builds for lightning. The game really got me hooked. Almost 30 Hours later you get to see the sweet ending - which is really polished and a great closure to the trilogy.

    So, has it issues? Yes, a few, but does it make a bad game? definitely not. Its a modern and promising Final Fantasy game.    … Expand
  19. LukaasMarx
    Jul 4, 2016
    0
    Nojo nojento.. são 04:43 e acabei de finaliza-lo junto com toda a franquia FFXIII, dos 3 esse é claramente o pior.. como a lighyning é nojenta.. meu deus, toda fala dela... ela é aquela pessoa sem expressão querendo pagar de fodona... coitada
  20. BlitZeR_95
    Apr 29, 2018
    4
    This installment is probably the worst Final Fantasy of all time! They are really losing a lot of fans with this game.
    Very disappointing game and very disappointed in Square Enix's work on this.
  21. Johnny_evil2101
    Feb 18, 2019
    4
    The story is bad
    The combat is fine (not my thing but it is more engaging, that's a fact)
    But the time limit just kills the game. At the start you get 6 real life hours to complete the game, with possible extensions as you go on (up to 13 hours). If this clock runs out, you'll have to start over (but you keep your equipment etc.) what makes the timer even worse however, is how the game    The story is bad
    The combat is fine (not my thing but it is more engaging, that's a fact)
    But the time limit just kills the game. At the start you get 6 real life hours to complete the game, with possible extensions as you go on (up to 13 hours). If this clock runs out, you'll have to start over (but you keep your equipment etc.)
    what makes the timer even worse however, is how the game puts time restrictions on certain missions. For example, go to that person in that part of the city between 7 and 9 pm, making you essentially waste some of that precious 6 hours waiting.
    all in all, skip this game unless you're invested in the FF 13 storyline    … Expand
  22. crapygamertag
    Mar 4, 2014
    0
    The time limit is lame but not a deal breaker, how ever the crap combat is!
    worst final fantasy ever made and i have played them all.
    and from the looks of it FF15 is going to be a suck fest to cause the combat in that looks like DMC.
  23. ChiyoChan
    Mar 19, 2014
    4
    I really wanted to like this game. For personal aspects I love the Final Fantasy series in whole but my love for the series has not been kind of late. Game is tedious and frustrating. Combat with multiple characters is a chore because the camera isn't not controllable and you sometimes have no clue if the enemy is telegraphing attack and if the switching to block will select the characterI really wanted to like this game. For personal aspects I love the Final Fantasy series in whole but my love for the series has not been kind of late. Game is tedious and frustrating. Combat with multiple characters is a chore because the camera isn't not controllable and you sometimes have no clue if the enemy is telegraphing attack and if the switching to block will select the character to block in time resulting in hits and death. Note that death wouldn't be a issue but it sucks away time which you don't have. Escaping from battle also sucks away time. You have a set amount of time till the world ends and this game has no issue wasting with what time you have left. Battles and wasting time with areas you had no idea that would be a wasted time part doesn't help either.

    Characters also are... grating... all the character have issues and or no personalty in some cases. Story is Final Fantasy but everything makes it feel weaker in retrospect. This is not Final Fantasy X-2 bad but its not good. Go play Final Fantasy X HD release more fun and might have a enjoyable plot to boot also!    … Expand
  24. SamuelKneen
    Feb 18, 2014
    10
    Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII introduces a slick, fast new battle system to create the most tense boss fights in the series.

    Whilst it sports a slightly lower frame rate & presentation level than XIII & XIII-2 (Probably due to the huge size & population of areas), it also brings with it amazing music, world, art, humour & story. A solid title sure to trigger nostalgia for fans    Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII introduces a slick, fast new battle system to create the most tense boss fights in the series.

    Whilst it sports a slightly lower frame rate & presentation level than XIII & XIII-2 (Probably due to the huge size & population of areas), it also brings with it amazing music, world, art, humour & story. A solid title sure to trigger nostalgia for fans of the original.    … Expand
  25. Deiradinn
    Nov 24, 2014
    4
    I am a long time Final Fantasy gamer, but this game feels absolutely nothing like games that should be credited with that name. It's so far removed from what people love about the franchise that you have to stop and wonder what the hell is wrong with them. I actually beat it, that in itself is a feat of patience. This game is awful, time limit, the stories, the quests... you have to be aI am a long time Final Fantasy gamer, but this game feels absolutely nothing like games that should be credited with that name. It's so far removed from what people love about the franchise that you have to stop and wonder what the hell is wrong with them. I actually beat it, that in itself is a feat of patience. This game is awful, time limit, the stories, the quests... you have to be a very biased fan of the series to really support this game.… Expand
  26. Gloin
    Feb 25, 2014
    8
    Square wanted to respond to fan getting back to a more FF style with no linear course of action.
    On this point they succeed it s like old time you can comme accross a to strong enemy at start because of the liberty you got since the start. But putting a cost of an hours on the flee is greatly dimunishing this freedom .
    I liked FF13 and was a bit disapointed by the 13-2 short lifespawn    Square wanted to respond to fan getting back to a more FF style with no linear course of action.
    On this point they succeed it s like old time you can comme accross a to strong enemy at start because of the liberty you got since the start. But putting a cost of an hours on the flee is greatly dimunishing this freedom .
    I liked FF13 and was a bit disapointed by the 13-2 short lifespawn (annexe considered).
    The story on this one is note that long but you have many side quest and "boss" so the lifetime is great.

    to sum this up.

    Pro :
    -Lifetime considering side quest etc.
    -Difficulty wich is golbally higher than previous sequel who were really weak (especially 13-2).
    -Story. (if you liked the universe of 13 you d like it)
    - gameplay (nervous and customizable)

    con:
    - time pressure (well in the end it s not that much of a pressure but you don't know it at start)
    -timed npc ( you can see them during certain hours..)
    -Having to change/addapt your style before the combat on any strong monster (at start essentialy) and on boss (always). (why not have given 1 change in fight even on pe cost...).

    In the end i really enjoyed this game but wasn't fan of the timed concept.    … Expand
  27. outlived
    Apr 12, 2014
    4
    This game is hands down the worst ff game out there. I put good time into the first two, which also were pretty bad, granted had a solid plot. This game is everything a ff should not be! I don't care if the series changes gameplay formula but do NOT set a damn clock on a ff game. You'll play threw this game the entire time staring at the timer hoping you beat it in time, this is exactlyThis game is hands down the worst ff game out there. I put good time into the first two, which also were pretty bad, granted had a solid plot. This game is everything a ff should not be! I don't care if the series changes gameplay formula but do NOT set a damn clock on a ff game. You'll play threw this game the entire time staring at the timer hoping you beat it in time, this is exactly what bof: dragon quarters did and it f-ing blows. You will feel to worried to even take in scenery which is what makes these games so beautiful. Gameplay feels kinda like x-2 but not as good, I would say this a much worse game in fact. Only people who play and enjoyed the previous two iterations and really care to see how this story resolved itself should even touch this game. I'm glad I only borrowed it for a few days and feel bad for all who pre- ordered this garbage.… Expand
  28. Truthhurts
    Feb 21, 2014
    10
    Not as bad as everyone says, the time limit makes you stratagies and plan, and the combat system is new and refreshing with a combination of action and active time based mechanics and done better than FF13 imo, the story is no better or worse than your typical rpg storyline {save the world, save loved ones, have moral delemas}.

    There's alot of returning characters and this time around    Not as bad as everyone says, the time limit makes you stratagies and plan, and the combat system is new and refreshing with a combination of action and active time based mechanics and done better than FF13 imo, the story is no better or worse than your typical rpg storyline {save the world, save loved ones, have moral delemas}.

    There's alot of returning characters and this time around they are not all carebears and roses, most of them want to kill each other because they made a bargain with god to save a loved one, something alot diffrent from original 13 where everyone is annoyingly positive and cheerful about the world ending, i find lightning returns a big step up from ff13 and -2 with a dash of originality in the mix, the soundtrack is also very good as it always is, not bad at all!    … Expand
  29. Kittencandy
    Feb 19, 2014
    7
    it's so weird people are **** about 13 now and pretend it's a new thing. I remember way back when people were **** about FF8 and 9 cuz it wasn't FF7, then people complained FFX was just plain bad and they hated it and it was stupid, and now everyone's like FFX was epic and blabla. Honestly.... As for the FFXIII-3... It must be cuz I'm getting older, I don't get sucked into gamesit's so weird people are **** about 13 now and pretend it's a new thing. I remember way back when people were **** about FF8 and 9 cuz it wasn't FF7, then people complained FFX was just plain bad and they hated it and it was stupid, and now everyone's like FFX was epic and blabla. Honestly.... As for the FFXIII-3... It must be cuz I'm getting older, I don't get sucked into games (storywise) as much as I used to, same with this game. Personally I liked the first XIII the least of all 3 games, and it's actually rather nice they abadoned the auto attack thing from 1 and 2. Downsides are it's timed, I love free roaming and taking my time in places and I can't now unless I wanna use New Game + to no end, but then I gotta replay certain sections... I don't like the many conversations, for every side-quest you have to talk to someone, and at first that's fun a bit, but later on it really gets on my nerves. It's pretty Obvious to see this installment is like a cult-game almost. The graphics are far far below FF standards, and something feels very low-budget about it, like they've just wanted to end the series but don't really care for it anymore cuz customer whined too much about the previous ones. Then there are the very small maps (relatively), but unlike FF XIII this game isn't linear as much, you can pick your own order in which to do things. All in all, I find it an enjoyable game despite its faults.… Expand
  30. R6ex
    Mar 9, 2014
    0
    Wasted my money on a dumb game! Its running around in circles all the time, doing unimportant side-quests that are irrelevant to the main story. And you can't progress the main story because certain events can only be accessed at certain times of the day. Dumb! Worst FF game ever! Enjoyed FF13-1, dismayed by FF13-2 and now ridiculed in FF13-3. I give up! Other than the pretty Lightning,Wasted my money on a dumb game! Its running around in circles all the time, doing unimportant side-quests that are irrelevant to the main story. And you can't progress the main story because certain events can only be accessed at certain times of the day. Dumb! Worst FF game ever! Enjoyed FF13-1, dismayed by FF13-2 and now ridiculed in FF13-3. I give up! Other than the pretty Lightning, there's no saving grace for this game.… Expand
  31. Noin007
    Jan 4, 2015
    4
    It's a **** game for a second time with some minor alterations. Not really much else to say. Did you think all XIII needed was Pokemon collecting and moogles? If not, skip this and don't look back.
  32. NoctisHikaru
    Jan 7, 2015
    0
    Jogo de bicha, em inglês "Gay's game". As mecânicas prometeram muito, mas na verdade entregaram muito pouco! Como em raios (e em Lightnings) do universo você tem tempo cronometrado para jogar um RPG? Final Fantasy que não se evoluiu lutando!? Melhor, lutar aqui não tem sentindo algum! Dá para chegar ao último chefe lutando pouquíssimas vezes!! Trocar de roupinha? E rosa?! Vai brincar deJogo de bicha, em inglês "Gay's game". As mecânicas prometeram muito, mas na verdade entregaram muito pouco! Como em raios (e em Lightnings) do universo você tem tempo cronometrado para jogar um RPG? Final Fantasy que não se evoluiu lutando!? Melhor, lutar aqui não tem sentindo algum! Dá para chegar ao último chefe lutando pouquíssimas vezes!! Trocar de roupinha? E rosa?! Vai brincar de Barbie Motomu Toriyama (Go play with yours Barbies Motomu Toriyama)! Não sou machista, mulher TEM que jogar videogame também, mas nem a mais meiga e "rosinha" das garotas que conheço jogariam isso aqui! Poha! Vá pro inferno trocar de roupinha! O que irrita é o fato do Versus XIII ir pra nova geração por culpa dessa porcaria de Trilogia XIII! Lixo! Não presta! Se você está lendo meu review, tire a poeira do seu PS2 e vá jogar Final Fantasy XII como se não houvesse amanhã! TORIYAMA! TALK WITH MY HANDS!! WORST SQUARE ENIX'S GAME EVER!… Expand
  33. Genelegasse
    Sep 21, 2014
    0
    What is this crap? I don't even know what's happening anymore.. PLEASE STOP THESE XIII SPINOFF'S THEY ARE GETTING WORSE. SE has completely lost their ability to make good games... I'm sorry its freaking disgusting to see.
  34. velvetmeds
    Feb 13, 2014
    10
    That ridiculous gametrailers review summed up it kinda well:" amounting to little more than an excuse to dress the heroine up in different outfits and beat the crap out of things." And that's great! If you want more than that go read a book. This is the best FF since X
  35. MrBla
    Jul 12, 2014
    1
    This is the worst FF game in the series. The combat became pure action, not party, constant lag, time limit which doesn't allow you to explore and do quests. This game is pathetic. The gameplay is horrible, you just run around back and forth without any clue often. No information on quests, no ones telling you what to do and the time is running. AI is not existent. Running 100 timesThis is the worst FF game in the series. The combat became pure action, not party, constant lag, time limit which doesn't allow you to explore and do quests. This game is pathetic. The gameplay is horrible, you just run around back and forth without any clue often. No information on quests, no ones telling you what to do and the time is running. AI is not existent. Running 100 times through the same locations(there are only 4 of them, yeah 4 locations) gets boring very fast.… Expand
  36. Patrick227
    Feb 26, 2014
    7
    There is a lot of complain on this ff trilogy (apparently, every game that comes out is just worse). I didnt get a chance to play ff xiii, but I do own ff xiii-2 and LR. In online reviews everything has been subject to complain: Story, characters,"open world" system, music, battle system, etc. I finished the game and here´s my review:
    Story: Its a Little bit confusing how each game of    There is a lot of complain on this ff trilogy (apparently, every game that comes out is just worse). I didnt get a chance to play ff xiii, but I do own ff xiii-2 and LR. In online reviews everything has been subject to complain: Story, characters,"open world" system, music, battle system, etc. I finished the game and here´s my review:
    Story: Its a Little bit confusing how each game of this trilogy drastically changes its main plot: first, fal cie´s ruling everything and then were trying to save a floating world. Second, time traveling all around the place to find lightning. Third, the world is about to go rotten in 13 days, deal with it. I believe LR story does make sense, but it could have been much more expanded. Only 5 main quests and wait for day 13, and thats it. A Little frustrating.
    Characters: I enjoyed playing with just one character, didnt find anything wrong about it. They greatly took out the annoying and cheesy predecessor references (which ff xiii-2 was full of) without leaving new players in the dark and we got a chance to see a couple of old characters with fresher eyes.
    World system: This is complicated. Putting a countdown on an RPG game,specially FF, is dubious. FF fans love free, open world exploration. Get every single detail in the game. The main problem about this is that besides a couple of towns, there is no "big world exploration", not that you have time for it either. I beat this game in about 35 hours, when ff fans are used to a 55-60 world exploration-monster finding-item collecting system. Once you get to the countdown and beat the game, there´s actually nothing more left. I started to play new game+, a couple of changes once you start on hard mode, but nothing drastic. And they could have improved the garbs a Little bit, in some garbs lightning just looks slutty.
    Music: SE got rid of (most of) the annoying pop from ff xiii-2. And I just love the Luxerion-at-night feel provided by the music!
    Battle system: The battle system is fresh. Implemented a much quicker schemata-changing control. Battles are quite entertaining. But there is no optional super boss in this game, not that i have seen. And its quite annoying if youre a person that likes to test limits with super bosses.
    Conclusion: A nice game, quite refreshing, not an entirely original FF production, the game could have been a Little deeper, idk maybe a 21 day limit or something like that? But worth playing if you want to pass the time    … Expand
  37. murdersto56
    Nov 22, 2014
    0
    Final fantasy already has to be one of the weakest role playing games out there, but this game is just awful. While other FF games have had some redeeming features, I can't see why anyone could enjoy this game.
    This is the 4th game I have played in the series and I have to say, it's a mess. In the space of 4 hours I didn't die or come close to death once, this game is unbelievably easy.    Final fantasy already has to be one of the weakest role playing games out there, but this game is just awful. While other FF games have had some redeeming features, I can't see why anyone could enjoy this game.
    This is the 4th game I have played in the series and I have to say, it's a mess. In the space of 4 hours I didn't die or come close to death once, this game is unbelievably easy. Seeing as FF is an RPG based on characters/story I can somewhat understand why they did this, but there is no hard mode! The game was so easy I couldn't go on.
    The environments are sooo dull looking and the game has one of the worst 3rd person cameras ever. The game is also really poorly programmed, I see npcs walking into walls all the time. But the worst thing about the game is its attempts to increase the length of the game. Overly long gameplay segments could be so much shorter if it wash't for the constant dialogue and cutscenes. All the side quests I did involved walking next to a very slow moving person while they talked to you and then ended with a 3 minute cutscene.
    This game is supposed to be 40 hours, but I can see why, because is filled with dialogue, everything you do triggers a cutscene or a battle. This game never does anything impressive and i have nothing good to say about it.
    On a side note the game's voice acting/music is awful, good god    … Expand
  38. Chaos_inHeaven
    Jan 25, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is not your Final Fantasy

    Ok let me say that I truly am a fan the Final Fantasy series, this game is about saving the world within a

    limited period of time,Square-Enix could have a made a great setting around that, instead you are left to

    do meaningless and painful questing,a story that makes no sense whatsoever ,it is filled with a bunch of recycled soundtrack of the previous FFXIII-2 , even if you are in for the battles like I was ,not today my

    friend, it is barely enough to make you reach the end , the game lets you think you are making progress ,

    dont stay till the end and do yourself a favor and save spend your money on a good rpg .Honestly, I

    finished the game after 15 hours, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

    My final score 5/10    … Expand
  39. Carlitoxic
    Jun 7, 2014
    4
    Algunos dicen que es el mejor de los tres sólo porque ya no es lineal. Y es que vale, mejora un problema muy grande que tuvo XIII, pero también es verdad que se carga lo mucho bueno que brilló en este primer capítulo. Y es que, ¿dónde ha ido la épica, la historia y los grandes personajes de antaño?, esto más bien es un simulador de recados a personajes frikazos, en plan busca mi peluche,Algunos dicen que es el mejor de los tres sólo porque ya no es lineal. Y es que vale, mejora un problema muy grande que tuvo XIII, pero también es verdad que se carga lo mucho bueno que brilló en este primer capítulo. Y es que, ¿dónde ha ido la épica, la historia y los grandes personajes de antaño?, esto más bien es un simulador de recados a personajes frikazos, en plan busca mi peluche, traeme esto, mata treinta monstruos, busca números, etc, en fin, una jugabilidad muy divertida para ofrecer en el 2014. Encima con prisas porque va contrareloj. Vamos, que parece un batiburrillo de ideas extrambóticas que no terminan de funcionar ni cuajar bien. Sigue así Square enix, otro Final Fantasy del montón y van unos cuantos...… Expand
  40. falberto
    Mar 5, 2014
    10
    A saga de lightning finalmente chega ao fim, com um final honesto e tentando amarrar todas as pontas, o jogo tenta, e para mim consegue, entregar o que promete.

    Para quem, assim como eu, jogou o primeiro e segundo, não pode deixar de conferir a parte final.
  41. ekimus17
    Feb 27, 2014
    7
    Compared to other games in the Final Fantasy series this game was a major let down. Square had the chance here to cap off a grand finale of a trilogy, Mass Effect style, but instead this game took all that was great about the previous two and changed them for the sake of changing them. Apart from FF12, which is by far and away the worst in the series!!!! FF13LR is disappointing.

    The    Compared to other games in the Final Fantasy series this game was a major let down. Square had the chance here to cap off a grand finale of a trilogy, Mass Effect style, but instead this game took all that was great about the previous two and changed them for the sake of changing them. Apart from FF12, which is by far and away the worst in the series!!!! FF13LR is disappointing.

    The combat system in this game was more button mash than any logical thought out plan. If i want to play hack and slash i will play a series that is known for making hack and slash titles. Final fantasy is built on it's turn based battle system, yes they have and successfully played around with this mechanic before but this is the second time they have veered directly away from turn based and for a second time made something that is just clunky and annoying. I don't feel in control of my character during combat OR in the storyline, i feel like a camera man just watching as she goes about the motions. SE, PLEASE, PLEASE stick to turn based combat!!!

    This storyline, i get that side quests are a vital part of the storyline in FF13LR, but they just feel like they were added to fill in for the fact that the main storyline quests are so quick. AND, on top of that they are also then dragged out needlessly. SE had a great chance here to make an epic storyline, what we end up with instead is disjointed storytelling slung together. It felt at times like i was playing an MMORPG, go here, get that, kill 20 of these. So many fetch quests!!!!!

    I still give this game a 7, as it is a great game, apart from the obvious flaws above, compared to much of the same crap that is out there. However compared to the previous iterations in FF13, and other FF titles (Apart from 12 which if you know anything about FF is junk), this game is a massive let down.    … Expand
  42. SpawnCap
    Apr 19, 2014
    7
    Enjoyed the game. People complained about time limit, but if you run out of time you just start over with all your upgrades and keep trying. Graphics are good, battle is enjoyable, a lot better than the FFX/X-2 remake.
  43. miguelwii
    May 10, 2014
    7
    la historia es enigmática, te va metiendo cada vez mas, pero se alejo demasiado de la formula de los final fantasy y merecía terminar mucho mejor la saga... el final de verdad pudo ser mejor. dudo que sea la ultima vez que vemos a ligthning
  44. Darkanimne
    May 16, 2014
    7
    This game is good, I know that as a FF game the fans really want to enjoy a game like in the past, with an awesome plot, combat, exploration and characters. I played this game twice and I must say it is good, I enjoy the combat system, traveling and doing some quest was really fun and enjoyable. This is not a perfect game and I wanted more things like summons and more characters, MisionsThis game is good, I know that as a FF game the fans really want to enjoy a game like in the past, with an awesome plot, combat, exploration and characters. I played this game twice and I must say it is good, I enjoy the combat system, traveling and doing some quest was really fun and enjoyable. This is not a perfect game and I wanted more things like summons and more characters, Misions where you can get an awesome weapon or power. In my opinion this is a good game, it is replayable also.… Expand
  45. Sylveria
    Jul 24, 2014
    2
    I say this as someone who, while hating 13-1, kinda enjoyed 13-2 and was cautionsly optimistic about 13-3: This game is possibly the worst game in the entire series next to All the Bravest. While technically superior to 13-1, it is staggeringly worse than 13-2. The attempt to make Lightning an even "tougher" character is laughable and she just comes up as some personality-free golem.I say this as someone who, while hating 13-1, kinda enjoyed 13-2 and was cautionsly optimistic about 13-3: This game is possibly the worst game in the entire series next to All the Bravest. While technically superior to 13-1, it is staggeringly worse than 13-2. The attempt to make Lightning an even "tougher" character is laughable and she just comes up as some personality-free golem. Toriyama's idol worship is taken to the literal extreme by actually deifying her and the result is pure absurdity that only the most vapid fanboy will buy. The timer system actively works against the whole hook of the game; being a huge world to explore, by forcing you to carefully plan your travel routes and, above all else, don't waste any time enjoying the scenery.

    Outside of NES era cash-ins and its own drunken grandfather in FF13-1, its probably the worst game I've ever pushed myself finish.    … Expand
  46. Ardalan1
    Jan 26, 2023
    10
    A very unique game. I have never seen such a thing. the world is ending and you have a limited time to do the quests and save the world. if you fail the game will be restarted but you will keep all your items and level so the second run will be a lot easier. Very unique and cool. I loved it.
  47. Epiternal
    Jun 3, 2014
    2
    As a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series, I can say, hand on heart, that this was the single most disappointing game I have ever played. BAR NONE. I loathed this game so much that I'm convinced anyone giving this a 10 must have been bribed by Square, because this game is bad. A lot of people wailed on XIII and XIII-2 for being disappointing, which in all fairness they were, but they wereAs a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series, I can say, hand on heart, that this was the single most disappointing game I have ever played. BAR NONE. I loathed this game so much that I'm convinced anyone giving this a 10 must have been bribed by Square, because this game is bad. A lot of people wailed on XIII and XIII-2 for being disappointing, which in all fairness they were, but they were still fun games to play and I'd have still rated them at least a 7. Lightning Returns was supposed to be the final game of the Nova Chrysalia series that was supposed to redeem it, but it destroyed it. The story is weak beyond belief, it created more plot holes than it fixed and any questions it answered were without genuine explanation "Just because". The characters all the same ones that were in the last games, including a young Hope (remember "Just because") who was more annoying than Fi and Navi from the Legend of Zelda series combined and ten-fold. The game wasn't long; don't misunderstand me, this is a point in its favour, if I had to play any more of it I'd have gouged out my own eyeballs. The combat however was awful, I just couldn't get the hang of it, which honestly didn't matter because fighting enemies was pointless, aside from earning EP, which after getting 5 you could spend on a single curaga spell to go on and fight more enemies and be a part of a completely pointless and unending cycle. The side quests were garbage and were sadly NOT optional seeing as doing quests was the only way to improve Lightnings stats, because as we've already established fighting enemies and leveling up is apparently not cool any more. The bosses were boring as sin and pretty much all of them were characters from the past games who you are now in a disagreement with.
    Honestly I'd have given this game a 0, but it did have one redeeming feature. ONE. The costumes were really nice and offered a wide spectrum of advantages and skills, for what it was worth. That concludes my review, if you actually buy this game after reading this I feel for you, truly I do.    … Expand
  48. sanluis20
    Nov 10, 2014
    6
    Game isn't boring, but man has this series gone downhill in terms of story. It's funny how even the characters, especially Hop,e point out how the story doesn't make sense. Always found that funny. The fighting, which has always been excellent in FFXIII returns and is as good as ever. The only downside is the story, which is kinda lame. Final Fantasy used to have such epic storyGame isn't boring, but man has this series gone downhill in terms of story. It's funny how even the characters, especially Hop,e point out how the story doesn't make sense. Always found that funny. The fighting, which has always been excellent in FFXIII returns and is as good as ever. The only downside is the story, which is kinda lame. Final Fantasy used to have such epic story telling, but that has changed. Let's hope Square Enix can redeem themselves when FFXV comes out!… Expand
  49. deadlysilentbob
    Mar 31, 2015
    2
    FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TELL ME WHAT IM SUPPOSED TO BE DOING!!! THE CLOCK IS TICKING AND I CANT FIND WHERE IM SUPPOSED TO GO OR WHAT TO DOOOOOOO!!!!

    That was most of my thoughts while playing this game. For the love of all that is holy it was an awesome game and they had to murder it with a half baked time system and overly creepy, religion based, dialogue. possitives: the battle    FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TELL ME WHAT IM SUPPOSED TO BE DOING!!! THE CLOCK IS TICKING AND I CANT FIND WHERE IM SUPPOSED TO GO OR WHAT TO DOOOOOOO!!!!

    That was most of my thoughts while playing this game. For the love of all that is holy it was an awesome game and they had to murder it with a half baked time system and overly creepy, religion based, dialogue.

    possitives: the battle mechanics are neat, the story is good, i love the open world idea and the atmosphere is creepy yet engaging.

    negatives: the aforementioned time system, the lack of direction and lack of some kind of a fast traves system to get through the sprawling confusing maps    … Expand
  50. tsakiym
    May 12, 2015
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it............................… Expand
  51. gamer8000
    Mar 20, 2015
    4
    I played all FF13 games and this was the worse of them all, instead of adding to the story like the past or whats been happening to the world while lighting was sleeping. it's full with stupid mission. The way how you level up sucks, takes the fun out of the battles. This game was very disappointing.
  52. HungryHippo123
    Apr 15, 2015
    7
    Its not the best but it is good with Lighting returning and a decent storyline, i liked the combat system a lot but it was really different from the other games and the last two games of this trilogy were bad but this one is just able to impress me and make me enjoy it.
  53. DanHazy
    Feb 29, 2016
    7
    So you will know what type of gamer is writing this review, I'll list three of my favorite games.
    Atelier Totori
    Fire emblem Danganronpa   IN DEPTH REVIEW: Lightning Returns had its good points and it's bad points. The opening cg and the ending cg was awesome as expected from a Final Fantasy but some of the in game graphics were sad. I believe I seen a picture of an actual roasted    So you will know what type of gamer is writing this review, I'll list three of my favorite games.
    Atelier Totori
    Fire emblem
    Danganronpa
     
    IN DEPTH REVIEW:

    Lightning Returns had its good points and it's bad points. The opening cg and the ending cg was awesome as expected from a Final Fantasy but some of the in game graphics were sad. I believe I seen a picture of an actual roasted turkey cut and pasted onto a plate in the game. The trees looked like paper. Some of the costumes didn't look so great when Lightning ran or jumped. One was a dress, and when she ran up hill, her legs had robotic movement. You will see repeated npcs with only slight changes, such as hair style and voice. Other than these things, the rest of the game looked ok.

    The gameplay was interesting enough. It was challenging on normal mode. I died at least 10 times throughout the game. The boss fights were the real challenge in this game. Don't be surprised if you find yourself surfing the Internet looking for strategies to get past some bosses. You do not level up Lightning in this game, instead you upgrade abilities, buy better equipement, and complete quest to better your stats. You assign an outfit with its own unique stats or auto ability, equip 2 accessories with their own stat boost or auto ability, and then equip the equipment and abilities of your liking. Plenty of customization there. You also can equip an adornment for cosmetic reasons. They do not improve Lightning's stats in any way but are purely cosmetic. Not really any complaints about the gameplay but it didn't pull me in personally. 

    I just felt that this game wasn't given much thought and was rushed out, with the sex up l
    Lightning thing to guarantee sales. I'm not saying this is a bad thing but this game could've been so much more if more care had been put into the making of this game. 
    I would recommend this game for about a 20 dollar price tag, which it is now. Slightly disappointing Final Fantasy title but it concludes the story of the previous two games so it is worth playing in my opinion.

    That wraps this review up, hope it helps.    … Expand
  54. flattyfour
    Sep 18, 2015
    3
    As a fan of the final fantasy series... up to like 9, this one is just another treading in the footsteps of what i see as unneeded continuation. stop bringing these bastardized turn based unrealistic character rendition matrix revolution hyper anime pieces of **** square. Let go of Enix and hopefully those guys can still envision why the DQ series was great. You actually made me pay forAs a fan of the final fantasy series... up to like 9, this one is just another treading in the footsteps of what i see as unneeded continuation. stop bringing these bastardized turn based unrealistic character rendition matrix revolution hyper anime pieces of **** square. Let go of Enix and hopefully those guys can still envision why the DQ series was great. You actually made me pay for japanese speech in this game? You really wanted me to listen to your crap dubs? Have completely lost faith.… Expand
  55. Evildrake
    Mar 11, 2016
    7
    Kinda missing a proper final challenge by giving NG+ a possibility for another higher difficulty when it comes to high end optimization, except few bosses regular monsters should be a bit more threadful and much tougher than they are on hard mode. Also the missing possibility to upgrade weaved in garb abilities makes many garbs useless near to the end of the game.

    The battle mechanics    Kinda missing a proper final challenge by giving NG+ a possibility for another higher difficulty when it comes to high end optimization, except few bosses regular monsters should be a bit more threadful and much tougher than they are on hard mode. Also the missing possibility to upgrade weaved in garb abilities makes many garbs useless near to the end of the game.

    The battle mechanics are unlike a RPG usually is, but it's still interesting enough to make it fun to play, just another way we know from the FF series.    … Expand
  56. pasathaioum5
    May 3, 2016
    1
    I think the Developer don't know what RPG really is
    In final fantasy 13, They gave us
    - a linear pathway and story - A proper noun (l'Cie, fal'Cie, Cie'th and etc.) - a new battle system which annoying paradigm shift animation. - 6 party member So for final fantasy 13-2, They gave us - Multiple pathways. This is a big improvement isn't it? - A new proper noun (Linzei, Etro,    I think the Developer don't know what RPG really is
    In final fantasy 13, They gave us
    - a linear pathway and story
    - A proper noun (l'Cie, fal'Cie, Cie'th and etc.)
    - a new battle system which annoying paradigm shift animation.
    - 6 party member

    So for final fantasy 13-2, They gave us
    - Multiple pathways. This is a big improvement isn't it?
    - A new proper noun (Linzei, Etro, Bhunivelze and etc)
    - Same battle system but fix annoying paradigm shift animation. Wow I think this is also a big improvement isn't it?
    - A Cutdown size of the party member from 6 to 2 ...OKEY
    - But I'm NOT OKEY with puzzle especially **** clock puzzle

    And for this game
    - Multiple pathways
    - Thank god there is no new proper noun here. Just some mythology and it still acceptable
    - A main quest and side quest ...This is how we called RPG game
    - A Cutdown size of the party from 2 to 1 ...Umm, Still OKEY maybe? (I'm not counting Chocobo and Fang because they are just guest member)
    - But I'm NOT OKEY with A new **** battle system which ruins all the knowledge that they try very hard to teach us in the two previous game
    - Annoying Ding Ding! from HOPE to reminder player
    - AND **** TIME LIMIT

    They just make something good and makes something bad
    Just **** this game.    … Expand
  57. Jaleo
    Feb 13, 2017
    7
    Started with a 7 time ago, then raised to 8 but now again I lower the score down to 7. At times it's a great experice but at others is very frustrating, no matter what you do or how good you are or what kind of schemas you use and perfectionate. Specialy the very final boss gets very frustrating. My recommendation would be your first gameplay to play on "easy mode" (don't get fooled by theStarted with a 7 time ago, then raised to 8 but now again I lower the score down to 7. At times it's a great experice but at others is very frustrating, no matter what you do or how good you are or what kind of schemas you use and perfectionate. Specialy the very final boss gets very frustrating. My recommendation would be your first gameplay to play on "easy mode" (don't get fooled by the difficulty's name, "normal" means hard lol). FF XIII-2 I enjoyed it more than XIII, but not sure if LR:FF XIII is better or not, sometimes yes sometimes not. On the other hand, don't get scared by the whole time thing, you'll sort it our soon.… Expand
  58. Gamepro3093
    Apr 20, 2022
    0
    A very tedious, dull and irritating RPG game that manages to find every conceivable way to irritate the player and waste their time. From the dull and uninspired dialogue, to the stupid clock that makes the player anxious and is only compounded by the horrendous level design and a map that’s virtually useless, to the hideous graphics that look worse than a PS2 game, to the boring andA very tedious, dull and irritating RPG game that manages to find every conceivable way to irritate the player and waste their time. From the dull and uninspired dialogue, to the stupid clock that makes the player anxious and is only compounded by the horrendous level design and a map that’s virtually useless, to the hideous graphics that look worse than a PS2 game, to the boring and uninspired plot that’s a blatant mish mash of Christian and Norse mythology this has to be one of the worst RPG games ever made.… Expand
  59. whatagoodguy
    Jul 29, 2020
    5
    Graphics are good, gameplay is good. I like Lightning as a character. The story is ok. The main problem is that this game does not respect the player's time. The game forces you to restart the whole story if you make a mistake, if a boss is too powerful for you, or simply if you don't do what you're supposed to do in the limited time allotted. "Yeah, just restart the whole game, fam."Graphics are good, gameplay is good. I like Lightning as a character. The story is ok. The main problem is that this game does not respect the player's time. The game forces you to restart the whole story if you make a mistake, if a boss is too powerful for you, or simply if you don't do what you're supposed to do in the limited time allotted. "Yeah, just restart the whole game, fam." Yeah, you get to keep the levels and the items gained, but nobody has time to play the same game over and over until you get good enough and you finish the right amount of boring fetch side-quests in order to be strong enough to beat a main quest boss. Most of the side-quests are fetch quests that are there to give you a time management challenge. I recommend playing on easy (no difficulty trophies anyway) and following a guide to avoid wasting your time.… Expand
  60. Yucuvu
    Oct 2, 2022
    0
    Horrible game with an atrocious graphics, even for the PS3 standards of graphics.
    This game menage to be graphically worse than the first 2 games and, at the same time, menage to have an even worse plot, with cringe dialogues and nonsensical lore.
    Unless you wish to play a "Barbie game" with cringe plot and a ridiculous gameplay, than..... you need to stay far away from this trainwreck disaster
  61. Tidu
    May 23, 2022
    7
    Very interesting time concept, which I truly enjoyed. I guess, after seeing the characters for three games got me to kind of care for them.
    But still the theme and overall gameplay doesn't make it a good game for me. Otherwise it was alright.
  62. LastResource
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    worth it and glad to play this game again. so much memories and nostalgia within this thirteenth game in the series.
  63. AriseAndBe
    Aug 5, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I liked this game a little better than XIII-2 for a few reasons.
    The battle system changed again and this time I thought it was for the better.
    I could control Lightning again and while her stoicism does make her less likable than in the first two games, I found that her sarcastic attitude pretty funny at some points.
    The freedom given in this game is extraordinary considering how the first game started.
    The ending was pretty lackluster but at least it HAD an ending (I'm looking at you XIII-2).
    The graphics were once again turned down with the shrinking budget but it still looked presentable.

    All in all, Lightning returns did all it could to improve a franchise with what it had to go on but sequels are often never as good as the original.    … Expand
  64. aeroslimshady
    Jul 28, 2022
    9
    This game was extremely fun. Needing to manage my time because of the doom clock made the looming end of the world threat actually mean something unlike in most other games where the final boss will patiently wait for you to finish side quests. I wish more games took risks like this one.
  65. XenobladeFan007
    Jun 10, 2022
    10
    I discovered the series with this FF 13 is the magic and very present, The graphics are simply sumptuous, the charm of the game is partly due to its magical environments and wonderfully
    and has an extremely successful scenario with endearing characters with a crazy back ground all right away I think of (sazh, noel, lightning, hope and vanilla) this game is only good memories: heart: I    I discovered the series with this FF 13 is the magic and very present, The graphics are simply sumptuous, the charm of the game is partly due to its magical environments and wonderfully
    and has an extremely successful scenario with endearing characters with a crazy back ground all right away I think of (sazh, noel, lightning, hope and vanilla) this game is only good memories: heart: I would like if he released the trilogy on switch/ps4 that would be cool.    … Expand
  66. Sequn
    Aug 2, 2022
    1
    The last, unfortunate, experience with the horrid "heroine" Lightning. Another sh#t game
    In this latest game the graphics suck, becoming much worse than its previous games xiii and xiii-2. The gameplay becomes totally action, based only on her and her RIDICULOUS costumes, which make her the gaming joke of the PS3 era.
    The plot is getting worse, becoming a sad pretense of an illogical    The last, unfortunate, experience with the horrid "heroine" Lightning. Another sh#t game
    In this latest game the graphics suck, becoming much worse than its previous games xiii and xiii-2. The gameplay becomes totally action, based only on her and her RIDICULOUS costumes, which make her the gaming joke of the PS3 era.
    The plot is getting worse, becoming a sad pretense of an illogical "race against time" and only suitable for an idiotic management of events.

    In short, a bad game to close a horrible forced trilogy.
    Save your money, and stay away as far as you can from this piece of crap    … Expand
  67. IMGODD
    Jun 23, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A great way to end an amazing trilogy this entry sees lightning chosen as savior by the god of the ff xiii universe bhunivelze she is tasked with saving as many souls as she can before the end of the world. Every minute counts here its a race against the clock… Expand
  68. Yased
    Jan 15, 2023
    0
    If you too have gone through the horrible decables of the atrocious ffxiii and ffxiii-2 during the PS3 era, then this Lightning Returns represents the horrid conclusion of a sh*tty pseudo trilogy, made with rubbish scraps. Literally...
    Gameplay actions extremely limited and soulless, costume system in a style worse than ffx-2; ridiculous maps like the usual ridiculous monsters design, 2    If you too have gone through the horrible decables of the atrocious ffxiii and ffxiii-2 during the PS3 era, then this Lightning Returns represents the horrid conclusion of a sh*tty pseudo trilogy, made with rubbish scraps. Literally...
    Gameplay actions extremely limited and soulless, costume system in a style worse than ffx-2; ridiculous maps like the usual ridiculous monsters design, 2 flat and empty cities like a blank sheet of paper, and an even more stupid and ridiculous storyline than the 2 previous games.

    My advice?
    Stay away from this horrid crap, it's not worth your time.    … Expand
  69. AmirReza1939
    Sep 30, 2022
    10
    The game was very beautiful, the lighting design was very well done, and the game had a beautiful quality and visual detail compared to the time of its release, and the long and beautiful side stages made the game very attractive in addition to the main stages.
  70. Riplyco
    Jan 28, 2023
    0
    Horrible and pitiful third game from a totally horrible trilogy of trash games.
    Lightning Returns just sucks in pretty much everything.
    From the ridiculous plot, to the cross dressing sh*t, and even in the graphics, that menage to be worse than the first two games.
    Add a bad monster design, a sh*t ost, and a whole atrocious concept design, and you obtain one of the worst Final Fantasy games
  71. aaronnmp96
    Jan 30, 2023
    1
    really horrible, I don't even know why this exists, I do not recommend it to anyone
  72. Nivhu
    Jun 26, 2023
    0
    This terrible garbage game is far from even being a decent game
    And far away from being something of relatively even an acceptable action
    A **** gameplay with horrendous level design and a bad written plot
    It's leave a bad taste in my mouth for ages, so avoid this
  73. Nocho
    Jul 10, 2023
    0
    What a horrible piece of crap game
    A confusing trash plot mixed with the worst kind of mechanics that you can ever put in a jrpg, time limit.
    Don't waste your time in this trash
  74. Ando-
    Jul 9, 2023
    10
    I love this game. It's the root precursor to FFVIIR and FFXVI. The countdown mechanic and world were amazing. So underrated
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Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best PS3 Game of 2014
3
#3 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2014
10
#10 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 62
  3. Negative: 3 out of 62
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    May 11, 2014
    70
    Lightning Returns shows us a flashy new wardrobe but looks still rule over personality. Sadly Lightnings chance of clothes does nothing for the lack of her personality. Overall it is enjoyable, but messy story and flimsy characters don't do it any favours. [March 2014]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 7, 2014
    60
    Beautiful world and solid gameplay, countered by a boring story and not very likeable characters. [Issue #240]
  3. CD-Action
    Apr 2, 2014
    70
    I spent 25 hours with Lightning Returns and most of them were pleasant, but it was mainly entertainment for my eyes and fingers rather than my brain. I reckon it to be the best game of the XIII trilogy, but it’s far behind those really outstanding Final Fantasies. [04/2014, p.60]
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