Square Enix Talks Final Fantasy XIII

Double teaming means two different games for you to enjoy on the PS3.

The Final Fantasy games have never been noted for their clarity, and for the next-gen debut of the series, Square Enix is muddying the waters further with two Final Fantasy XIII on the PlayStation 3 (and another for mobile phones) and little crossover between them.

In a new interview with US magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly, current Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase says what brings the three games together is an overlapping mythology, but that's where the cross-pollination ends - at least for now.

"Even though there is a common source of inspiration," Kitase told EGM, "each world is completely separate and different, which means that the characters within each world won't meet each other."

"There might be a possibility in the future to have them meet, but we're not sure about that yet. And even though these games are all part of the Fabula Nova Crystalis project, that doesn't mean that you'll have to play all the games in order to understand each game's secrets."

The Fabula Nova Crystalis project is Square Enix's fancy group name for Final Fantasy XIII (PlayStation 3), Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PlayStation 3) and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (mobile phones).

What we've seen so far of the games looks more sci-fi than other games in the series, but the developers say they look at this mix of the mythical crystals and high-tech as a challenge.

Final Fantasy XIII, which was originally envisioned as a PlayStation 2 game, brings many familiar elements, including the classics active-time battle system. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy Versus XIII is in the hands on Tetsuya Nomura, the man behind the Kingdom Hearts series, ensuring a different take on the series.

"I'm much more interested in what type of a game will my team create on the base ground of Final Fantasy," says Tetsuya Nomura. "It's not really about trying to create some kind of evolution of the Kingdom Hearts battle system, but rather trying to create something new and different."

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games