The world of XIII will have the most technologically advanced culture ever seen in a Final Fantasy game. The people in it have lived alongside magic for so long that it has become irreversably integrated into both their technology and their everyday lives.

Final Fantasy XIII has been described by the developers as the 'light' to Final Fantasy Versus XIII's 'shadow', though it has been specifically stated that the two games do not take place in the same world or society, even though both stories share the same creation mythology based around the Crystals.

Battle System

The battle system for Final Fantasy XIII incorperates the Active Time Battle (ATB) system seen in previous games in the series. Individual turns during battle, based on screenshots from the game, are taken by creating strings of multiple commands. Commands are selected based on their individual ATB Cost, which progressively depletes the ATB Gauge and effectively limits the number of commands that can be used in combination. These commands are then strung together into an onscreen attack pattern. The battle system for Final Fantasy XIII is said to have significantly less wait-time between turns than previous games.

Although only one character has been seen so far, FFXIII will have multiple-character parties, and battles will rely upon inter-linking and chaining of attacks between party members.

Additionally, FFXIII will use a navigation map during battle that will allow battles that require 360 degrees of movement. Enemies will be able to attack from all sides, including from above. The map is speculated to be used as a tool for for selecting targets and gauging distance during battle.

A new addition to the battle system is the Overclock Gauge, which will provide an ability similar to the Matrix's 'Bullet Time'. The main character can cause everything around her to slow while she herself continues moving at normal speed, by snapping together metallic balls that are embedded in her fingertips. This should allow for some impressive combos when attacking. When invoked, the overclock gauge gradually depletes, suggesting that Overclock may be FFXIII's version of the Limit Break.

Characters

Lightning

Described as an independent, strong-willed female hero, she wields a weapon that can transform between a gun or a sword. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura describes her as 'not very feminine', and says that he was asked to create a 'female version of Cloud' when designing her.

The bars on the shoulder of her uniform are said to indicate both rank and social status. According to information from Jump Festa in December 2006, her name is Lightning... This, however, appears to be either a nickname or codename. Her real name is currently unknown.

In addition to being a skilled fighter, she also has power over gravity and time-based magic.

Age	Weapon
Unknown	Gun/Sword Combo
Height	Birthplace
Unknown	Unknown

Unnamed Male Character

Next to nothing is currently known about this man. He made his first appearance in a trailer shown in a closed theatre at Jump Festa in December 2006.

According to descriptions of the trailer, he is in his twenties, rides a motorcycle, and comes to the aid of Lightning.

Age	Weapon
Unknown	Unknown
Height	Birthplace
Unknown	Unknown

Development Team

Yoshinori Kitase (Producer)
Motomu Toriyama (Director)
Tetsuya Nomura (Character Design)
Nobuo Uematsu (Theme Song Composition)
Masashi Hamazu (Composer)
Eiji Fujii (Movie Director)
Isamu Kamikokuryou (Art Director)