Questions about Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What is the plot of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII?

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII follows a woman waking from crystal stasis to find the world has only thirteen days left to live. The god Bhunivelze has chosen Lightning to be the Savior tasked with saving humanity before the end of time. Five hundred years have passed since the events of the previous game, and the once vibrant world of Gran Pulse has been consumed by Chaos, leaving only a fragmented archipelago known as Nova Chrysalia.

When was Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII released?

Development of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII started in May 2012, soon after the release of Requiem of the Goddess, the final story-based DLC episode for XIII-2. The game was designed in a shorter time than the other games in the series to bring the XIII series to a close before the release of the next generation of gaming hardware. The title was also chosen to be the last original Final Fantasy game on seventh generation consoles.

Who are the main characters in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII?

Lightning is the sole protagonist tasked with saving humanity, while Hope Estheim aids her from the Ark as a wireless communicator. Snow Villiers has become the leader of Yusnaan and the world's last l'Cie, and Oerba Dia Vanille and Oerba Yun Fang have taken divergent paths after being released from crystal stasis. Noel Kreiss has become a vigilante in Luxerion, and new characters include Lumina, a mysterious near-doppelganger of Serah, and Bhunivelze, the main deity.

How does the time limit system work in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII?

The in-game clock runs continuously during normal navigation, with one in-game day equating to two to three hours in real time on Easy mode and one hour on Normal and Hard modes. The timer starts at seven in-game days but can be extended to thirteen days by completing story missions and side quests. Lightning can pause time using an ability called Chronostasis, but the clock stops only during cutscenes, conversations, and battles.

What are the four regions in Nova Chrysalia in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII?

The capital city of Luxerion is a place of worship where the Order of Salvation holds sway, and Yusnaan is a pleasure capital where inhabitants live in a constant state of celebration. The Dead Dunes are a vast desert dominated by ruins, while the Wildlands are an untamed area that was once the site of the human city of Academia and the remains of Etro's capital, Valhalla. Within the New Cocoon lies the Ark, a zone where time is frozen and serves as a sanctuary for the souls of humanity.

Who developed Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII?

Development of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII started in May 2012, with Motomu Toriyama wanting to tell more stories about Lightning. Developer tri-Ace returned to help with the graphics, and the main scenario and script was written by Daisuke Watanabe, the main writer for the previous XIII games. Yoshinori Kitase explained that the team did not want players to forget the story of the previous games and needed to work especially hard as a result.

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