Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII is a JRPG that Square Enix built as its flagship title for the incoming console generation, and on PlayStation 3 it became one of the most visually opulent titles of its time. The story takes place on the floating world of Cocoon, whose inhabitants live under the watch of powerful beings called fal'Cie, and on the harsh surface of the planet Pulse, which everyone fears. A group of wildly different characters is turned against their will into l'Cie, chosen ones marked and given a task whose failure means transformation into a monster. The story is told in a very cinematic way, with a large amount of both pre-rendered and in-engine cutscenes, and for a long stretch keeps the player on a tight, almost corridor-like pace.

Battles run on a system that combines an active time bar with instant switching between so-called paradigms, roles such as attacker, healer, or disruptor. The player directly controls only the party leader, while the rest of the team acts according to its assigned role, so the focus of strategy shifts from individual commands to quickly reading the situation and switching formations at the right moment. A key element is the stagger gauge: a series of attacks is needed to push an enemy into a staggered state, and in the short window that follows you deal the greatest possible damage. Character progression runs along the Crystarium, a grid of abilities that opens chapter by chapter, keeping the player on a short leash at first before opening into much freer customization in the second half of the game.

Technically, the game still looks remarkable today: carefully lit environments, detailed character models, and rich effects were top-tier on PS3. Masashi Hamauzu's music is one of the strongest elements of the whole package, alternating orchestral passages with jazz and electronic motifs, keeping the emotional tone alive even where the story stumbles. Reception at the time was mixed, with critics praising the presentation and the battle system while criticizing the linearity and slow start. In hindsight, Final Fantasy XIII is more interesting than it seemed back then, because its combat model turned out to be surprisingly deep, and the series drew on it in its sequels as well.