A new demo is not the only Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII related item to be released this week, as Square Enix has now unveiled a new trailer for the title that focuses on the revamped battle system that’s coming to the franchise.
If you’ve already played through the recently released demo, you’ll know that Square Enix has ditched the paradigm shift engine that was used in both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2. In its place is a new system that revolves around the use of Schemas, or equipment sets. During each battle, which take place in real time, Lightning can shift between these different equipment sets at will and gamers will be able to use a variety of different attacks as the situation calls for it. They will also be in charge of making sure Lighting properly dodges or blocks incoming attacks and staggering enemies in order to do even more damage than usual.
While I’m certainly interested in seeing my way through to the conclusion of the Final Fantasy XIII saga, I’m most interested in Lightning Returns due to this revamped combat engine. I didn’t have a problem with the paradigm shift engine, mind you, but it’s always nice to have some variety brought to a series with as many entries as this one. The demo was a nice sampler, but I’m looking forward to experiencing this new engine in full.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on February 11. Are you interested in trying out the new battle engine? Let us know in the comments section below.
