We Got This Covered’s 12 Most Surprising Games Of 2014

12) Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

In a world filled with sequels that refuse to truly switch things up, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII stood out by choosing to shift away from what the other entries in the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy series brought to the table. By doing so, Square Enix brought the largely disappointing Final Fantasy XIII saga to a satisfying close.

While the plot, which once again focuses on the boringly stoic Lightning, limps to a conclusion, the gameplay more than rises to the occasion. Doing away with the rest of the cast from the previous two entries, Lightning Returns features the titular god battling all by herself. Instead of being able to switch between party members, Lightning can instead switch outfits, which represent different fighting styles.

The combat engine also does away with the Paradigm Shift engine that had been used in the two other Final Fantasy XIII titles. Instead, through the use of different Schematas, or outfits, it feels more like the style of gameplay you would see in a Bioware title. More action-oriented than ever before, Lightning Returns also feels more alive and thrilling from a gameplay perspective.

Another thing to note here is that being able to travel between four sizeable worlds lends the franchise a needed feel of non-linearity. Both XIII and XIII-2 were heavily criticized for feeling way to linear for an RPG. With the Doomsday Clock constantly ticking away, players are now free to tackle missions in any order they please.

What makes Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII so surprising though is that not only is it great, but that it is great because it chooses to ignore the previous concepts established by the franchise. It’s not often that a series could overhaul itself in such a way that it feels completely fresh from its predecessors.