History VideoGame / FinalFantasyVersusXIII

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Noctis.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:340:This is a fantasy based on reality...]]

->''"Fools set the rules in this world. Just look around. It's undeniable."''
-->-- '''Noctis'''

A game in the [[RunningGag stupefyingly popular]] (and [[ScheduleSlip increasingly delayed]]) ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series, ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII'' is a spiritual sibling of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', but is not a sequel, prequel, or related to it in any way other than sharing mythos elements. ''Versus XIII'' is part of a "ten year project" called ''[[WordSaladTitle Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy]]'', which is a [[PretentiousLatinMotto Pretentious Latin Title]] meaning "The New Tale Of The Crystal". This particular game is being developed by the same team who make ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''.

The story centres around Noctis Lucis Caelum, WarriorPrince of a cloistered [[TheMafia mafia]] kingdom, and protector of the last [[PowerCrystal crystal]], in a world where crystal power has been abandoned in favor of {{Magitek}}. Together with his loyal TrueCompanions, Noct works to defend his homeland from neighbouring "barbarians" who seek its potentially limitless magic for their own in the growing conflict. He also meets Stella Nox Fleuret, a young woman from the rival country of Tenebrae and his unwilling enemy. All this is overshadowed by legends of Etro, the goddess of death, whose relationship with humans allows her to endow magical gifts of [[BlessedWithSuck variable]] [[CursedWithAwesome quality]].

''Versus XIII'' is currently planned to be a {{Playstation 3}} exclusive, and an ActionRPG along the lines of ''Kingdom Hearts'', although it is purported to also have ThirdPersonShooter elements.

Music was composed by YokoShimomura, also the composer for the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series.

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!!This game provides examples of:

* ArcSymbol: Etro herself. Not just in this game, but in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII the]] [[VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}} other]] [[VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy Type-0}} titles]] she's been featured because of the common mythology. Remember that those under ''Fabula Nova Crystallis'' share a common myth, but are separate games themselves. Etro shows up in this game as a painting, and as the representation of death that is worshipped in Tenebrae. The other times, she appears as a transferring airship which eventually kicks off the main plot, and as [[spoiler:a giver of the powers to BigBad Caius and heroine Lightning]], both of which happened slightly after plotline deaths.
* ArtEvolution: The [=CGI=] and graphics [[http://scrawlfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/FFv13-Graphics-Compare_2.jpg of the older trailer]] [[http://scrawlfx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/FFv13-Graphics-Compare_1.jpg compared to the new.]] The current [=CGI=] makes Stella appear a lot cleaner and softer.
* AntiHero vs. AntiVillain: Noctis vs. Stella, respectively. It is widely known and confirmed by WordOfGod that Stella is of the major antagonists, and there are [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic major hints]] that an important battle will occur between them. When you see them in the trailers, however, they are able to talk casually with each other. It should be noted that Noctis' family perform actions that are like TheEmpire, while Stella's side are those you would play as in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI previous]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII titles]].
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: In one trailer, Noctis' meeting with Stella has the prior caption: "A meeting predestined by the divine."
* {{BFS}}: Gladiolus has one. Most of Noctis' weapons are pretty large too.
* {{Bishonen}}: Noctis. He is the main character of a FF game, after all. Also Prompto.
* BlackAndGreyMorality: When even your protagonist's actions are on the darker side of grey...
* BlessedWithSuck or CursedWithAwesome: Stella Nox Fleuret can go in either direction. Her country follows Etro, and she can use magic, suggesting that she was able to receive magic from Etro, and the only other source of ''pure'' magic is the crystal itself, which is controlled by the Caelum family. Even if ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' is only taken into account, her magic is considered a blessing from Etro, but she's doomed to eternal rest as a crystal or a Cie'th if she can or cannot complete her Focus, respectively. If ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}}'' is taken into account, [[spoiler:she either has not too long to live, or she really is immortal.]] So far, [[MortonsFork not looking good]].
* BookEnds: A meta example: this was one of the first games to be announced for the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, and will probably be the last game to be released. So far it looks like ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'', which is the last in the XIII trilogy, will come out before ''Versus XIII'' does.
* CoolCar: Noctis rides around in a very nice one.
* CrapsackWorld: This game's world seems to consist of a grim metropolis where it is always night, and barren wastelands. The plot on the supernatural level is about a goddess of death and on the human level it's about power politics with much backstabbing and paranoia. Even Noctis' love life appears to be heading toward tragedy. The only bright spot is the camaraderie between Noctis and his male friends. The place names aren't helping things, with examples being "Tenebrae" (Shadows), "Vallis Acerba" (Harsh Valley) and "Nihilsomno" (Dreamless).
* DarkerAndEdgier: SquareEnix has stated that this may be the darkest ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' yet. What little footage has been revealed seems to support this. This is also the reason that Nomura stated that this game is not actually part of the mainstream ''Final Fantasy'' series (meaning, why it's not related to the XIII trilogy, which is part of the main numbered title), since it will supposedly have an ending that will make you shocked at it for a long time, as stated by Nomura.
** BloodierAndGorier: The first snippet of gameplay footage has Noctis drawing blood from a Behemoth with his weapon, something unseen from other ''Final Fantasy'' games. There actually was a rumor that the game will be the first M rated in the series. [[hottip:* :outside Australia, where almost all of them have been M rated, but that's pretty much the Australian version of the T rating anyway, so it doesn't count.]]
* DarkActionGirl: The mysterious, armored woman fighting Noctis. We later find out she's just a standard {{mook}}.
* DarkIsNotEvil:
** Etro, the {{Grim Reaper}}-type goddess of death, is supposedly benevolent and kind to humans.
** Also our hero, Noctis, who wears black and other dark colors, and whose kingdom is very... shady. He's also according to WordOfGod a PerkyGoth despite being pretty brutal in battle.
* EmpathicWeapon: The main characters' runes seem to be this.
* FacelessMooks: Noctis calmly takes down whole battalions of them in the trailers.
* FightingYourFriend: Noctis and Stella will be forced to fight against their will.
* GoodBadTranslation: One of the trailers has random Italian phrases that flash on the screen. Thing is, they all have terrible grammar. Heck, the entire ''Fabula Nova Crystallis'' compilation seems to be butchering the Latin language every chance it gets.
* GodIsGood: The little information we have learned from XIII-2 tells us that Etro gives people their "heart", [[spoiler: which is actually a piece of Chaos]], and protects them. Bhunivelze seems to represent GodIsFlawed though, as He sends His mother into the World of the Dead, stripped Etro of her power and created the fal'Cie as immortals because He is afraid of death.
* HaveYouSeenMyGod: [[VideoGame/{{FinalFantasyXIII-2}} We have, actually]], [[GodIsInept and she's not very good at her job]].
* HumongousMecha: Both as enemies and available to ride in. Some sabotage appears to be involved.
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes:
** Noctis and his friends have boots with glowing red soles for some reason.
** While made by a Gothic clothing designing company, you can find Noctis' clothes from the initial trailers [[http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00469S6I4/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/177-7947328-7360615 for sale]] before the game is even out!
* InstantRunes: Noctis and Stella display huge glowing crests when they summon weapons.
* LonelyPianoPiece: The main theme, "Somnus", which is slow, soft and melancholy. The lyrics refer to a sleeping god in a city of eternal night, and how [[{{Foreshadowing}} tragedy will destroy everything]]. However, eventually dawn comes, which may leave hope for a happy ending.
* TheMafia[=/=]{{Yakuza}}: Apparently the royal family of Noctis' kingdom function in a similar way. The game in general seems to carry a very heavy mafia theme, from Family politics and characters having Italian names, to the party members displaying elements of mob movie archetypes.
* ManInWhite[=/=]LightIsNotGood: The nameless man in white robes who fights Noctis and later the king in the trailers, suspected to be a villain. This can also be a ShoutOut to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Barthandelus, who also wore similar clothing.]]
* MeaningfulName: Noctis Lucis Caelum is probably meant to be "light of the night sky", but his name is declined incorrectly. Stella Nox Fleuret, with Stella Nox meaning "night star" and Fleuret being a reference to fencing and her weapon of choice, the rapier. Ignis means "fire" (magic he's seen using in battle), and Gladiolus means "small sword" (ironic considering his weapon of choice) and is also a flower. Tenebrae, the country where Etro is worshiped, is Latin for "darkness."
* {{Megane}}: Ignis, one of Noctis' friends/his driver/TheSmartGuy.
* MrFanservice: Pretty boy Noctis.
* MsFanservice: The [[{{Stripperiffic}} scantily clad]] female dragoon.
* NearDeathExperience: The trailers imply that both Noctis and Stella have suffered one, which allows them to see Etro's "light".
* NeckSnap: Noctis memorably breaks one soldier's neck with his legs in a cutscene.
* {{Ojou}}: Nomura said that Stella is a rich girl. She mixes with Noctis' lot and knows how to fence after all.
* OrcusOnHisThrone: The picture, which is now [[{{Narm}} unintentionally funny]].
* PowerWalk: [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Final-Fantasy-Versus-XIII_2009_01-29-09_01.jpg_500.jpg Noctis and his friends walking away from the smoking building]].
* RuleOfSymbolism: Stella and Noctis are contrasting each other drastically, dangerously approaching WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic levels. With a ShoutOutToShakespeare in the trailers, many fans have assumed a StarCrossedLovers theme, and it helps that the both Stella and Noctis are part of opposing factions in a family MobWar.
* SceneryPorn: Most FF games are known for it, but this one deserves a special mention because [[UpToEleven nearly everything qualifies]], even the fight scenes and the interiors of buildings. It's not surprising when some areas are based off Venice, of all places. The game is also using Square Enix's next-generation lighting engine Luminous, of which [[http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/video/gmw/docs/473/138/html/render.wmv.html a tech demo can be seen here]]. Apparently when ''Famitsu'' were shown real-time screenshots of Luminous working in-game, some of their staffers did not believe that they weren't CGI.
** SceneryGorn: Most of the landscapes aside from Noctis' kingdom are empty and ruined. One shot in particular shows what appear to be the remains of a highway that has sunk into the sea.
* SerialEscalation:
** Again, the cutscenes. WordOfGod wasn't lying when they compared it to ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]''.
** A lot of the games technology seems to be leaning towards this, from the randomly-generated cloud formations to the lighting engine, so advanced that it had ''Famitsu'' writers second-guessing if the screens they were shown were CG or not.
* ShoutOut: That [[OrcusOnHisThrone picture]] up there? [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts Who else made that pose for a promotional material]]? [[http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:Sora_and_Noctis.jpg Here's a direct comparison]].
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: From what we've seen so far, it looks like it's firmly lodged on the cynical side.
* SoundtrackDissonance: The trailer is extremely bloody, but set to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLwK8TyAnqU a beautiful piece of music]].
* StuffBlowingUp: The gameplay has as much of this as it does actual fighting.
* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: Noctis will have a cellphone camera, allowing him to take pictures at (apparently) any point during gameplay.
* TrueCompanions: Prompto is stated to be a "recent" friend of Noctis', while Ignis and Gladiolus are stated to be Noctis' childhood friends. They have such a close friendship that they informally advise Noctis that he's not strong enough during a fight.
* UrbanFantasy: Some of the fantastic locales Noctis will be visiting include a scenic gas station and a quaint downtown bicycle crossing.
** The cityscape of Noctis' kingdom is based on the Shibuya district of Tokyo.
* WarIsHell
* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Even though the player can switch between characters on the fly, it's an instant game-over if Noctis dies.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: Possibly. Noctis and Stella are able to see an unspecified "light," believed to be the goddess Etro opening the gate to the afterlife for deceased souls. Noctis guesses that this is what it means for both of them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: See DarkActionGirl.
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* BookEnds: A meta example: this was one of the first games to be announced for the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, and will probably be the last game to be released. So far it looks like ''VideoGame/{{LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII}}'', which is the last in the XIII trilogy, will come out before ''Versus XIII'' does.

* BookEnds: A meta example: this was one of the first games to be announced for the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, and will probably be the last game to be released. So far it looks like ''VideoGame/{{Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII}}'', which is the last in the XIII trilogy, will come out before ''Versus XIII'' does.

* BookEnds: A meta example: this was one of the first games to be ''announced'' for the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, and will probably be the last game to be ''released''. So far it looks like ''VideoGame/{{Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII}}'', which is the last in the XIII trilogy, will come out before Versus XIII does.

* DarkerAndEdgier: SquareEnix has stated that this may be the darkest ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' yet. What little footage has been revealed seems to support this. This is also the reason that Nomura stated that this game is not actually part of the mainstream Final Fantasy Series(Meaning, why it's not related to the XIII trilogy, which is part of the main numbered title), since it will supposedly have an ending that will make you shocked at it for a long time, as stated by Nomura.

* BookEnds: A meta example: this is one of the first games to be ''announced'', and will most likely be the last game to be ''released''.

* DarkerAndEdgier: SquareEnix has stated that this may be the darkest ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' yet. What little footage has been revealed seems to support this.
** BloodierAndGorier: The first snippet of gameplay footage has Noctis drawing blood from a Behemoth with his weapon, something unseen from other ''Final Fantasy'' games. There actually was a rumor that the game will be the first M rated in the series. [[hottip:* :outside Australia, where almost all of them have been M rated]]

* GodIsGood: The little information we have tells us that Etro gives people their "heart" and protects them. Bhunivelze seems to represent GodIsFlawed though, as He sends His mother into the World of the Dead, stripped Etro of her power and created the fal'Cie as immortals because He is afraid of death.

A game in the [[RunningGag stupefyingly popular]] ([[ScheduleSlip and]] [[OverlyLongGag increasingly delayed]]) ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series, ''Final Fantasy Versus XIII'' is a spiritual sibling of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', but is not a sequel, prequel, or related to it in any way other than sharing mythos elements. ''Versus XIII'' is part of a "ten year project" called ''[[WordSaladTitle Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy]]'', which is a [[PretentiousLatinMotto Pretentious Latin Title]] meaning "The New Tale Of The Crystal". This particular game is being developed by the same team who make ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''.

** Also our hero, Noctis, who wears black and other dark colors, and whose kingdom is very... shady. He's also pretty ruthless.

* YourDaysAreNumbered: Possibly. Noctis and Stella are able to see an unspecified "light," believed to be the goddess Etro opening the gate to the afterlife for deceased souls. Noctis guesses that they're both dying.

* MrFanservice: pretty boy Noctis, who even has a ShirtlessScene.

* {{Bishonen}}: Noctis. He is the main character of a ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game, after all. Also Prompto.
* BlackAndGreyMorality

* DarkActionGirl: The mysterious, armored woman fighting Noctis. We later find out she's just a standard {{Mook}}.

* LonelyPianoPiece: The main theme, "Somnus", which is slow, soft and melancholy. The lyrics refer to a sleeping god in a city of eternal night, and how tragedy will destroy everything. However, eventually dawn comes, which may leave hope for a happy ending.

* MsFanservice: The [[{{Stripperiffic}} scantily clad]] female Dragoon.