FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII for PlayStation 3 system
Harmony is realized in this alternate tale of FINAL FANTASY XIII
Versus Logo |
Quote: Square Enix
Not a merely a sequel, but a wholly independent story unfolding in a different world with different characters. This title will appear alongside FINAL FANTASY XIII on the PlayStation 3 system.
When coupled with FINAL FANTASY XIII, FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII completes the core of the FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS Project. |
General Information
Publisher: Square-Enix
Release Date: TBA
Platform: Playstation 3
Price: TBA
Media: Blu-Ray Disc
Genre: RPG
Main Developers
Director, Base Story, Concept Game Design, and Character designer: Tetsuya Nomura
(FINAL FANTASY V~VIII, FINAL FANTASY X, FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN, KINGDOM HEARTS)
Producers: Shinji Hashimoto & Yoshinori Kitase
(FINAL FANTASY SERIES, KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES)
Image Artwork: Yoshitaka Amano
(FINAL FANTASY SERIES)
Mechanic Concept: Takayuki Takeya
(FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN)
Clothes Design: Hiromu Takahara
(ROEN)
Scenario Writer: Kazushige Nojima
(FINAL FANTASY VII~VIII, FINAL FANTASY X~X-2, FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN, KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES)
Composer: Yoko Shimomura
(SUPER MARIO RPG: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN STARS, LEGEND OF MANA, Parasite EVE, KINGDOM HEARTS)
Main Programmers: Hiroshi Harata & Kentaro Yasui
Planning Directors: Yuichi Kanemori & Takayoshi Nakazato
(FINAL FANTASY X~X-2, DIRGE OF CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII-, KINGDOM HEARTS)
Planning Director (World): Takeshi Endou
Event Planning Director: Jun Akiyama
(FINAL FANTASY VII, FINAL FANTASY XII, FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN, KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES)
Graphic Director (Character Model): Tomohiro Kayano
(FINAL FANTASY VII~X, KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES, PARASITE EVE)
Graphic Director (Animation): Tatsuya Kandou
(FINAL FANTASY VIII~IX, KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES, THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU)
Graphic Director (Map model): Masahide Tanaka
(FINAL FANTASY IX, KINGDOM HEARTS II)
Graphic Director (Visual Effects): Shuichi Sato
(FINAL FANTASY X, KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES, CHRONO CROSS)
Graphic Director (System Menu): Takeshi Arakawa
(FINAL FANTASY VIII~X, KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES, DISSIDIA: FINAL FANTASY)
Art Director (Character): Tomohiro Hasegawa
(KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES)
Art Director (Map): Takayuki Ohtachi
(FINAL FANTASY IX, KINGDOM HEARTS II)
Movie director: Takeshi Nozue
(FINAL FANTASY IX, FINAL FANTASY X, FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN, KINGDOM HEARTS)
Information About the Game
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series.
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII was announced at Square Enix's E3 2006 Press Conference in Las Angeles on May 8.
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII is focus around the “Fabula Nova Crystallis” myth.
- Final Fantasy Versus XIII is not a sequel or a spin-off of Final Fantasy XIII but a whole new game for the PS3 system. It has a completely different world, settings and characters in comparison to Final Fantasy XIII.
- Versus in Latin means “to turn around” and in English it means “against”. Both translations are the main keywords for this game.
- Early Final Fantasy Versus XIII artwork showed dark and heavy images in comparison to Final Fantasy XIII’s white background. This is going to be translated into the game in a very particular way.
- Premises and experiences that haven’t been seen in other Final Fantasy games or other games in general will be present in Versus XIII. It’ll be something truly interesting.
- Versus XIII is a title that will unite the nostalgia of the past Final Fantasy games and will tie it to a whole new way to experience the franchise. Level and overall design will be extremely valued in this game.
- This game will involve a lot of action, but old Final Fantasy elements will be present as well. They will be taken to a whole new level with the technology that Crystal Tools and PS3 are able to provide.
- Real-time graphics is what you’ll see in most of the cut scenes but fear not! CGI is also present even though there won’t be much of it. This change has happened because the development staff has reached their target render for the world and the characters. Therefore, Jun Akiyama and the planning directors decided to scrap most of CGI scenes and re-do them in full real-time.
- Yoshitaka Amano artworks will appear as paintings throughout the game and they will not be exclusive to the goddess fal'Cie Etro.
Developer Comments
- "Don’t be fooled by the dark mood the trailer leads you to, what you’ve seen is merely a representation of what’s to come but I can disclose that the character (Noctis) is not solitary or dark even though the burden he carries is very heavy" - Tetsuya Nomura on Versus XIII main character, Noctis Lucis Caelum.
- "I would say misery and worry play a huge part in the story and when the plot was being first considered I spoke with Mr. Kitase and we decided to take an even more “sad’ direction for the story" - Tetsuya Nomura on Versus XIII Story
- "People will cry because of the story, they will get involved into it and will be crying for a whole week and on!" - Yoshinori Kitase giving his view on Versus XIII story
- "It’ll be that awful?? We’ll balance it very well because playing and seeing those unpleasant sad scenes for hours could become a problem for avid players so we’ll work on that" - Tetsuya Nomura responding to Kitase's comments.
- "KH team is involved with the gameplay system and they already have the knowhow from other titles. Of course it’s not a Kingdom Hearts-like system because it's a “FF” title and we have previous "FF" staff with us, so it’ll be a balanced mix of those two with lots of action. Imagine it for yourselves because I can’t say anything!" - Tetsuya Nomura on Versus XIII gameplay and battle system.
- "Latin is a very mysterious language that no one uses on a daily basis anymore. Doesn’t matter what kind of word we use in Latin, people all around the world won’t be able to understand and yet appreciate it. That’s what we wanted, a sense of equality between the everybody" - Tetsuya Nomura explaining why they're using Latin in the game.
- "It’s title means “Sleep” and the tune is about it and alot of real situations we see everyday. - Tetsuya Nomura on Somnus"
- "Somnus, the song is represented by the “shut-eye” in the game’s logo, as for more details you’ll have to wait because Producer Hashimoto does not allow me to talk further" - Tesuya Nomura hinting at the game's plot.
- "Artwork and pre-production are all done by now. And I want to make a “FF” title that has not been seen before, so we’ll experiment a bit before we show some more things" - Tetsuya Nomura on the game's development (2006)
- "We’ll have a level and upgrade system to be operated, it doesn’t mean that because in the trailers he has all those weapons the player will too when they actually start the game. - Tetsuya Nomura on the gameplay system.
- "Well, if the player isn’t able to level up by his own work and fighting it’s not an RPG, right?" - Tetsuya Nomura on gameplay features.
- "Swords will gather and appear depending on the player’s will to go after them. That trailer image is nothing but a representation. And we decided as a development option to make him that strong for the trailer. But don’t worry, Noctis can be as strong as you seen in the trailers if you have the will to do it" - Tetsuya Nomura on the character development
- "The Crystal is enshrined inside the pillar behind Noctis throne we’ve showed a little in previous trailers. But, no one knows the content inside this pillar because they don’t see it" - Tetsuya Nomura on the so talked Crystal
- "Yes, it’s one of the most central points in the game" - Tetsuya Nomura on the Crystals role for the story.
- "Myth VERSUS Real" - Kazushige Nojima explaining Versus XIII in one phrase.
Interviews
Mr. Hashimoto interviews Tetsuya Nomura (Twitter)"Mr. Nomura: (On Versus XIII completion rate): It’s already possible to fly with an Airship on the World Map but the progress level of each setting is different and some parts still don’t tie together."
Interview with Tetsuya Nomura on the TGS 2009 Handcam showing for Versus XIII (Famitsu.com)"We prepared this off-camera footage from the game to easy people down and show them the game is still in development, this footage was from a technological verification we often do"
"Noctis riding a motorcycle? - Hahaha, Maybe."
"Development accelerated quite a lot since last spring and we have good prospects for it and it'll accelerate even more when FFXIII is completely finished."
Interview with Tetsuya Nomura on TGS 2008 Closed Mega Theater trailer for Versus XIII. (Famitsu.com)
Interview with Producer Mr. Shinji Hashimoto on “FFXIII” (Famitsu)“Versus XIII on Xbox 360? There are no plans for that at all. There is no change about this game's situation and it’ll release on the market exclusively on the PS3 system.”
“Mr. Nomura likes to focus on only one platform when developing a game”
Interview Final Fantasy Versus XIII with Nomura (Dengeki Online)
Fabula Nova Crystallis interview with 5 Key people (Famitsu.com)
Fabula Nova Crystallis Directors Interview (Famitsu.com)
Since he prefers depicting friendships over love affairs, the former will play an important role in the game's story. The burden resting on the shoulders of the protagonist and his friends might be very heavy, but nonetheless Nomura also aims to realistically show the positive aspect of their friendship, too. -Dengeki Interview with Nomura
Last Modified: August 08, 2010
