Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Not many games in the JRPG zeitgeist will get die-hard fans as stirring as this one. There are so many Final Fantasy games. Why, after almost twenty years, are fans still mourning the loss of Final Fantasy Versus XIII? What even is this game? Didn’t it eventually get released? It’s a very confusing subject matter, so allow this writer to delve into the heart of Square Enix’s dark, gothic adventure that never got to fully see the light of day.
Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s Origin
Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first unveiled back in 2006. The first-ever reveal trailer for the game only lasted two minutes, but the impact it had on the community was unlike anything else. The trailer was completely pre-rendered. It looked like the full motion video cutscenes from the main series Final Fantasy games. The trailer showed the main character, who was unnamed at this point, fighting armed soldiers in his kingdom’s citadel.
This character is that of royalty. He has a very removed, indifferent personality. The definition of calm, cool, and collected. His kingdom’s citadel is extremely dark and gothic. There are crying statues, and the music in the background is this piano piece with beautiful, classic Latin vocals. It feels so gothic and ominous, but also beautiful. The trailer then picks up, with our main character using transparent, floating, modern and classical swords to defend himself from armed intruders. This fight scene has been watched by millions and millions of people online, that is how popular and beloved this trailer was when it initially came out all those years ago.
“This is a Fantasy Based on Reality”
Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s initial trailer was quite shockingly, incredibly gruesome. Final Fantasy games were always rated T, and they had some violence and blood and suggestive themes, but this was different. The main character was just mowing through hordes of soldiers, snapping necks, stabbing them through their hearts, all bloodied in doing so. This trailer was so incredible for many reasons, but most particularly the direction. It’s beautifully directed.
It has great pacing, music, visuals, and action. This trailer was so great that it got thousands of fans excited for what to come next. In the years after this reveal, Square Enix would drop some bits and pieces of info, whether it was new story trailers or even gameplay. But the development of Final Fantasy Versus XIII was always… a touchy subject. It was obvious that the game was passionately being worked on, but there were also some troubles behind the scenes.
Final Fantasy XV
After years of delays, and fears of cancellation, Final Fantasy Versus XIII came back with another big trailer, but it was revealed that it was renamed to “Final Fantasy XV”. Square decided to make this spin off game the next big game in the series. That was all fine, but the problem was that the original story and vibe of Final Fantasy Versus XIII was dead. No longer was this a gothic tale of dark themes. It was a road trip story about brotherhood.
And while XV was enjoyable, with a lot of problems, many fans still wanted what Final Fantasy Versus XIII would have been. A brutal, dark and gothic story about a prince’s fallen kingdom. Not all hope is lost. Tetsuya Nomura, the original director, and director of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, is seemingly using many of his Final Fantasy Versus XIII ideas in potentially a new Kingdom Hearts game. Will we see a similar aesthetic in this future project? Only time will tell.
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