Final Fantasy XIII demo to feature multiple playable characters

by Randy Nelson { Aug 19th 2008 at 8:00PM }

IGN reports that the latest issue of Famitsu PS3 is chock-a-block with details on the forthcoming Final Fantasy XIII demo, due to be packaged with the Blu-ray Disc release of Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete. The info comes straight from the game's director, Motomu Toriyama, who divulges more than its expected length – which, as we previously reported, could break the two-hour mark. (Presumably just to prove that more than an hour of the game is actually finished.)

According to Toriyama, the demo will be "Like the FFVII demo that was included with PlayStation's Tobal Nol.1," allowing players to experience the game's opening sequence and prologue.

He also says that the primary goal of the demo is to get players acquainted with the new party system, which will allow them to experience the game's story from multiple characters' perspectives. Players will control more than one character in the demo – Toriyama points out to Famitsu that, in fact, there's no one "central" character in FFXIII – and, in "classic" FF form, will be controlling them directly, one after another, in purely turn-based combat.

Tags: advent-children-complete, demo, final-fantasy-xiii, square-enix

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Drew @ Aug 19th 2008 8:06PM

Everybody dance! Everyboody dance! Keep dancing! ...my anus is bleeding. My *anus* is *bleeding*. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, MY ANUS IS BLEEEDING! *children celebrating*

"Final Fantasy 13: Your anus will bleed."

NintenDood @ Aug 19th 2008 8:25PM

That comment, sir, is made of win :)

Jakka - The Heavy wants his sandwich back! @ Aug 19th 2008 8:42PM

Ummm...you mean something like this?

Jakka - The Heavy wants his sandwich back! @ Aug 19th 2008 8:56PM

Okay...Joystiq, why oh why did you delete my goatse link!?

j.howlett @ Aug 19th 2008 8:18PM

i want the movie and demo. i want the move for the victory music ring tone scene mostly but i liked the whole thing for what it was.

Einhanderkiller @ Aug 19th 2008 8:19PM

Yay, Joystiq finally updated the comment system. (Other Weblogs sites like Engadget have had it for weeks).

Courtney @ Aug 19th 2008 8:19PM

Are blu-rays region encoded/locked? I didn't think so, but not sure.

I was a huge FF fan up through 9 before losing interest, but passed the obsession down to my daughter who's kept up with the series since. She would go nuts if I imported it.

Cody @ Aug 19th 2008 8:22PM

Then I say import it...bring the joy of gaming to your daughter once more. (and post some screens for us too!:P)

Moofree @ Aug 19th 2008 8:22PM

Yes they are; But Japan and America are the same region.

deaftly @ Aug 19th 2008 8:25PM

Ugh, who would purchase this awful movie just for a demo.

colin @ Aug 20th 2008 1:18AM

please tell me that's a girl ...

hydralisk456 @ Aug 19th 2008 8:29PM

Please tell mr they are releasing the same demo on Xbox Live, I can't stand FFVII.

NoRedRingsForMe @ Aug 19th 2008 8:32PM

they are releasing doodoo for xbl. Doo. Doo.

Shaq-Fu @ Aug 19th 2008 8:39PM

aww NRRFM, your avatar looks sad. He looks lonely.
He looks like he wishes he were playing the FFXIII demo on a 360.Awwwwwwwww.....

Chris Putnam @ Aug 19th 2008 8:31PM

I'm not going to get too excited about this. I've never actually played a good FF demo. The games just don't lend themselves well to short playthroughs, even when the full game turns out great. The appeal is customization and development, which are completely absent from a demo -- so all there is to go on is a battle system that usually doesn't stand up very well on its own. On top of that, you usually don't know wtf you're doing at that point.

Of course, it helps that they're apparently basing the demo on the game's opening. Then at least there'll probably be some impressive cinematics to enjoy, and the story teaser might be enough to hook a person. (That's what the FFXII demo was seriously lacking).

Shaq-Fu @ Aug 19th 2008 9:05PM

Whoa! Nice *pre-rendered* graphics!

Srs though, I cant wait to play this game

zuburi @ Aug 19th 2008 11:46PM

No clue why you got voted down for that...?

AwesomeTown @ Aug 19th 2008 9:14PM

I will care about the demo when the game is closer to release. Not now, not 5 weeks from now, not 5 months from now. Wait.. so when is this game coming out?

umm....hello??? @ Aug 19th 2008 9:14PM

I want the Advent Children bluray....am really wanting some FFXIII time, but not sure if I really care for the multiple-character scenario--ESPECIALLY if I have to play through the game 10 times to play each character's storyline...

SetoChaos @ Aug 19th 2008 9:33PM

Did I just read turn based combat? YES =D

Mr.ESC @ Aug 19th 2008 9:39PM

Hurray for unoriginality!

Vidikron (FU) @ Aug 19th 2008 10:00PM

@Mr ESC

Is real time any less unoriginal? Just asking...

Purple Haze @ Aug 19th 2008 11:25PM

Turn based is a hell of a lot better than Final Fantasy XII's combat. Ya know what's worse than tapping X for a battle? Running at things and waiting for your characters to do stuff.

In Final Fantasy games I the more important (and to me fun) part of it is setting up your characters before the battle, not the actual battles.

Purple Haze @ Aug 19th 2008 11:28PM

I should probably add to that, seeing as I bashed Final Fantasy XII, which seemed to be trying to make the set-up before the battle the entire battle. I didn't find the set-up system in that game to be fun, and it didn't really get added to throughout the game, it just got boring.

Purple Haze @ Aug 19th 2008 11:28PM

Wiinterfang @ Aug 19th 2008 11:44PM

Final Fantasy works better a a turn-based combat, Besides they invented turn based combat.

ColossalHat @ Aug 20th 2008 3:05AM

"Final Fantasy works better a a turn-based combat, Besides they invented turn based combat."

Half right, Final Fantasy is far better as turn-based combat than XII's WoW ripoff combat, but table-top RPGs came up with turn based combat. :P

Hyams @ Aug 20th 2008 8:00AM

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I've just read through the source and no where is turn based combat mentioned.

It looks like Joytiq must've got confused or something, because they seem to have just made that part up. The closest to turned based combat I can find is a mention that you can switch between characters in fights (something you can do in FFXII as well).

phnk @ Aug 19th 2008 9:47PM

God I am so excited that this is coming to 360.

Cobra951 @ Aug 19th 2008 10:36PM

"Did I just read turn based combat? YES =D"

NO! >:(

After the brilliance of FF XII, they're going back to the tired stone age of turn-based combat? AAARGH!

1UP @ Aug 19th 2008 10:55PM

So what happened to my Tobal No.3 demo what was supposed to come with my Spirits Within Blu-ray disc?

Nate @ Aug 20th 2008 12:10AM

Turn based combat, fuck yeah!

Tim Burns @ Aug 20th 2008 12:20AM

"and, in "classic" FF form, will be controlling them directly, one after another, in purely turn-based combat. "

Boooo I was all ready to import, in fact I already had the plan in motion to get my copy in the air as soon as my Japanese retailer had the shipment in house. Now I might just wait the year and a half+ for them to release the game here. Way to take a giant step backwards. Hopefully the Matsuno/Sakimoto project can fill this new void.

Strife97 @ Aug 20th 2008 12:40AM

Is the demo just for PS3?

mister_d @ Aug 19th 2008 11:25PM

Just for PS3 and just for Japan.

aj @ Aug 20th 2008 1:22AM

I endorse turn based combat.

Kyuba08 @ Aug 20th 2008 2:31AM

"Toriyama points out to Famitsu that, in fact, there's no one 'central' character in FFXIII – and, in 'classic' FF form, will be controlling them directly, one after another, in purely turn-based combat."

So does this mean that the "snippet" of the combat in the few trailers showing the game is fake, or did they just happen to change the combat system altogether?

Hyams @ Aug 20th 2008 8:05AM

No, it just looks like Joystiq got a little confused. The article they link to doesn't mention turned based combat.

Shame. I'd be a lot more hyped for this game if it had turned based combat. =(

ColossalHat @ Aug 20th 2008 3:02AM

"Toriyama points out to Famitsu that, in fact, there's no one "central" character in FFXIII"

Thank god, hopefully it'll be similar to FFVI and make each character important in their own right, rather than XII's making each character completely irrelevant to the setting.