Collecting Monsters in Final Fantasy XIII-2
Monsters in Final Fantasy are considered vital – they serve as the game’s sacrificial lamb for a character’s growth. When Final Fantasy XIII-2 was announced, players were given preview of a new combat mechanic where beasts can actually become members of Noel and Serah’s investigative team as they search for the whereabouts of the latter’s sister, Lightning. Unlike in other Final Fantasy games, enlisting the help of creatures to aid in battle is impossible, although “Confuse” can sometimes inflict the element of betrayal inside the battlefield, unswerving fealty never really exists among the ranks of Final Fantasy’s eccentric hybrid of monsters.
Party customization in Final Fantasy XIII-2 is somewhat limited but at the same time, extraordinary beyond its predecessors. Limited because players only get to control Noel and Serah throughout the adventure, and this particular setup can impede characterization. Are we going to receive a shortage of customization for Final Fantasy XIII-2? Depends on how you look at it and along the road, Final Fantasy XIII-2 sounds like a depressing game diffused of the vigor and camaraderie established in other Final Fantasy titles.
Although technically Final Fantasy XIII-2 is built on extrapolating the relationship between Serah and Noel, players will not suffer too much Noelism or Serahism given this drawback of getting to play two primary characters in an expanded sequel that promises to unveil the mysteries of Lightning’s disappearing act. Serah and Noel will be provided with backup from the monsters that the player had slain during the course of their adventure. This may not sound new to you, but our Japanese friends whom are already Final Fantasy XIII-2 are sharing some of the basics of collecting and taming monsters.
How to Catch a Monster?
Players don’t need Pokeballs or bait to capture a monster. Slain beasts transform into crystals and are afterwards stacked to the player’s backpack of defeated souls or something like that. Interestingly, players have now full-control in creating a party based on a captured monster’s strengths, opening up new combat layers that can either make a boss battle a walk in the park or a swim with the sharks.
How to Strengthen a Monster?
Monsters don’t level up nor do they have the capacity to change multiple Paradigms in battle making them somehow one-dimensional. To help address this disadvantage, players can upgrade a monster’s Paradigm to the fullest, making them worthwhile allies capable of becoming mighty powerhouses or destructive spellcasters on their own right. Additionally, monsters gain bonuses from items dropped by untamed monsters, which can be invested on opening a beast’s Paradigm nodes.
Anything Else I Need to Know?
Oh yeah, players can also suit up their monsters with fancy clothing and unnecessary headgear to make them even more frightening. Accessories range from parasols to ridiculous party hats. Very frightening, indeed.
Recently, Famitsu has given Final Fantasy XIII-2 an impressive perfect score of 40/40 and the game continues to generate ground-breaking sales records in its production birthplace of Japan. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is set to be released on January 31, 2o12 in North America and we could only cross our fingers that the game, despite the adoption of new content, will not destroy its reputation given that Western fans of Final Fantasy have become antagonistic to what the game is trying to prove.
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