Final Fantasy XIII Demo-To-Retail Changes

23 Apr 2009 at 13:43:50 by Tim McDonald

A list of things that will change from the Final Fantasy XIII demo by the time the game is released as retail have gone up online.

1UP have compiled this list from a variety of Japanese interviews with game director Motomu Toriyama, that have been helpfully translated online. What follows is everything that the man himself has claimed, in these interviews, will change. We've streamlined the list a little as a few points were reiterated in the original.

• Battle difficulty will have a massive increase, with Toriyama expecting the game to be "the most difficult FF ever."
• The party members in the demo are entirely AI-controlled; in the full version, you can issue them directives.
• Continuing your "Chain" will be very important in the full version.
• The Final Fantasy victory fanfare will indeed be in the full version.
• Victory poses may or may note feature in the full game.
• The demo includes characters attacking thin air if the first hit of a chain kills their target; this will be remedied.
• Snow will have weapons available in the full version.
• The full version will have a variety of encounter types and not just encounters from the front.
• The full version will have a level system.
• The full version will have command shortcuts.
• The full version will have a superior targeting mechanism.
• The full version will have an "Item" command in battle.
• NPC dialogue will have subtitles in the full version.
• Sazh's battle animation will be less strange and more "jolly" in the full version.
• The Time Gauge will be able to go past three in the full version, through a character growth system.
• Summons will be in the full version, and will relate to the TP Bonus that appeared after battles in the demo.
• The frame rate drops will be fixed.

We're not wholly surprised by some - the level system, for instance - but we are pleased to hear that the victory fanfare will be back. We missed that.

In other Final Fantasy news today, Square Enix released the worldwide sales figures for the franchise, and we have to say it - we're impressed by the numbers.

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