Toriyama: Players will benefit from FFXIII’s linearity

Apparently there have been some complaints about the linearity of Final Fantasy XIII. He may not pay a lot of attention to critics, but the game’s director, Motomu Toriyama, recently took to the UK FFXIII website to post his defense of this particular design choice.

 

 

 

Apparently there have been some complaints about the linearity of Final Fantasy XIII. He may not pay a lot of attention to critics, but the game’s director, Motomu Toriyama, recently took to the UK FFXIII website to post his defense of this particular design choice.

 

Toriyama’s post echoes statements he and producer Yoshinori Kitase have said before — the linearity will help acclimate players to the game’s new systems and reduce distractions from the overarching plot:

 

In order to allow the player to become absorbed in the drama of the storytelling and the new and exciting world of Cocoon and be drawn to the characters without getting distracted or lost we have deliberately used a linear game design for the introduction sections so they can be enjoyed in the same manner as watching a film. We are aiming for a vibe while playing that is similar to the experience of an FPS style game, where the player rapidly progresses through a series of dramatic events and experiences one after the other on an imposing and atmospheric battlefield. This kind of design is also very beneficial for the player in allowing them to gradually and systematically learn the brand new battle system that this instalment brings to the series. It is set up such that the player will experience and try out each character’s possible roles in battle and naturally internalise the intensely tactical nature of the paradigm shift system.

 

Toriyama also noted that the game is linear only in the first half as players explore the futuristic Cocoon. The second half, which takes place in the wilds of Gran Pulse, is “an open world design with a more free style of gameplay.”

 

 

 

[FFXIII UK site via VG247]