Final Fantasy XIII (series)
Three games sharing a mythos and a narrative arc.
Final Fantasy XIII is a series of games within the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy collection, itself a subset of the larger Final Fantasy franchise. It consists of the core title Final Fantasy XIII and its two direct sequels, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. These games share a strong connection to the common mythos of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, making extensive use of its terminology and involving many of its deities. The series is notable for its evolution in gameplay design across the three titles, responding to critical and fan feedback.
- first_release
- 2009
- platforms
- PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
- developer
- Square Enix
- publisher
- Square Enix
- number_of_titles
- 3
- mythos_connection
- Strong
Lore & Background
Final Fantasy XIII, the thirteenth core Final Fantasy game and the first title in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, was first released in Japan as a PlayStation 3 exclusive in December 2009, and in North America and Europe on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in March 2010. It was designed as a story-driven single-player role-playing game with a battle system intended to emulate the cinematic battles seen in the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. In response to criticism about XIII's linear structure, its direct sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 was designed as a more traditional role-playing game, featuring explorable towns, a nonlinear story structure, mini-games, and other traditional features. XIII-2 was released in December 2011 in Japan, and in January and February 2012 in North America and Europe respectively for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It received downloadable content expansions during 2012, and a Windows port in 2014.
Reader's Guide
The Final Fantasy XIII series represents a significant chapter within the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy collection, demonstrating how a shared mythos could be adapted across multiple titles while maintaining a strong narrative continuity. The series' reception has been mixed: while individual games generally received positive reception, opinions have been more mixed over various aspects of the three Final Fantasy XIII games. The series is notable for its gameplay evolution, from the linear structure of XIII to the more open design of XIII-2 and the action-oriented open world of Lightning Returns. The series concludes the narrative of the main character Lightning and the Final Fantasy XIII story arc. Its legacy includes influencing the design of later Fabula Nova Crystallis titles and contributing to the broader discussion of how a shared mythology can be interpreted across different game worlds.
Did You Know?
- Final Fantasy XIII was the first title in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series.
- Final Fantasy XIII-2 was designed to address criticism of XIII's linear structure.
- Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII concludes both the narrative of the main character Lightning and the Final Fantasy XIII story arc.
- All three games received Windows ports between 2014 and 2015.
More in Square Enix franchises 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record