Trying to review Final Fantasy XIII is a daunting challenge – much like how it must be to douse a towering inferno with a squirt gun whilst riding a flying turtle engaged in combat with ... something epic. You get the idea ...

There are few juggernauts in the game industry as recognisable to casual and hardcore gamers alike as the Final Fantasy franchise. First released as a last-ditch effort to save Squaresoft from bankruptcy back in 1987 (at least as far as some renditions of the story goes), few would have imagined it would spawn a series that has shipped near on 100 million units and, twenty-three years later, provide one of the more interesting JRPGs in years – interesting not only for what is in the game but also that which has been removed.

As with every numbered Final Fantasy, XIII is no different in presenting a new world and set of characters to follow on an epic quest; and the world here is pretty damn awe-inspiring. The setting is a pair of twin-planets – Cocoon, a technologically advanced and heavily populated satellite-like world, and Pulse, a wild and untamed ‘lowerworld’. The story kicks off on Cocoon, where the populace is gripped by fear of invasion from the Pulsian savages and their subversive ways. You see, five hundred years prior to the tale of FF13, Pulse launched the ‘War of Transgression’ upon Cocoon and almost succeeded in destroying the smaller of the twin-worlds. Fast-forward to the present and Pulse is still a constant source of dread to the citizens of Cocoon, so much so that the story starts off in the middle of a McCarthyist purge of all the residents of a seaside town all because of a Pulsian artifact discovered nearby. And this is where the tale begins.

As any JRPG aficionado knows, a good example of the genre is defined in equal measures by three key components: story, characters and battle system. While staying out of any spoiler territory with regards to the story, FF13 is a bit of an oddity. As you may or may not have heard by now, FF13 features one of the more linear contributions to the gaming world and doesn’t attempt to hide it either. For the most part, you will find yourself coasting along a straight path, engaging in combat with enemies that have been laid out for you to provide the ‘optimal’ challenge as determined by the design team with little room to explore. The game does ‘open up’ about half-way through, but in a 50+ hour gaming experience ... well, you can do the math to figure out how it adds up. Though this may seem like a big negative, it affords the designers to craft an experience that is immaculately paced. Rarely does the game present ‘too many’ story segments and, by the same token, it never really leaves you feeling like you haven’t had enough of the story regularly fed to you to keep you going.

It’s worth nothing that FF13 occasionally toys with heavier themes (such as the aforementioned McCarthyism and moments of great despair), but it never really takes these to fulfilling conclusions, instead choosing to let them fall by the wayside as more epic moments serve to distract the player’s attention. Such story threads don’t detract from the experience as even the keenest of players would struggle to keep track of them all in the face of the exceptional pacing of the game.

Moving on to the characters, this iteration of the series features an ensemble cast that is one of the stronger parts of the title. More akin to FF12 than previous games, the story centres on the group rather than any particular protagonist. Fortunately, unlike FF12, it manages to do so without forgetting to create a cast of well-rounded and interesting characters along the way. The highlight is surely Lightning, the ever-so pretty lady on the cover of the box, who stands out as one of the most awesome female characters in a game for a while; at once strong and independent without being a hyper-sexualised bimbo, she is ever engaging and serves as the main anchor for the course of the story. Another slice of cool is Sazh – the wielder of a kickass afro (and home to a chocobo chick ... yup), whose story is perhaps easiest with which to connect and manages to be one of the stronger hooks through the experience.

And so we come to the meat of the experience: the Battle System. Given that you’ll be spending most of your time in a JRPG playing with the system and its intricacies, FF13 would be nothing short of an utter failure if this were anything short of engaging, deep and accessible. For better or for worse, this is also where we come to the realization of the marmite nature of this experience. The overarching goal behind the battle system appears to be to reduce the micro-managing aspect of battles in previous games and cater for higher-level planning so that the player thinks more about the roles of the characters in each battle rather than which specific spell they’re casting. To achieve this, the game automates as much of the character actions as possible – giving you direct control of only one character and even going so far as providing an ‘auto-battle’ button to have the AI pick the best attack to perform. Coupled with the generally linear nature of the experience and a drip-fed unlocking of features that doesn’t see you unlock the full extent of the battle system till over 20 hours in and you can smell the much loved (or hated) yeast extract.

To deal with this conundrum, permit me for a second, to step off this reviewer’s perch and speak to you a bit more ... personally. You’re here for what is ultimately an opinion and here is mine – I wholeheartedly and unequivocally loved Final Fantasy 13’s battle system. Never have I felt so, in equal parts, in control and empowered by a JRPG. Yes, the gameplay intricacies and details are fed to you fairly slowly, but it was only as a direct result of this slow release of information that I was able to completely understand and learn to play with the range of possibilities. Perhaps if I was given complete access to everything earlier, I might have coped just fine, but I probably wouldn’t have felt as connected and in-tune with the experience. And by the time you reach the endgame, the automation becomes a welcome part of the game; you’ll be hopping between job roles and pulling off tactical decisions with a dexterity that rivals most JRPGs out there. And we’re back on the perch.

Last, but most bloody certainly not least, something needs to be said about the graphics. Perhaps expectedly, given the history of the series for Square Enix, Final Fantasy 13 is one of the most beautiful games out there. In terms of the art design/direction as well as the graphical fidelity of the engine, you’re in for a treat. Expect to be gawping at the gorgeous environments and lighting effects on your journey across Cocoon only to be blown away by video sequences that up the proverbial ante for videogame cutscenes all over again.

And that brings us to the conclusion. As I step down from the perch once more, I cannot stress enough how much fun FF13 was. I truly enjoyed every moment of each battle and the way the story unfolded. I was not perturbed by the linear nature, though I can understand why some would be. If you want an open-world RPG where you define every aspect of your adventure, it might be best to look for another game. But if you want a magnificent and carefully orchestrated adventure, full of detail and passion and production values that will overshadow the gaming industry until the next Final Fantasy hits, this is for you. Enjoy!