Final Fantasy Versus XIII

FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII for PlayStation 3 system
Harmony is realized in this alternate tale of FINAL FANTASY XIII

Not a merely a sequel, but a wholly independent story unfolding in a different world with different characters. This title will appear alongside FINAL FANTASY XIII on the PlayStation 3 system.

When coupled with FINAL FANTASY XIII, FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII completes the core of the FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS Project.

FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII was announced at E3 2006 press event (Los Angeles; May 8, 2006).

Characters
The protagonist is a mysterious young man with dark blue-ish grey hair with crimson coloured eyes (which turn neon red when he fights). He is the last heir to a dynasty, ruling the only remaining city in the world which controls crystals. He protects his home from marauders that plan to conquer the city and take the crystals as their own. In an interview with Nomura in Ge-maga Monthly, he states the protagonist’s family is based heavily on the Yakuza of today.

The protagonist wields a number of different weapons, including swords, spears, and lances, and can even induce them (telekinetically or otherwise) to independently move in the air to form a whirling crystal barrier around himself (hence the crystal shards being broken off due to gunfire in the inset.). He has also demonstrated the power of instantaneous teleportation. His physical features seem to change depending on his actions, as his eye colour turns red when holding his sword and his hair flashes white when teleporting. Nomura has said that his eye colour will change to more colours, some scans have shown him with bright yellow eyes when holding a different sword. As hinted by Nomura, it has been shown he can use magic and do other unrevealed things.

Nomura has also confirmed that a heroine, parallel to the protagonist, will be present in the game. Other revealed characters are the mysterious soldiers. These unknown warriors wear medieval-styled armor, but also carry assault rifles resembling modern automatic weapons. It is known that they are some of marauders trying to take the crystals as their own. Another character revealed is a new character wearing all white (a possibly symbolic contrast from the protagonist’s darker clothing) introduced in the new trailer. The character is seen in protagonist’s building near the castle as they both cast spells at each other, implying that they are enemies.

As of September 2007, two more characters were revealed during the Tokyo Game Show. One character is a young woman with blond hair who wields a rapier while the other is a young man who appears to be an acquaintance of the protagonist and brandishes a short shotgun, despite the ban on firearms in his country. In early 2008, several more characters were revealed by Famitsu. Two appear to be allies of the protagonist: a man with brown hair and a quiff who wears glasses seen driving the protagonist’s car and a dark-haired, bearded man with a scar over his left eye. The man with the scar is described as an “older brother figure” while the man with the glasses is more laid-back. Another man, apparently older and dressed in a business suit, appears at the head of a table as a chairman during a meeting with several other men. Because he has the same eyes as the protagonist, it is speculated that the two are related.

Director & Character Designer: Tetsuya Nomura
(FINAL FANTASY V~VIII, FINAL FANTASY X, FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN, KINGDOM HEARTS)

Movie Director: Takeshi Nozue
(FINAL FANTASY IX, FINAL FANTASY X, FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN, KINGDOM HEARTS)

Composer: Yoko Shimomura
(LEGEND OF MANA, Parasite EVE, KINGDOM HEARTS)

Producer: Shinji Hashimoto