A new interview was posted here:
http://finalfantasy.com.br/index.php...rticle&id=1075
Most interesting answers.
- Why did you opt to make a story with time travelling? What kind of direction do you intend to follow within the context of Fabula Nova Crystallis mythology?
Motomu Toriyama:
At the end of FFXIII, Cocoon had collapsed and people needed to rebuild their world. I wanted to depict the process of restoring this world throughout the span of history, and so I had chosen time travel as the center of the story. Also, the aspect of time travel fits in very well with the ability for players to progress by traveling through time and space. In terms of the context of Fabula Nova Crystallis, XIII-2 is a story that sheds the spotlight on Etro, the goddess of the world of death.
Since the mythos encompasses a vast history, the players won’t see the big picture just yet, and we still have many elements of the story that need to be told.
- The artistic direction of the game is certainly varied. What were the main inspirations to create a world so original?
Isamu Kamikokuryo:
When we were deciding on the direction of the graphics, we wanted to go with a dark taste, and a unique one at that,
so we took inspiration from works of surrealism such as the art of Salvador Dali and Giorgio de Chirico. There were many desolate sceneries and abandoned buildings in the worldview as well, and so those works were great references when it came to creating the final images; it helped me determine the balance of how far I should pursue a photo-like realism, or an unrealistic fantasy, being deceptive in the imagery.
- Do you think that playing most of the time with only two characters will prejudice the experience of the game as a whole?
Motomu Toriyama:
In XIII-2, we included a number of features that would make the Paradigm Shift system more beneficial in strategic situations. One of them is the ability to choose from over 150 types of monsters and have them join in battle. These monster allies each have their own abilities during battles, and by growing them, their characteristics can be strengthened.
Because the player-side characters are fixed, it actually makes the battle system more flexible. In terms of the story, many of the major characters from the previous game will be making an appearance in some form, so I’m sure fans of each character will be pleased with that.
FFXIII-2 Interview
