Kitase: Final Fantasy XIII Shouldn't Be Classified As A "JRPG"

Final Fantasy XIII

If you feel you've been shortchanged regarding Final Fantasy XIII details, a recent Edge Online interview with FF producer Yoshinori Kitase will satisfy your every aching desire.

There's a wealth of information, as we get plenty of details concerning the development process, gameplay, visual presentation, and even the appropriate genre classification for the game. See, most all of us are automatically going to say that FFXIII is a JRPG; hell, the Final Fantasy franchise is basically the exact epitome of the JRPG. But Kitase really wants to clear something up, and it involves this very topic:

"There’s a trend these days to strictly categorise games as western RPGs or Japanese RPGs. But Final Fantasy is something that we don’t try to categorise as either/or. For us, the game straddles [the] genre. In terms of the story we’re certainly looking to improve and build upon the characters. This is a story that’s told from multiple points of view and we have whole chapters of the game that are devoted to a single character and his or her story. In that sense, it plays out in a similar way to Dragon Quest IV, taking the perspective of multiple characters, walking with them through their adventures before seeing how these stories come together and intertwine for the climax of the game."

Then he moves on to talk about the battle system and how timing is crucial, but you should definitely read all of that for yourself. These days, we really are seeing a definite blend of genres so it doesn't exactly surprise us that FFXIII might be a "genre straddler." Remember, the series has come a long ways from the standard turn-based mechanic we had in years past, and with the power of the new consoles, they could definitely do something we've never seen before. In fact, we're counting on it.

Related Game(s): Final Fantasy XIII

5/5/2009 Ben Dutka

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