Serving as the conclusion to Square-Enix's Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, Lightning Returns put the focus back onto the titular character in order to set the stage for her climactic journey. The Fabula Nova Crystallis subset of the Final Fantasy franchise has been an interesting series, feeling like a welcome remembrance of how everyone used to view FF. Lightning Returns feels like the end of a long journey, one that obviously is ultimately never over and yet still maintains a sense of closure. The battle system does wonders for the pace of the game, keeping you in a far more alert state of awareness than previous FF games might have. Not only is combat more compelling, but the minute-to-minute gameplay between the fighting is also greatly improved from previous entries in the trilogy. Downtime in an RPG is rather tricky, but Lightning Returns manages to keep things interesting on a greater level and doesn't feel quite as on-rails as the first two, allowing for a fascinating ending to one of the most unique time periods that Final Fantasy has seen in years.
