| Final Fantasy XIII-2 | |
|---|---|
 North American Xbox 360 cover art, featuring Lightning | |
| Developer(s) | Square Enix 1st Production Department[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Director(s) | Motomu Toriyama |
| Producer(s) | Yoshinori Kitase |
| Designer(s) | Yoshiki Kashitani |
| Programmer(s) | Yoshiki Kashitani |
| Artist(s) | Isamu Kamikokuryo |
| Writer(s) | Daisuke Watanabe |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Series | |
| Engine | Crystal Tools |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Final Fantasy XIII-2[b] is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in 2011 in Japan and 2012 in North America and PAL regions, and was ported to Windows in 2014. XIII-2 is a direct sequel to the 2009 role-playing game Final Fantasy XIII and part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries. It includes modified features from the previous game, including fast-paced combat and a customizable "Paradigm" system to control which abilities are used by the characters, and adds a new system that allows monsters to be captured and used in battle. The game's plot features a heavy time travel element, allowing the player to jump between different times at the same location or different places at the same time. Lightning, the protagonist of the original game, has disappeared into an unknown world. Her younger sister Serah Farron and Noel Kreiss journey through time in an attempt to find her.
Development of Final Fantasy XIII-2 began in early 2010 and lasted about one and a half years. The game was unveiled at the Square Enix 1st Production Department Premier in January 2011. Many of the key designers remained in their roles from the previous game, and developer tri-Ace was hired to help with the game's design, art, and programming. The development team wanted to exceed Final Fantasy XIII in every aspect while making the story's tone more dark and mysterious than the previous game. The game builds upon the Paradigm Shift battle system used in XIII and includes a less linear overall design.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 received critical acclaim in Japan and generally positive reviews from Western video game journalists. Though praised for its gameplay, lack of linearity, and graphics, the game's story was criticized as weak and confusing. The game was the fifth-best selling game of 2011 in Japan, and sold 3.1 million copies worldwide by January 2013. A sequel, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, was released in 2013 in Japan and 2014 worldwide.
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