It’s been a while (well, not too long, but a couple of weeks is a long time in the world of videogames) since we’ve had any new light shed on Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The latest reveal comes from the Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu, showcasing a new character named Lumina.
With her light pink hair, Lumina appears to resemble Lightning somewhat, but she sports a Gothic Lolita aesthetic. According to Siliconera which translated the scan (seen below), Lumina gets in the way of Lightning’s progress at certain points, while helping her along in others. Presumably, she does so to control Lightning’s decisions for her own ends.
In addition to the new character, the magazine also revealed that Lightning would gain use of all new skills and abilities to use in combat, in addition to a guard and evasion system that will allow her to deflect attacks. Given that players will only be in control of Lightning, as opposed to a full party of previous games, I can see how they’d want to add some complexity to the battles.
Finally, Lightning will be able to switch her costumes by obtaining new gear throughout the game. She won’t be confined to a single look.
The next game in the franchise is set to offer a conclusion to Lightning’s personal story, and perhaps an end to Final Fantasy XIII. It comes out on the Xbox 360 and PS3 this year.
