Your story begins with an amazing opening scene. Similar to FFVII, the opening scene includes a train ride and your very first battle is a boss. From here I will cover when I think of the battle system.

Battle System

The battle system takes the trinity system and gives it more depth. By the trinity system I mean Tank, Damage Dealers, and Healers. The point of each battle is to chain enough abilities against an enemy to stun them. Once stunned you can do some major damage to them. Stunning an enemy takes some technique and thought. Unlike previous Final Fantasy’s I feel that battles are less common but more difficult and rewarding. Don’t be surprised if you die on some random encounters.

The Paradigm shift is how you determine which character will perform which part of the trinity system. You can switch characters paradigms throughout a battle to give them access to different commands and abilities. Picking the best paradigm for the job is crucial for winning a battle and getting the best score. Yes, on each battle you are scored. The better your score the better the spoils. Personally I love this feature. As it helps improve your fighting ability and improve your strategies.

Story

Currently I am on chapter 5. So I will only say a little of what I think since I am about 1/3 completed. The main story is very fascinating and is keeping me hooked. Unlike FFXII it is very easy to follow. However, so far it is very linear. There is only one story path to follow. What has been done to negate the single story is having the main characters constantly branch off from each other. Eventually, coming back together into other groups. This gives you some diversity with characters. It also provides time for flash back and story elements so you learn about each character.

Video

Graphics are of course amazing. Cut scenes look brilliant. World areas are detailed with action happening around every turn. So far the one and only thing that disappoints me is the detail in battle moves and spells. Battle are very fast with a lot of action at one time. Spells like Fire, Aero, and Water go unnoticed. Sometimes they are very hard to tell apart. We will see as I progress through the game if I get more amazing spells and abilities. Personally I would have liked the battle system slowed down a bit to give better detail and amazement to character abilities.