#ffxiii lightning

"You want quiet? You'd better take the next train."

Final Fantasy XIII was initially released on December 17, 2009.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 came out December 15, 2011.

Lightning Returns was released November 21, 2013.

I only found this series sometime in 2013 and I started with FFXIII-2. I remember that it was the cover that caught my eye. This was it, for anyone that needs the reminder. 

I hadn’t seen many female protagonists in my games back then, so I was immediately intrigued. I read the back and was even more hooked because- while the time travel was a huge complaint for this particular game-I love time travel. 

I can’t remember how long it took me to beat the game originally or even how long I spent on certain Caius fights; I just remember immediately falling in love with these characters. Aside from Lightning, Serah and Yeul became standout characters for me because of reasons that would turn this entirely too long. Noel was my favorite guy - my best boy before I knew the term. I could completely understand why Snow was in love with Serah, but I had issues figuring out why Serah loved Snow (it wouldn’t be until FFXIII that I understood completely why Serah fell for him).  

I adored that game so much so that by the time I finished FFXIII-2, I wanted FFXIII. So, I went back to Game Stop and hunted it. I found a decent looking copy-still in the original case-and bought it. Like with FFXIII-2, I played it every chance I got and fell even deeper in love with the characters. Snow and Hope both infuriated and moved me; I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about either of them until the end. Sazh and Dajh both warmed and hurt me. I related a lot with Lightning’s journey of emotional growth and grew to love her even more. Fang and Vanille charmed me with their bond; their found family provided a comfort that I didn’t realize I was missing until I started playing it.  

When Lightning Returns came out, I played it just as I did the others. All of the characters I loved were back to kick my heart in the atriums and tap dance on my ventricles. I was absolutely devastated by the direction their lives had taken after the second game, but I loved every second of the experience. It was a bittersweet kind of fun. 

I took a while getting used to the combat and garb system but once I figured it out, I was ready to rock and roll. Or so I thought. Bhunivelze was an absolute nightmare. I didn’t beat him the first time I played. I rage quit and didn’t come back to the game for a few months before finally beating the bastard. 

This is the only series that left me feeling like I had been broken up with. I was so hurt that it had ended but so happy to have experienced it, but unlike a breakup, I wanted to experience it all again. So, I kept and do keep replaying the games because they’ve truly become my comfort games.