Despite my chequered past regarding Japanese Role Playing Games, Final Fantasy XIII‘s recent price drop (and a rush of blood to the head) made it an irresistible impulse buy.

Though widely received as a vast and enjoyable game, Square Enix’s latest instalment in its blockbuster series received some criticism upon release. While some reviewers lauded its new features and dismissal of JRPG norms, others lambasted the developer’s disregard for its loyal fan-base, citing its linear level design and character progression. I was intrigued by these criticisms; if your usual JRPG fan was disappointed by these changes, then maybe XIII is the lucky number for me. This, combined with the ridiculously lavish production values (3 DVDs full of beautiful environments, detailed character models and skillfully rendered cut-scenes) and low price point (fifteen pounds) sucked me in.

The criticisms are certainly true. The crystarium is just pretty window dressing for an unremarkable and restraining levelling system, and the levels are so linear that they seem like nothing more than footpaths from one cut-scene to the next. With no towns, shops or mini-games to break up the rhythm of the game it’s easy to see why some would get bored. However, the lack of exploration and other distractions allows the game to concentrate on what it does well: the battle system.

The battle system is where Final Fantasy XIII really shines. At first it seems too fast and too simple, but as you progress, you unlock more abilities, more items, more roles and more tactical options. By the time you have mastered one aspect of combat, the game introduces you to another. By the time I’d reached the second disc, I was managing roles, switching paradigms and summoning eidolons, instinctively adapting to the situation at hand.

While repeatedly battling the same footsoldiers or wildlife down a winding corridor can occasionally get tedious, it’s never too long before you are presented with a real challenge, causing you to seriously rethink your strategy. It’s here that the new paradigm system comes alive.

In every encounter, the player takes control of a single character (the party leader) and the AI deals with the others. You can influence the AI behaviour by selecting from a number of paradigms. You can, for example, set your starting paradigm so that a synergist casts spells to strengthen your team, a saboteur casts spells to weaken the opposition, and a sentinel defends them as they do so. Once your team and their enemies are buffed and debuffed respectively, you can then shift the paradigm to one where ravagers cast spells and commandos wade in to deal damage to the enemy.

This balance between magical and physical attacks is vital in another of FFXIII‘s new  battle features: the stagger bar. Each enemy has their own bar, and once it is full they will become staggered and attacks will be much more effective. Ravagers are excellent at building up the bar, but it will quickly deplete unless the physical attacks of a commando halt its steady decline.

No convoluted plot, no side quests, no random encounters, no chances of getting lost and a gradual learning curve drip-feeding features into a deep and rewarding battle system all add up to the most accessible JRPG experience I’ve had since Pokemon Blue. I can see why fans of the series were disappointed, but FFXIII is an excellent jumping on point for newcomers.

This isn’t to say that FFXIII doesn’t suffer from some of the other JRPG trappings, however. The most glaring of which is the quality of the writing. I read a review that described the script as ‘A-level student’ quality, which is more than a little insulting to our fine academic institutions. Even a 17-year old should be able to write a story that can fully realise a character’s motivation, has a clarity of direction and isn’t riddled with stereotypes and clichés.

FFXIII‘s biggest crime is that it takes itself far too seriously – opportunities to poke fun at Snow’s over-the-top machismo are missed, Lightning is too brooding, Hope too snivelling and Vanille too peppy to swallow without some kind of light relief. A little humour would have added to the overall effect of the story, lending it pathos and humanising its epic science fiction theme. Who knows, with a little humour maybe I would have ended up actually liking one of the characters. Unfortunately it is impossible to see past their bludgeoningly stereotypical behaviour in order to identify with them. This makes the interaction between the characters baffling, almost nonsensical at times. That said, I do actually enjoy the story for the space-opera fluff that it is; kind of like a cyberpunk Neighbours.

Despite its shortcomings, Final Fantasy XIII has me returning to it regularly for thirty to forty-five minute play sessions thanks to its simple overworld, uncluttered narrative and rewarding battle system. Who knows? Maybe this is one JRPG that I will finish.