Article: Lightning Returns - New Character revealed and other details

[Aulayna]

lumina.jpgNew details regarding Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII have emerged from the latest edition of VJump.

The big story is an all new character going by the name of Lumina. Her appearance is quite similar to a gothic lolita Serah. The character shows up from time to time and the article describes her as both a helper and a hinderance to Lightning and that she seems more than happy to toy with Lightning as a result. Not much more is known about her at this point in time though.

The magazine also went on to provide some details about the "Wear" system which involves the costumes Lightning can equip. Lightning can have up to three of these costumes equipped at once and change them in real time during the course of the Battle. Each costume has it's own ATB bar that continues to charge during the course of the battle so it seems like a very effective way of condensing XIII's staple Paradigm Shift system into a single character gameflow.

If you noticed a couple of outfits in the Jump Festa trailer than you may be wondering what they were! The first is "Dark Muse" which is the one that has a grill-shaped shield, pants, a camouflage jacket and a nife. The other outfit that looks similar to samurai armor is called "Alone in the Dust." Lightning herself will also have new magic and abilities.

The magazine also went on to mention that Quests can be retrieved from a bulletin board similar to Marks in Final Fantasy XII. By completing quests you can extend the time left in the world - possibly hinting that this game will be more of a race against time than we first thought.

More details are coming in the next issue of Famitsu too.

As a side note... Lumina's outfit is cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute :3

[Source: New character Lumina and costume details revealed for Lightning Returns]

[Del Murder]

Hm, that actually sounds interesting.

[Omni-Odin]

Cool. I'll get this game to complete the XIII saga, but at this point I don't even care about XIII Versus (ok I do), but come on. I just want Squenix to start from scratch outside of the XIII-verse they've created and let's get going with XV. Think to the future Square! Your recent past is killing you.

[Karifean]

PLOT TWIST! Lumina is actually Serah!

Anyways, this looks interesting. Lumina might turn out to be a Maya-style character (from Ace Attorney) which would be something I could enjoy. Although I'm curious to see how they'll implement the whole costume system without making it seem like it's completely pulled out of their asses.

[Formalhaut]

Her striking resemblance to Serah cannot be a coincidence. Seriously, their almost identical. I like the idea of changing clothing in-battle, it's sort of similar to X-2 in that regard, though hopefully alot better and more popular.

Good article Aulayna!

[Laddy]

I could see Lumina being related, maybe a relative, ancestor, or like, a pseudo-Sarah. IDK.

[DMKA]

Lumina will have to be a relative or something. She looks way too much like Serah, and that hair...seriously, no one else in the FFXIII universe has that hair. It's totally a signature hereditary trait of the Farron family.

Or maybe they're keeping good on that whole "Lighting is female Cloud" thing and pulling an FFVII-style clustersmurf with the story. It's not like they can't do whatever they want at this point with how XIII-2 ended.

[Jinx]

What's the setting of this game? I know FFXIII-2 had a time travel aspect.

[Freya]

I have loads of details for you all tomorrow /tease

[Omni-Odin]

and pulling an FFVII-style clustersmurf with the story.

NO THEY DID NOT!!!

[NinjaCoachZ]

Okay, now I'm starting to really get curious about both this new character and especially the revamped battle system. Not gonna lie, I thought she WAS a young Serah at first.

[Del Murder]

You are in luck Ninja, because we have a TON of information to share with you later today. We're all at work or on a plane right now but rest assured there will be some significant updates on LR information coming out soon.

[LadyJuxtaposition]

I thought the girl was Serah until I read the article and then... oh alright, I was deceieved. But I got to admit Lumina is very cute, perhaps more cuter than Lightning's sister.

[Mirage]

This, along with some stuff said by Noel in FF13-2 strongly implies that Serah will be reborn sort of the same way as Yeul is.

Come on SE, don't let it be this simple.

I don't see what's so "lolita" about her, though.

[Formalhaut]

Given that we saw Yuel dying like many times in XIII-2, I fully expect Lumina to be dead and brought back to life in some cruel torture ritual.

*Cut to Lumina dying*

*Half an hour later*

Lightning: Wait, is that Lumina again? I thought she was dead?

*Cut to Lumina dying*

*A few days later*

Lightning: What, hang on, she's alive again!

*Repeat this like four more times*