In a recent interview on Dengeki Online, with developers Masahi Hasimoto, Tetsuya Nomura and Motomu Toriyama, new details were revealed on Fabula Nova Crystallis and Final Fantasy 13.

Summary of the main new details revealed:

Fabula Nova Crystallis:

• Tetsuya Normura originally planned Final Fantasy 13 as a project to run at the same time as Kingdom Hearts 2.
• Final Fantasy Versus 13 was originally the only title planned for the Next generation (PlayStation3).
• The crystal myth is the only thing that connects the titles in Fabula Nova Crystallis. There maybe more similarities but those will not be as strong connections.
• In Final Fantasy Versus 13 the prevailing color is black, where as in many Final Fantasy’s the prevailing color is white.

Final Fantasy 13

• The battle system will be ATB (Active Time Battle) based, although faster than usual. Strategic elements will remain a part of the battle system.
• The battle system will be menu-based, while a fight continues, the player will enter instructions or commands to the characters.
• Fights which were only possible in previous Final Fantasy’s in FMV, and also in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, will now be possible in-game too.

Here is a translation of the interview (since this was machine translated, it maybe a little hard for reading in places):

“Fabula Nova Crystallis

Question: How it were decided who as Director and producer for the newest part of the series into action go?

Masashi Hasimoto: The concept to Final Fantasy XIII is already three years old (note: the correct work began before two years). Tetsuya Nomura planned Final Fantasy XIII originally as project parallel to Kingdom Hearts 2 for the PlayStation 2.

Tetsuya Nomura: It should for the PlayStation 2 published. Final Fantasy Versus XIII was originally the only planned play for the NEXT generation.

Question: Will it give connections between all titles? For the moment the speech is from the myth, on which all plays are based. Will it give further connections?

Motomu Toriyama: For the moment is the myth (note: the myth is meant around the crystal) the only one, which connects the plays. Later there is to be perhaps further connections and
similarities, but those will not be so strong. The myth is the only one, which really connects the plays.

Question: Also, the myths differs is everything called a little?

Motomu Toriyama: But naturally. Perhaps the whole secret reveals itself around the myth also only if one played all three plays. Because all plays have possibly another version.

Question: Does the Logos give some referring to the myth to the plays, which were already published?

Motomu Toriyama: [Laughs]. That is a secret!

Question: Is there a prevailing color?

Tetsuya Nomura: For many Final Fantasy plays was the main color white. But is in Final Fantasy Versus XIII it exactly the opposite. Here the prevailing color is black.

Final Fantasy XIII

Question: The combat scene from the E3-Trailer is something, about what many people think and speculate. It shows us some details - however as that functions exactly everything?

Motomu Toriyama: The conservative idea Final Fantasy of the fight returns in the form of ATB. But we made the system somewhat to change, it faster. It makes now still more fun. The strategic elements remained nevertheless preserved thereby.

Question: A menu-based system?

Motomu Toriyama: That is it. The impression of the speed is based also on it. The fight continues to go, while the player enters sequentially its instructions.

Question: It looks more like it, as if one can give several instructions, not only one to the character in the Vorraus. Isn’t the system any more a successor of ATB?

Motomu Toriyama: The system is based indeed on ATB. But there are some new elements.

Question: If they look at themselves again the pictures now, they remind the fights of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children?

Motomu Toriyama: Final Fantasy XIII will permit it to us, fights as in Final Fantasy VII: To let look Advent Children. In past Final Fantasy plays was possible only in FMV sequences. Now we can realize soetwas with in-Game diagram.

Motomu Toriyama: For the combat system we aim at creating perfect a balance between the fast speed and the strategic elements.

Questions: Tell they us more about the world in Final Fantasy XIII!

Motomu Toriyama: So far only Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy VIII a Setting in the future had VII. Final Fantasy was so far always very much “Fantasy”. With Final Fantasy XIII we do not want to show the future however thereby the “Fantasy” - aspects ignore - therefore the myth around the crystal.

Question: Is it a world, in which magic and machines live together?

Motomu Toriyama: They exisiteren together in the world, without being received a connection. You can cook no meal with “Fire”, because that would destroy her”

Interview in Japanese

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