Final Fantasy Versus XIII

Final Fantasy Versus XIII

*There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.*

*--William Shakespeare.*

***NOTICE! To avoid confusion between Nomura's Noctis and Tabata's Noctis, the Versus XIII version of Noctis Lucis Caelum will primarily be addressed as Yozora throughout the page.***

*Final Fantasy Versus XIII* is the primordial form of *Verum Rex*, and was a game planned for the PlayStation 3 as part of the *Fabula Nova Crystallis trilogy*. It was intended to be the fifth game in the *Final Fantasy XIII* anthology, releasing after the main trilogy and *Final Fantasy* *Agito XIII*, and possibly even tying into the *Kingdom Hearts* series, originally planned to release alongside *Kingdom Hearts III*. The theme of *Versus XIII* was "a fantasy based on reality", and the game was to take place in the age of fairy tales, a setting similar to our modern Earth.

*Final Fantasy Versus XIII* was first shown in 2006, alongside *Final Fantasy Agito XIII* and *Final Fantasy XIII*. However, unlike the latter two, *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* would stay in the production stage for years and there were long periods of media silence on its status. During E3 2013, the game was officially rebranded and re-announced as *Final Fantasy XV*, however in 2014 it was announced Tetsuya Nomura was booted from the project, and the role was instead passed over to Hajime Tabata.

However, years later in 2020, it was revealed that Tetsuya Nomura would revive and revise the project as *Verum Rex,* sworn under "An Oath to Return" (as stated in *Kingdom Hearts III ReMind*). However, there are many differences between *Versus XIII* and *Verum Rex*, which is caused by the amount of material stolen and added into *Final Fantasy XV*, as well various rewrites and revisions for *Versus XIII* which Nomura created in secret over the long 7 year hiatus. Due to this, Tetsuya Nomura wishes for fans to treat the current story of *Verum Rex*, and the unfinished original story presented in *Versus XIII*, as two separate entities.

## Gameplay

Not much gameplay was shown off in presentations to truly grasp the complexity of the game's mechanics. Due to possibly being a part of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, the overall layout of the screen and menu resembled a mixture of *Final Fantasy XIII's* battle layout and *Kingdom Hearts Final Mix*.

Yozora, or, "Noctis" as he was known then, had the ability to wield special weapons known as the Phantom Sword Armiger, which includes swords, daggers, guns, and even a weapon which strongly resembled a Keyblade, among others. In some examples, blood could be seen spilling out of enemies when struck.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII also allowed you to play as different characters. Gladiolus was said to be similar to Yozora, but slower and able to use heavy weapons. Prompto would switch to a third person aiming mode allowing for targeting enemy weak points that could not be hit when playing as Yozora. And Yozora himself was the only character able to use magic due to specific plot elements. It is unknown if Ignis was ever meant to be playable.

The game was to be an action RPG and the player was to be able to control vehicles, an airship included, and the game was to be different than other *Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy* games, allowing for a fully seamless world with a world map.

## Characters

To keep with the theming of the game, and constant illusions to the number 13, there were thirteen main characters set for Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

* Noctis Lucis Caelum, the original version of Yozora. This character would later evolve into his *Final Fantasy XV counterpart*.
* Prompto Argentum, Noctis' best friend since childhood. This character would later be added to Final Fantasy XV*,* and inspire Magia.
* Gladiolus Amicitia, Noctis' shield. This character would later be added to Final Fantasy XV, and be part of the inspiration for Aegis.
* Ignis Stupeo Scientia, Noctis' mentor. This character would later be added to Final Fantasy XV*,* and be part of the inspiration for Aegis.
* Stella Nox Fleuret, Noctis' love interest, and deuteragonist of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Replaced by Lunafreya Nox Fleuret in XV, later added to Verum Rex as a character known only as the Nameless Star.
* Regis Lucis Caelum, Noctis' father and king of Insomnia. This character would later be added to Final Fantasy XV*,* and inspire the King of Quadratum.
* Iedolas Aldercapt, The leader of the enemy state of Niflheim. This character would later be added to Final Fantasy XV. Unknown Verum Rex counterpart.
* Aranea Highwind, Unknown role in Final Fantasy Versus XIII. This character would later be added to Final Fantasy XV. Unknown Verum Rex counterpart.
* Safay Roth, Imperial General of Niflheim. Originally set as a primary antagonist. Ultimately removed from the project entirely.
* Ardyn Lucis Caelum, Chancellor of Niflheim. Unknown role in Final Fantasy Versus XIII. This character would later be the main villain of Final Fantasy XV.
* Unknown name, Noctis' butler. Replaced by Cor Leonis in XV, later appeared in ReMind as the somebody of Luxord from the *Kingdom Hearts* series.
* The Mysterious Figure, a fanatic worshiper of the Goddess Etro and the primary antagonist of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Replaced by Ravus Nox Fleuret in XV, possibly later recreated in Kingdom Hearts as the Master of Masters.
* Sora, a boy from the distant future whom Noctis meets in a dream. Mentioned in XV. Main protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts series.

## Setting

Due to taking place before the world split apart, the world of *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* was initially rooted heavier in the lore of the *Fabula Nova Crystallis,* and would possibly be the precursor to the lore of *Kingdom Hearts*, referencing the series as "the chronicle of the new era"*.* However, as time went on, *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* would slowly move further and further away from Fabula Nova Crystallis. The thematic presentation of the game was said to be that of a darker tone with an emphasis on examining the cast's humanity.

### Consistent Themes

*Final Fantasy Versus XIII's* setting presented the world of fairy tales, where four major nations once had crystals, but lost them to warfare fueled by darkness, leading to leaders coveting the other nations' crystals. Lucis remained the only nation with a crystal and thus prospered thanks to their crystal's magic and influence. The rest of the world developed in the field of military power and warfare, and grew distant from Lucis. The tensions grew into a politico-resource strife driven cold war. The nation of Niflheim would have united the other nations under its banner as its solution to lay Lucis at siege for its crystal. It is unknown what measure the lore of the *Fabula Nova Crystallis* and the influence of Etro would play in this conflict.

The nation of Lucis was said to have worked akin to a mafia crime family since the nation's ancient beginnings, and despite its peace was said to have engaged in strict rule. Yozora was the crown prince, and Regis the current king. Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto—Yozora's team members—acted as his entourage akin to a Yakuza *kyodai-shatei* structure. Etro was the patron goddess of Lucis known as the goddess of death, and Lucis thus had a dark design, being only portrayed at night time, and had prevalent Reaper motifs. The royal family and other citizens of Lucis were to wear black to go with this theme.

### Versus XIII 2006

The nation was seen as heretics, and thus isolated itself from the rest of the world.

### Versus XIII 2008 - 2011

The game was to open with a formal party to celebrate the treaty-signing between Lucis and Niflheim, where Stella Nox Fleuret talked to Yozora about a legend from her home country of Tenebrae. The legend stated that whenever Etro opens the Unseen Gate, the souls of the dead ascend as a streak of light to the heavens and through the Gate. When few among the dying see the light, they are given power from the Kingdom of the Dead. Stella stated she can see the light, as could Yozora. Yozora guessed both of them had had a near-death experience.

The treaty-signing was but a ruse and Niflheim forces stormed the city to steal its crystal. Yozora and his friends fought their way through soldiers and Behemoths. Yozora was to have an antagonist in the form of the mysterious white-clad man named Yumeina Senshi, who also appeared to wield the power of the crystal, and would even fight Stella, who would display the same power to summon weapons via magic. Gentiana's original role for *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* was minor, and was that of Stella's messenger, as well as a contact point between the countries of Tenebrae and Niflheim.

Somewhere near the end of the game, Yozora was to meet Sora in a dream.

## Development

According to character designer Roberto Ferrari, the story "kept changing every three months". Therefore, we have decided to archive the development on a year-by-year basis.

### 2002

The first instance of Versus XIII's existence was within the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, which references five total games during its presentation. These references are as follows.

1. The opening -- A reference to Chain of Memories
2. "A fragmented tale" -- A reference to Birth by Sleep
3. "A world without you" -- A reference to Kingdom Hearts II
4. "The eyes will close" -- A reference to Versus XIII
5. The majority of the presentation -- A reference to 358/2 Days

Other than this small hint towards the project, not much else was known about Versus XIII's existence.

### 2006

Unveiled at E3 2006 with a trailer, *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* was said to be "not merely a sequel [to Kingdom Hearts], but a wholly independent story unfolding in a different world with different characters." Aside from this notion the game was still going to be developed by the team responsible for the *Kingdom Hearts* series. Tetsuya Nomura would be the director and character designer, but not costume designer, as Square Enix signed a contract with Japanese fashion brand Roen to promote their clothing designs in the game through different characters. Roen Creative Director Himuro Takahara served as the game's costume designer, but before his designs were implemented, Yozora was shown wearing a placeholder attire designed by Nomura.

### 2007

The production team was initially very small, with Eiji Kitada, a digital artist and then-employee of Square Enix's Visual Works department, was tasked with doing all of the CG work alongside one other, uncredited, person. Kitada wrote in his blog at the time that other projects took precedence, but that one of the first things he participated in on the Visual Works team was *Final Fantasy Versus XIII's* pre-production. The person he worked with was the modeling supervisor on the project, and he was the lead position, and the duo handled all of the pre-production modeling and rendering. Production of *Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete* was also running parallel to development of *Versus XIII* as a separate project, and the two also supported the *Advent Children* team.

### 2008

The game's engine history implies about its development process: Square Enix revealed Crystal Tools at Game Developers Conference 2008, which means that the real-time conversation they showed off between Yozora and Stella a few months later at Jump Fiesta 2008 was likely some of the first content actually created for the game, which meant true development had just begun. This means that, despite its 2006 announcement, nothing more than concepts and a trailer existed for *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* until 2008.

### 2009

After nearly a year of silence, *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* was briefly shown at Tokyo Game Show 2009 in a private theater showcasing the game's first gameplay footage, though Nomura commented it was merely a demo and most footage would not be used in the final game. He said the clip was made to prove the game was still in development.

### 2010

At Jump Festa 2010 Yozora's new outfit was put on display. It had a more modern look with a jacket and pants, as opposed to his old outfit from past trailers.

After *Final Fantasy XIII* launched resources could be shifted back to the *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* project, but technical issues were bringing the project nearly to a halt. According to then-Technology Director Julien Merceron, the "universal engine" Motomu Toriyama's team built for *Final Fantasy XIII* couldn't handle *Versus XIII* anymore because it had been designed to fit the former's specifications, and buckled under the vast open-world environments designed for *Versus*, making it virtually unusable. Ultimately, Square Enix was forced to commission the creation of a brand new engine for *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* called Luminous Studio.

During an interview with *Famitsu*, Nomura stated he was unsure whether *Versus* would be shown at E3 2010. When E3 took place, the game was not shown.

On June 23, new in-game screenshots and details about *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* were revealed, and it was confirmed the game would appear at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show.

On June 29, an issue of *Dengeki PlayStation* stated Nomura and the fashion company Roen had completed all character designs and the scenario was finished as well.

On August 9, Nomura announced via Twitter that voice casting for *Final Fantasy Type-0* and *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* had begun along with other bits of news.

On August 25, Yoshinori Kitase announced, during an interview with GamingUnion.net, that *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* "may not be released until after 2011".

During the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix confirmed they planned to present *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* in their January 2011 conference, which was part of their *Fabula Nova Crystallis* conference.

On October 8, the combined *Final Fantasy Type-0* and *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* trailer from Tokyo Game Show was officially released on the Internet through the Japanese Square Enix Members website.

### 2011

On January 18, 2011, Square Enix held the 1st Production Department Premier. This was the Fabula Nova Crystallis Conference mentioned earlier which was supposed to occur on January 11. The event included new trailers and the announcement of official release dates. Fans got to hear Yozora speak for the first time, along with the other characters. Besides *Final Fantasy Versus XIII*, the event featured a myriad of new video content for *Fabula Nova Crystallis* and *Kingdom Hearts*, including trailers for *Final Fantasy Type-0*, *Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance*, and *Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix*. Square Enix also teased the concept of *Final Fantasy XIII-2*.

In the Summer of 2011 Square Enix got its first look at the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which threatened to make the PlayStation 3-exclusive *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* irrelevant before it was even finished. Sticking to the game's origins was no longer an option and the project had to change.

On July 2011, in an interview with Tetsuya Nomura, it was revealed that *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* had still yet to enter full production. He went on to say the date for the next showing of the game had been set.

On August 2011, in the 500th issue of *Dengeki PlayStation* magazine, Nomura stated *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* would not be shown at Tokyo Game Show 2011 in September.

### 2012

On the Japanese gaming magazine *Famitsu*, Nomura announced the game will be a mix between real-time cutscenes and pre-rendered cutscenes with a ratio of 7:3 (70% real-time and 30% pre-rendered). He stated the next time the game would be shown there would be a demonstration using real time footage. Nomura said working on *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* took priority, in response to fans' requests for a *Final Fantasy VII* remake, and *Kingdom Hearts III*.

In July 2012, around the time of the cancellation rumors, Wada ordered the *Final Fantasy Type-0* team to join the *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* development to create a prototype for the next-gen consoles.

On September 1st, 2012, in the event of *Final Fantasy* 25th Anniversary, Tetsuya Nomura did a sketch of Yozora for the event with the statement: "Congratulations on the 25th anniversary. Please wait for his turn to appear".

On October 10th, 2012, Nomura said that *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* was still in development and asked fans to wait patiently for more detailed news regarding the game.

On November 2012, it was decided development would shift to next-generation consoles, and the name was officially changed into *Final Fantasy XV* within the company, although the public revelation of the re-branding would wait until E3 2013.

### 2013

On April 17th, 2013, during the inaugural episode of Square Enix Merchandise Radio, Tetsuya Nomura spoke briefly about the game: "It's a delicate situation within the company. The date for our next reveal is set and we are working toward preparing information for that. Perhaps the details as to why information couldn't be released might be touched upon with the next information announcement."

During Sony's press conference at E3 on June 10, 2013, a prerecorded video of Tetsuya Nomura was played where he acknowledged that not much information on the project had been released as of late, and that while he couldn't immediately share new details, new information would be revealed in the coming days. Following the message, a new trailer for the game played with the end of the trailer announcing the game has been renamed *Final Fantasy XV*, with development moved to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

## Nuclear Fallout (Behind the scenes turmoil, 2012 - 2014)

Yoichi Wada was concerned regarding the state of the game when the development wasn't progressing smoothly after six years in production. He called Hajime Tabata and wanted to get his opinion on whether they should cancel *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* altogether and start from scratch. Tabata said it was not possible for the development to carry on in the same way. At the start, Tabata's development team wasn't on-board with taking on the project from Tetsuya Nomura; most of the team was against it and it took time to convince them. Tabata started to look for ideas on how to rework it into a mainline game. The two core concepts that were planned was the idea of something to do with "Comrades," and the idea of a "Journey."

The team working on the game got resized from 200 workers to around 20 in 2012 right before the arrival of Hajime Tabata and the *Final Fantasy Type-0* team. In December 2012 Hajime Tabata became co-director to finish the project, which would eventually have him transition as the new director. He sat down with Tetsuya Nomura about the direction of the title to ensure that characters, like Yozora, would be maintained in the best possible way. Tabata has later said that when *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* became *Final Fantasy XV*, it was only 25% complete.

Tabata spearheaded a massive restructuring effort where not even the most well-publicized parts of *Final Fantasy Versus XIII* were safe. Stella would eventually be cut altogether, and many features Tetsuya Nomura had personally praised, like character switching in battle, were scrapped.

In 2014, Tetsuya Nomura was booted from the project all together. Contrary to defaming rumours, this was not Nomura's own decision, but rather a decision made by the higher-ups at Square Enix to prevent Nomura from messing with the project's development. Nomura was not even legally allowed to mention Versus XIII until November of 2019.

## Post-Cancellation and Verum Rex

### 2014

Nomura fell into a deep depression after being booted from the project, which affected his work flow for projects like *Kingdom Hearts III*. A friend of his recommended that, due to Nomura's love for animals, he should adopt some cats to cope with his depression. This led to the adoption of his two kittens Deshi and Hisho.

### 2016

On November 29th, 2016, Final Fantasy XV released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Although it received mostly positive reviews, fans of Versus XIII felt "betrayed" on how vastly different the game was, causing inner tensions within both the *Final Fantasy* fanbase and the *Kingdom Hearts* fanbase.

### 2017

On December 28th, 2017, Noctis was released as a character for *Dissidia Final Fantasy NT*, and his artwork was drawn by Tetsuya Nomura. Nomura would later go on to say that it made him very happy to draw Noctis again after five years.

### 2018

On May 2018, at an invitation-only demo presentation for *Kingdom Hearts III*, a cut scene from the Toy Box world has Rex from the movie *Toy Story* call Sora by the name Yozora, and later refers to Donald and Goofy as "his super sidekicks, Magia and Aegis."

On September 10, 2018, the first *Kingdom Hearts III* trailer containing Big Hero 6 was shown as a teaser for Tokyo Game Show 2018, within the trailer, a poster for Verum Rex can be seen.

### 2019

After the release of *Kingdom Hearts III* on January 25th, 2019, many fans laid their first sights on *Verum Rex*. The game also contained a cutscene in The Final World where the player interacts with Stella, known as the "Nameless Star", who talks to Sora about Yozora's current form.

On January 31st, 2019, the secret cutscene "Yozora" released for *Kingdom Hearts III* in a free update. Within it, Sora wakes up in Shibuya, Riku wakes up in Shinjuku, Yozora can be seen on top of a building in Shibuya, and it confirms that the Master of Masters is from this world.

On March 12, 2019, Nomura alludes towards the similarities between *Verum Rex* and *Versus XIII*, and that *Verum Rex's* production hasn't even truly begun, however he doesn't comment on it any further due to legal complications.

On March 26, 2019, *Episode Ardyn* is released as DLC for *Final Fantasy XV*. Within it, Tabata made sure to include several references to Versus XIII in an effort to keep the promise he made to Nomura.

On October 17, 2019, in Quest 910 of *Kingdom Hearts Union Cross*, The Master of Masters mentions the first Keyblade War, and how it began when he was a child. Reintroducing the war set up in *Versus XIII* to the plot.

On October 23, 2019, Yozora's original outfit from *Versus XIII* was added as a DLC costume in *Dissidia Final Fantasy NT.*

### 2020

On January 23, 2020, The *ReMind DLC* for *Kingdom Hearts III* is released. In the Secret Episode of the DLC, "Yozora" takes the role of the final boss. After his defeat, it is revealed that he was able to reach Sora via his dreams, as the opening scene of the 2011 *Versus XIII* trailer is recreated with Yozora's new, modern design, solidifying the notion that *Verum Rex* is the complete, final edition, of *Versus XIII*.

On March 27, 2020, in the final issue of Dengeki Playstation, Nomura states that, due to the major differences between the original vision for *Versus XIII*, and the current vision of *Verum Rex*, although they are technically the same project, he would prefer if his fans treat the original unfinished story of *Versus XIII* as a different entity than the final, complete story of *Verum Rex* (such as we do here by separating the games with their own pages), stating that the two renditions of the story are vastly different. He also states that he thinks an "unexpected development" is occurring.

On June 19, 2020, the "Second Phase" of Kingdom Hearts was announced, along with two empty slots for future projects. It is possible that Verum Rex will be one of those projects.

On November 11, 2020, *Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory* released. Within that game, Kairi and Riku meet the Nameless Star within the Final World, and she tells them about Quadratum and that their friend Sora might be there. Riku uses her heart, and Kairi's memories, as a portal to enter Quadratum.