Yeah, you read right, the first Final Fantasy sequel in the series' history. Sure, there's been eleven FF games released over the years, but each one was a self-contained game in its own right, with nothing to do with the previous games. For the first time, Square has decided to expand a universe beyond a single game, and Spira seems like a plenty good place to start.

There's not much known about the simply-titled Final Fantasy X-2, but what we do know, we'll pass on to you. The most concrete of details lies in the changes to the core gameplay. While still certainly an RPG, more adventure game elements have entered into the mix. Yuna seems to have changed much in the two years since the last game ended. She's now a gun-totin', short-short wearin' genuine badass, and to reflect that, three new major moves have been introduced. Yuna can now jump, climb and dash around the world, though how this will actually be implemented remains to be seen. One of the screenshots below also reveals an "Active Mode" for the battle system, but what this actually means is still a mystery.

That much is known. Reports from around the net indicate that the rumors of two side-quest sequels are true, enabling you to play as both Yuna and Rikku, but both in the same game, not in two separate versions as previously thought.

The screens you'll see here do little to paint a bigger picture of the post-Sin world of Spira, but there are some interesting tidbits. The shots of Kilika show that the town has rebuilt itself after the devastating attack by Sin, though it doesn't appear to have many inhabitants (it's unclear if this is because they're simply not in the build of the game the shots were taken from, or if this is a plot point). It appears Machina technology has been embraced, and will probably be used heavily throughout the game.

There's still plenty of unanswered questions, the biggest being exactly what part the other characters from FFX will play in the sequel. The Active mode battle system and the new moves will certainly introduce some variety into gameplay that had already received a welcome shot in the arm in the form of one of the best turn-based RPG battle systems ever made, but exactly how they'll factor in is still a rather large question mark. And of course, the question on everyone's mind will be exactly when the game will be available here in the States.

In typical Square fashion, however, we should get a slow, steady stream of information as the game's progress moves along. Rest assured that as soon as we know, you will too.


[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I] [I]

[I]