Page 6: Crystallium (I)
- Paragraph at the top left corner: Finally, we will be revealing FFXIII's character growth system in this issue! In each installment, Final Fantasy games have always astounded players, and FFXIII is no exception. Doing away with the traditional "EXP", FFXIII reinvents itself by instead using a system where "the team's power will increase and evolve according to the player's choices". And this system is called the Crystallium system!
- Blue bit below that: The in-game menu is finally revealed officially, as shown on the image on the right. From this main menu, one can select the option "Crystallium". This will bring you to a screen as shown on the following page (Page 7), with a crystal corresponding to the selected character. Also, the second last option on the main menu reveals a new option called O-tokurippu (Auto-Clip?), and seems to allow players to look through topics that are important in the game. (?) On another note, one might notice that in the image shown on the right, only 5 of the 6 revealed characters are shown on screen, with no space for any additional character. However, do not worry, for when Fang is also in the party, space will be made for her by decreasing the widths of each individual character's portraits.
- Bottom part of blue bit: The Crystallium has levels? On the bottom of the menu screen, one can see not only the current Paradigm of the battling team on the left and the Tactical Points gauge on the right, but also the Crystallium Level in the centre. This level is representative of the current upper limit on character growth, which will be raised as the story progresses and the cap on character growth is slowly removed.
- Blue bit below the menu image: A 6th role 'Saboteur' (Jammer) is revealed! In the Crystallium, one must advance each role's individual abilities and power. Here a new role that you can also advance is revealed; the 'Saboteur' role. Specifically, it is an important role concerned with reducing the power of foes, hindering their battle with negative status effects, as well as removing their positive status effects. Here in the image inset and image below, Vanille as a Saboteur can be seen casting Bio, which inflicts the Poison status which slowly drains the enemy's HP.
Page 7: Crystallium (II)
- Paragraph below the top image: With the reveal of the Saboteur role, all 6 roles have been completely revealed. (Didn't they say there were a lot?
) Whilst we will explain the Crystallium in-depth on the next page (Page 8), here we will give a basic explanation first. If a player wants to develop his roles, one must use the CP obtained through battles. Depending on a player's desire, one can choose to either have the characters specialize in certain roles, or develop their roles equally such that the character is equally adept at each role. It is entirely up to the player's choice.
*Bit on the 6 roles are just summaries of what we already know about them.
*Black box on the right is just standard information we already know about Roles and Paradigms.
Page 8: Crystallium (III)
- Paragraph at top left corner: Now we will go through an in-depth analysis of the mechanics of the Crystallium system. The basis of the entire system is the "crystal", and the system will allow players the freedom to choose whichever roles they want to develop, and whatever abilities they wish to unlock. Clearly, if one wishes to enjoy FFXIII, one will have to understand first how the Crystallium works.
- Blue bit below that (Top portion): Inside the crystal, each role will a set path within. When the player wants to develop a character's roles, he would have to ask himself "Which role(s) do I want to develop?" From the image on the right, we can see that Lightning seemingly has access to developing the Commando (Attacker) and Ravager (Blaster) roles. The other roles such as Medic and Saboteur are missing from the screen, and clearly it is because Lightning does not have access to developing these roles at this point in time.
- Blue bit below that (Bottom portion): When the player hovers over the option "Ravager Lv. 1", a summary of the available crystals to unlock is provided for that respective level. These crystals are sorted into 4 categories: Abilities, HP, Attack Power, Magic Power. In this case, only 2 of the 3 Ability crystals are unlocked so far, with the rest of the 2 HP, 2 Attack Power, and 2 Magic Power crystals still locked.
- Blue bit next to second image: The crystals assume a variety of different shapes, and the layout of the board will change according to the level of the role. In the image on the left, you can see the various crystals on the board linked by what is termed "Power Lines". As you unlock these crystals, the corresponding ability or parameter upgrade (HP/Attack Power/Magic Power) is obtained by the character. Whilst the crystals are arranged on a set Power Line, one would find that for certain crystals, there will be a branch out to another area. Additionally, as the player navigates from the outer disc and reaches the crystal located in the centre, the role will level up, and a new layer board is added above the current board; a literal level up. Interestingly, roles will differ slightly between characters. That is, the crystals and layout for various roles in the Crystallium will differ for different characters.
- Portion at the bottom left corner: The 4 types of crystals found in the Crystallium can be divided into 2 groups; the Ability and the Parameter crystals. The Ability group comprises just the one type of Ability crystals, whilst the Parameter group comprises the other 3; HP, Attack Power and Magic Power crystals. The difference between the two groups of crystals is this: Ability crystals unlocked are specific to the character and the role, but Parameter crystals apply to the character in general and not the role specifically. In other words, any Parameter crystals unlocked within any of a character's roles all contribute similarly to the character in general. Therefore, a player can choose between the two groups of crystals to concentrate on unlocking, which will have a crucial impact on a character in battle.
- Tiny bit at very bottom of page: In Alexander's Gestahlt Mode, he doesn't seem to be able to move...? Toriyama explains, "Alexander will be unable to move, and will instead be so huge that he will surround the entire battle field. In this case, as a "Tactical Commander", the player will have to rely on assessing the location and number of enemies to strategically choose commands in battle." It looks like Alexander's Gestahlt Mode will be very different from the other eidolons'.
Page 9: Crystallium (IV)
- Blue bit at the top (Top portion): In order to unlock crystals on the board, one must travel along the Power Lines linking the various crystals. And to move along the Power Lines, one must press and hold the 'O' button, and press the direction pad in the direction that you want to proceed in. However, to do this, Crystal Points (CP) must be used. Without CP, players cannot move along Power Lines. Only when a crystal is reached by moving along a Power Line, can the crystal be unlocked, and new available Power Lines be shown. If CP is used completely, the player will not be able to move along a Power Line to reach other crystals. Players are free to move along Power Lines that have already been unlocked with CP. This means that if players wish to backtrack to a point where there was a branch, no additional CP will be consumed. (!)
- Blue bit at the top (Bottom portion): The steps for developing the roles can be outlined in the flowchart on the right: Obtain CP Through Battles --> Choose The Role To Develop --> Use CP To Travel Along Power Lines --> Unlock Crystals When You Reach Them. On another note, one should note that the CP obtained in battle is dependent on the type and number of enemies defeated, and in this respect is similar to EXP from previous FFs. The rank obtained after the battle has no implication on the amount of CP obtained. Instead, the rank will affect the equipment/items obtained.
Sony is pretty dumb sometimes.
