Keywords for the world's design are 'gothic, mechanical, and fantasy.' Yuji Abe has stated that in Final Fantasy XIII many areas were places the player could only pass through, but in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, there are many places to explore. Nova Chrysalia has been designed similar to a 'tourist guide style' seen in MMORPGs, and each team presented the continents in this style. Players have a high degree of freedom and will see new roads and cities from tall landmarks and can easily get lost. The game's world, Nova Chrysalia, is an active open-world with some platforming elements. Also unlike its predecessor, the game has just one ending. Unlike Final Fantasy XIII-2, the game's retail version contains the complete story, meaning players won't have to purchase downloadable content.

The game takes place five hundred years after the events of Final Fantasy XIII-2 where Lightning is tasked with saving the souls of humanity in a world heading for destruction.

Intended to end the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, it features Lightning as the main protagonist.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is the direct sequel to Final Fantasy XIII-2, and a part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy series.

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