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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.
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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.
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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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