Just because it's called Final Fantasy XIII doesn't mean you need to play the other 12 to appreciate the experience. Every numbered game in the Final Fantasy franchise (in other words, excluding spin-offs such as Tactics or Crystal Chronicles) is a unique experience that stands alone, with a detailed world containing lots of history and interesting characters with distinctive traits; the series is also not wed to any one style of gameplay. This new game makes some drastic changes from its predecessors, but it stays true to the series by telling an epic story in a majestic world deserving the name Final Fantasy.