More screenshots from the latest media cycle for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII have surfaced from Famitsu — showing more of our heroine’s travels through the Dead Dunes. In this waste, Lightning will encounter bands of theives that will set out to plunder the many ruins that dot the landscape for relics. One relic, of holy repute, will catch the eye of Lightning. She is seen below talking with a bandit. It appears they know quite a bit about her, especially their chief. Famitsu asks: “Are you ready to go treasure hunting?”

Before setting out on quests to scour the desert herself, Lightning will be able to restock and recharge in town. She’ll be able to do this by resting at an inn or getting a bite to eat at a restaurant. The spendier the food, the more Lightning will recover — but at the cost of your hard earned gil. Menu items include “Baguette” and “Gyshal Salad”. Of course, you’ll still be able to heal up by finding potions in treasure boxes and battle spoils.

She’ll need her wits about her as she travels through the dangerous desert, as there are fearsome enemies that lie in wait — even below the sands. Lightning will need to parry the monster’s charge to launch her counterattack. Lightning can use the power of Lightspeed to slow down time to tip the scales in her favor. Lightning can deftly strike her foes, as well as nimbly dodge their powerful attacks. Lightspeed will consume EP (Energy Points), a resource that will dwindle over Lightning’s journey. Use it wisely!

If you’re really in trouble, make use of the sand dunes by sliding down them to quickly escape enemies in the field!

There are four contintents that comprise the land of Nova Chrysalia, one of them being the Dead Dunes — a vast desert region where Lightning will have to brave the elements, including sandstorms as she navigates through the terrain. The newest Jump has some imagery of the new area, which is filled with many ruins dotting the landscape. Lightning is able to slide down sandy dunes to get around.

Jump also reveals a new power of Lightning’s: Lightspeed (or Overclock in the Japanese version). This ability is Lightning’s “ace in the hole” and consumes GP, a special kind of point system. This ability halts the movement of enemies. (Editor’s note: Similar to the 2006 Final Fantasy XIII trailer?)

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is still set to release this Fall.

Update: The Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII website updated with a new description of the Dead Dunes, as well as two additional images of the trading/shopping Lightning will do on her journey.

The Dead Dunes — A lifeless desert within which rests a holy relic

This region is covered with endless desert sands as far as the eye can see. Within it can be found the shanties which form a base for treasure hunters seeking their fortune in the arid wilderness, as well as ancient ruins said to conceal a divine treasure.

Many monsters with a character unique to the area appear in this region, such as the sand swimming fiends of the open desert and the undead horrors that lurk within the ruins. There is good information to be found in the village that huddles around the oasis. It is a perfect base for exploring the deadly wilderness that surrounds it.
Want to get to the bottom of the dune fast? Just slide down!

Lightning must recover the stolen treasure. But what powers does it hide within?

Final Fantasy XIII trilogy art director Isamu Kamikokuryou was married this week, with some of his colleagues at Square Enix there to celebrate the occasion. His recent oil painting of Lightning and the Luxerion cityscape was seen during the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Event, but Kamikokuryou drew a new portrait (the third image below) of the Final Fantasy heroine to auction off at his wedding (which went for 15000 yen). Lightning was originally designed by Final Fantasy series character designer Tetsuya Nomura.

Kamikokuryou is best known in the Final Fantasy-verse for some of the sweeping artworks from Final Fantasy XII and the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. For Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, each of the four continents that comprise Nova Chrysalia (formerly Novus Partus) vary wildly from ecclectic Parisian architecture to vast middle-Eastern-themed wastes — for which Kamikokuryou is responsible for creating and overseeing their artistic interpretations into a video game.

In the video accompanying this post from the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Event, Kamikokuryou paints a picture of what players will expect when they set foot into Nova Chrysalia. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will release this Fall for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Mitsuto Suzuki is one of the triumvirate of composers that has been responsible for the music of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, along with Masashi Hamauzu and Naoshi Mizuta. His body of work thus far has been arrangement and sound programming for Square Enix, but only in the last few years has he begin to cut his teeth for composing for the company’s games.

Suzuki was responsible for the new music that appeared in The 3rd Birthday alongside Yoko Shimomura’s re-arranged pieces; he was also an arranger and performer for The World Ends with You and other albums in the Square Enix Music portfolio as a synthesizer. Previous to Square Enix, he was involved as an arranger for Konami’s Zone of the Ender series.

In the video above, he performs with Masashi Hamazu and Mina (a vocalist in many Final Fantasy XIII trilogy pieces) as part of IMERUAT. Do you think that “Binded by Light 2012″ performance rings a familiar bell from a recent Lightning Returns trailer? I sure do! More on IMERUAT’s music via this link.

This week, Suzuki is in the recording studio at Nishi-Azabu for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. In the images below from Square Enix Music blog for which he writes a weekly message, he is seen recording with drummer Saeko Suzuki for the game’s soundtrack.

Each of the three composers in Lightning Returns will be responsible for the music of a different continent — so it’s a safe bet that each one will represent each composer’s style and take on the environment.

What are some of your favorite tracks from Mitsuto Suzuki and the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy? What about each of these composers’ style to you appreciate? (Please avoid YouTube hyperlinks to avoid being flagged for spam!) Leave us a comment with your thoughts!