Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is set in a soon to be doomed world, known as “Novus Partus”. There will be four continents in this world, each with a different and unique setting. One of the key continents is known as the Capitol of Light, Luxerion.
The people of Luxerion are quietly waiting for the end of the world, according to a Famitsu interview with the game’s development staff. However, not all of the citizens of Luxerion are content with sitting idly by. There’s an organization of people that are against the Liberator—ie; Lightning—and the followers of Bhunivelze, and are actively striking out against them.
This organization isn’t aware of Lightning’s identity, but they plan to lure the Liberator out by any means possible, and are the cause of a series of ongoing murders in Luxerion.
The people of Novus Partus have actually been living for 500 years since the conclusion of Final Fantasy XIII-2, but none of them are actually aware of it. The cycle of life has been put to a stop, without new life being born, and the people who question this phenomenon are quickly weeded out.
Lightning is going to be the only playable character in the game, and with that in mind, Square say that one of the biggest questions asked by fans is: “What happened to the rest of the characters from the previous games?”
To answer that question, the supporting cast will be appearing throughout the story in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The NPC, Chocolina, will also make a reappearance, and will have a bigger role to play in this game than she did in Final Fantasy XIII-2.
