LIGHTNING RETURNS: Lightning Goes Tomb Raiding, and a DLC Wishlist
Square Enix recently announced that Lightning Returns will add another costume to Lightning’s already bustling wardrobe as a launch day DLC. This will be in the form of Lara Croft’s survivor gear from the recent Tomb Raider reboot, complete with copious amounts of dirt and her now signature pick-axe (peep the trailer for a glimpse of the costume in action below). While I know some despise this kind of thing, I don’t count myself among them. Cross promotion can be terrible, but in this case I think it's fun and doesn’t negatively affect the game whatsoever. That said, it got me thinking about what other costumes would be fun for Lightning’s final 13 day run. Turns out I’ve got some ideas on that, so here is my list.
1. Thief: The template is already there, as you can see in the image above, which was cosplayed by the amazing Lyz Brickley, with photography by Darshelle Stevens. She would use a crossbow shaped blade, and the shield would be made entirely of shadows. Slick if pulled off.
2. Hitman: There are already some costumes that have a suit-like look to them, but this would be the complete package. Black suit, red tie, bar code on neck, and shaved head. For the weapon, a kind of silver ballers and swords type thing (think Squall’s gunsword for inspiration) would be apt, but since Agent 47 uses so many diverse things to kill people, the possibilities are endless.
3. Wakka: WAIT! Don’t stop reading, just give me a sec. A bohemian type outfit, complete with sword that’s in essence just a big 2x4 with a ginormous spiked ball on the end. You could relive all of your Walking Tall fantasies and give props to Wakka at the same time. Seriously though, it could be really fun. He could use a wooden shield with a volleyball net cover. Cheesy sure, but for this character it would totally work.
4. Sora: You knew this was coming, and who wouldn’t want to take a Final Fantasy-themed keyblade into battle. A couple of prerequisites here though. 1. Lightning’s hair has to be spiky. 2. She has to have the same too legit to quit style pants that Sora rocks in the Kingdom Hearts games. The shield would be the same shield Goofy used in the KH games, because Goofy used it, and because Stone Cold said so. Yeah, you can't argue with Stone Cold.
5. Aya Brea: From the vault comes the star of Parasite Eve. It would be nice to see the classic version of Aya reinterpreted in Lightning Returns. Her blade would be infused with a sniper rifle, and the long black dress that is iconic to the character would be the base of the costume. I would like to see Square Enix take some liberties with their redesign though, and with the right touches this could be extremely cool and a nice piece of fan service.
So, any other costumes you would like to see? Give us your suggestions in the comments.