Square-Enix has announced that a demo of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is coming to Xbox Live on January 11. In addition, a new trailer for the game reveals the role of the venerable Moogle in FFXIII-2, as an assistant to Serah. She can use her Moogle to uncover rare treasures called “Wild Artefacts” by using his scanning magic on certain parts of a dungeon map. Her partner Noel can actually pick up and fling the Moogle for distance, making it possible for Serah to pick up treasures that the player otherwise couldn't reach.

The Moogle also enables an ability called the “Mog Clock” that lets Serah and Noel begin battles with either a bonus or a penalty. It's not clear from the trailer how the Mog Clock works or what the exact penalties and bonuses are, though the Mog Clock seems to make preemptive strikes easier as a bonus. Naturally, the trailer also doesn't make it clear exactly why Serah is traveling with a Moogle or exactly what the Moogle's relationship to her is. Maybe the demo can shed a little more light on that when it drops on the 11th.

SOURCE: FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 demo coming to X360 and PS3 [Square Enix Members Blog]