4/5

Played about 70 hours on Switch.

This game slaps. It's interesting to me that this is my third attempt at playing it, and somehow, everything just clicked. I think part of that was playing it on the switch, where I think this game shines, but there were a few other factors as well.

I played along with the Resonant Arc podcast - which was great in terms of helping me understand the story as I went and I loved the thematic analysis that they went into. I also played with a GameFAQs guide, something I haven't done in years - which was excellent (thank you bover). It was just really satisfying to get everything during this playthrough and I could really appreciate the game design more this way. Lastly, I got really into the sphere grid system. I opted for the expert sphere grid this time around, and I loved that I could charge my characters down aurons path and make them yoked up early on. The game was still challenging despite this.

The gameplay here is fantastic, strong emphasis on buffs and debuffs, turn order, and stats. As I said, the sphere grid is an excellent character progression system as well. The mini-games, I actually got really into. I got the ultimate weapons for all characters which, while a chore, was really satisfying to do. Having said that the requirements should've been dialled down - I never want to play Blitzball again. There's even more optional content that I didn't get into this time around and might come back for someday - dark aeons, omega ruins, monster arena, the don tonberry trick. For now I've had my fill.

The story is interesting. I like the concept, I like the characters mostly, and the writing is okay. I think the scene direction and camera work is horrific and undercuts most of the game. A lot of people call attention to the Home sequence as fantastic but it was so ugly to watch I couldn't take it seriously. There are some strong notes at the end of the story that really landed for me as well. I ended up really enjoying Tidus as a protagonist.

I'm really glad that this game proved me wrong.

It's rare that I would stan a remaster this much. However, this game included the extra bosses and aspects that the North American edition I had played when I was young did not include. My friend bought this for my husband and me as a wedding gift, along with a gold PS4 and controller and FFXV and a Mortal Kombat and a couple other games he knew we would like. What an amazing (and over-the-top) wedding gift.

When I was young, I gave FFX-2 an earnest shot but didn't get as into it. Now, with the advent of trophies, and me always being a completionist, I was motivated more than ever. Mind you, it helps that I used multiple guides to ensure I would get 100% completion in FFX-2; it's one of those games where, if you miss something simple, you could be denied 100%, and I see that as a valid fault of the game. After playing FF5, I much more enjoy the class system that is alike FFX-2's. In fact, I absolutely loved the battle system of FFX-2 on this playthrough, and thoroughly enjoyed maxing out all the classes.

The audio of both games are excellent. I was very frustrated that the Platinum Trophies included the dungeon crawl tower-based game at first, but even that game grew on me considerably. In fact, sometimes that side game pops into my head just as much as FFX/FFX-2.

FFX had always been my favorite Final Fantasy, more so because it was released at the right time. FFIX was tied with it, but the storyline of FFX was so capturing for me and then Kingdom Hearts further solidified FFX in my heart. When I was young, I thought finding the final boss easy was a feat. Now, as an adult, I spent, what, over 200 hours or something maxing EVERY character, EVERY single node of their sphere grid replaced with +4, etc. Modified weapons and armour to absolutely shred, etc. I love the endgame of FFX, maybe others would find it too easy since you basically just rely on Wakka and Tidus's overdrives and can deal constant 9999's or w/e if I recall correctly, but I find that fun and rewarding: you worked hard grinding that Cactuar King or w/e it is that gives the insane AP loop, etc. The extra bosses from the Japanese version were fun and exciting. Just everything about this game is so perfect for me, in many ways it defined my tween/teen idea of games and therefore my adult appreciation of games. The only equally important games for me I can think of might be Legend of Dragoon, FFIX, Tomba, Crash 3, and Super Mario World.

If you are a completionist like me, and enjoy turn-based RPGs, but want to take on an initially frustrating but eventually rewarding dungeone crawl side game, definitely pick this up. You wont regret it.

The tragedy of all this babbling? My husband accidentally deleted the PS4 profile this file was on lol. Not that anybody I know IRL would care about my tremendous platinum trophies and that I went even above and beyond the platinum trophies, but still. Something I always dreamed of as a kid and I finally achieved, but now lost. I hold no grudge though; now that means in 10 or 20 years, I will devote another few days of my life to maxing out these thoroughly fun, engaging, simple-enough but challenging-enough, expansive games. (Oh, and when I say few days, I mean few days actively playing the game, not a few days in total haha. Probly months for that.)