I had never played this game but it was an important game to the childhood of a friend, so we decided I'd play through it with him as an audience.

I've never been a fan of turn-based RPGs (with a few exceptions), but I was really gripped by this game. While I disliked the typical RPG elements such as an abundance of repetitive random encounters, grinding, and excessive menuing, there was a lot to enjoy here.

The story was great, the cast was endearing, the music was awesome, and I ended up really loving the battle system. Again, not a fan of turn-based combat usually, but I loved the real-time system and how tense things got when it wasn't entirely clear you'd get that important spell off in time or if you'd survive any more hits. As aged as it looks, I found the art style fun and appealing. Flying around the world map in the Highwind felt so good. I even went through the process of getting a gold chocobo and Knights of the Round just to round out the experience. I'm going to have lots of fond memories of this game.

Pros:
+ Story, writing, and characters
+ Music
+ Combat

Cons:
- Repetitive and grindy random battles
- Convoluted and messy menus / inventory

Pretty fun and it's good that it can be played with a large group. I played 2 games; with 5 and with 7 players. Through both games I had mixed feelings. Some board events, items, and mini games were really fun and hilarious, but a lot of the time the game felt very slow, especially when playing with a larger group. A lot of the time was spent waiting while other players moved slowly around the board and contemplated their moves. Overall I'd say it was a good experience to hop into now and then with friends, but it can get stale pretty quick after a game and a half and lacks some polish.