This was probably one of the game that I had the most spoilers, but that didn't prevented me from enjoying this one.
Provided, I took a while to properly beat the game, probably because I started almost as soon as I finished FF6 (I had the same, i could say, burnout with FF3), but most realistically was because I as playing other games as well.
Although an enjoyable experience, there's was many times the game became a slog to play, mainly the tower defense (which I loathe) and so many other minigames that halted the progression through the game.
The materia mechanics was incredibly enjoyable, allowing me to customize my characters in any way I wanted (Red became my go-to tank/healer combo). But I found it way to grind-y. At the end-game, where you can fight the Weapons, many strategies I found involved double casting Knights of the Round and Mime-ing until you beat Emerald and Ruby Weapons, which involved a whole lot of grinding, and I wasn't feeling like doing so. So, for the first time since beginning my journey to play every single Final Fantasy game, I didn't challenge the superbosses of an entry (although I have a savestate before the end of the game, in case I feel like trying some time).
Storywise, I found interesting that you have a clear end-goal since the beginning of the game, while many other entries dances around on who is the BBEG, before revealing who they are at the final beats of the game.
Graphic-wise, it's... ugly. At least for 2023 standards. But, even with their block-y style, there is an incredible charm to the cutscenes, even becoming (somewhat) gorgeous, considering the '90s.
I have nothing to say about the music, since Uematsu is my favorite game composer ever.
So yeah, even tho I could enjoyed the game better (I took MANY breaks while playing, and it took me almost 3 months, I guess, to beat it, greatly affecting my view of this game), it was a nice experience.
Provided, I took a while to properly beat the game, probably because I started almost as soon as I finished FF6 (I had the same, i could say, burnout with FF3), but most realistically was because I as playing other games as well.
Although an enjoyable experience, there's was many times the game became a slog to play, mainly the tower defense (which I loathe) and so many other minigames that halted the progression through the game.
The materia mechanics was incredibly enjoyable, allowing me to customize my characters in any way I wanted (Red became my go-to tank/healer combo). But I found it way to grind-y. At the end-game, where you can fight the Weapons, many strategies I found involved double casting Knights of the Round and Mime-ing until you beat Emerald and Ruby Weapons, which involved a whole lot of grinding, and I wasn't feeling like doing so. So, for the first time since beginning my journey to play every single Final Fantasy game, I didn't challenge the superbosses of an entry (although I have a savestate before the end of the game, in case I feel like trying some time).
Storywise, I found interesting that you have a clear end-goal since the beginning of the game, while many other entries dances around on who is the BBEG, before revealing who they are at the final beats of the game.
Graphic-wise, it's... ugly. At least for 2023 standards. But, even with their block-y style, there is an incredible charm to the cutscenes, even becoming (somewhat) gorgeous, considering the '90s.
I have nothing to say about the music, since Uematsu is my favorite game composer ever.
So yeah, even tho I could enjoyed the game better (I took MANY breaks while playing, and it took me almost 3 months, I guess, to beat it, greatly affecting my view of this game), it was a nice experience.