With how interesting some of the mechanics are in this game, Gambits, License Board, it's a shame that the minute to minute gameplay lacks a lot of interaction. When you're playing this game optimally, you aren't pressing buttons. And personally, I just don't vibe with that.

I really liked the world and the characters. I even like Vaan! I just wish maybe there was more interaction between me and my character, maybe if gambits only were for AI characters - maybe if you had to press Square to do attacks. The gameplay itself is similar enough to something like FF7R.

I would recommend this game, but if after the opening hours you don't see yourself enjoying it, drop it.

As more time has passed since I've played FF7R (2020), I think I've grown to appreciate this game more. When it first released I was disappointed that the game wasn't a full remake of the original, and it really soured my experience playing through the game. Playing through it again knowing how soon Rebirth is, I got heavily invested in the world. So much effort was put into crafting this world and the encounters. It truly is one of those special games that you can tell was crafted with mountains of care. However, there are huge problems- some portions feel like you're crawling through molasses to just get to the next story beat, and some of the dialogue is Kingdom Hearts level of cringeworthy. The best way to experience this game is to have played the original, and take your time with this one. It's a much slower, stop and smell the flowers kind of game. And when I finally understood that, I really liked it. I can't fuckin wait for the next one