This game had me so emotionally invested, I thought every party member was interesting and well-explored (lots of optional dialogue that REALLY adds to the lore and background info), but especially, both Tidus and Yuna and their relationship is amazingly developed. I know there's plenty of criticism towards the voice acting and some of the animations, but I was honestly quite charmed by it, something like the laughing scene really worked well for me, both for offering great lighthearted character moments but also because these scenes end up being so poignant in retrospect. I think there's also something about that "early 2000's ps2 game" atmosphere that I really vibe with.

I was surprised at some of the darker undercurrents in the story, the themes that follow religious order and questioning faith, the way that Spira feels so ethereal and centers around spirituality. It all just really came together for me, it made me wish this was one of those games I grew up with, but I'm also glad I played it now because it has a lot of mature introspective moments that I wouldn't have caught back then. It all ends up being an engrossing experience. the linearity and focus on the pilgrimage was something I loved to keep me on track, with some occasional diversion in minigames to lighten up the mood at points.
Towards the endgame portion, I was just stalling by trying to complete a bunch of optional tasks, I really didn't want the game to end. But of course, I did reach there and wow, probably one of the most beautiful endings to a story I've seen in general. What's most evident is that this game has heart and soul, it's earnest in the best way and they made the most of the ps2 when it came out. Also, the OST is so good and those cg cutscenes look great even today. This was my first full Final Fantasy experience and I'm eager to check out more entries. I know there's X-2, it's part of the bundle I bought, but I sorta just want the ending of this game to linger with me for a bit.