This review contains spoilers
Obtained RustySteiner's Sphere
Listen to My Story™. I was 5, I have FFIX and FFX. I played both but my dumb Rugrats-loving brain was attracted to FFIX's chibi art style so that's the game I'm most fond of. I barely remember anything about FFX outside of throwing gil at a giant whale while riding an airship. Yeah, I'm surprised I GOT that far too. I don't know how though... Anyway. Fast-forward 20+ years later, and FFX is now one of my favorite Final Fantasy games out there!
Final Fantasy X tells a story about breaking from the cycle of tradition and in a meta way, the formula of the series. It's a pretty linear game with a rich world full of subtext, symbolism, and life. In a way, it's the very essence of what a Final Fantasy is about. To be different, innovative, compelling and ultimately fun. This is gonna be extremely long (TL;DR at the end) so sit back and enjoy ze shoopuf ride to my long and rambly thoughts about this amazing game.
There's no ATB (Active Time Battle) system anymore. We instead got CTB (Cock, Torture, Blitzballs) which is nice especially the free switching system. It's fast-paced, I'm not being rushed to make decisions, status ailments and buffs matter (and are quite OP), and every party have their strengths (like throwing balls) which lends to the fun of switching them around. It's really engaging and fun! Also the summon (Aeon) lineup is hands down one of the best not because of the variety and utility of each one but because of how they tie to the theme and story. Anima is my favorite.
In relation to the combat, we have the Sphere Grid and Equipment. No more traditional stuff like leveling up, stats on weapons and armor. The players are intimately familiar at how the party grows and I like that. It's also diegetically tied to the concept of spheres, and again - breaking from the cycle of tradition as you eventually "break away" from the linear path and get to decide HOW you build your characters (like throwing balls, and DOING 99999 DAMAGE). I FREAKING LOVE IT!
Oh man the characters. I adore them so much. They're all flawed, and at times unlikable, but they grow from them and in turn makes them layered and compelling. They, much like Spira, are stuck in a cycle on their arc and I'm here to see if I can explain/bs my way on how they break away from it. (I've shortened some because it got too long btw). Also, is this the first Final Fantasy game with voice acting? If so, they did a great job... with the acting. I can't get over how Teadoos sounds like Ratchet tho.
+ Teadoos is a great protagonist. He reminds me of Zidane in how pivotal they are to their respective worlds and party members. Teadoos went from a pompous superstar with daddy issues and got transported to an unknown world with no place to fit. His background lends to his early character of being whiny, and quite intrusive but in turn, adds a different perspective to the world of Spira. His arc is amazing on how he went from a bystander to a hero. He broke from the cycle of being treated as a star, the shadow of the Michael Jordan of Blitzball, and not as an individual. It's made even tragic with how the story ends but for the first time, he became the protagonist of his own life and in turn, saved the world. He's not a dream. He's his own person, and he will live on through the party's memories.
+ As for Auron, ngl I don't have a grasp on him much. He's the mentor-type for the entire party. The arbiter. He stays the same throughout because his arc started waaay before the game but his development was supplemented through Teadoos as they share the same sentiment as they learn more about the world. He keeps the party in line for the pilgrimage but ironically, also rejects that same tradition as we will see by the end. As for his cycle, he cannot pass on. He's stuck from his previous pilgrimage out of his promise to a friend but was finally able to break free by the end. His story has passed but he's still around to guide future generations from repeating it.
+ Yuna is a great deuteragonist. She's following in the footsteps of Braska, thus going through the same cycle of Spira. She stands on her own feet, tackling life with open-mindedness and kindness. These traits and in accompaniment, Teadoos' character help shape a new perspective, one that will break Spira free from its never-ending cycle. Also, she has a cute and playful side to her that's hampered by her duty as a summoner. I love her so much. She's also my favorite summoner in any FF games I've played. I can't wait for X-2. I can tell it's gonna be all about her and Spira's newfound freedom.
+ Rikku came late to the party but she's great. I was ready to hate her because I generally don't vibe with the energetic, clumsy, happy-go-lucky archetype that she falls into but I was surprised at how tastefully she was portrayed here (except for the beginning ass shots, just why?) Not annoying at all. The Al Bhed in general are super fun and enriches the world-building so much. They have their own language and collecting them was fun. I love Brother a lot.
+ I feel the same way about Kimahri. A Guado with a few words but once he opens up, he's cool. I wish he gets more focus though and he got shafted gameplay-wise by locking his Blue Magic to overdrives (and not having a specific build). I don't mind him but a weak link to the amazing party ngl.
+ Lulu is an enigma to me. It's because there's an affection system and she's at the top of it that some scenes were weirdly out of character. It sometimes seems like she's got the hots for Teadoos but then she's monotone during regular dialog. I love her character though. She's already moved on from Chappy's death but can't escape it through Wakka and his tendency to treat Teadoos as his own. You can tell she's different from what she lets on. She uses a cute moogle as a weapon and that's a cool characterization for her. Also WHAT'S UP WITH THOSE BELTS NOMURA?! Is it because she's shackled with her husband's death and thus makes her guarded and can't show/express herself honestly?! but then why is her cleavage showing?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF YAH.
+ Wakka is AMAZING. I genuinely don't get the hate I've heard throughout the years. Yes, he's racist, prejudiced, and loves Blitzball but he grows from it, improves as a person and I think that's the beauty of flawed fictional characters. It's explained well why he is the way he is. His brother died using machina and veering from the teachings. That's a guaranteed way to fall deeper into the religion. That's a very human and real situation IRL. It's also obvious how he doesn't know a single thing about the Al Bhed outside of "they bad" as per the teachings. He can't move on from his brother's death and its circumstance that he lost any semblance of common sense. It's a very human tale of how one's loss can affect a person, and learning how to come to terms with it and overcome your prejudices, becoming a better person. I love Wakka. He's a good brudda. He throws balls. I will not accept any slander.
Whew, that was almost as long as an entire Blitzball league. Sorry for that. I'll make sure to shorten this next segment.
I love a lot of things about Final Fantasy X but with every game, comes a few gripes.
- Camera is finicky in some sections
- I like to put my fastest party formation but there's no way to save them as default so you have to change formation after each battle. A bit annoying
- I said I like the voice acting. The voice direction though is kinda bad in some spots. They sped up the dialog to match the mouth movement. I chock it up to a product of its time so I'll give them some slack but ngl some moments didn't land well because of it.
- Mini-games are okay but bogged down by its RNG nature or its tendency to lock important items and upgrades behind unnecessarily grindy requirements.
- Endgame is very much the same way in that it's way too grindy. It's optional tho so this is more my fault for doing this on my very first experience. ngl it was funny tho when I one-shotted the final boss with a single Blitzball.
I hope I got my thoughts out properly. I hate how long this is but there's just a ton in my mind. I also will watch analysis videos after. FFX is one of those that has SO MUCH hidden stuff in it that you need multiple playthroughs to truly appreciate. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it!
TL:DR: Final Fantasy X HD Remaster is GOATED. And that, as they say, is that
97 blitzball hours and 100% achievements (for FFX only) later, I give Final Fantasy X HD Remaster a 4.5/5
Listen to My Story™. I was 5, I have FFIX and FFX. I played both but my dumb Rugrats-loving brain was attracted to FFIX's chibi art style so that's the game I'm most fond of. I barely remember anything about FFX outside of throwing gil at a giant whale while riding an airship. Yeah, I'm surprised I GOT that far too. I don't know how though... Anyway. Fast-forward 20+ years later, and FFX is now one of my favorite Final Fantasy games out there!
Final Fantasy X tells a story about breaking from the cycle of tradition and in a meta way, the formula of the series. It's a pretty linear game with a rich world full of subtext, symbolism, and life. In a way, it's the very essence of what a Final Fantasy is about. To be different, innovative, compelling and ultimately fun. This is gonna be extremely long (TL;DR at the end) so sit back and enjoy ze shoopuf ride to my long and rambly thoughts about this amazing game.
There's no ATB (Active Time Battle) system anymore. We instead got CTB (Cock, Torture, Blitzballs) which is nice especially the free switching system. It's fast-paced, I'm not being rushed to make decisions, status ailments and buffs matter (and are quite OP), and every party have their strengths (like throwing balls) which lends to the fun of switching them around. It's really engaging and fun! Also the summon (Aeon) lineup is hands down one of the best not because of the variety and utility of each one but because of how they tie to the theme and story. Anima is my favorite.
In relation to the combat, we have the Sphere Grid and Equipment. No more traditional stuff like leveling up, stats on weapons and armor. The players are intimately familiar at how the party grows and I like that. It's also diegetically tied to the concept of spheres, and again - breaking from the cycle of tradition as you eventually "break away" from the linear path and get to decide HOW you build your characters (like throwing balls, and DOING 99999 DAMAGE). I FREAKING LOVE IT!
Oh man the characters. I adore them so much. They're all flawed, and at times unlikable, but they grow from them and in turn makes them layered and compelling. They, much like Spira, are stuck in a cycle on their arc and I'm here to see if I can explain/bs my way on how they break away from it. (I've shortened some because it got too long btw). Also, is this the first Final Fantasy game with voice acting? If so, they did a great job... with the acting. I can't get over how Teadoos sounds like Ratchet tho.
+ Teadoos is a great protagonist. He reminds me of Zidane in how pivotal they are to their respective worlds and party members. Teadoos went from a pompous superstar with daddy issues and got transported to an unknown world with no place to fit. His background lends to his early character of being whiny, and quite intrusive but in turn, adds a different perspective to the world of Spira. His arc is amazing on how he went from a bystander to a hero. He broke from the cycle of being treated as a star, the shadow of the Michael Jordan of Blitzball, and not as an individual. It's made even tragic with how the story ends but for the first time, he became the protagonist of his own life and in turn, saved the world. He's not a dream. He's his own person, and he will live on through the party's memories.
+ As for Auron, ngl I don't have a grasp on him much. He's the mentor-type for the entire party. The arbiter. He stays the same throughout because his arc started waaay before the game but his development was supplemented through Teadoos as they share the same sentiment as they learn more about the world. He keeps the party in line for the pilgrimage but ironically, also rejects that same tradition as we will see by the end. As for his cycle, he cannot pass on. He's stuck from his previous pilgrimage out of his promise to a friend but was finally able to break free by the end. His story has passed but he's still around to guide future generations from repeating it.
+ Yuna is a great deuteragonist. She's following in the footsteps of Braska, thus going through the same cycle of Spira. She stands on her own feet, tackling life with open-mindedness and kindness. These traits and in accompaniment, Teadoos' character help shape a new perspective, one that will break Spira free from its never-ending cycle. Also, she has a cute and playful side to her that's hampered by her duty as a summoner. I love her so much. She's also my favorite summoner in any FF games I've played. I can't wait for X-2. I can tell it's gonna be all about her and Spira's newfound freedom.
+ Rikku came late to the party but she's great. I was ready to hate her because I generally don't vibe with the energetic, clumsy, happy-go-lucky archetype that she falls into but I was surprised at how tastefully she was portrayed here (except for the beginning ass shots, just why?) Not annoying at all. The Al Bhed in general are super fun and enriches the world-building so much. They have their own language and collecting them was fun. I love Brother a lot.
+ I feel the same way about Kimahri. A Guado with a few words but once he opens up, he's cool. I wish he gets more focus though and he got shafted gameplay-wise by locking his Blue Magic to overdrives (and not having a specific build). I don't mind him but a weak link to the amazing party ngl.
+ Lulu is an enigma to me. It's because there's an affection system and she's at the top of it that some scenes were weirdly out of character. It sometimes seems like she's got the hots for Teadoos but then she's monotone during regular dialog. I love her character though. She's already moved on from Chappy's death but can't escape it through Wakka and his tendency to treat Teadoos as his own. You can tell she's different from what she lets on. She uses a cute moogle as a weapon and that's a cool characterization for her. Also WHAT'S UP WITH THOSE BELTS NOMURA?! Is it because she's shackled with her husband's death and thus makes her guarded and can't show/express herself honestly?! but then why is her cleavage showing?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF YAH.
+ Wakka is AMAZING. I genuinely don't get the hate I've heard throughout the years. Yes, he's racist, prejudiced, and loves Blitzball but he grows from it, improves as a person and I think that's the beauty of flawed fictional characters. It's explained well why he is the way he is. His brother died using machina and veering from the teachings. That's a guaranteed way to fall deeper into the religion. That's a very human and real situation IRL. It's also obvious how he doesn't know a single thing about the Al Bhed outside of "they bad" as per the teachings. He can't move on from his brother's death and its circumstance that he lost any semblance of common sense. It's a very human tale of how one's loss can affect a person, and learning how to come to terms with it and overcome your prejudices, becoming a better person. I love Wakka. He's a good brudda. He throws balls. I will not accept any slander.
Whew, that was almost as long as an entire Blitzball league. Sorry for that. I'll make sure to shorten this next segment.
I love a lot of things about Final Fantasy X but with every game, comes a few gripes.
- Camera is finicky in some sections
- I like to put my fastest party formation but there's no way to save them as default so you have to change formation after each battle. A bit annoying
- I said I like the voice acting. The voice direction though is kinda bad in some spots. They sped up the dialog to match the mouth movement. I chock it up to a product of its time so I'll give them some slack but ngl some moments didn't land well because of it.
- Mini-games are okay but bogged down by its RNG nature or its tendency to lock important items and upgrades behind unnecessarily grindy requirements.
- Endgame is very much the same way in that it's way too grindy. It's optional tho so this is more my fault for doing this on my very first experience. ngl it was funny tho when I one-shotted the final boss with a single Blitzball.
I hope I got my thoughts out properly. I hate how long this is but there's just a ton in my mind. I also will watch analysis videos after. FFX is one of those that has SO MUCH hidden stuff in it that you need multiple playthroughs to truly appreciate. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it!
TL:DR: Final Fantasy X HD Remaster is GOATED. And that, as they say, is that
97 blitzball hours and 100% achievements (for FFX only) later, I give Final Fantasy X HD Remaster a 4.5/5