I find it easy to see why this game gets so much praise, but it certainly shows its age. The most obvious one is random encounters which drag the entire game, but it could be much worse. Only a few areas had encounters that were notably excessive or annoying. A big negative for me is the truly awful mini-games that constantly appear throughout. Why am I playing a mini-game to give a child CPR? They range from pointless to obnoxious. The visuals are very distinct and a product of its time. Some say pre-rendered backgrounds are timeless but I don't feel that applies here. The readability on some screens just doesn't work out sometimes and it can be brutal in conjunction with the random encounters.

It seems for every part I enjoy about this game there is at least one thing about it that sets it back. I love the materia system but I hate the menus and AP grinding. I love the ATB, but I hate the downtime and long animations. I love the optional content, but I hate that stuff is totally missable. The positives generally outweigh the negatives despite all this.

The story and characters are such a big piece of what makes this game great but I do feel like its held back by the technology of its time. I'm glad its getting a chance to portray its story via the remake in a less stunted way. Although, I hope it is told in a way that's true to this version despite its differences.