I finished this out way back in the day, but I thought for some reason I'd write a review to a game that I think has been unfairly judged both when it came out and over the years. I played this through when I was beating all of the numbered Final Fantasy games back to back, and I gotta say that it was a breath of fresh air compared to 12 and 13, with a story that might be simple in comparison to those, but because of it being stripped down they were able to improve the mechanics and actually introduce a villain with some presence and a goal. These games were always made in part by their villain, and just the fact that Caius existed and his goal was relayed to the player put him far above any villain from 12 or 13. I also just really liked the atmosphere and music(the soundtrack is electronic, ethereal, and still bumps occasionally. Listening to it in part inspired this review), I felt like it had a really original tone and some creative ideas i.e. the location where the sky appeared to be more land. The fan service with Ultros and Gilgamesh also filled my heart with glee, and the two characters the game sticks you with are actually likable for once. Would have made the Moogle less obnoxious but at least you can chuck him like a football. All and all I still think this was the best main FF game since 10 when it came out, and my enjoyment while playing it still rivals 15.

In conclusion, it was the one saving grace to come out of this whole trilogy. I like the cheeky tone of Lightning Returns too, but ironically for the most part.