took longer to finish than i should have because i restarted on the original release after reaching cosmo canyon on the switch port and dropping that version because of how bad it looks. it should be illegal to plop models rendered at 720p or higher on still-240p backgrounds because it completely breaks any illusion that they occupy the same space, especially when the models get further away. the anti-aliased text also looks really stupid. but this is the same publisher incapable of re-releasing any of their old 2D titles without making them look like flash games so i can't be surprised.

pedantic moaning aside it's so easy to see why this sold a billion copies and rotted people's brains in '97. the materia system is nuanced enough to make building characters interesting but still streamlined so i didn't spend hours in the weeds. i still don't like ATB and probably never will but what i said about materia makes up for it here. and the cast is also so, so good. genuine masterpiece.