LogFAQs > #967680771

Final Fantasy X (PS2)

This has always been one of my absolute favourite games. As a kid however, I never did manage to beat Braska's Final Aeon. Older and wiser, however, I finally managed to end this part of my story.

Story is a good thing to start with on Final Fantasy X, as I think it's absolutely one of its strongest points. All of the characters are believable and well written; Tidus gets a lot of crap but given the situation and where he comes from, makes perfect sense. The voice acting gets critiqued as well, but I think that's mostly down to some poor directing, rather than actually bad performances. It says plenty that a lot of the themes that are central to the story are actually still relevant, as some parts of the world are still ruled by religious doctrine that suffers no opposition. While Final Fantasy X doesn't look like the standard JRPGS of that time (or rather, before that time), certain mechanics still live through. As I did more traveling around the map and talking to people than I did before, I was pleasantly surprised at how much backstory and lore could be gained from talking to people in Luca and Guadosalam among others.

The strength of the storytelling does not just lie in the actual writing but also in the visual storytelling. There's the Sending at Kilika (which is in my opinion, the most beautiful and my favourite cutscene of any video game), which starts with Yuna's look of hesitation transforming to determination as she commences with the act. You also have Yuna's pained expression at the end of the game when the aeons need to be ended, as they have been true allies to Yuna for the entire duration of the game. This visual storytelling also lives in the locations; Besaid and Kilika, being very near the sea, are more rustic towns, as they need to fear an attack by Sin at any moment. Landlocked Bevelle however, is huge and filled with the machina the Yevon religion so despises (further adding to the hypocrisy of the religion). Guadosalam is part of the Yevon church, but the Guado are still not fully accepted by the rest of the world, so their home is essentially in a cave.

There are a few flaws to the story in my opinion. There's a stretch somewhere around the middle where it feels like the story slows down a lot. From the start of the game up to and including Operation Mi'ihen, the gameplay and the story felt very intertwined. The entire stretch from Djose to Via Purifico however, feels like separated segments of gameplay|story|gameplay|story, without really feeling like a concise whole. Secondly, some characters definitely get the short end of the stick. Lulu lives in bits and pieces of information scattered in some optional scenes, Wakka's turnaround happens rather abruptly where it feels like there should have been some scenes, and Kimahri also never really gets a chance to shine.

But what certainly deserves praise is the eye to detail. In the final fight, every enemy has a specific line when Sensor is active or Scan is used. Early in the game, Tidus teaches Yuna a way to signal him if she needs help. This trick is never mentioned again in the game...until the ending, when it is painfully sweet. Final Fantasy X has plenty of moments like this, truly showcasing that none of the decisions made in this game were half-assed or just it'll work itself out. There was a plan and an intent that was completely carried out.

Gameplay-wise, Final Fantasy X is excellent too. CTB (condition turn-based) is a great combat system. You lose the tension of ATB, but you gain a strategic element as you check the turn order with every move you make for maximum effectiveness. It's very simple, but it's great fun and it honestly surprises me they never went back to it (or that other games didn't pick it up). At the start of the game, most party members also have a specific enemy type assigned to them so it's easier to come to grips with the combat and to guarantee all your party members get some AP. Later on these types get less prevalent and you're expected to utilize more of your party members with each fight. Here as well, some characters come out better than others. I highly doubt first-time players will get a lot out of Kimahri, Rikku, and Lulu. While Lulu at the very least has a clear niche for about half of the game, Kimahri definitely requires some knowledge of how the game works, as does Rikku. And while Rikku at the very least also has her own skills with Steal and Use, if you don't know the intricacies of the game, it's very likely you won't use these abilities, as they might just seem like a waste.

When you think about it, Blitzball is a coding wonder. There's a real developed system of a sports game added to this jRPG, with actual RPG elements to boot! That makes it all the more of a shame that Blitzball kinda sucks. There's a cumbersome nature to actually playing a game of Blitzball that always gives it a goofy feeling, and it doesn't help that you can very easily glitch out the AI by keeping the ball in a corner while the AI swims circles around the middle of the field. But the worst grievance with Blitzball is that it is presented to the player in the most unappealing way.

Once your party arrives in Luca, the Blitzball tournament starts. You get the option to go through a tutorial to learn the basics. As your prepare to face the Al Bhed Psyches, Yuna has gotten kidnapped! While you take control of Tidus, Kimahri, and Lulu to go save her, Wakka stays back to play in the tournament. You manage to save Yuna and Wakka wins. You're in the finals against the Luca Goers! Welcome to your first game of Blitzball.

It's truly a horrible start. While the story gives you an underdog tale anyway, the chances of the Luca Goers absolutely brutalizing you is very big. They really have only one bad player, which luckily is their goalkeeper, but that's counterbalanced by the Besaid Aurochs really only having Tidus as a competent player, and he gets subbed out at half-time for story reasons. After the story events in Luca, Blitzball opens up as a mini-game and you get the option to recruit other players, and it's very easy to find out that it is not as hard or as brutal as that first game indicates, but I doubt many players find that out. Most of the other mini-games are just as harsh too. Chocobo Racing, Lightning Dodging, Butterfly Catching,...these are all notorious for how hard they are, but Blitzball is also the only one that's required to be played in the story.

Another aspect that I liked is that the temples you visit throughout the story have puzzles to solve. I've always been a fan of jRPGs incorporating puzzle elements in the game like the Golden Sun franchise also did; I think these genres work really well together, and the puzzles can serve as a welcome reprieve from trekking through areas filled with random encounters.

On a technical level, there's very little to be said. Final Fantasy X looked beautiful at the time, and the FMVs honestly still hold up. The OST is pretty much flawless; there's so many classics, with To Zanarkand obviously being the most notable one. Props also have to be given to the world design; Spira is filled with tropical locales, so there's plenty of colour to the world. There's plenty of variety as well, with deserts, icy lakes, cave-towns and deserted lands to be explored too.

Final Fantasy X to me is a clear indication of what games should (aspire to) be. It's a clear example of the strength of a well-developed and thought-out single-player experience. It has a story and a vision to tell and it follows through on it. It has an attention to detail in the story, the combat, and the technical elements that I unfortunately find lacking in many modern titles. It truly is a must-play title in my opinion.