Final Fantasy X
Playtime: 63 Hours
It took me a while for me to get into Final Fantasy 10. I've only played FFVII before it, and thought it was fun. But I wasn't addicted to FFVII.
I was with FFX.
In 10 days, I played FFX for roughly 54 hours. It was a journey I won't forget. I love FFX so much and enjoyed 100%'ing the game.
The first thing I noticed was the graphical and performance upgrades. I played this on the HD collection, but coming directly from FFVII that ran on 15FPS in battle and 30FPS outside of, it was a very relieving experience finding out the game ran at 60FPS. This is also the first Final Fantasy game that came out on the PS2, so it has upgrades the previous game has, such as fully voice-acted cutscenes.
I believe the voice-acting helped my immersion into this game, and I really liked the narration as a way of Tidus, the main character expressing his feelings and thoughts.
The music is phenomenal. It really sets itself apart from the previous Final Fantasy games. It is clear that there is definitely some inspiration of early 2000s culture with the use of heavy metal music early in the game. However, the music always fits where it needs to be. Even the opening theme music is just beautiful. It inspired me to take up the piano again and try to learn it in my spare time. Of course, I can’t play it nearly as well as I would like, but I just wanted to point to how the music has affected me as a person.
The gameplay is my favorite out of all the Turn-Based Final Fantasy’s, where there is no timer, and you can get more turns PER CHARACTER, by using moves such as Haste or Slow. You also get to see which of your team goes next in the list of turns and I wish more games in the series used this system. I find out it to be very unique and interesting. That being said, I feel like the random encounters in this game got a bit too out of hand. There are in-built extra features in this game like a fast-forward and no random encounters that I had no problems abusing.
The most important aspect that this game excels at, is story. And it is one of the best stories I have ever played. This game just has this incredible way of pulling you into its world, making you care about its characters, and delivering emotional moments that stick with you long after the credits roll. From the very beginning, Final Fantasy X establishes a sense of mystery and wonder, as you experience Spira through Tidus' eyes—lost, confused, and trying to make sense of everything.
The journey with Yuna and her guardians feels deeply personal, as you slowly uncover the tragic reality behind her pilgrimage. The game masterfully balances hope and despair, with lighthearted moments between the party making the heavier moments hit even harder. Every character has depth (except Kimahri), and the ending genuinely brought tears to my eyes.
This is one of the best games I have ever played but if I started explaining why I loved it so much, it might ruin the experience, and that is something I don’t want to do.
Please just play it. It’s unforgettable.
