2/5 ★ – FancyFriday18's review of Final Fantasy X.

Gameplay: 1 Visuals: 1 Story: .5 Music: .5 Enjoyment: 1 Total: 4/10 Of all the Final Fantasy games, X is the one I’ve heard the most praise about. After trying a few others in the series, I finally sat down to give it a real shot. To be upfront, I didn’t finish it myself. I got to a certain point and then ended up watching a playthrough of the rest since my baby arrived, and I didn’t want to lose the momentum I had built up. At first, I thought the story was really interesting. Coming from a religious background, I noticed some parallels that caught my attention. The idea of Tidus, someone from the past, seeing how the world changed over a thousand years and offering insight into what is and isn’t true, that’s a fascinating concept. He could’ve almost been a prophet figure, standing outside the two main belief systems. Unfortunately, I don’t think the game really leaned into that. Instead, Tidus came across more as clueless about this new world rather than someone with a truly unique perspective to share. One thing I found odd about the story is that you basically start with your full party right away. I usually enjoy slowly picking up new companions along the journey, which does happen here, but not as much as I’d like. From a story perspective it makes sense, but I missed the pacing of bonding with characters before new ones join. Now for the issues. To be blunt, the game feels very outdated. I might have given it a pass if I were playing the original PS2 version, but this was the remaster, and I expected some quality of life improvements. Things like not being able to skip cutscenes or always being kicked back to your last save after dying really wore me down. Where I stopped was after meeting Cid and getting the airship. You’re thrown into a tough boss fight, and while I managed to beat it, I had no way to save or heal before the next story section. I ended up running out of items, dying to regular enemies, and being forced to restart. That frustration made me put the controller down for good. I think I was about 70% through, close but still far enough that I didn’t want to grind it out. As for the story, it always felt like it was almost great, but I just couldn’t connect with the characters. Tidus and Yuna’s relationship especially felt forced. Aside from the infamous laughing scene, there wasn’t much buildup to their big emotional moments. So when Tidus begs Yuna to stop her journey, it didn’t hit for me, it just felt unnatural. The voice acting didn’t help either. I know this was new territory when the game first came out, but you can tell. Even background characters constantly speak, which is neat in theory, but the performances haven’t aged well. Many lines felt poorly written or delivered, and it made it even harder to feel invested in the cast. And then there’s Tidus himself. Maybe I’m missing something, but I just don’t fully understand what he is. He and his hometown are apparently created by the Fayth? And all of this ties back to the guy who made Sin and set the world’s beliefs in motion long before Tidus existed? Toward the end, the story lost me, and I think I’d need someone to explain it step by step. At the end of the day, I don’t think Final Fantasy is for me. I’ve tried several entries hoping to finally “get it,” but I just can’t. The series puts so much emphasis on worldbuilding, and since that doesn’t hook me, I end up missing what fans love most. While I did enjoy parts of X, nothing blew me away enough to bring me back. I’m glad I gave it a try, but I think this is where my Final Fantasy journey ends.