Game Review: Final Fantasy X
[image error] Final Fantasy X is the first title in this landmark RPG series to be released for the PlayStation 2. The main characters are Tidus, a star of blitzball (a hugely popular sport in the Final Fantasy universe) and Yuna, who has learned the art of summoning and controlling aeons, powerful spirits of yore. These two people of different backgrounds must work together as they journey through the world of Spira. This instalment of Final Fantasy has a distinctly Asian influence, bringing a fresh feel to the characters, music, settings, and story.
Features include voice-overs for the first time in the series (utilising the “Facial Motion System”), high polygon, motion-captured player characters designed by Tetusya Nomura, and a camera that automatically adjusts its perspective to correspond with the movements of the characters, a feature now possible due to the title now being largely polygonal.
Voice-overs will be featured for the first time in the series, utilizing the Facial Motion System
High-polygon, motion-captured player characters, designed by Tetsuya Nomura, bring lifelike realism to the screen
The camera will automatically shift its perspective to correspond with the movements of the characters, a feature now possible due to the title being largely polygonal
Characters will be able to rotate in and out of the party even in the heat of battle, allowing a tag team approach to fighting!
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Review: Final Fantasy X (PS2)
My first taste of Final Fantasy came in 1998 with Final Fantasy VII. That was superseded by Final Fantasy VIII which remains my favourite game to this day. Final Fantasy IX soon followed and though it was superb it wasn’t up to the standards of the previous two instalments. Final Fantasy X was the first in the series to be released on the Playstation 2 and I bought a copy as soon as it was released but looking back how does it stand up compared to today’s games?
As usual, the storyline is fantastic. It begins in the futuristic city of Zanarkand where blitzball player, Tidus, is following in the footsteps of his father, Jecht, who disappeared ten years before. During a blitzball match the city is attacked by a mysterious monster called Sin. Tidus and his friend Auron, who has watched over him for the last decade are consumed by Sin. When Tidus wakes up he finds himself in another world known as Spira or what seems to be another world. Here Zanarkand is a city that has been in ruins for a thousand years while Sin haunts the coastlines of every land. Tidus’ adventures bring him to Besaid where he meets Yuna, a summoner following in the footsteps of her father, Braska, who was also a summoner and defeated Sin ten years before. Tidus joins Yuna on her pilgrimage to pray at the many temples before facing Sin in a final battle. Complications arise for Tidus in that he falls for Yuna and she reveals that ten years before her father was joined on his quest by a man named Jecht!
Final Fantasy X opens spectacularly and once Tidus has been transported to Spira the game takes on a whole new dimension. Swimming through water we are treated to underwater battles which work really well while the world of Spira is rich with culture, races and gorgeous landscapes. The island of Besaid is a delightful paradise, Luca is the home of blitzball, the crystalline Macalania Woods are poignantly sombre and Mt Gagazet is home to the Ronso. This is a world divided by religion. The majority of races have faith in Yevon which ordains that its followers must live a simple way of life without many types of technology. Machines known as “machina” are the source of all the world’s woes, the heavy use of this technology giving rise to Sin a millennium ago and being a severe punishment against the world. In contrast to Yevon are the Al Bhed, a minority group who use machina extensively and are reviled by much of the world. Amidst this incredibly structured world Tidus struggles to adapt but his love for Yuna keeps him committed to supporting her cause to rid the world of Sin once and for all. The characters are very engaging once more. Tidus is very loudmouthed but he has a good heart. Yuna seems fragile in the early stages but her grit and determination in the face of so much death and her duty to carry her father’s legacy drives her on. Lulu and Wakka helped raise Yuna and both have lost one man, Chappu, to Sin. Chappu was Wakka’s brother and Lulu’s lover, leaving the two with a somewhat frosty but loving relationship. Kimahri is a Ronso that has cared for Yuna since her childhood and despite his lack of words he is strong and loyal. Rikku is an Al Bhed that joins the group and is the weakest of the characters. Auron joins the party too and we learn that he knew the fathers of Tidus and Yuna, journeying with them ten years before to defeat Sin. Some great villains are on show too here, in particular Seymour whose gentle voice does not befit the malice in his heart.
This instalment contains the usual random battles but the variation in the fighting whether it’s underwater or up in an airship makes for a thrilling adventure. Characters are enhanced via the Sphere Grid where they travel along lines of nodes, some empty, but most with enhancing abilities such as spells, strength and HP. Power, Speed, Mana and Ability spheres are used to activate these nodes and build up your characters. It’s a fun way to progress through the game. The cut scenes are out of this world, pushing the PS2 to its limits and one scene in particular is possibly the finest I’ve ever seen, absolutely incredible stuff here. Final Fantasy X pushed all the boundaries and in many ways. It looks better than its predecessors, Spira remains the most richly realised of all the Final Fantasy worlds and the characters are fantastic though I do have a soft spot still for Cloud and friends from Final Fantasy VII, and Tidus and Yuna’s romance is very moving but I prefer Squall and Rinoa from Final Fantasy VIII personally.
The storyline in Final Fantasy X is extremely sad and it is a massive salute to Square for managing to move gamers as much as they have. It’s hard not to feel something when Tidus and friends reach the ruins of Zanarkand and he looks upon a city he’s only ever known as alive and lit up against the night sky. The music that accompanies the arrival in Zanarkand – Someday the Dream Will end- is flawless and as you look upon the ruins for the first time with that background music it’s a powerful moment. The worst is saved till the end though. The conclusion to the game is arguably more sad than the death of Aeris in Final Fantasy VII and I’m convinced that Square had upset gamers so much that they were forced to make a sequel to address that ending. Sequels to Final Fantasy games hadn’t occurred prior to this one and Final Fantasy X-2 did make things happy again but whether that was to the detriment of this masterpiece I’m not sure. Although I enjoyed Final Fantasy X-2 it didn’t feel like a Final Fantasy game and I have to say with great sadness that Final Fantasy X represents the end of an era for me. I’ve yet to play Final Fantasy XIII but I did go through Final Fantasy XII which was a visual treat but story and character wise it failed for me. Fans of the series that haven’t played Final Fantasy X should go back and live through the experience while they can. Do I love this more than Final Fantasy VIII? It’s very close, mere fractions in fact, but I narrowly favour Final Fantasy VIII, but only just. It would have been interesting had both games been released on the PS2 that’s for sure. What isn’t in doubt is that Final Fantasy X is the PS2 game that comes closer to perfection than any other. Square reached unrivalled levels with this magnum opus and they’ve sadly never been remotely near this ever since.
Final Fantasy X is nigh on perfect with the best world ever seen in the series, a great bunch of characters, an incredibly moving storyline and visuals that are out of this world even a decade later. I’m proud to still own Final Fantasies VII, VIII, IX and X and will continue to play them until my PS2 finally packs in. The day that happens will be a sad day indeed but these games inspired me to be a writer in the first place and Final Fantasy X represents the last injection of inspiration that this series gave me and it will remain one of the gaming masterpieces of all-time for me.
Verdict 5/5
(Game source: reviewer’s own copy)
Game Review: Final Fantasy X | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
