Final Fantasy X

The first Final Fantasy made for the PS2, Final Fantasy X, is in some ways, very different than its predecessors. It is the first in the series where the storyline is told according to the main character’s perspective. The player would even be able to hear his thoughts, as he adventures the world of Spira, where the game takes place. The game’s theme is not romance per se, despite evidence that relates Tidus and Yuna, the two main playable characters.

There is a certain sorrow and sadness that engulfs the towns of Spira. Every location the party goes, the citizens would revel in fear at the mention of the word Sin, the large entity that roams and brings havoc and destruction wherever it goes. Due to this fear, the people of Spira is united under a common goal, or at least a common understanding. No two cities really go to war with one another, because of the presence of Sin. One religion, that of which of Yevon, brought the people together.

The storyline is very linear, from Tidus starting ground in the city of Zanarkand, right to the end in Zanarkand as well, the player would always know where to go in this game. From city to city, gathering new items, meeting new people, details of the plot uncover itself beautifully. But that does not mean the game lacks mini-games. True, in some ways, other predecessors may have numberous number of sidequests, but all the subquests in this game are worth the time, and in many ways, are linked to enriching the storyline.

One of the mini-games, which is also part of the storyline, is the game called Blitzball. Think of it as a combination of football and water polo. This is one of the more fun mini-games in the game, and it is very addictive. It is sports, so you would expect that, virtual as it is.

Battles are turn-based in this game. There are no Active Time Battle in the classical sense. Characters take turn when their turn comes to do actions. Based on this system, there is a bar in the battle screen which shows whose turn would come in the next few turns, which could add to strategy. This is in part thanks to the fact that different actions in battle can fasten or slow characters’ turn.

There are no levels in this game. Rather, abilities, magics, statistics upgrade and the like, are gained through the use of Sphere Grid. This grid contains a series of interlinked nodes. Each nodes contain abilities, magic, statistic upgrades. Each character starts at different areas of the grid, and progress independently along the sphere. Each node type (abilities, magic, or the like) can be activated through the use of spheres, which are obtained through battle. Characters also traverse the spehre using something called sphere levels, also obtained through battles.

Characters in the game have specific roles. Yuna for example is a Summoner as well as a White Mage. Auron is the Warrior, Lulu the Black Mage. Wakka takes part as the long range fighter, and Kimahri is the Blue Magic user. Rikku is the Thief, and also plays the role of the traditional job Alchemist. Tidus is pretty much an all-rounder, I would say. If players are definitive enough to make each character traverse the entire Spehere Grid, then every single character in the game would have access to abilities beyond their roles. Auron could cast White Magic for instance. This only makes sense for a perfect game. It is not necessary for the completion of the game.

The music in this game, like all the other predecessors, are truly wonderous. Like the theme of the game, the music is filled with certain sense of sadness and sorrow. It is amazing, really, how the music in this game can really reflect the sorrowness of the entire world of Spira, and the suffering of its people, to live in fear.

It is still one of the games I enjoy playing.