My original plan was to play FF 1-6 this year in order, after falling in love with FFXVI and really realizing what a gap this was for me. I finished FF1 just a few weeks ago, and was surprised how much I enjoyed it and was ready to jump into FF2 but life threw me a little curve ball. I forgot that the final run of GDQ this year was FFV, and at the recommendation of a friend, that I would not want to be spoiled, I decided to jump to this one next so I could watch the run spoiler free (which was 100% the right decision)
This is a fantastic game, very different from what you'd expect from a FF game, so I can see why it's not talked about so much, but it's genuinely great. The Job system is maybe one of my favourite combat mechanics I've ever had in a JRPG period. It made the combat fun for me, trying new styles, and trying to max out whatever I could before my final battle with Exdeath at the end of the game. It's such a shame that this job system was really mostly abandoned from what I've been told and doesn't show up again (albiet it, I've heard 3 has a stripped down version of it).
The story is really good. It takes a while to get cooking, and in the first few hours of my 25 hour adventure, I was wondering if this game was really THAT much of an upgrade over FF1, but once the story gets flowing, the characters fully introduced, and the stakes set, it's clear that this is a decent upgrade.
I think the thing that holds this back from being even higher for me is Bartz. He's a solid character, but as far as FF protagonists go, he's one of the weaker ones for me (which isn't a giant insult, most of the ones I adore have some of the best protagnoists I've played in games). The rest of the cast is great though, with Galuf being a huge stand out, and Gilgamesh perhaps going from a character I couldn't stand, to one I couldn't get enough of by the end of it, totally goated.
Overall though, this was a wonderful game, and while not quite as dire, and dark as some other FF entries (though with plenty of heart break, and tough moments) it's a great game, and worthy of more praise than it gets.
This is a fantastic game, very different from what you'd expect from a FF game, so I can see why it's not talked about so much, but it's genuinely great. The Job system is maybe one of my favourite combat mechanics I've ever had in a JRPG period. It made the combat fun for me, trying new styles, and trying to max out whatever I could before my final battle with Exdeath at the end of the game. It's such a shame that this job system was really mostly abandoned from what I've been told and doesn't show up again (albiet it, I've heard 3 has a stripped down version of it).
The story is really good. It takes a while to get cooking, and in the first few hours of my 25 hour adventure, I was wondering if this game was really THAT much of an upgrade over FF1, but once the story gets flowing, the characters fully introduced, and the stakes set, it's clear that this is a decent upgrade.
I think the thing that holds this back from being even higher for me is Bartz. He's a solid character, but as far as FF protagonists go, he's one of the weaker ones for me (which isn't a giant insult, most of the ones I adore have some of the best protagnoists I've played in games). The rest of the cast is great though, with Galuf being a huge stand out, and Gilgamesh perhaps going from a character I couldn't stand, to one I couldn't get enough of by the end of it, totally goated.
Overall though, this was a wonderful game, and while not quite as dire, and dark as some other FF entries (though with plenty of heart break, and tough moments) it's a great game, and worthy of more praise than it gets.
Moogetsuu
4 months ago