I do not doubt that there is a lot to be complained about regarding this game, but honestly, I am completely blind to it. This was my very first PS3 game and from the moment I set my first steps on the crystalized Lake Bresha, I was utterly mesmerized. The environments are beautiful, the gameplay is engaging and fun, and the characters have all found their way into my heart.
Is the game linear? Yes, I guess. But linearity is not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion, especially not when it makes narrative sense - if I only have a couple of days before I'm going to turn into a brainless monster, I'm not going to spend a couple of hours searching for chocobo eggs.

I'm sure the game is not objectively perfect, but it is to me. I can't wait until it eventually finds its way to the Switch so I can fall in love with Lightning and co all over again.