Despite its reputation, I picked this up because I'm recovering from a surgery and needed something basically brain dead, something low-key to just hang out with. I have a severe aversion to open-world design (it even tanked Elden Ring for me earlier this year) and was really surprised to find myself enjoying FFXV's take on the form, which is largely non-committal and vibes-centric. I was really grooving with the FFXI-ness of the game, from its generally passive open spaces to its combat that doesn't ask much of the player beyond specific things, to its general hangout-itude. And then Chapter 9 came around and it became apparent that everything after that point was rushed, misguided, or maybe a bit of both. I am usually the person decrying overfocus on story and pleading for more sparseness and room to breathe, but god almighty I would've killed for a 30 minute cutscene to flesh out some of this stuff. By the last chapter I was begging for it to be over, and the ending was basically incomprehensible. Went from something I was shocked to find myself enjoying to being a nightmare in a very short span of time. Here's hoping XVI's better.