lemme start with the good: i loved the setting and the scenario. the end of the game was less my speed, but that's just my own tastes. i love seeing the world try its best to pick up the pieces after war ravages its countries. i also really loved vivi, i think he had an awesome arc and his arc is the only reason that i ended up liking zidane's arc. vivi is one of the best characters in the franchise, for sure. also i share a name with one of the main characters so 👍🏾
that said, i tried to go into this with tempered expectations, but i think my experience with fandom hyping this game as the best final fantasy definitely played a factor in my opinion. fans' mouths wrote a check that ff9 couldnt cash out, and thats ok. not every ff has to be for everyone, and i'm still glad i played it.