Could have been a "perfect" game a la Chrono Trigger if not for a few major flaws. Although some of the digital "acting" is a bit stilted, the writing and voice acting convey a compelling narrative and I formed a strong connection to each character. The battle and leveling systems are tactically engaging without being overly granular. Many of the boss battles are masterfully crafted, and most of the major setpieces hold up very well. Unfortunately much of the game is plagued by dated and clunky JRPG mechanisms like obscure missables, frequent random encounters, and impossibly-hard minigames. The cloister puzzles are so tedious (even with a walkthrough on-hand) that it truly boggles the mind that they were included in the final product. I stopped shortly before the final boss because a generic enemy wiped my over-leveled party at full HP with a dying attack, setting me back almost an hour's progress. I will watch the final hours online and definitely try out FFX-2, but I really hope some of the above issues are addressed.