Like basically all of the other mainline numbered FF entries, I’ve started this one multiple times, but never managed to finish it. Something else would always come up and distract me, or I’d get out of Midgar and decide I’d had my fill. But with Rebirth on the way, I decided it was time to finally sit down and play it start to finish. And man, what an all timer.

It’s still clunky in places, sure. Some haphazard minigames, prerendered backgrounds that can be hard to parse, a stilted English translation that really really needs an update. But it’s still so damn fun, and made with so much passion to try out new things and experiment with interactive storytelling. It’s not quite my favorite FF gameplay-wise, but it may still be my favorite in terms of story. I’ll always cherish these characters and the world they live in.