We finished our 2025 challenge in good time. Completing Final Fantasy VII Remake. Thus achieving the singular goal of the year, in completing a JRPG. In doing so, it unlocked an urge to tie-up some other Final Fantasy loose ends, and we’re now aiming to finish Final Fantasy X, too.
The initial aim to just finish this by the end of 2026. So a really long runway and a lot of time to get there. And here we are, staring down the barrel of November 2026 with the game left unfinished, Ocarina of Time and GTA VI on the horizon.
Now is the time, this little gap between games. We have to get it done, and at 30 hours in, it doesn’t seem like we have too far to go.
Having said that, we wanted to get some of our thoughts down as a apart of our review process. Also, it’s an opportunity to talk about or previous relationship with the game and how we’re coming into it.
Final Fantasy X
When Final Fantasy X came out in 2001 on the PlayStation 2, it was an instant buy. Coming off the back of Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX we were fully on the bandwagon (despite only ever finishing VII…).
This was the first PS2 Final Fantasy and it promised to be a significant change to the series. Think of all that extra console power!
Suffice it to say, we dived in and got so far and just dropped off. No rhyme or reason, and being over 20 years ago, there’s very little we can remember.
Going into it this time expectations were all over the place. Final Fantasy X is critically acclaimed, a lot of people say it’s the best in the series (before Squaresoft became Square Enix). Skeptical isn’t quite the right word, but if we dropped off it when we had all the time in the world to play games. How good could it actually be?
Let’s see.
Getting started
We’re over 30 hours in, have encountered Sin a few times and just tried to take him on with Machina, which is a big no-no.
Combat feels great. Traditional, but still modern with the overdrive system and the literal visible queue of who’s turn is next. Linear spaces and random encounters are all here too, and whilst we try to explore (and get regularly rewarded with chests), it’s not super-broad.
We’re learning about the present day, 1000 years after the game started and Tidus was taken-in by Sin. The catalyst for the destruction and re-building of civilisation and the implementation of religion over technology.
It’s deep yet nicely balanced with a varied cast. All voice-acted, too. No silent protagonists and just text boxes in Final Fantasy X, which has been a surprise.
Seymour is a dick, and we’re honestly tired of having to fight him over and over. It’s a bit grating.
The world of Spira
The entire aesthetic of Final Fantasy X is arguably one of the best in the entire series. In the HD remaster that we’re playing, it still looks dated, for sure. But the use of bright colour, sticking around beaches and oceans.
It currently feels bright, and whilst hopeless against the attacks of Sin. People feel positive and up-beat. The world feels lived-in and impacted by what’s going on around it.
Seeing the variants of of GFs/Summons (now Aeons) is great, too. Ifrit and Shiva are the best variants across all games, in our humble opinion.
The music of the world is wonderful. Classic Nobuo Uematsu. Themes for every road, village, temple, battle etc. With the HD Remaster, you can choose the fully orchestrated variants, too, which is exceptional.
So far, so good
It doesn’t seem like we have another 30 hours to go. The pacing is relatively brisk for the main story. But we could easily be wrong.
It does feel like we’re approaching the game in a very different way to when we were teenagers. Understanding systems, kind of seeing behind the curtains as a lot of these things have vastly improved in the 20 years since release.
One stand-out feature is the almost excessive save points. One of the big concerns for a game as old as Final Fantasy X was very much that save opportunities would be few and far between. A bane in modern gaming, as we all like to play in short bursts.
Certainly with other priorities and responsibilities these days, having to sit for hours and hour in between saves just isn’t viable, and it’s been a really pleasant surprise. It’s the biggest factor in helping us see it through, because losing hours of progress is the most demoralising and off-putting thing in gaming.
Onwards
We definitely dropped off about 20 hours in, last year. Thinking we had loads of time left to finish Final Fantasy X. Now, we’re not quite so confident…..but we’ll see it through.
For now, we’re taking the Tidus, Yuna, Wakka and crew, and we’re visiting those temples and preparing to take on Jecht/Sin!
It’s 2026 and Final Fantasy X is shaping-up to be an all-time classic that we’re sad we’ve missed.
Let’s see if that carries on.
