Final Fantasy X HD Remaster: Journal Entry #1

“To Zanarkand” from Final Fantasy X is a song that has always moved me, even when I didn’t know the context behind it. I’ve found myself listening to it more lately, so when brainstorming which game to play next on Retrograde, Final Fantasy X seemed like the most obvious option. Spira has called my name, so here is the first journal entry from this incredible JRPG 😉

By the way, I’m playing the HD Remaster on PC, not the original PS2 version. Sorry!

First impressions & initial thoughts

When booting up the game, “To Zanarkand”, the track that first dragged me into this vast world in the first place, immediately begins playing, along with a staggeringly beautiful introductory cinematic. Ya know, I went into this game knowing it would most likely take an emotional toll on me, but not this early on!!!

The story so far is pretty generic in some aspects, but very interesting in others: Zanarkand has been presumably destroyed by the evil entity “Sin”, a being that haunts the land of Spira. In this process, Tidus was sent a thousand years into the future where he meets his party and attempts to get back home. I noticed how cool it is that blitzball is tightly integrated in the story and how the characters grow and develop based on it, at least so far. Tidus is known for being a young blitzball prodigy back in Zanarkand, and I do feel like that drives him as a character and his motivation(s).

The characters truly feel alive in this mysterious world—especially Wakka and Yuna. I love Wakka’s hair, and Yuna is mysterious to the point that I want to learn more. No, I have to learn more. They are the most interesting characters in the story at this point, and I can definitely sense the growing tension between Tidus and Yuna – the game is not not doing a good job of hiding it 😉

Also, I love Tidus, the protagonist. He’s got an incredibly awesome upbeat and cheerful personality which reminds me of myself in various ways. He looks cool, and is also the same age as me! I already know I’ll connect deeply with Tidus as the story unfolds, and I’m totally here for it.

Oh, and I almost forgot about the Sphere Grid! It’s how you upgrade and develop your characters’ abilities, and it’s actually quite powerful! It looked nothing short of ancient alien circuitry when I first opened it, and I was definitely intimidated!

Turns out that it’s actually decently manageable when you get the hang of it. The clever way it combines the actions of “moving” your character around with Sphere Levels (S.Lvl) and activating the abilities with… balls (I think?), results in a leveling system that is surprisingly strategic. Like, you actually need to plan ahead on which route to take for optimal leveling, and there seems to be quite a few paths you can take…

The paths are noticeably linear right now, but I should have more freedom later on as I progress! 🦅

Combat system

The combat system is mostly that of a typical JRPG, although it is not stale! The system is turn-based and focuses on strategy in typical Final Fantasy fashion, but it incorporates a cool element called “Aeons” this time around. Aeons are, from what I’ve realized so far in my playthrough, powerful physical beings that can be summoned by summoners to aid the party in battle. It really is quite cool, and I’ve tried it only once with Yuna so far.

I really appreciate turn-based systems like this one, even if they present themselves as quite basic. It’s cool how it requires you to strategize with a good balance of healing and attacking to not wipe your entire party clean. It can certainly give the impression of being unfair sometimes, especially when a single boss attack poisons your entire party and they all slowly die out, but that also makes it feel that much better when you finally beat that boss. Don’t have much more to say right now 😉

Blitzball

This, however, I have a strong opinion about.

I’ve just finished my first match of blitzball, and…. I do NOT like it!!!

I found it quite difficult, but then again I’m playing for the worst team in Spira or something (according to the story), so I won’t give up on it completely yet. I found the concept of “marking” players difficult (In fact, I don’t know what it is? 😭), and there are so many parameters to keep track of. It’s not a mandatory part of the game, thankfully, and it gets way easier later on when I recruit new players and build up my team. I hope I’ll get to enjoy it sometime during my playthrough… heh… Sometime.

I thought I’d win the match easily considering that Tidus is a YOUNG BLITZBALL PRODIGY FROM ZANARKAND, but I was actually so horrible that the game threw Tidus out and replaced him with Wakka halfway through the game :’)

Also, my father watched as I played this match, which was embarrassing and humiliating. Dehumanizing.

I’ll admit that it could be really fun when I get good at it and recruit new and better players, but that time has not arrived yet, so I currently classify it as “BAD”. Anyways, let’s move away from blitzball before I lose my mind!!!

What I like & dislike

This game is jampacked with incredible things from all angles, but here are the ones that stood out to me pretty much immediatley:

• The story is INCREDIBLE
• The characters are INCREDIBLE
• The combat system is seriously fun and almost addicting, honestly (Those animations… those… sparks??? effects??? BEAUTIFUL!!)
• Tidus as a protagonist – I see myself in him!
• The Sphere Grid system seemed complex at first, but is very powerful!
• The soundtrack. Gosh, it’s too good.

What I don’t particularly enjoy:

• Blitzball…
• Menus and certain UI elements feel a bit clunky 🥺

What’s up next?

I’ve just reached the city of Luca and finished my first blitzball game, and now Auron has appeared for some strange reason?? I’ll be playing more over the next week and updating y’all when I get the time – stay tuned for the next journal entry!!!

Also, this game has taken my attention away from MediEvil for the past week, but I’ll be prepping a new entry for that very very soon!

Below is my favorite soundtrack in the game (excluding To Zanarkand, because that is obviously my favorite!) so far, along with screenshots I’ve captured for you to enjoy.

Take care until next time <3

Screenshot gallery