I originally played Final Fantasy X late in the lifecycle of the PS2, but it was one of the first games on the system that I purchased.  I remembered the previews that aired in movie theaters before blockbuster films, and wanted to see what all of the fanfare was about for myself.  I wasn’t disappointed; I’ve always preferred turn-based combat in RPGs, especially back then.

 

When word came down that Final Fantasy X HD Remaster was coming, and for the Vita no less, I was excited.  The chance to revisit an old favorite on a handheld with the power and graphics of the Vita?  That was the best case scenario!  Especially now that the kids are old enough to monopolize the consoles (and televisions) themselves.

 

Some of the elements are exactly what I remembered.  The story has just enough layers to it to keep things interesting, and everything hangs together pretty well over the course of the dozens of hours of progression.  That’s actually rare for a lot of JRPGs, where the story is fun but ultimately nonsensical; I felt like the second time around, I could see the foreshadowing more easily and thoroughly.  What still rankled was the voice acting and characterization for Tidus, which was a bit off-putting throughout.  Tidus is not the most endearing protagonist.

 

I found the Sphere Grid just as addictive as ever; grinding up is a lot more fun when there is a constant sense of reward for all the repetition!  In fact, this time around, I found the grinding so rewarding and addictive that I was finally strong enough to tackle the Omega Ruins, a dungeon that I found impossible to even enter in my first runthrough.  (Sadly, the higher level creations in the Monster Arena and the Dark Aeons proved overwhelming without a Break Damage Limit weapon set.  Alas!)  If only other level progression systems were as addictive; there’s a reason the Final Fantasy XIII Crystarium was essentially the same concept.

 

Speaking of Final Fantasy XIII, remember how much criticism that game received for being ridiculously linear for most of its story, and only really opening up after hours and hours of character introduction and combat/customization tutorials?  Well, I found that very ironic while replaying Final Fantasy X, because one could easily say the same thing about this game.  You don’t even get the airship to revisit old stages until right before the final battle, and there aren’t nearly as many towns and shops as one might seem to recall.  Objectively, Final Fantasy XIII is not that far removed from X in some fundamental aspects.  (Which makes the comparison of both games’ direct sequels all the more ironic!)

 

All told, I put about 85 hours into Final Fantasy X HD Remaster, and I could have put more into it than that, if some of the harder challenges didn’t require extensive side quests that simply didn’t feel like a reasonable cost for the benefit of a fun battle.  Even saying that, it’s the kind of game I could see myself picking up and resuming when a few hours on a handheld are in order.

 

 

WHAT WORKED

 

The HD upgrade is impressive.  The in-game character designs still feel a bit “off” compared to the FMV versions, but that’s a minor nitpick.  As previously noted, the level progression system is highly addictive, and so it’s very easy to get your entire party to a point where they are a bit ahead of the difficulty curve.  For the most part, the save points are spaced out just enough to provide a bit of challenge while preventing a lot of lost time.  It’s not as convenient as having a constant auto-save function, but it works.

Many of the stages of the game are aligned with elements in such a blatant way that it’s easy enough to figure out what black magic spells and defensive wards you need to use; in fact, just paying attention to what gets dropped in the previous stage is enough of a clue!  At the same time, the game doesn’t entirely hold your hand; the enemies vary more and more over time, so keeping the entire party leveled properly helps, at least until they reach a level where one’s preferred trio is strong enough to take on anything.

 

That actually brings up one of the real perks of the combat system: the ability to swap out members of the party without losing a turn.  Sometimes it is the difference between life and death, or getting that rare drop you need to customize your weapon or open up a new path on the Sphere Grid.  It also means that after a certain amount of time, you can focus on using your preferred set of characters and swap out as needed to heal and so forth.  (Starting with high-HP characters from the get-go helps should one lose initiative and have to absorb a heavy attack!)

 

 

WHAT DIDN’T WORK

 

No remaster is going to fix all of a game’s problems.  In this case, it’s Blitzball.  Ongoing mini-games and such were staple of JRPGs for a while, and if it’s not a damnable casino, it’s something like Blitzball.  It’s a symptom of a larger problem that annoyed me to no end: each character essentially has a mini-game-laden path to acquire the all-important Celestial Weapons, many of which provide the Break Damage Limit abilities needed to tackle the most vicious optional dungeons.  Some of those mini-games, like Blitzball and Chocobo Racing, make you want to toss controllers in frustration from the start.  Others, like the Monster Arena, require so much retreading with overpowered characters that it takes enormous patience to do all the necessary collecting in every single stage.

 

I was also dismayed to discover that my memory of the characters was far more vivid than what is actually in the game.  The characters are a lot more shallow than I would have guessed, and even some of the backstories are a lot more thinly drawn than I seem to recall.  And this is even taking into account that I felt the foreshadowing of plot and character arcs was a lot more evident the second time around!

 

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

 

I doubt there’s anything new to Final Fantasy X HD Remaster that would make detractors of the original sit up and take notice.  The additions were all based on the International version, which amounts to tweaks to the Sphere Grid and some additional insane-level optional bosses for late in the game, so the core of the game remains intact.  For fans, however, the allure of revisiting an old game with better graphics and, for Vita owners, a handheld experience, might be a deciding factor.  And of course, Final Fantasy X-2 comes with the package, which means another revisitation in the near future!