At the peak of the series’ popularity, SquareSoft released Final Fantasy 10. It was one of the most stunning and memorable experiences I’ve played, and 25 years later, it is still one of the most important games in my life.
Even today, as I write this review while listening to the game’s soundtrack, I realize how big of an impact it made on so many people. There’s clearly a sense of nostalgia that we resonate with when a game like this is in the news, and rightfully so, as its world and its characters feel so thoughtfully realized; it feels like we know the locations and personalities of everyone within.
And a few years later, a surprise follow-up teased events that we could only dream of. The first official Final Fantasy sequel! In a world that’s been saved from peril because of your actions, there was now another conflict brewing that required your attention! Final Fantasy 10-2 might not have been as narratively strong as its predecessor, but to this day it has the best iteration of the ATB battle system.
Spira Beckons, Once Again
It might be because we’ve now had the better part of two decades to sit with it, but for many, the duology of games is highly regarded as some of the best games to come out of Square Enix. Being the first full-voiced game meant the characters felt more believable, and the move to HD provided vibrancy to the world and its luscious islands inspired by Southeast Asia.
And we’ve seen the pair of games be ported time and time again, from the PlayStation Vita to PC and consoles; there isn’t really any wrong way to visit (or revisit) this world. However, there are issues stemming from the original port in 2014 which leave a lot to be desired. This week’s port is as straightforward as ever, so don’t go in expecting anything particularly new.
Final Fantasy 10 tells the story of a star blitzball player, Tidus, who journeys with a young summoner named Yuna on her quest to save the world of Spira from an endless cycle of destruction wrought by the colossal menace Sin.
Its direct sequel, Final Fantasy 10-2, returns to the world of Spira two years after the beginning of the Eternal Calm. Having been shown a mysterious but familiar image in a sphere, Yuna becomes a Sphere Hunter and, along with her companions Rikku and Paine, embarks on a quest around the world to find the answers to the mystery within.
Both stories complement each other and are surprisingly adept at telling a beautiful and complete story. While the first game is a story about loss, grief, and religious dogma, the second game is about rebuilding, empowerment, and moving on from grief to start over. And it works well if you take both and experience them back to back, delivering a cathartic journey across Spira.
Fans of the originals will tell you for hours
Changes, Upgrades, And Song Spheres
These two games include visual upgrades, quality-of-life updates, the original and remastered scores, expanded Sphere Grids for every character, plus the once PC-exclusive features like turbo combat, encounter rate control, auto battle, and boosters to gain all abilities, items, and gil.
Additionally, there’s something to be said about how the Switch 2 version isn’t compatible with the Switch 1 version, or the fact that you can’t transfer saves. It’s disappointing for someone like myself who’s replayed the game annually across console and PC, but I can’t transfer my Switch 1 save to the Switch 2 version. There’s also the lack of skipable scenes, a feature which was limited to PC.
The inclusion of boosters in many of Square Enix’s re-releases is much appreciated for someone who just wants to breeze through these older titles. Being able to be max level with maxed-out stats and the best weapons is how I play through the older Final Fantasy games when the urge to replay them arises. And they’re perfect for cutting playtime to less than half of what it normally takes to hit credits.
Favorite thing to do rn is seeing really expressive faces while playing FFX then looking at what the remaster equivalent is pic.twitter.com/Po98hexcpy
— 💜🌑❄ (@StellaNoxEclair) March 11, 2023
There’s also the elephant in the room that I always bring up when this collection is brought up: the visual downgrade that’s plagued the games for a decade. The “updated” models of the party are really, really bad. Even a dozen playthroughs later, I struggle to find one thing I like about the downgrade that brought dead eyes, weird proportions, and loss of expressiveness.
Verdict
As far as ports go, Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster is great, but its bizarre upgrade path (or lack of one) and the lack of save transfer really disappoint. The duology to this day is still worth discussing, and moreso playing, and it delivers a satisfying experience with its excellent storytelling, characters, and locations. Even now, almost everyone I know has played these games, so it’s easier to say go and play them again than it is to say here’s why you should play these decades-old gems.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: Switch 2
