User Review: Final Fantasy X-2

Players of Final Fantasy X are going to feel right at home when it comes to the story of Final Fantasy X-2. It’s two years after Yuna refused to follow the pilgrimage and uncovered the secret behind Sin and Yu Yevon, bringing an end to the turmoil Spira had been facing, and bringing the an eternal Calm to Spira, instead of the short lapses it would experience before.

At first, the story mainly covers how Spira has changed from what it once was, and it helps introduce the old players to the new aspects of the world, and introduces new players to the world itself, while featuring many answers to different events from the original game that were never answered, which also happens throughout the game itself. It opens in a largely upbeat and different manner from the first game, but the game becomes much more serious later, revolving around the conflicts between the two main factions: New Yevon, which is a remnant of the followers of the religion Yu Yevon had set upon Spira; and the Youth League, which consists of the remnants of those who tried to fight Sin with machina: and eventually, a much more dangerous villain is shown.

And all the while, the main thread of Yuna’s involvement is shown through visions of Tidus, who sacrificed himself so Yuna could live in the first game, and recurring spheres involving him and a mysterious woman named Lenne. It still harbors elements that one wouldn’t expect a Final Fantasy game to carry, but it works well with what it has, despite featuring a lot of fan service for the lovers of Final Fantasy X.

Game play is one of the most unique aspects of this game in comparison to the previous iterations in the series. It features the turn-based style again, complete with command boxes and ATB bars. However, instead of having set spots on the battlefield, your main party (Yuna, Rikku and the newcomer Paine) moves around to attack the enemies, and stops in the spot that their attack causes them to land in, except for the occasional jump backwards to make it possible. Through this system and the use of a fixed camera, enemies and allies can attack simultaneously to allow a much more streamlined and faster experience, bordering on real-time, only being held back by the turn-based settings. However, attacks with grand animations to them will halt all other actions so they can play out, which means the action will still be stopped regularly if you use mages in your party.

Another revolutionary part of this game is the class system. While the use of jobs and classes is not new to a Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy X-2 introduces a few jobs never seen to the series before, and also allows the girls to change their current job mid-battle. Dresspheres are the basis of the new battle system, and each sphere holds one of the different classes: Gunner (Yuna’s default job), Thief (Rikku’s default), Warrior (Paine’s default), Black Mage, White Mage, Gun Mage (X-2’s version of Blue Mage), Trainer, Alchemist, Samurai, Dark Knight, Berserker, Lady Luck (Gamble), Mascot (Super strong versions of three different classes, differing depending on the girl wearing it) and Songstress (Bard), which is the only Dressphere that holds importance in the story.

These are used with Garment Grids. Each grid can hold a different amount of spheres, and convey a different bonus when a girl has it equipped, such as allowing access to special spells and skills, some of which can only be used by passing nodes on certain grids. Nodes are colored circles that activate more bonuses once you swap to a sphere on the other side of the node from one on the first side. By using the correct Dresspheres on the correct grid, you can gain a large advantage against your enemies, which will be required later on in the game.

Other minor additions, such as jumping and climbing from ledges and having airship access from the beginning of the game, make this a much different experience compared to other Final Fantasy games, and makes it a lot less linear.

The graphics are very similar to the first game, as well. Many of the same models are used for the recurring ex-party members and NPC’s from the original game, and there is a much smaller number of FMV’s in the game to show off the true power of the graphics engine the game uses. However, when those scenes come up, the scenes look truly spectacular. In the normal section, character faces often appear in a low-quality style, and when they are in high-quality 3D form, it can’t be seen for very long. The graphics were a step down from many games of its time, and it comes off even worse now, but they still hold a certain charm that makes them appealing.

The game’s sound is also a bit sketchy when you really look at it as a part of the Final Fantasy universe. Some of the voice actors are a little on the sub-par side, and there is a lot of overacting to be heard throughout the game, which can be a bit annoying. The voices do tend to suit most of the characters though, and the certain phrases you’ll hear while using certain skills in mid-battle can be quite hilarious at times. The music is also a large change in direction, as it features a highly pop-influenced song in the opening and a ballad near the end, with the English and Japanese versions both getting the same song in a different language. The first could turn many fans off, as it is a huge change for both the heroine and the series itself. The music in-game, however, is largely faithful to the original game, with the largest changes being a much more rock-sounding battle theme, and the removal of the classic Final Fantasy victory fanfare altogether. There are some lighter, pop-influenced sounds as well, but nothing that would affect the game too much.

While it is a huge difference from the original game, Final Fantasy X-2 is at least as good in many respects, and even better in others. The flexible nature of the class system may not be as free as it was in the previous game, but the number of classes and the freedom to change mid-battle gives it a new feeling that makes battle much more interesting, and the story, though sketchy at first, ends up being worth at least one play-through. The number of secrets and a New Game + feature just make doing it all over again even more worthwhile.