For me, this was the first FF that came out after I became a die hard fan of the series so the hype was through the roof. I can still remember the crushing anticipation leading up to its release, I hoarded up all the magazines that had any coverage on the game and just kept reading them over and over. And that trailer with the Leona Lewis song, I knew it by heart lol.
After it came out I was completely enchanted by its presentation and world. I still think it's breathtaking, even more so than the more graphically advanced XV. At the time I was in full fanboy mode so I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread (admittedly, I was 10 back then so forgive my lack of critical thinking haha). In retrospect, the story is trash, the characters are undercooked, and the game is so, SO, painfully linear it really hurts the experience.
BUT, I still think people give the game wayyy too much flack for its battle system. While obviously simpler than its predecessors, I actually find it to be one of the more engaging battle systems in the series. It's kind of like a rhythm game for me, trying to time the paradigm shifts at just the right moments to optimise your performance in battle. Coupled with the stagger system, it made for a quite unique experience, and something no other JRPG provided.
I also kinda adore the batshit insane hyper-futuristic world the game inhabited. It's so alien and so fascinating to observe, it's a shame a better, more open game didn't take place there. I'd be thrilled if we get a world as half as creative for the next mainline title.
So yeah, that's my experience with the game. It's a messy, incoherent game, but an interesting one nonetheless. Happy 10th birthday to the dark horse of the FF family!
