Managed to write this up between studying for the exam tomorrow, I'm now caught up to where I actually am in-game.

You know, I actually didn't go far during this strech so I didn't even realize I had so many screenshots...


After we win, the stadium is mysteriously attacked by monsters



Re-enter one of the more likable characters in the cast, Auron



... yeah, this doesn't look villainy at all. He pretty much saves the day by summoning Anima, and if you talk to the NPCs afterward, no one has any idea how monsters got in there in the first place, it's like they just suddenly shown up, so Seymour is pulling a classic comic book villain move of making enemies for himself so he'll appear like the hero.

I honestly wonder why they went the route of making Seymour so obviously the villain, as his actions are meant to be deceptive towards the party and yet they make it obvious to the player this is the case. Wouldn't it have more impact if they had tried to present him first as someone who did just want peace for Spira and aimed for better ties between Guados and humans? As someone sympathetic, dealing with severe racial prejudice on both sides for being biracial? And then he could just seem more and more corrupted and that something is wrong later on and that would've been really memorable and awesome, but as it is, I think most people just remember Seymour as an annoying creeper who refuses to die as he gets reduced to a repetitive boss role on the level of Ultros.

The FF series doesn't really have a lot of villains with complexity (there are some, of course, like Kuja, Vayne/Dr. Cid, and Golbez, but Nomrua's games in particular... uh...) so I'm not sure if they just couldn't write it or they just didn't want to as I feel like there was so much they could do here which went to waste.



This is all I get for winning. I'm starting to think it really wasn't worth it.

Meanwhile, the MVP of the team isn't even there to enjoy the trophy as



well, he isn't wrong, from his perspective



I forgot that we learn this so early in the game, and while Tidus does act confused and shocked, he accepts it pretty quickly, I'm guessing after ending up here the idea of his father becoming a giant flying whale that shoots mucus bugs doesn't seem that farfetched.

(I know Zanarkand had summoners/aeons, the real Zanarkand, but I'm guessing they weren't reflected in the dream Zanarkand as I distinctly remember Tidus asking "what's a summoner?" so people suddenly becoming giant monsters shouldn't be commonplace)



"This one, I promised Jecht"



You know, now that Auron is here, and Auron obviously knows Tidus, you could just... ask Auron about him, he'd back up that story. Or possibly troll.



Actually not something I'd recommend. Acting takes extra effort.

I know it's sometimes necessary, and particularly so in her circumstance given all the pressure on her from both herself and other people, but thinking about this... it almost feels like she never gets the chance to express her own fears and worries, which isn't healthy at all.

It also occurs to me that I'm MUCH more sympathetic and inclined towards liking Yuna that I used to be. I hated her when I first played it, but then, I was a very angry kid and never got over some of the comments she made. That's the interesting thing about replaying things, as like... I realize just how much more likely I am to try to understand other people better than I used to be, even if fictional.

Annnd this leads to one of the most infamous FF moments



I prefer it with this audio instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWY2_cDH3ms



I like how everyone is is just like "what the shit"



... and I tried to turn the volume down

This kind of silly, stupid thing is exactly the kind of thing friends tend to do, though, and also not the kind of thing you'd ever see in the more "modern" FF games which try to constantly be serious and ~deep~ while missing out on the moments which make the characters feel more approachable



For once, Wakka is being the most sensible one in the room. Clearly, the Farplane has frozen over.




WHAT

Does this only happen if you win? Why would I want to do this? All my players are still the crappy Besaid players and once was painful enough.



We meet a walking history museum, and I for one am very grateful for this as I've been asking for lore for awhile now. He gives us some background on the ruins and the crusaders, but not on the summoners like I want the most. Still appreciated, though.

I'd add him to the bachelor list, but I recall that he's unsent, sadly, no old men who are still-better-than-Wakka for Lulu.



Walking a little further, we run into people fighting on giant chickens. Oh, FF.

Annnd ELIGIBLE BACHLORETTE #5: Lucil. She's a captain. She rides a giant bird. The only real flaw I see her is that puke green polka dot swimsuit.



Quickly followed by...

ELIGIBLE BACHLORETTE #6: Elma. She may rank lower than Lucil, but she's one of the few people in Spira with good fashion sense. No really, all of her colors blend well and beads are a great throwback to Ameno fashion.



We also stop to get an amusing anecdote from Auron. It doesn't amuse Tidus nearly as much, but it does help paint Jecht as a more complex character than we see through the eyes of Tidus as, according to Auron, he always wanted to go out of his way to help people because it was "the right thing to do." ... if only he applied that philosophy to his parenting skills.



Annd then I hear something which sounds way too similar to a line I've heard too many times in the last couple of months. (Why am I subjecting myself to a game where I'd have to fight Isaaru AGAIN? I was already tired of it! Not to mention the countless Seymours!)

I completely forgot about her, but something from the depths of my memory tells me she's also dead, so I'll refrain from adding her to the list for now. Lots of ghosts walking around this road.



And this just sounds exactly like something out of Pokemon, especially Gold/Silver. "I see, you win because you're actually kind to your pokemon and formed a bond with them, unlike me who is just an ass and took the Jecht approach to pokemon-rearing!"



I actually lose the first time, as I started with a full overlimit gauge and foolishly thought that would be enough (I forgot that using that causes you to miss 3 turns afterwards) , but then I reset, purposely level (spheregrid level? or whatever it would be called here) Yuna some just to be sure, and then earn my Gym Badge.



Pfft okay, this kind of thing is just an amusing touch, as there was a ball just sitting there so OF COURSE I had to kick it. May Tidus go down in history as someone so inconsiderate he takes balls away from children.



Good to know that even Spira is plagued by hideous billboards ruining the scenery.



We sure are meeting a lot of NPCs. Shelinda is concerned about the Crusaders' plan to use machina to defeat Sin, but... her reasoning tends to just be that "it's against the teachings!" rather than...



generally speaking, I think "it won't work, you'll be throwing your lives away for NOTHING" is a much better argument, especially if the Crusaders aren't concerned with following teachings in the first place.



Auron is the one who suggested it. /Auron/. You know, the one who defeated sin and is pretty much a savior alongside Braska. And the shop doesn't use any machina. Just... what is with you, Wakka.

annnd that ends that stretch of road. I really start to notice that... this game is very linear. Like straight lines like XIII almost, but I've never heard anyone complain about this and almost everyone complains about XIII. I'm rather fond of dungeon crawlers so I'd personally prefer some dungeons, but it doesn't really bother me here, where as it was a source of constant frustration in XIII. Thinking about it, I imagine there are several reasons for this...

Look at what all just happened even among that small stretch of road. I got a history lesson, met a military force with giant chickens, got some backstory/banter with the main party, got challenged to a Pokemon battle, kicked some kid's ball away like a douchebag, and met someone representing a young devotee to Yevon. XIII was very... empty along its straight lines, which I imagine is the main difference. You could say this makes it more like a movie than a game, but that's countered by the battle system, as inbetween all these convos you have to actually consider what you're doing and not just mash x, even for random encounter battles. The only other FFs which have battle mechanics like that are the job class-based ones, like V and X's sequel. From this angle, you could say the gameplay is more extensive than titles like VII or VIII which had just spam-your-best-moves battle systems despite their layout designs usually being less straightforward.

Also, unlike past parties, Yuna and co aren't wanted fugitives, at least at the moment. They have no reason to NOT use the main roads and go running through caves to avoid being captured instead. There's also some other gameplay mechanics, like the Temples of Yevon, which are more like puzzley mini-dungeons which are unique to the series so a rather nice break.

As said, I WOULD like some dungeons, but I can't really fault it for any of this. Honestly, when I started to replay this, I wasn't expecting to like it at all since I didn't remember liking it that much, but instead I just keep finding a lot of things to really like about it, Wakka and a few flaws that will come up again later aside.



Good to know even Yuna can get massive holes in her skirt when walking long distances and fighting monsters.




This is the kind of thing I used to hate Yuna for before, but then, you really wouldn't be likely to question something that you grew up believing made your father a hero and who almost everyone in turn treats her specially for.



Talking about checking out cute girls is a GREAT idea around your love interest, Tidus.



ELIGIBLE BACHELOR #7: Rin. I don't really remember anything about him, but he has a series of shops so you could travel the world and wreck rooms wherever you go and no one will kick you out!



Yet another thing I'm tempted to ask about but am not sure if I want to know... I mean, what?



I feel like a boss as I think I'm close to pushing it off the cliff and



... well, that turned around quickly... I'm not sure if I actually CAN be pushed off the cliff but I don't want to risk it so I do the only thing I can think of to guarantee avoiding that and summon something which CAN'T be pushed off a cliff



Success! Have I mentioned how I love these boss battles and how they all provide something different just when you think you've got it down, that was genuinely fun



ELIGIBLE BACHELOR #8: Clasko is the derp of the Chocobo Knights, but that's really much better than being the Derp of Blitzball.



To be fair to the random guard, I would never believe you either.

... she runs off in frustration, saying she's taking a nap while calling for her guardian suggestively. That creates.. a mental image I never wanted. Ever.



And the asshats just keep coming.



Even Wakka just kind of glares at him and doesn't bother!



I do wonder. I mean, is he trying to imitate a bug with that hair style? How does he keep that robe up, it seems to have nothing that would stop it from falling off? What's with those manboob tattoos?



There is far too much passing / not passing in this game.



Wakka throws a bit of a fit about machina being used and Seymour's just like "pretend you didn't see them"



You know, Seymour is pretty much the only character that I'll accept Wakka saying things like this to.




Undoubtedly just jealous that so many NPCs would make better love interests for Lulu than he is.

He actually punches him for being the one who recruited his brother, but it's not like it wasn't Chappu's own choice...




WHEN WILL WAKKA'S REIGN OF VIOLENCE END?!

I'm totally rooting for the cannon right now.




I'm guessing this isn't an oversight

So

This is just really fucked up

It isn't only Yuna, but this seems to be the common opinion, which really shows how bloody warped the thinking of the people of Spira has become because like

Summoners sacrificing themselves to GUARANTEE years of peace, even if it isn't eternal, is one thing

Thinking that even complete hopeless causes where countless people are going to die FOR NOTHING and no positive result at all just because they have the ~determination~ Just... we, the party, really should be protesting this more, and not because "machina!" like Wakka and Shelinda are doing, but because people are going to die for nothing.



And the other terrible maester is just like "trolol I know they're going to die but hey benefits me, it will turn more people to Yevon when they realize not following the teachings doesn't work!" How do these asshats even become maesters.



This is the toughest battle yet, and Yuna is the only character I've leveled... but because of that, her Ifrit survives long enough to hit it with hellfire three times... and the boss still had tons of hp left.



Of course, it is a hopeless campaign and when Sin himself shows up, tons of people turn into black confetti.



I already beat this sucker once, WHY IS IT STILL ALIVE.

... I really, really am resisting the urge to kill Seymour now that I have the chance, but the last boss fight was so long and I really want to save / can't risk game overing here. (I still make Yuna hit him with her staff once though, just because)



A significantly nicer phrase for this than another SE series: "No response, it's just a corpse."

Tidus goes a little berserk because of the scene before him + hearing Sin is Jecht and has a trippy flashback with Jecht just drinking and claiming he can always quit tomorrow. Stellar parenting.



Even without knowing who these characters are and what this implies, the way he says this is creepy as hell, especially when it's said like some grand romantic phrase to someone he's only had a single conversion with before. Seymour can't even get romantic progression right!



I'm not sure if that's the word I would've gone with after hearing that...



Auron said it's to "show him what Sin does," but given how coming back for sinspawn is documented among all versions of Sin and they provoked it, I'm guessing Jecht really doesn't have much control over what Sin does at all. Tidus is understandably very frustrated at this, and throughout this last stretch has become more likable of a character.



* gasp

THESE EVENTS HAVE BEEN SO MESSED UP THAT EVEN KIMHARI SPONTANEOUSLY LEARNED TO SPEAK. PRAISE BE TO YEVON.