Final Fantasy X/X2 HD Remaster Review

Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster

Before I begin, I just want to make mention that I will not be discussing the story of this game in great detail as to avoid spoilers for the first.

Final Fantasy X-2 was the first game in the series to be a direct sequel to a main, numbered title. It was not the game that many expected nor was it a game that many fans even asked for. A lot of fans never really took to the game, which is understandable as it does somewhat sully the story that its predecessor told, not to mention the extreme J-pop (Japanese pop) make over was quite overbearing. Personally, I enjoyed it. It probably has one the catchiest theme songs ever, even more so than Simple and Clean from Kingdom Hearts.

The story can get really silly and there were times when I actually felt a little bit embarrassed to play the game. However, once I got over the initial shock of the drastic changes the game underwent, I found myself enjoying sections of the game very much as it was lighthearted and fun, and if you just embrace the game for what it is, you’ll end up enjoying most of the story.

Battles this time around feature an ATB gauge along with a new mechanic called Dress Spheres. Dress Sphere is essentially a fancy term for a job in classical Final Fantasy terms. The reason for its name, however, is that each Dress Sphere comes with a different dress that the character changes into when they change jobs. You can change Dress Spheres on the fly during battle and this keeps things fresh while adding a ton of depth to fights. It’s a really deep system that allows for many different strategies and it is sure to keep you engaged throughout the game.

This game doesn’t have the Sphere Grid system of the first; instead it follows a much more traditional form of character progression. You level up and learn new abilities for specific jobs normally by gaining experience points after battle. You can choose which abilities you want to learn, but it’s not as deep as the Sphere Grid. New to this game is also the Garment Grid. Here you will place your Dress Spheres on the grid so that you may use them in battle. The twist, however, is that while you can change Dress Spheres in battle, once you change, you can then only move to Dress Spheres that are adjacent to your current one , so it becomes very important to set up your grid in such a way that would suit your play style.

The music in this game has been left unchanged, and while I do really like it, it pales in comparison to the original’s soundtrack. There are however a few notable tracks that always stood out in my mind, namely Real Emotion, 1000 words and Eternity: Memory of Lightwaves. The voice acting is also slightly better than the first, but this is understandable as Final Fantasy 10 was Sqaure’s first attempt at making a fully voiced Final Fantasy game. My only gripe with the music is the battle theme; it’s kind of dull and lacks the oomph to get you pumped for a fight.

New to both games is content never seen outside of Japan before. Final Fantasy X got an extra epilogue movie that takes place between 10 and 10-2, as well as an audio drama. X-2 probably got the most new content: extra Garment Grids and Dress Spheres, a new monster capture and arena mode where you can capture monsters in the game and have them engage in epic arena battles, and the Last Mission. This mode takes place 3 months after X-2 and sees you climbing a huge tower in a rogue-like, turn-based dungeon crawling fashion. This new content is a welcomed edition and while the new story content does completely change the way you see the overall plot, it’s an interesting take on the story that us English-speaking folk have never gotten the chance to experience before.

Final Fantasy X-2 may not be to everyone’s taste, but that doesn’t stop it from being a highly entertaining RPG with deep battle mechanics. The Vita version of this game can only be downloaded from PSN, only Final Fantasy 10 was blessed with a physical edition.

Last Updated: April 17, 2014