tl;dr: 10/10 probably my number one FF rn

I am a diehard Final Fantasy fan. I absolutely love the series and this game is like a love letter to it. It is an amazing experience and shows that the series is heading in a great direction. I won't talk about the other recent games because I don't want to compare and detract from either of the amazing works we've received recently. CBU3 really made this game feel like a cinematic experience through and through. I bought my PS5 specifically for this game and I was not disappointed (as unfortunate as it is, was unable to secure the limited pre-order to get statues); and, clearly I liked as it as I put 170 hours into this game on PS5 alone (only 7.5 here on Steam *so far*) and also immediately pre-ordered the Complete Edition the day it was announced on PC. I am anxiously waiting for more mods to customize the game in a way that I would personally like more.

The shift to a more serious Final Fantasy as well as truer ARPG mechanics felt right here. There is still some improvement to be made (hence my mentioning of PC mod support) as the true RPG mechanics were a little lackluster and the ARPG mechanics felt like an earlier Devil May Cry game. I know that they've almost got the formula down because it taste so sweet as it is so far. In addition to that, the side quests could use some work; they felt like quests from FFXIV which, like most MMOs, have a bread and butter formula they use.

The main question, however, is "what is the main attraction?" Simple answer: Clive.

The story for this game is amazing and you feel truly there with the characters, as Clive-- from adolescence to Wyvern to [REDACTED] the [REDACTED]. I felt every emotion, every footstep, every touch, every embrace, every clash, every shout, every piece of Clive is embedded into you as you play as him-- he smiles, you feel that; he furrows his brow, you feel that; he cries, you feel that. And, no emotion seems wrong for him, nothing he says is ever "off"; as he evolves as a character and changes over time, it is still Clive. It is genius how well they made Clive so realistic and human; which goes for all the characters in the story (minus, like, one specific character). And with Clive comes the story-- the synergy between everything that's happening and him is diabolically good. This man is what I would call as the epitome of Final Fantasy main characters. Jokingly I like to say he's like Cloud's cooler older brother; you hang out with Cloud who is super cool and anime and all that but you hear about his older brother Clive who's out doing some cool ♥♥♥♥ and living the phrase "let's make today a movie, bruh". (I know I said I wouldn't reference another Final Fantasy but this was for a funny reprieve.) Humor aside, Clive really is an amazing main character and I hope they take more from him. He's the star of the game through and through; even with other amazing characters, he still shines above all. He also says the thing at the end!

The world building is amazing. You have so many ways to learn more about the world and how the setting is just constantly affected by the story and how the culmination of it all is shown. The lore for this game is pretty expansive so shout out to homeboy Tomes for keeping those archives updated! While we got a plethora of lore for Eikons and those revolving around them, there's a ton lore that is there as well. Add on to that the expansive DLC and how it's easily just incorporated into the story, and you have a wondrous story to experience. The way everything interconnects and how the story is woven seems almost like it's a farewell, send-off letter for the series and truly I hope that is not the case. I hope that I open the envelope with this love letter to the series just to find out that there are much more amazing works in store for us.

Also, I was once a Benedikta Harman simp but became a reformed man-- I now simp for one of the best and most well written Final Fantasy ladies in the series: Jill Warrick.

All in all, I give this game a solid 10 out of 10. While, yes, there are a few gripes with the game, they are not enough to detract a single point from the game. I eagerly look forward to seeing what else is in store for the series, and if there were a way to make a sequel to this game then that would be rad.