I picked up Final Fantasy X again this month when it went on sale on PSN. The bundle includes FFX-2, which I’ve never finished, and the price was too good to pass up. I honestly can’t remember the last time I played FFX – maybe a decade ago? I knew it was a masterpiece. I remembered loving it. But I wasn’t prepared for how completely it would grab me all over again.
This game is a work of art. That’s not nostalgia talking. I’m near the end of my playthrough now, one session away from finishing, and every moment has reinforced what made this game special in the first place. The story still makes me emotional. The music still hits perfectly. From the opening scene onward, FFX delivers beat after beat with the same power it had years ago.
What caught me off guard was how much I’d forgotten. Not the emotional weight – that stayed with me – but specific plot details. Seymour’s entire motivation and endgame, for instance. His nihilism. The fact that his mother was sacrificed. Coming back to these story elements with fresh eyes made me appreciate the writing even more. The game’s themes land with clarity now that I’d lost over time.
And then there’s Blitzball.
In the past, I never defeated the Luca Goers. I just accepted that loss and moved on with the story. This time, I actually wanted to understand the mechanics. I watched videos exploring how the Blitzball system works and specifically how to tackle that initial challenge. And I won.
It feels satisfying. Vindicated, even. I finally learned the mechanics properly instead of treating Blitzball like an obstacle to endure. But I also understand there are more Blitzball challenges beyond the Luca Goers, and I plan to take those on slowly over time. No need to overwhelm myself. Just steady progress as I learn the system.
That’s been the theme of this playthrough, really – understanding things more clearly now. Story beats I’d forgotten. Gameplay systems I’d never properly engaged with. Coming back as an adult with more patience and willingness to actually learn instead of just pushing through.
But here’s where this playthrough became something different: I started watching reaction videos.
After each gaming session, I’d immediately pull up streamers experiencing the sections I’d just played. Kastaclysm became my go-to. Her passion for the entire game, the way she gets emotional during key scenes – it’s exactly on point with both my own feelings and what these moments deserve. Watching her investment in the story and its beats added this whole other dimension to my experience.
I kept watching different people react to the ending. And I just kept bawling. Every single time. The tree scene. The wedding. The ship. All of it as great as I remembered, and somehow watching others experience it for the first time made it fresh again.
There’s something about watching reaction videos that reinforces your feelings for a game. It’s validating – yes, this IS as powerful as I think it is. But it’s also about experiencing the game fresh through someone else’s eyes. When Kastaclysm reacts to a story beat with the same intensity I felt, it confirms that the game earned that response. It’s not just me. It’s not just nostalgia. FFX genuinely delivers.
This kind of communal experience wasn’t really possible when I first played FFX a decade ago. Or at least, I wasn’t engaging with it this way. Now I have access to dozens of people experiencing this story for the first time, and I can relive those moments through their reactions. It’s become part of my playthrough in a way I never expected.
I’m not going for the platinum trophy this time. This is purely a revisit and appreciation run. But I do have plans. I’m going to tackle Penance for the first time – the superboss I never attempted before. I just love challenges, and Penance represents the ultimate test in FFX. After all this time, it feels right to finally face it.
And then there’s FFX-2.
I played it in the past but never finished. It didn’t resonate with me the way FFX did, so I moved on to other games. But now I have a craving for it. I want to see it through. Yuna’s story deserves completion, and I’m finally ready to give X-2 the attention it needs.
Maybe it’s because I’ve changed as a player. Maybe it’s because returning to FFX reminded me why I loved this world and these characters. Either way, I’m committed to finishing what I started years ago.
There’s something powerful about returning to beloved games as an adult. You bring different perspective, different life experience, different understanding. But with FFX, what strikes me most is how little has changed about its impact. The game doesn’t need me to have grown or changed to appreciate it differently. It’s just as excellent as it ever was.
The opening is still emotional. The ending still destroys me. The music still creates perfect atmosphere for every scene. The story beats still land with precision. This isn’t a case of a game aging well despite its years. This is a game that was crafted so carefully that time simply doesn’t diminish it.
I never regretted going back to this game. Not for a single moment. If anything, I regret waiting so long.
Watching Kastaclysm and other streamers experience FFX for the first time reminded me that great games create genuine emotional responses across different people, different backgrounds, different eras of gaming. FFX came out in 2001. Nearly 25 years later, it’s making new players cry at the same scenes that made me cry a decade ago. That’s the mark of something timeless.
I’m glad this was on sale. I’m glad I grabbed it on impulse. I’m glad I decided to actually play it instead of letting it sit in my library. And I’m especially glad I fell into the rabbit hole of watching reactions, because it transformed this from a solo nostalgia trip into something shared with a community of people who love this game just as much as I do.
One more session and I’ll finish the main story. Then Penance awaits. Then FFX-2. Then the rest of Blitzball’s challenges, tackled at my own pace. I’m not rushing any of it. I’m savoring this return to Spira, appreciating every moment, and probably watching even more reaction videos along the way.
Final Fantasy X is a masterpiece. Not was. Is. Present tense. It holds up completely, and I can’t recommend strongly enough that anyone who loved it years ago should consider returning. You won’t regret it.
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