The versions included in this HD Remaster package are based on the International versions that were previously only available in Japan. This requires a more intricate knowledge of individual timing of attacks to really dish out extra damage. The ATB system does make a return in Final Fantasy X-2 along with an additional feature called Chain Gauge, delivering out additional damage if you can properly chain attacks together between the party. You can even see in advance what certain buffs and debuffs will do to the queue of attacks to really get an understanding of the battle system. It allows players to properly plan and strategise without losing the integrity of turn-based battling. Rather than having characters and enemies filling up gauges to indicate when they can next attack in ATB, CTB has a timeline to the right-hand side of the screen that allows you to see who’s next to attack. Gone is the Active Time Battle (ATB) system used in almost every other Final Fantasy game, and in its place is the Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB) system. Main missions are clearly marked on the map that will progress the story, but most locations also have a side-mission during each chapter, and the player has the option to pick and choose where to go first.Ĭombat in Final Fantasy X makes it perhaps the most accessible entry into the franchise. Final Fantasy X-2 has that ability from the very beginning and is split into five chapters. Final Fantasy X is – for the most part – a linear journey visiting all the towns and temples within Spira, only unlocking the ability to fast travel back to previous towns near the end of the game. Gameplay is also vastly different between the games. It is still well worth your time however. It was a major shift in tone that alienated fans on release and still feels a divisive title in mainline Final Fantasy games today. The game even opens up with the trio singing and dancing in front of a crowd of thousands, which really sets the stall out for the rest of this adventure. It is impossible to describe the story of the sequel without ruining the ending to the first game, but given all those points above, think the exact opposite for this title. Then, in a seismic shift of tone, Final Fantasy X-2 is a saccharine journey again through Spira featuring returning characters Yuna and Rikku, alongside a new character called Paine. Final Fantasy X’s story isn’t the most cheerful at the best of times, and it isn’t afraid to be that way. And just within the first game there are arranged marriages, racism, sports and fathers out for revenge alongside the more typical elements of love, death and everything in between. Of course, being a Final Fantasy game there are twists and turns aplenty. Whilst in Besaid, Tidus meets Yuna, a young summoner who has taken it upon herself to complete a pilgrimage across the world of Spira in order to defeat Sin and bring about The Calm – a period of time where inhabitants can live without fear of Sin. Wakka – who is drawn to Tidus for his resemblance to his dead brother – tells Tidus they are travelling to Luca for the blitzball tournament and he may find the answers there that he needs. He eventually arrives in a small coastal town of Besaid and quickly befriends Wakka, another blitzball player. Tidus must figure out what happened and how he can get back to Zanarkand. Final Fantasy X tells the story of Tidus, a star blitzball player – think turn-based football played underwater – who is thrown 1,000 years into the future from his life and everything he knows when a hulking entity known as Sin completely levels his hometown of Zanarkand.