Now that I have actually been playing the game for a few hours, it is time for me to give my first opinions.
SQUEEEEE!!!
*Ahem*
This game is utterly fantastic. Thus far, it is everything I hoped it would be.
My first squee came within the first few seconds of gameplay, when I was randomly exploring around the inn of Caldisla and I discovered an item and a stash of gold. Finally, an RPG that rewards classic exploration around town! It was only a few minutes later that I discovered several more items scattered around the city-state.
My next squee, however, came even before my discover of the additional items around town. Caldisla looks absolutely gorgeous. The artistic style has an almost rustic sketched look to it, while still being colorful and incredibly detailed. I am not at all doing it justice here, so let me just say that it looks absolutely stunning. It looks even better than Ancheim (I think that's the place) did in the demo. What's more, it keeps looking amazing whether you are zoomed in while moving around, or while you set the game down for a second and it zooms out to show you the entire city. It is simply awe-inspiring, and the 3D just makes it look even better.
My third squee came after I first went to talk to the king and start my quest, and it was more of a squee of giddy excitement over the entire experience than it was over any one particular feature. The story, while simplistic thus far (I had only just begun) was so satisfying. It wasn't an epic, convoluted, or confusing mess. It was a straightforward call to adventure, with a solid reason, and a compelling character. The townsfolk are sympathetic, the king is reasonable, and the captain is awesome.
My fourth squee came shortly after Agnès Oblige joined the party, and we got to see the interactions between her and Tiz for the first time. This was closely followed by an even bigger squee when, after she officially joined, the game revealed that it was going to have mid-game/mid-dungeon character banter, a feature that was lifted almost whole-heartedly from the Tales series (and was one of the best features of the Tales series, in my opinion), right down to the different character portraits taking corners of the screen and discussing issues with each other.
And my final squee of my first impressions was a result of the first, minor, story arc. The path through to unlocking the first jobs, the mechanism of it, and the story bits involved in the first jobs we get. It ran the gamut from absurd and ridiculous, to touching, to awesome, and more. It was just so...colorful.
Thus far, I have no complaints about this game at all. It is everything I had hoped it would be, and more. It is the perfect throwback to the elements of not just Final Fantasy, but every traditional JRPG. Strong characters, fun stories, exquisite gameplay (which received no squees merely because I had already squeed at the combat during the demo), a compelling world, and a near perfect balance of tone, between serious and comic. Square, you guys have hit this one out of the park. This is what all your fans have wanted from you guys for so long.
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Originally Posted by Vermachtnis
