Jiro's Journey

[Shauna]

I always got the impression that Tidus was doing the prayer hesitantly, because he recognises it as something else, not that he was struggling to actually do it. As if while he were doing it, slowly and carefully, he was going over the entire action in his head, comparing every move he was making to his blitzball sign of victory.

Or it could be what you said.

[Jiro]

I always got the impression that Tidus was doing the prayer hesitantly, because he recognises it as something else, not that he was struggling to actually do it. As if while he were doing it, slowly and carefully, he was going over the entire action in his head, comparing every move he was making to his blitzball sign of victory.

Or it could be what you said.

No, you could very well be correct, it just doesn't come across clearly. And it would be simple to make it obvious: just have Tidus go "hmm" while he does it, and suddenly there's a sense of him comparing his sign with the prayer. The vagueness just makes it seem very out of place and continues to characterise him as a moron, which I will be strongly advocating against throughout this, I imagine.

You know, you bring up some good points about Wakka and Tidus. I have to say, their relationship dynamic is actually probably the best in the game; you really truly believe that they're good friends. The next best is Rikku and Tidus, then Lulu and Tidus.

Tidus has remarkably good interactions and relationships with most of the other characters, I must say. That should be a given, considering that he is the main character, but it's actually a little surprising. The Tidus-Auron relationship is weird because they have all this history -- plus the power imbalance because of the mentor-mentee basis -- and then Tidus comes to Spira and the Auron he knows has all this extra stuff surrounding him. I can't think of an exact parallel, but I imagine it would be like having an older friend that you know really well and then they become your teacher at school and you have to be "professional" in your relationships all of a sudden. It just feels weird.

[Jiro]

I said I wouldn't talk about the music too much, and I hope not to, because I don't want to embarrass myself. But I have to make a note here, just to highlight how wonderful the soundtrack to this game is. I feel like Final Fantasy X, because it isn't in the VI, VII, and IX triumvirate, doesn't command a lot of respect and this has led to an underappreciation of the soundtrack. I don't know what tracks the three composers were responsible for, but they all deserve credit for managing to create songs such as the Besaid theme, which captures the relaxed island vibe quite successfully. This holds true, with some exceptions which I will mention as they come along.

The rapidly shifting camera angles in small, tight spaces such as Besaid village are still quite bothersome. The ability to pan and show off how gorgeous the landscapes are is a definite plus, but I sometimes wonder if a static or player-controlled camera would have been better in some cases. There are some interesting cases where Tidus can disappear off into the distance; going to the right hand-side of Besaid temple is a good example of Tidus exploring a mostly unimportant environment for the simple sake of immersion. Quite nice at times.

Tidus makes his way inside the temple and we find him instantly confused. Which is great. He should be confused by this foreign religion. He doesn't understand the practices, he doesn't understand the conventions, and he doesn't understand why. And while it may certainly be a character trait to bumble around and accidentally breach the teachings, Tidus shows a complete lack of respect for Yevon early on and throughout that I just can't attribute to his posh sports star upbringing.

The narrator-Tidus talks about how he started realising this world is very different to his own, but he displays no caution. Sin's toxin is a handy excuse, and he does remember -- awkwardly -- to use this excuse, and it helps justify to Spirans why he is stupid. But instead of simply asking the priest what a high summoner is, Tidus says it so loud that the entire temple hears him. I'm not sure why he continues to be obnoxious in some cases, but in others he asks questions quietly to somebody he knows and trusts, like Wakka. You'd think it would be the other way around. Especially because Tidus shows personality changes in other circumstances: when he is talking about Blitzball, he's confident; when he's talking about something else (I cannot remember an example off the top of my head), he acts more reserved. Not dramatic shifts -- his personality is consistent sometimes -- but enough to show that he isn't a 2D cardboard cut out.

The temples are an interesting design point. They're quite dark and mostly lit by candles placed around the outer sanctum, so it gives that kind of mystical, solemn feel. There are statues for the High Summoners, but the statues are huge and don't demonstrate much confidence in Sin being defeated often -- or, perhaps it is confidence that Sin will be defeated once and for all rather soon. In any case, despite their centrality to all of Spira, the temples are not as large on the inside as they would have seemed. It will be interesting to note any aesthetic changes that may reflect the aeons found within, but as it stands there are simply two side rooms with some books and tapestries. Not much to note, yet. The cloister is a different matter, but we'll get to that.

While Tidus naps, Wakka is paid a visit by the priest. He mentions that he "can't interfere" and I am now, upon reflection, confused. Wakka and Yuna both consider him to be a Guardian -- a part time one, perhaps, but a Guardian nonetheless. So why can't he interfere? Also, what kind of ridiculous trial forces a Summoner and their Guardians to spend over a day without food or water?

Also while napping, Tidus has a flashback/dream brought on by the priest's comments. It's a cool effect, and provides some neat exposition without feeling too dry. Jecht has gone missing, and kid Tidus whines about how he hopes his father has died. While it seems like Tidus is just a whiny brat, this is one of the first chances for Final Fantasy X to (SPOILER)set up the themes of patricide that run throughout.

[Jiro]

So, the Cloister of Trials. Some of my least favourite aspects of this game. I appreciate the puzzles but this is one of those ludo narrative dissonance moments. The game tells us that the Cloister is dangerous, and that it is a test for a summoner (ignore my inconsistent capitalisation) to prove their worth. But this doesn't prove true in the gameplay. Moving one orb to a socket and so on and so forth is not particularly dangerous. Indeed, the most dangerous aspect of this process is the threat of me stabbing myself or destroying things because Tidus is incapable of carrying two (or more) smurfing orbs despite having, y'know, multiple hands and pockets.

Obviously, keeping non-Guardians and Summoners out of the Cloister maintains some mystery for the citizens which increases its power and appeal. That's fine. But the only trouble with managing the Cloister and praying to the fayth is that a summoner can potentially be stuck there praying until they die of starvation and thirst. Which is stupid. You see, the Cloister has a second "tier": only the summoner can enter the fayth room and pray, so I guess the guardians sit around and wait, wondering how long it should be, or if they should be concerned, or if they have time to pop over to Taco Bell for a snack. It's utterly pointless and I cannot understand how any guardians or summoners have been devout enough to uphold this.

Tidus runs into the Cloister in what is a good demonstration of Tidus breaking Yevon traditions with realistic justification; he cares about the safety of others, so he doesn't let anything stop him from trying to protect them. Then he does some stupid puzzles which have mysteriously reset from the last time people were here. This lack of consistency is another problem. Later, in Kilika Temple, Tidus must burn down doors to progress. How does this reset for the next summoner? What happens when you are, like Tidus, not expected? Would the trial reset itself immediately upon someone else entering? How do you determine if a person is with a party already inside? I assume it is impolite to attempt the Cloister of Trials alongside another summoner, but what is stopping them from racing through behind? The Cloister of Trials is an utterly broken concept that serves only to excuse puzzle mechanics in the weakest way.

I may have more comments on the cloister later when my battery isn't almost out and I can use my own keyboard.

[Jessweeee♪]

I figure the danger comes from messing around with spheres that make explosions, big fires, electricity, huge spiky icicles and standing on moving platforms that go off the edge if you don't hit X at the right time. Of course you aren't given any opportunities to really hurt yourself with these dangerous objects

[Jiro]

When Wakka catches up with Tidus (what took him so long? I spent all that time putting the Destruct sphere in place. He should've beaten me there), he figures that they should just go all the way in since he's come this far. Fair enough logic from Wakka, but while that fits with his relaxed personality traits, it doesn't reconcile with his extreme passion for Yevon. He should realistically be furious; not even he-looks-like-Chappu can justify it.

The go inside to the chamber of the fayth and Lulu immediately questions Wakka about why he was there. Nobody thought to ask who the stranger was? What he was doing in the Cloister? Lulu shows unnecessary levels of antagonism towards Wakka for coming to check up on them (doing what? Waiting around. I guess it's a test of fortitude for the Guardians as they await the return of their Summoner) and then displays confusion rather than aggression when she realises Tidus is there. Talk about character inconsistency. And we only just met her!

It's also quite convenient that Yuna finishes her prayer just as Tidus and Wakka show up, but I am eternally grateful because it meant that we didn't have to sit through a day or longer of the party just standing around having awkward conversations. There's plenty of time for that later.

Yuna and friends exit the temple and it's time for show and tell. I find this extremely interesting because the summoning circle shows just how important summoners are to the culture of Spira. It may be a bigger comment on Besaid, though. It's a community event when a summoner succeeds in obtaining Valefor, and they all come out to watch Yuna summon him for the first time. I don't know if the same would be done for a non-local summoner, and I don't know whether this is done in other locations, particularly places like Djose where there aren't any super close villages, but it's quite a subtle way of showing the interconnectedness.

Then of course we see Yuna interact with Valefor and the character models are super dodgy. Criticising the graphics might seem weak but they were, after all, the primary reason for this remake, weren't they? HD Remaster it says on the box. Can't get character models to interact without it looking weird.

Narrator Tidus informs us that, after he talked with Yuna that night, everything changed. As if he had any idea what "normal" was any more. He has been, to his knowledge, cast across time and space, witnessed Sin attack him twice, met and lost friends, encountered and disobeyed a strange religion that has eerie similarities to his homeland's sporting culture, and just witnessed a monster appear out of nowhere and not eat people. Talking with a pretty lady is just about the most normal thing he's smurfing done since Auron showed up.

[Jiro]

A quick note about Blitzball: I intend to cover this in much more detail later -- indeed, I have several feature articles in the works that may or may not appear here -- but I want to make a quick point based on the scene with Wakka, Tidus, and the Besaid Aurochs. It would make sense that, in a highly physical and contact-oriented sport like Blitzball, each team has substitutes. However, this is not seen in any team other than the Tidus-managed Aurochs that this is the case. Substitutions are entirely absent, except for the Tidus-Wakka change during the Luca Goers match, and that does not seem to be an official action -- despite time stopping for it.

So if we assume that substitutions are not endorsed by the Spiran Blitzball Association, then we must ask the question: what the hell does Wakka think he's doing letting some stranger on the team? Botta worries that he might be warming the bench, but we know that Tidus is a forward so unless Wakka plans on sitting out during his last ever tournament, it's Datto who's warming the bench indefinitely. I know he's the coach and captain, but Wakka seems like the kind of person to let the Aurochs weigh in on team decisions, and the Aurochs seem like the kind of close knit team that would decide things as a unit. Even though they were obviously impressed with the skills that Tidus has, it's still all very out of the ordinary.

[Jiro]

Fan favourite Stay-away-from-the-Summoner Lady makes her glorious debut and I am struck by how utterly rabid these people are in their devotion. Tidus is accused of being a bad man and Yuna is warned against talking to him because... he went somewhere he wasn't supposed to go. I know it's not sacred, but I once used the women's bathroom because the men's was closed. I don't think that makes me the devil, and I hardly think Tidus has displayed any dangerous traits. Indeed, most of his portrayal so far marks him as an adorable, air-headed moron.

Yuna thanks Tidus for his help (he did nothing) and Tidus runs at the mouth with a dodgy apology. Yuna mentions that she was overconfident in a startlingly accurate piece of self reflection, and then asks if Tidus thinks she can become High Summoner. Okay, she should probably realise he has no smurfing idea what that is, let alone what it entail. Plus, this lack of confidence kind of undermines her initial point. No doubt she was overconfident -- she is Braska's daughter -- and no doubt she is unsure about whether she has what it takes to beat Sin but putting them so close together creates this weird mess. Let her talk about Sin later, when it's more of an issue.

And than that brat of a kid steals her to come and play. Which is annoying, but the worst thing is that she makes no comment about Tidus, despite being quick to smurfing insult him before. If I were Tidus, I would smack that kid across the face. Don't be a little trout, you trout.

Yuna makes some awkward, potentially innuendo filled comments about "talking"... "tomorrow"... It's a bit strange but perhaps I can attribute that to Tidus being a moron dazzled by this girl instead.

Tidus has a dream about Rikku and Yuna and I find this really interesting. Because he could have had a relationship with either of them. The fact that (SPOILER)they are related only makes this better. But it demonstrates the fact that Tidus is utterly incompetent when it comes to dealing with women because his focus has always been Blitzball. It also shows a desire for a mother-like figure; both Rikku and Yuna encourage kid-Tidus to say that he hates Jecht. I guess Tidus craves this because his own mother kind of sidelined him once Jecht was gone, which left him with some issues. Knowing that he was going to take both women to Zanarkand and worrying about their reaction reminds me of the Aerith-Tifa Highwind debacle in Final Fantasy VII.

The cut scene between Lulu and Wakka gives us some good insights into their character. Lulu has the upper hand in their relationship, obviously. It's nice to hear why Wakka became a Guardian and all that. I don't really know how to explain the significance; it's all very straightforward and quite effective. Giving Tidus the Brotherhood sword is obviously quite a big moment too, and that's referenced a couple more times, and rightly so. The bond between Tidus and Wakka is quite strong and, even though it might have been slightly influenced by Tidus looking like Chappu, it shows that kindness that encapsulates Wakka's personality.

Also the whole thing about Yuna becoming an apprentice and then leaving as a full-fledged summoner is smurfing sweet. I just. So cute. Ridiculous that she packs so many "gifts" for the temples, and even more ridiculous that she leaves the bag sitting there and wanders off. I love that image though. Just letting it go, and then that wistful, lingering look back at the temple as she leaves Besaid. I won't say more on that now because spoilers, but Yuna's actions are really powerful and the character animation is pretty smurfing spot on in those moments.

[Jinx]

I know I'm in the minority here, but You're-A-Bad-Man Kid is my favorite NPC in this game.

[Sephex]

Finally caught up. I am really enjoying these posts, man. Especially since I still have the game fresh in my head from beating the HD version a couple weeks back. You make some humorous observations and bring up things that I either thought of before, which is a cool feeling, or stuff that I haven't noticed.

When I played through this last time, I video snapchatted a friend of me controlling Tidus to keep activating the "STAY AWAY FROM THE SUMMONER" lady. A few days later he did the same for me.

[Pete for President]

I caught up too. Good stuff Jiro! I like how you point out oddities I always kinda take for granted but you also have a sharp sense for the small things that are really well done. I dig!

[Jiro]

I like that lots of circumstantial evidence reinforces Wakka's belief in Yevon. Chappu didn't pray at the monument the day he left. He chose to use a machina weapon, instead of the sword his brother gave him. It gives Wakka ground to stand on, too. Some people may see him as the token evangelist, but I don't think Wakka is blindly following Yevon. He may or may not see the flaws and contradictions, but regardless he rejects them because he has to. Wakka believes wholeheartedly in Yevon not because he is supposed to, but because he needs to.

I don't think we learn the entirety of Wakka's backstory until FFX-2 so I will spoiler it for the moment: (SPOILER)Wakka's parents are killed by Sin, and neither he nor Chappu has any memory of them. Wakka raises Chappu as best he can, presumably with Lulu's help as the three of them are all orphans. That is a ridiculous level of pressure to play on a young child. He watches Chappu grow into a man arguably better than he is, and then watches as Chappu turns his back on Yevon and is killed. Wakka needs to believe that Sin can be beaten, that Yevon's ban on machina is necessary, and that true faith has the potential to save people. He rejects Operation Mi'ihen because, if it works, everything he clings to for comfort is false. If it works, if Yevon is false, then his brother died for naught. The person closest to him was just taken without purpose.

Despite his positive demeanour, I highly suspect that Wakka is still deep in the mourning process for the entirety of the game. It is why he distracts himself with Blitzball, and then why he gives up Blitzball to become a Guardian: he wants to avenge his brother so that he can find peace. It also explains why he is so staunch and struggles to see the truth of Yevon, even when the other Yevonites like Lulu and even Yuna -- a Yevonite summoner! -- are able to accept the truth.

It is strange that Tidus is given further opportunities to pray or not; player choice in these circumstances is hard to reconcile with the canonical portrayal of Tidus as completely incompetent and downright blasphemous when it comes to Yevon's teachings and practices. I have made him pray at every opportunity, because the situations are largely centred around Wakka, and I feel like the Tidus-Wakka relationship would prompt Tidus to support his (new) friend.

[Jiro]

The battle tutorials in this game are wonderful. They are brief, interactive, and grounded in the world, rather than being disconnected. The Sphere Grid tutorial, if you remember, feels like it takes an eternity because all you are doing is reading and hitting X to continue. These battle tutorials take a format you are familiar with -- battles -- and explain strategies and mechanics with voice and actual participation. Sure, the options are restricted, but going through the motions as opposed to reading a play-by-play feels a lot more engaging.

That's really all I have to say about that. Although, the use of dialogue is really quite powerful and makes these battles feel important. Obviously forced encounters have a sense of gravity to them, but throughout the rest of the game you fight hundreds of battles that serve no purpose other than to help you level up. Mind you, an argument can be made that these battles symbolise the growing bonds between Yuna and her Guardians in order to achieve the summoning of the Final Aeon. However, as I've mentioned before, adopting an approach similar to the Tales series gives each battle some more gravitas and allows it to feel like an actual part of the story rather than an intrusive gameplay element designed to slow you down or act as an arbitrary obstacle.

Now​ I'm done.

[Jiro]

Kimahri is formally introduced to us via combat. A kickass FMV plays and then Tidus is thrust into battle with him, alone. I am uncertain as to why this happens, though. Kimahri doesn't seem to be particularly invested in Yevon's teachings; his interest extends to Yuna and what is necessary to protect and help her. Our initial introduction to Kimahri happens in the Besaid Cloister where he says nothing, and then outside the Temple where he just shakes his head at Tidus. At no point does he demonstrate any aggression towards Tidus, be it inherent or because of his breach of the teachings.

I have theories, but Kimahri's unprovoked attack seems really out of character. Perhaps this is a Ronso way of testing Tidus. Maybe he wants to see if he has what it takes to be Yuna's guardian. Maybe he is just suspicious and combat is a way to derive a person's quality. But after this event, Kimahri returns to being silent and shaking his head every time Tidus tries to talk, so it is quite strange.

[Pumpkin]

I suspect he is trying to test him to make sure he is worthy of Yuna