I don't know; your reasons for not looking forward to it seem pretty shallow. The characters look the same, yes, but ALL FF characters, since FF started using more advanced graphics, look similar. Tifa, Rinoa, Garnet and Yuna all look similar; Cloud, Zidane and Tidus all looked similar. That didn't mean that the characters didn't have their own personalities. And, for the record, I think Panelo, Balfrear (however the heck we're spelling that guy's name nowadays) and Basch have pretty fresh, original looks.

And their names? That affects their character/depth even less than their looks do.

As for it being "too bright," I'm not sure where that comes from. Some of the brighter, tropical areas are certainly colorful, but I think, overall, this game is darker than 9 and 10.