2001 | PlayStation 2 | The First Voiced Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy X (2001) was the PlayStation 2 debut - and the first Final Fantasy with full voice acting. Hearing "Listen to my story..." in Tidus's voice marked a new era for Japanese Role-Playing Games.
Visually stunning (the PlayStation 2's power unleashed), Final Fantasy X featured realistic character models, the Sphere Grid leveling system, and Conditional Turn-Based combat that showed turn order.
But its true legacy? The bittersweet romance between Tidus and Yuna, culminating in one of gaming's most tearjerking endings.
→ First Final Fantasy with full voice acting
→ Sphere Grid customization system
→ Blitzball underwater sport minigame
→ Tidus & Yuna's tragic romance
Tidus - star blitzball player from Zanarkand - is transported 1000 years into the future after his city is destroyed by Sin, a colossal monster terrorizing the world of Spira.
Yuna - a summoner on pilgrimage to defeat Sin - is soft-spoken, selfless, and doomed. Summoners who defeat Sin die in the process. She accepts this fate.
Tidus falls for Yuna. She falls for him. But as truths unravel - that Tidus is a dream, that Sin is Tidus's father, that defeating Sin means Tidus ceases to exist - their love becomes tragedy.
The ending: Yuna falls through Tidus as he fades away. "I love you" in sign language as he disappears.
Still hurts. Always will.
Spira - a tropical world dominated by religion and fear - is terrorized by Sin, a massive creature that destroys cities every few years.
The Teachings of Yevon (the dominant religion) claim Sin is punishment for humanity's reliance on machina (technology). Only a summoner's Final Aeon can temporarily defeat Sin - at the cost of the summoner's life.
The truth: Sin is Jecht (Tidus's father), transformed by Yu Yevon (ancient summoner). The Yevon church perpetuates the cycle, knowing Sin always returns.
FFX is a critique of religious dogma, cyclical suffering, and institutions that profit from fear.
Auron is the mentor figure - grizzled, cool, voiced perfectly. His reveal as an unsent (dead person clinging to life) recontextualizes everything.
Blitzball - FFX's minigame - is underwater soccer/rugby in a giant sphere. You recruit players, manage stats, and compete in tournaments.
Some players spend 100+ hours on Blitzball alone. It's addictive, strategic, and completely optional (except for one mandatory match).
Winning the Blitzball tournament is Tidus's dream - a reminder of his lost home.
Instead of levels, Final Fantasy X uses the Sphere Grid - a massive web of nodes where you spend Sphere Levels to unlock stat boosts and abilities.
Each character starts on a different path (Tidus = speed, Auron = strength, Yuna = magic), but can eventually cross into others' paths for hybrid builds.
Expert Sphere Grid (unlocked in International/Remaster) lets you build anyone into anything from the start.
"To Zanarkand" - the piano theme - is FFX's most iconic piece. Melancholic, beautiful, it plays during the opening and key emotional moments.
"Suteki da ne" (Isn't it Beautiful?) - sung in-game during the spring scene - is the love theme. Rikki (singer) performed it in Japanese and English.
The spring scene - Yuna and Tidus in the Macalania Woods - is one of gaming's most romantic moments.
The remaster includes Dark Aeons and Penance superbosses from the International version - brutally difficult optional content.
Final Fantasy X broke my heart. Tidus and Yuna's love story - knowing from the start it's doomed - hits differently when you're invested.
The voice acting was rough in spots (that infamous laugh scene is intentionally awkward, but still memed forever), but hearing characters speak brought new emotional depth.
Spira felt alive - the pilgrimage visiting temples, the Al Bhed discrimination subplot, the Calm that's just a lie. And that ending? Yuna running to the airship deck, falling through Tidus's arms, whistling their promise...
I'm not crying, you're crying.
The most emotional Final Fantasy ending. Peak romance.