Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X is first game of the series to be released on the PlayStation 2. Introduced in 2001, it was once among the top twenty best-selling console games of all time, and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

The game is significant in the Final Fantasy series in that it marks the transition from entirely pre-rendered backdrops to fully three-dimensional areas with the PlayStation 2’s robust graphical capabilities (although two-dimensional backdrops are present in certain building interiors). It is also the first in the series to feature a wide range of realistic facial expressions, as well as other technological developments in graphical effects, such as variance in lighting and shadow from one section of a character's clothing to the next. Final Fantasy X is also the first in the series to feature voice-over actors, as well as the first to spawn a direct sequel, Final Fantasy X-2.

Final Fantasy X also marks a number of other significant advances in the Final Fantasy series. For instance, because of the implementation of voice-overs, scenes in the game are paced according to the time taken for dialogue to be spoken, whereas previous games in the series incorporated scrolling subtitles. Final Fantasy X also features changes in world design, with a focus placed on realism. The gameplay also makes a significant departure from past games, with several new elements incorporated.

Gameplay

Like previous games in the series, Final Fantasy X is presented in third person perspective, with players directly navigating the main character Tidus around the world to interact with objects and people. Unlike in previous games, however, the world and town maps have been fully integrated, with terrain outside of cities rendered to scale. Upon encountering an enemy, the environment switches to a turn-based "battle arena" where characters and enemies must await their turn to attack.

In line with previous Final Fantasy titles, players are given the opportunity to develop and improve their characters by defeating enemies and acquiring items, though the traditional experience point system was replaced by a new system called the "Sphere Grid."

Final Fantasy X's gameplay differs from that of previous Final Fantasy games in its lack of an interactive top-down perspective "world map" navigation system. Instead, all game locations are physically contiguous and never fade out to an interactive overworld map. Regional connections are mostly linear, essentially forming a single path through the game's locations, though an airship becomes available late in the game, giving the player the ability to navigate the world of Spira in a matter of seconds. Map director Takayoshi Nakazato has explained that with Final Fantasy X he wanted to implement a world map concept with a more realistic approach than that of the traditional Final Fantasy, in-line with the realism afforded by the mechanics of the game's dominant 3D backgrounds, as opposed to that offered by pre-rendered backgrounds.

Battle system

Final Fantasy X introduces the Conditional Turn-Based Battle System (CTB) in place of the series' traditional Active Time Battle (ATB) system. The CTB system is a truly turn-based system that pauses the battle on each of the player's turns, allowing an indefinite period of time to select an action, whereas the ATB system is comparable to a real-time system, necessitating fast selections, as characters' and enemies' turns are unaffected with their respective "wait gauges." The CTB system also allows characters' and enemies' attributes to affect the number of turns they are allowed and the order in which they occur. The game provides a graphical timeline along the upper-right side of the screen, detailing who will be receiving turns next, as well as how various actions taken (such as using the magical spell Slow on the enemy) will affect the subsequent order of turns. An activated Overdrive awaiting button-inputs Enlarge An activated Overdrive awaiting button-inputs

Character-specific special abilities (known as "Desperation Moves" in Final Fantasy VI, "Limit Breaks" in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, and "Trances" in Final Fantasy IX) reappear in Final Fantasy X under the name "Overdrives." In this new incarnation of the system, most of the techniques are interactive, requiring fighting game-style button inputs or precise timing to increase their effectiveness. Furthermore, the game introduces Overdrive Modes, which allow the player to designate what circumstances (such as receiving damage, slaying an enemy, or being the only living character on the field) cause the Overdrive meter to fill.

Final Fantasy X allows the player to control only three characters in battle at once, but an innovative "swapping system" allows the player to replace any of those characters with one of the four on the sidelines at any time. The player is encouraged to do this frequently based on two factors of gameplay: first, those characters who do not take action in battle will not receive stat and ability bonuses, and, second, each character has specific strengths and limitations for most of the game. Yuna and Rikku are the only characters with significant skill at healing, while, additionally, Yuna has summon spells and Rikku can steal items; Tidus and Wakka are best-suited for hitting agile enemies; Auron's heavy swords and Kimahri's lances can penetrate armored foes; and Lulu has elemental Black Magic spells best-suited for use against enemies associated with an opposing element. Specialized enemies are generally much more difficult to defeat without the appropriate character.

Final Fantasy X also introduces an overhaul of the summoning system employed in the previous eight games in the series. Whereas in previous games a summoned creature would arrive, perform a single action, and then depart, Final Fantasy X's summons (called "aeons") arrive and entirely replace the battle party, fighting in their place until either the enemy has been slain, the aeon itself has been defeated, or the aeon is dismissed by the player. Aeons have their own stats, commands, special attacks, spells, and Overdrives, and in addition to providing powerful attacks, they can also be employed to guard the party when fighting difficult bosses, as the enemy must first kill any summoned aeon(s) before it can damage the party directly. The player acquires five standard aeons over the course of the game, and several additional aeons can be unlocked by completing various sidequests.

Originally, Final Fantasy X was also to feature wandering enemies visible on the field map, seamless transitions into battles, and the option for players to move around the landscape during enemy encounters. Battle art director Shintaro Takai has explained that it was his intention that battles in Final Fantasy X come across as a natural part of the story and not an independent element. However, due to hardware and system limitations, these ideas were not used until Final Fantasy XI. Instead, a compromise was made, whereby some transitions from the field screen to battle arenas were made relatively seamless with the implementation of a motion blur effect. The desire for seamless transitions also led to the implementation of the new summoning system seen in the game.

The Sphere Grid

Final Fantasy X's leveling system, the Sphere Grid, is unique in the computer role-playing game genre. Instead of characters gaining pre-determined statistic bonuses after a certain number of battles, each character gains a "sphere level" after collecting enough Ability Points (AP). Sphere levels, in turn, allow players to move around the Sphere Grid, a predetermined grid of several hundred interconnected nodes consisting of various stat and ability bonuses. Items called "spheres" (obtained from defeated enemies, treasure chests, and event prizes) are applied to these nodes, unlocking its function for the selected character. In this way, the playable characters' development resembles a board game.

Producer Yoshinori Kitase has explained that the purpose behind the Sphere Grid is to give players an interactive means of increasing their characters' attributes, such that they will be able to observe the development of those attributes firsthand. The International version of the game includes an optional "Expert" version of the Sphere Grid; in this version, all of the characters start in the middle of the grid and may follow whichever path the player chooses. As a tradeoff, however, the Expert grid has noticeably fewer nodes in total, thus decreasing the total statistic upgrades available during the game.