I don't even know where to begin here. I guess I'll start by saying that the actual time I spent playing was pretty enjoyable, but then there were these really long cut-scenes that might not have been necessary but I guess they had to be like that if the game was supposed to maintain a decent story, which was actually pretty good, the story is definitely one of the games few high point.
Now I just want to get the bad things out of the way as soon as I can so I guess I'll start with them. I hated the battle mechanics! There I said it. The battles were weird and uncomfortable and the absence of a timer just made it worse. The battles just suddenly stop and then the sky comes back up and all is well. Why wouldn't they add a timer!? If the battle is timed, shouldn't a timer be necessary? How else would you know when the battle would end? There's also the tiny little fact that when you have access to the entire world you don't have access to a normal map. I mean, would it have killed them to add a map that you access through the menu to see the entirety of the area that your currently in? It even would have been better had they just added a little square in the corner like they did in Final Fantasy X. Bottom line is, in a game like this, a proper map system is kind of a must!
Now I can finally move over to the good things. Like I said before, the story is really good, it centers around a young man named Layle who is know as a Crystal Bearer, which is a group of people that can use magic. Its kind of like the l'cie in Final Fantasy XIII except I don't think they ever explain how he became a bearer. I won't spoil anything about the story of the game but its good as long as your paying attention. I also like that you could interact in some of the cut-scenes, like in the opening where Layle is firing the canon while falling down or when he's steering the ship. Had this been the opening to Final Fantasy XIII I just know it would have been one long movie sequence with no interaction. The music also had a few good tracks but some of the tracks were just not that memorable, like the battle theme, I didn't think that it went with the battles, it just sounded like a redneck car chase.
So to sum up, the game was OK at its best. Just don't expect something spectacular.
6.5/10
