SPUDD 64’S TOP TEN FAVORITE VIDEO GAMES OF ALL TIME: 4

Talented artist and incredible friend, Matt Kish (formerly known as Spudd 64) is counting down his top ten favorite video games. Enjoy!

- Kyle

This one is just gonna have to be short and sweet because the reason I love this game so very much is really just pretty simple.

I mean, sure, it had incredible graphics, amazing characters, a deep and thought-provoking plot with more than a few stunning twists, and all of the bells and whistles that make Square’s “Final Fantasy” series one of the most enduring franchises in videogaming history. And of course, there were all the new additions that made Final Fantasy X by far the most technologically advanced and enjoyable game in the series thus far such as complete and extremely well-done voice acting for the entire game and the introduction of the Sphere Grid for adding skills and abilities. There was also Spira, a completely new world to explore, unlike anything ever seen in a “Final Fantasy” game before…



And of course Sin, one of the most awe-inspiring and terrifying bosses in RPG history…



But none of these would have mattered one bit in any game without good characters. And there is Final Fantasy X’s true strength. I suppose I should stop here to be courteous and announce…

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW

With that out of the way, it was easy to think Auron was a totally cool badass, it was simple to see Wakka as a slightly moronic but utterly charming oaf, it was perhaps frighteningly easy to think Rikku was the cutest thing ever. But ultimately Final Fantasy X is about the Summoner Yuna and her friend Tidus. At first, Yuna comes across as a bit of a shrinking violet, slightly hesitant, unsure of herself, and perhaps a little weak. Gradually though, the nature of just what it takes to be a Summoner, and just what Yuna’s real responsibility is, becomes clear and the depth of her strength is absolutely astonishing.



As a crucial part of the spiral of death that grips the world of Spira, Yuna must travel on a long and grueling pilgrimage to the ruins of the city of Zanarkand in order to prove herself worthy of summoning the Final Aeon, the only thing that can, at least temporarily, banish Sin from the world and allow the inhabitants of Spira to live in peace for a time. Only in doing so, Yuna must inevitably sacrifice her own life, something that only becomes clear about halfway through the game and well after Tidus, and probably the player too, have developed a deep and emotional bond with her.



Yuna is accompanied by her guardians, close friends whose duty it is to protect her along the way until she reaches Zanarkand. These guardians, Wakka, Lulu, Auron, Kimahri and eventually Rikku grudgingly allow Tidus to accompany them but repeated warn him against getting too close to Yuna. At first, this seems like a simple case of not trusting Tidus, the outsider, and wanting to protect Yuna. As the game unfolds, it becomes clearer that the guardians are trying to protect both Yuna and Tidus from having his heart broken when Yuna gives her life in the Final Summoning.

As is always the case though, this doesn’t matter at all. Against their own best judgment, Yuna and Tidus slowly fall deeply in love with one another. Now go ahead and laugh at me. Laugh all you want and call me a wimp. But this is why the game means so much to me. Because after all of their trials, after all of the fighting and struggling, after trying with all of their hearts to control their feelings for one another, Yuna and Tidus allow themselves to follow their hearts and fall in love.



And finally one night close to the end, in the Macalania Woods, Tidus and Yuna share a perfect beautiful kiss. And I was weeping like a woman.

)

And laugh at me all you want, that moment is why this game is so dear to me. Because for the first time in any game in the long and storied history of the “Final Fantasy” franchise, two characters who loved one another were allowed, even for the briefest of moments, to truly be in love. Sure, in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud almost certainly fell in love with Aerith, but her heart belonged to Zack and Cloud was so messed up in the head that he could barely take care of himself so nothing came of it. I skipped over Final Fantasy VIII (couldn’t get the hang of junctioning), and while Final Fantasy IX came close with that final scene between Garnet and Zidane hugging, they still didn’t kiss. You can’t really count anything before Final Fantasy VII because while many of those games were wonderful, their graphics were quite limited and the emotional impact of the games slightly lessened.

So finally, after ten games and 14 years, Square finally gave us a truly beautiful love story. And then crushed our hearts to dust at the end when, after daring to finally break the spiral of death by refusing to summon the Final Aeon and trying to fight and destroy Sin once and for all, we discover that Tidus, like the Aeons, is a dream of the fayth and a spirit only. As the Aeons take their live of Spira, Tidus begins to dissolve into fireflies. After telling Yuna (I was weeping like an idiot again) that he loves her, Tidus dives off the airship and disappears.

So thanks Square! Thanks for ripping our still-beating hearts out of our chests, stomping on them, and then walking away with $50 of our money. And yet, I still play this game every year. Because really, love is the best thing in the world. And you just don’t see that in a videogame much.

- Matt Kish (formerly known as Spudd 64)