A beautiful, complex, challenging game. You would like this if you enjoy JRPGs with mechanical depth where lots of different classes and playstyle choices are viable and fun.

What I LOVED: the job system and the relative balance between classes. I never felt like I *had* to play the broken thing, and I felt consistently rewarded for mastering the nuances of any class I devoted time to. Fights were always challenging without resorting to forcing me to use class stacking or other 'cheese' tactics. For me it hit the perfect sweet spot of "you do have to have some mastery to beat this" but never erring into demanding degeneracy.

The story was a fun, original take on FFXI. If you're a longtime veteran don't go in expecting every piece of lore to be faithfully followed - there are some liberties taken here and there. But it is both nostalgic and stands on its own, with some satisfying narrative moments to pair with the challenge of beating the game's many, many boss fights.

I am a HUGE FFXI fan, so obviously that helps, but it is by no means required to love this game. 

Oh and the music was superb, with lots of subtle hints at classic Final Fantasy songs. Again - it's great if you notice the opera theme, or "Clash on the Big Bridge," but your enjoyment will not be diminished in the slightest if this is all new to you.

It's a fantastic achievement. Anytime I find myself dreading the last boss because I know my adventure is about to be over I know I've found a classic game. This hit that in spades. And it's telling that the very first thing I did once I finished the 2.0 early access was reroll and start a new game from the beginning.

I would give this 10/5 if I could. 5/5 will do.