This might be a controversial take, but out of the first 4 FFs, this is pretty easily my least favorite one. And it’s not just because it is ATB, which I am not a huge fan of but honestly by the end of this game I had acclimated enough that it didn’t super bother me. What did bother me was the late game balance, constant party swapping and changing, and the story which for me fell flat with incredibly childish/amateurish writing and nonsensical pacing and lore. Playing this with no nostalgia was a bit of a slog. Luckily this version of the game is pretty easy to complete, outside of some annoying (gimmicky) fights in the late game. Other earlier games I could recommend because even though they’re not really that amazing to today’s standards, they are pretty breezy RPGs that don’t last long enough or do anything to really offend. This one the other hand is the longest and most annoying thus far and so it’s the first game I would probably recommend against to the average person.

Easily of of the top 5 best FF in the series and this Pixel remaster was perfect.