Syzygy wow, I totally get that now that you bring it up.
Probably disjointed navel-gazing about the ending:
I’m listening to My Way again. The game fully justified its use by the time the WoL walk in. Beautifully done.
I’m a big sap and I love when games make my cry, but I didn’t expect it from SOP going in. FF1 is light on plot, but even the surprise “A crystal shines within every heart!” in the epilogue scroll is so maddeningly touching. Even Nioh managed to squeeze some tears out (spoilers for Nioh). Things like that manage to creep up on me because Nioh and SOP both progress very purposefully from mission to mission like that kind of action game, the dialogue and cutscenes can feel like utilitarian filler in the moment but still do the job of developing characters the player can bond with—all without turning into an interactive movie, how about that.
Astos really loved Jack!! The fist bumps during the Atma Origin fight made me guffaw, but then Jack soul bursts him and it messed me up. Someone somewhere else mentioned that, since at the end of FF1 when the time loop is severed it states that Garland never becomes Chaos as a result and forgets everything that’s happened, that maybe this game’s ending isn’t actually bittersweet? Maybe Jack and Astos get their happy ending after all?? Gosh, what a good prequel.