LogFAQs > #986573679

Finally stopped dicking around and went to actually finish the game. Fought Seymour one last time (where he's REALLY going the nihilistic route and trying to justify mass extinction...guy has lost his gatdang mind). But he's finally put down and sent. And all that's left is to fight the string of endgame bosses.

I will say this: after building it up and building up their relationship all game, the first meeting between Tidus and Jecht is really sweet. Jecht KNOWS he has to be a father figure in the moment--"You eating healthy?"--but they both know this isn't about them reconnecting. Tidus cuts him off, and it's time to fight. And then Another World starts playing and holy hell I forgot just how hard that track slaps. Awesome fight theme to go out on (for the most part). I let the fight go on a little longer than necessary just to listen to it a little longer, but in the end, Jecht fell like all the rest before him. That meant it's time for the unlosable portion of the ending, where I had to go through and kill all of Yuna's summons. And here, grinding bit me in the ass a little bit, since her summons were super strong and super evasive. But they too fell, one by one, until finally, there was nowhere left for Yu Yevon to hide. And one final battle later, and I've freed Spira from the misery of Sin's existence.

Now, in a game so intrinsically tied to themes of death and loss, it's only natural that we'd finally bid farewell to much of the party. There's the big two, obviously, but there is something to be said about watching the summons that have accompanied Yuna throughout the game finally fade away and the Fayth are able to sleep and let their dreaming end. But yeah, Auron departs first, and I'm fairly certain none of the rest of the party (aside from Tidus) ever had it made explicitly clear to them that he was dead...so him walking away and giving respectful glances to his fellow guardians, all while asking Yuna to finish the sending and let him rest...it was touching. But obviously the main event was still to come.

Now, Auron dying was one thing. The party respected him, sure...but he was an old soldier, and I'm sure there was a vibe of "be at peace". I don't think ANYONE expected Tidus to suddenly be like "Yeah, I'm gonna disappear too, when this is all over." So there's this shock and sorrow over losing the guy that was really the glue of their whole team, and was the catalyst behind breaking the cycle of Sin in the first place. And just that moment of realization, when evryone sees him starting to fade away...it's tough. But tougher still was Tidus trying to leave before everyone could mourn him too much, only for Yuna to run to him and he's just not tangible anymore. In that last moment together, all he could do was wrap his arms around her, not even touching her, and let her pretend one last time that they were embracing. It's particularly sad because Yuna is the hero of Spira after all this; she saved the world by upending the cycle as the high summoner...yet she's the one who lost the most, in a way. Her father and her true love (who she said 'I love you' to in their last moments together) are gone...and it's bittersweet that victory required such sacrifice on her part.

At least the victory is real though, and Spira has a chance to rebuild, free of Sin's destructive influence. And somewhere, Tidus returns, even if he's going to start a brand new adventure in the process. And so, this was his story...and now it has come to an end.