This is more of a forum post than a review. I think it should dig more deeply into the story overall and the gameplay you barely touch upon, as opposed to merely throwing out lots of complaints about the two leads.
I’m sorry about that, I didn’t realise that there was a forum for this game on TV Tropes. But (though I suppose in hindsight I could’ve been clearer about this) I had few complaints with Squall himself. More with the way the other characters — and by extension the story itself, by never casting even a critical side-eye on the behaviour but rather operating under the assumption that the audience should find it normal — treats him. I had already been warned through sheer osmosis about the more obvious narrative affronts the story commits on many critics’ ability to suspend belief; enough that I was able to take those ones in stride. But this behaviour, I’ve never really seen anyone address, and unfortunately it’s such a pervasive (and prolonged) part of the story that it doesn’t at all feel like I’m only complaining about one character, I’m complaining about a mindset that all but drives the plot. I mean, again they’re trained mercenaries: why exactly can’t Zell (even when given a direct order to do whatever it takes) save Rinoa without having to run to Squall (twice!) to be told what to do? Why does Squall have to tell mercenaries to protect junior students when an enemy is attacking? Why isn’t someone with actual seniority and experience doing this shite? For that matter, if you’re going to include a scene of Rinoa insisting that she won’t sit in a safe corner somewhere, she wants to stand and fight — why immediately follow it up with a scene where she’s literally hanging on for dear life and about to die unless someone else comes in to save her hide? These are writing complaints, not character complaints imo. And yes they largely feature Squall and Rinoa (tbf they’re the only two characters who get anything even remotely resembling development), but it’s more about how the flat writing for the other characters and the story itself makes them seem ridiculous in extent.
I agree that these points are problems (they don\'t act like soldiers, I did not care much for anyone other than the couple, some cartoonish moments clash with the gritty-ish aesthetic) but as Spectral Time says, this would be better on the forums. A review should encompass the whole work. I have thought of putting up my own, but Manwiththeplan\'s review is pretty close to how I summed up the game.
Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
Didn\'t you contradicted what you said? people have complained about this, it stems from the more general, none of the characters except Squall and Rinoa matter. Made worst cause Squall\'s defining characteristic is asngty emo and his catch phrase is literally \"whatever\". You know, things that convey reliance, leadership and inspiration.
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I didn’t mind the gameplay mechanics but the characters? The story?
Squall may be an annoying protagonist, but I honestly wound up sympathising more with him than with the constant refrain of “Squall, tell us what to do!” “Squall, tell us how to feel!” “Think for us, Squall!” from the other characters. For god sake they’re supposed to be trained mercenaries, yet none of them (including his teacher and the damn Headmaster!) can put together or execute a plan without some 18 year old kid there to walk them through it? Wtf? And don’t even get me started on Rinoa. I was determined to like her character out of sheer spite for all the flack she gets, and I haven’t reneged on that yet, but I don’t see how she avoids the Perpetual Damsel in Distress trope, considering I can’t think of a single initiative she undertook and managed to pull off successfully without someone needing to save her.