When the game looks pretty, it really does look pretty. Some of the rendering choices are still pretty unfortunate, with bad ghosting at times, but it is pretty often that I look at some of the actual art on display here and just gawk at it.
Like hot damn, look at these characters. I have said it before and I'll probably keep saying it, but I've always loved the art style of FF games. They aim for something realistic but still video-gamey and artistic, in such a way that draws me in far more than just going for the ultra-realistic graphics. That kind of thing is a fun novelty, to see just how tech can be pushed, but when one thing is off and you're going for that look, it ruins it all. When you've got a bit more style to it, there is a lot more freedom there.
@druid imo they've looked like this since ff7, minus ff9 whatever happened there. like if we're talking about "kpop bots" then tifa fits that bill perfectly.
my favorites are probably ff10's though, they look pretty unique and they fit the setting's aesthetic perfectly. my least favorite (other than ff9) is ff15's main cast.
for ff16 they made them fit the setting very well, which has a much more low-fantasy aesthetic to it, but still made them look really cool and distinct.
but overall the original point in that post still stands. instead of trying to push things as realistic as possible they still have a lot of style to them and that makes them simultaneously more appealing and less uncanny. when you compare it to all the other slop out there it's god tier and it's really good in of itself too.
i mean look at this guy, he's fucking awesome.
