y'know, i always thought that Xenogears "2D sprites in a 3D environment" was just a nicer looking aesthetic
but as i play FF9
i am realizing
Xenogears' aesthetic is also a MILLION times easier to play
holy crap it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell what is interactable, what is just decoration, what is an actual path you can actually take
prerendered backgrounds with 3D characters was a genuinely awful design decision for the PS1 Final Fantasies. i will grant that it was early 3D era, they were doing their best, but they also had a far better solution in another game by the same company developed around the same time at FF7
😭
