Navigating the world of isn't that tricky as a whole, but one element that's easy to get tripped up on is the game's approach to relationships. makes a major departure from both the original and by making relationship progress with party members a central part of the game, with the ultimate payoff lying in a number of potential dates at the Gold Saucer. Although the basic thrust of the system is clear enough, some key aspects aren't actually revealed until after the credits roll.
The most obvious implementation of 's relationship mechanics lies in conversations with characters throughout the game, where saying something that a party member respects or wants to hear can gain their affection. Similarly straightforward is the attachment of relationship progress to Odd Jobs, the side quests littered throughout the world that have individual party members attached. There's a bit of extra complexity in the fact that some side quests can be completed imperfectly, however, and that's only the tip of the iceberg for how specific the system can get.
After finishing, a new feature called the Play Log becomes available, and this finally opens up the ability to truly understand the relationship system. It's a weird choice, as it's only a useful metric at this point for those intending on another playthrough. is clearly trying to incentivize second runs in general, as likewise evidenced by the hard mode only being available as essentially a New Game Plus feature, but it's a big ask when a single playthrough can take over a hundred hours to cover all the side quests, World Intel, and minigame mastery.
There's an argument to be made that saving the Play Log until post-game helps make the game experience more immersive and less built around following a spreadsheet, but it just meshes in a strange way with the lack of agency afforded by the relationship system. Unlike a game like, where affinity makes it possible to romance a partner of the player's choosing, simply runs with the
Gaming
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth