A funny thing happened the other day. I started playing Final Fantasy X-2 again.

Like so much of my PS2 collection, X-2 showed up on my doorstep several days after a late night spending spree aided by Toys R’ Us’ annual buy-two-get-one-free sale. I only spent a few hours with the game before losing interest, but being poor and unemployed leaves me with a great deal of free time to fill with the games I previously shunned.

Before I used NeoGAF to make all my game purchasing decisions for me, I’d generally rely on various blogs for information regarding games I was on the fence about buying. So, when someone called X-2 “the Japanese equivalent of Planescape: Torment,” and someone else referred to it as “a Final Fantasy game for people that hate Final Fantasy” (and in true Internet fashion I am now, four years later, unable to find either quote; they’re certainly not present on the sites I had attributed them to), my interest was piqued. Planescape: Torment is one of the finest games ever made – a statement of fact, not opinion – and though I found Final Fantasy X quite good, stilted, off-key voice acting aside, I certainly felt the series could use some shaking up. So, against my better judgment and the prospect of 40 hours spent with bubbly superheroines dressed in full fanservice attire, I bit the bullet and bought X-2. At the very least, it would serve as a noteworthy addition to The Collection, what with its historical significance and all.

About ten hours into the game, however, I discovered I had been going about the experience all wrong. Understandably, I’d been playing Final Fantasy X-2 like a Final Fantasy game – connecting the dots in the Big, Epic Story – when the game was a very different beast. Discouraged, I abandoned it altogether.

This time, though, I’m doing things right. You see, Final Fantasy X-2 isn’t meant to be played like a traditional Japanese RPG. Heavily influenced by western design philosophies, the main narrative takes a backseat to exploration and character customization. While it’s still very much a Final Fantasy title in aesthetic and mythology, and bears almost no resemblance to Planescape: Torment, X-2 is very much a Final Fantasy game unlike any other Final Fantasy game.

You start with all of Spira, Final Fantasy X’s gameworld, laid out for you; from the onset, you have an airship and access to every area in the game. The means by which you progress through the main storyline are clearly labeled, but exploring the rest of the world reveals the real meat of the experience. Sidequests, minigames, and things to do litter the landscape to such an extent that it becomes impossible to wonder too far without running into something interesting. There is a wealth of content to complete at your own pace – it’s not entirely non-linear, as much of this side content is dependent on your place in the overall storyline – and in this regard X-2 shares some similarities with the Planescape: Torments and Elder Scrolls of the world. However, though you can choose what to do, you can’t choose how you do it. There is a right way to overcome every obstacle. Still, it makes for a nice departure from traditional Final Fantasy fare, all the same.

For the time being, at least, I am really enjoying the game. The counter on my save file tells me I’m 34% through the game, and though I’m a single step away from entering the next chapter in the main questline, I’m too busy digging for treasure in the desert, promoting Open Air Inc., and trying to beat a pair of kids at Sphere Break to care.