I remember saving up all my allowance to buy it ($70 or $80 back then, something ridiculous) and it still kind of crazy that Square and Nintendo teamed up like that

battle system was simple but fun, the story was very tongue-in-cheek but not in a cringey way, it was linear as hell (which I love, especially now that game design is just a series of unending tasks these days, that never stops...and all this is considered a good thing) and it had a great soundtrack. just pure JRPG goodness.

also, the ending parade is one of the most rewarding credit rolls in video game history. bonus points for the side-quest to get more fireworks.