This game was starting to feel a little monotonous, but I realized that this was my fault for doing nothing but hunts and side quests for a few days.
So I advanced the story a little, and I was pretty impressed with Altissia and the Leviathan sequence. And the mood sure shifted after that. I’m currently running around the abandoned area below the train station with a blind Ignis trying to keep up (I thought he’d want to remain with the group), everyone upset, and only Cup Noodles to eat.