Correct, that is one of the core issues of my problem, it just falls hand in hand with the future-tech aspects. The aesthetic is jarring, too far apart from previously established factors in the game and while that could be considered a narrative tool, it ends up looking like a whole other game.
Sure, but "this last act aesthetic is jarring" is absolutely final fantasy. Like going to the moon, or a floating god island or a futuristic city with space travel or a futuristic city with gene editing, or the inside of an Eldritch monster. You probably had an easier time accepting things as a kid