Seriously, this game is so easy... However, when you get to the eidolon fights, the game ramps up in difficulty like noones business.  Best I can compare it to is Demon's Souls vs Demon's Souls NG

Well, above analogy doesn't really work, because DS was hard on 1st playthrough :)

Odin spanked my ass about 10 times before I said wtf and had to go online to look for a strat, my characters crystalium were maxxed and still died a ton.  Just finished the brynhildr fight and holy crap, another tough fight...

Maybe they aren't really hard, just the rest of the game is very simple?  I mean, I can button-mash for most of the fights, but actually have to think for the eidolon fights.

Your thoughts?

Hmm no, I didn't think the summon fights were too difficult. You just need to switch paradigms a lot, then it's not that hard really.

No, if you use libra from the first seconds and check their vulnerabilities.

The game gets harder in the next chapters.

The Eidolon fights are pretty easy if you make sure to use libra at the start of the battle and switch paradigms based on the Eidolon's habits. buff and debuff as required to spend as little time as possible healing. I beat odin 1st try without even realizing; I just kept attacking until I remembered I was supposed to press square.

Another reason battles might seem easy at the beginning is because the game forces you to use certain characters at different times. The game in effect chooses the characters best suited for those areas and battles. Once you have complete control over your party, those decisions will fall to the player. It will become the player's responsibility to know which characters have the right set of skills and abilities for different areas of the game. Or at least that's what I'm anticipating. I'll know for sure when that happens.

Well i'm on chapter 9 and so far i have found that the eidolon fights and few boss fights are far harder than the rest of the game - but i'm not complaining. I much prefer it this way where i'm able to progress through the game without grinding mobs to progress.

Same here I dided twice on odin, I DID use libra

but it wasn't really simple to just heal hope all the time cus odin was doing lots of damage!

Brynhldr eidolon fight took me 5 tries!

A piece of advice on him.....make sure you have LOADS of potions stocked up for yourself!

well, after finishing this Game: No, compared to the things still coming, the Eidolons are nothing. :D

Odin xD? he's nothing, wait til you get hecatoncheir.

All I did was cast protect and shell on Hope and Lightning - that greatly minimized the damage Odin dealt. Then I had Hope cast cure as needed. It also helps to have spark ring equipped, though I didn't.

odin took me several tries and I had to re-read the tutorial when it prompted before I realized what had to be done..

Snow did that on second try and Sazh's did that on first go with about 1 second left to spare cause of wasting time with libra

But these fights are very similar to how a summoner class tries to obtain their GF (which are called avatars) on FFXI where you need another player to come and assist ya cause there is hardly anyway for you solo them