if i recall correctly, i think Soken told Amanda to sing Flow how she wanted to sing it. also that she had to stop a few times because she started crying.
That is correct! He gave her the melody with, if I remember correctly, a few different tempos. What we got from it is the version she cried singing during rehearsal for the final product.
Not quite. The song was recorded, mixed, and completed once. But then Amanda reached out to Soken and asked to record the song again, after letting the lyrics and melody blend in her head more. That second recording is what we got, and per Soken, he "couldn't stop shaking when I was mixing it into "flow""
I can't listen to Eternal Wind, Tomorrow and Tomorrow, With Hearts Aligned or Flow without tearing up or straight up crying, but definitely *especially* Flow.
As an older fan of the series before 14, Eternal Winds was just the overworld theme for ff3 and it was a theme to invoke adventure and mystery. It's melody is perfect to listen to when walking across mountains or traveling around plains. That is why in 14 they made it G'raha's theme (also because CT is one big 3 reference) and why it became integral for shadowbringer's and also his character. G'raha wants to journey with you. He wants to explore. The winds call him and until the end of shadowbringers he instead prepares for the future. But someday, he still yearns for that adventure alongside a friend. If you really love eternal winds, listen to the original NES. Pixel remaster, even distant worlds version. I assure you that Eternal Winds appreciation won't fade and instead you will feel that long journey the song invokes.
"Dynamis" enters the chat. Without fail, that piano intro just stirs me so deeply. Even just thinking about it and all the emotional high points tied to it is deeply moving. But all the tracks you mention are just as poignant, with such deep double-triple meanings... What masterful pieces of art...
when the endwalker song close in the distance lyrics kick in at the zone I had to pause but hearing "no time for mourning" I started to try to push on.
To me, the story of Endwalker and FFXIV is the ultimate response against nihilism. You're alive, out of all those who "walked before", whom death has passed their judgement. You mean something to the grand tapestry of life and to the world while we create the "answer" of life together. It's not easy but it's not hopeless.
Nihilism is the question, not the answer. And so it does not exist against the idea of meaning to existence, but rather as a platform for meaning to arise.
@@omensoffate It's a lot more complex than that, it's a complex dilemma, of whether or not means justify the ends. Of weighing inevitable demise vs. inevitable suffering
@@BadassBaconator for some people deeper meanings are simply lost on them. Everyone I've talked to who speaks about the genocide of the ancients can't seem to look deeper than that. A lot of topics are covered in Endwalker and every time I allow myself to ponder the storyline I see a different angle. Alas, not everyone is capable.
@@stormkeeper1741 endwalker is one of those stories that does a great job of exposing which fans are here for a story and which fans are here for opportunities to say something loud and shocking that they hope will get them clicks on social media
I lost my father right after Endwalker. Flow didn't hit me that hard during the actual game, but at his funeral, I remember thinking how I missed being there when he passed and how sad I was that he was going to sleep forever and I'd never see him again. Out of the blue, the line "know you will wake, on wings rise again, for this journey's end is but one step forward to tomorrow" suddenly came into me mind and it filled me with overwhelming joy and sadness all at once (I'm tearing up again typing this). It's just so powerful and Amanda, Keiko, and Soken will always hold a place in my heart because of it.
My mom died on Dec 1 2021, days before the EW early release, and like you with your dad, this song hit me like a ton of bricks over my grief with her. I'm so sorry for your loss, Marco.
SERIOUSLY!!! In (i believe the first?) scene where it has lyrics, when talking with Hydaelyn, and i was holding back tears the entire time, until I heard “Hush, Love…” and completely broken down
Behold, more than ten thousand years of self-sacrifice, seeking, striving, strife and pain - all portrayed by one beautiful, haunting, bittersweet song. It's not just these characters at the center of the events of the game, it's every soul past and present. It's everyone that has struggled, despaired and fallen - only to rise again, in another life, to struggle, strive and seek again. And each time, you are greeted by the selfless love of the Ancients - that great, undying love for their world and fellow man that ultimately is at the root of their actions. Whether following the path of Light or Dark, each and every soul fervently believes that what they do is for the good of all. It took me many months to be able to listen to this song without crying, because really, it expresses divine love like nothing else. It is gentle, it is comforting, but it ultimately tells you to keep going, through all the hardship before you - because that is how you shall become stronger. Hear, feel, think - and never forget who you are, deep inside. Reconnect with that divine spark within and walk forward.
Well said. It channels the core message FFXIV has been trying to teach us all along. To aim to be better than we were yesterday, to search and seek, to maybe find... and even if we die before we do, there is meaning in our struggle, for those who walk in our footsteps can carry the torch onwards to a better tomorrow.
I can't listen to Flow without straight-up crying for a second. It reminds me as you said, grief is always with us, but it's also what lets us celebrate life and the life of those who have already passed. Grief is the aspect of love we hate, yet necessary at the same time.
There are so many songs from this game that really get me like this. The moment Close in the Distance started after Graha's sacrifice, through the crystal walk with the twins, i was in tears. Then the scene with Hythlodaeus, Emet, and Meteion hits and we get Flow. This whole ending section of Ultima Thule pulled on me hard.
Something I realized listening to this is that the lower piano and the more stacatto plucked strings during "Sinking deeper and deeper" echo other tracks in the game which invoke a feeling of being underwater. It reminds me of Neath Dark Waters, for example. The game's music up to this point has trained our ear to associate those subtle choices with the feeling of a calm depth, and thats beautiful
Coworker walks in "whats wrong why are you crying?" Me watching this video again: "you wouldn't understand please leave me". as I ugly cry like a baby.
The madness of FF14's story is after the long journey, and the embrace of Flow. Answers seems more impactful now. It has all looped back on itself to the first big song to make it even better after all these years.
@@Nimoot Also one of the reasons I loved them making the Manderville questline so important now, by tying it with the relic weapon quest, because man did we really need that levity after what we went through xD
Man my dad died almost 18yrs ago and playing through EW towards the end I was a wreck, especially during Flow and the scene with the flowers. Choked me up a ton and made all those memories flood back. Loved the overall message of loss and that part of living is the loss and heartache and turmoil and suffering we experience.
This song absolutely kills me, moreso once finishing EW. "should you meet with a soul rising surfaceways, with your unbeating heart, wish them well." The idea of passing on and giving your well wishes to the people who come after you (something the Asians struggled to do!) ugh. So beautiful.
For me, it's Answers. I wasn't around for the Fall of Dalamud, but it always makes me emotional. I know the history and have read stories from people who were there, so I know the significance of it. The music and the voice carries so much weight to it.
It's crazy to me how they made they lyrics apply to the fall of dalamud, the fall of 1.0, the rebirth of 2.0 and A realm reborn, and then years later made the same lyrics make sense in the endwalker story in a completely different way
"My brave little spark." I can hear the start of the song and be fine. As soon as crystal mom finishes that line I get a giant frog in my throat. Every, damn, time. By the end I have tears stuck in my eyes that only drop when I blink.
Flow is truly a beautiful, bitersweet lullaby. But if any song can make me cry as soon as the very first note plays, is Dynamis. Dynamis is like that return to vulnerability and knowing that it is okay to not be okay, yet, having the certainty that there is hope and that things do get better despite it all, y'know?
Thank you for showing such strong emotions in this video. Your bravery to show such a vulnerable side of you helps remind me/us that it is ok to feel and you don't need to hide your emotions.
There are a couple songs in XIV that just hit so hard. Flow is absolutely one of them. I cant hear it without tearing up. I lost my grandma back in November 2023, and Flow came up on my next played. I had been holding the loss in for about a week at that point and i just lost it. It was so freeing to just, let go of that pain with a beautiful song, and Flow will always be special to me. Amanda Achen did such a great job, unparalleled.
I take it as Hydaelyn is our mother, the one who created us. and as a warrior, exhausted from battle and staying strong for our allies and friends for almost 10 years, we finally meet our mother who has guided us and helped us with her voice, we finally can rest and let it all go, even though we have to go on a little longer, in this moment we are at peace and embraced by our mother. which made her testing us in a battle to the death even worse when we realize we are the ones who end her life so she can be sure we are strong enuff to defeat meteion
Around 5.55, was about 90% sure that neither Zodiark nor Hydaelyn would survive Endwalker. I wasn't sure how they would fall, by our hand or someone else's, or which side she would end up on. There was only thing I wanted out of the story: I wanted Hydaelyn to get the closure a mother needed: the knowledge that her children would be okay without her. So when the choice came up, the last thing to say to her... there was really no choice at all.
This was an incredible take on flow and Endwalker as a whole. I finished the main scenerio of EW recently and there was just so many things to truly take in on this long journey from Hydaelyn wished for us, what Meteion was doing and why, and once it all came to an end, what we ended up teaching her. And of course, the music, that made me ball like a baby several times the closer we came to the end, especially when we walked up those steps. My heart goes out to you for the loss of your dad. And I can only imagine how hard it must've hit during your first run of this game. No matter how times I relive this expansion, I'll always cry, especailly if I've lost someone dear to me. And the reality is that my parent's are old and just getting older, both pushing 70. (both happy and healthy thankfully) but I know it won't last forever. I'll never be prepared, but someday I'll have to say goodbye. And considering this expansion hit me really hard in the best possible way the first time, I know it'll do it even harder next time too. This comment began with me just wanting to compliment your amazing singing voice btw and ended up going off the rails 😂Thank you so much for this video! I would love to see you discuss how Shadowbringers main theme made you feel if you haven't already 🤗
Answers is my favorite piece of music ever, and it too is sung by Hydaelyn. Flow is also one of my favorites for that same reason. I love how the story begins with tragedy as Hydaelyn speak to us through Answers, and ends with calmness as She then speak to us through Flow. Old Sharlayan's night theme is one I listen to often. The guitar is sublime in it
Since 2010 (1.0), I met my ex, worked my ass off, lost my ex, became disabled , lost friends and family members and so much more. This song completely broke my soul to the core when I first heard it. So beautiful yet so hard to hear.
Geez, ouch. My heart. EW did something for me that I never thought would happen: it allowed me to grieve. Like full-on send, breaking down, emotionally distraught sobbing in a dark room at like 3am in the morning. Doing so allowed me to move forward. It kinda crazy. It seems intentional considering what a majority of us went through the last 10 years. Thanks to Soken and team, we were given a safe space to weep, which I believe we all need once in a while. Still can't sing through it fully without crying xD.
@@ovted129 Considering the timing of when the full version hits, and the losses incurred at that point, this song hit me a year or so after my wife passed, so it was an auditory nuke to me. :S I still avoid going into Ultima Thule!
Same. I love Flow to pieces and it absolutely made me cry, but Close in the Distance destroyed me and built me back up in a way no other song has. I played EW on release and it took me over a year to stop crying every time I heard it. The day that happened, I made it my alarm. Been waking up to it ever since.
I lost my mom 3 months after endwalker came out I went from absolutely loving this song to not being able to listen to it without breaking down. It's been 2 years, and it's still tough...great video and great description of the emotion within this song.
When heard “Flow” first time, I just started crying, I put my controller down, leaned over my desk, put my head down into my arms and just cried. It hit me really hard after I started processing the lyrics. ❤\(T^T)/❤
The music in EW may have been some of the best in the game's history. I remember most of us could not go back to Ultima Thule without crying until we finally got used to it. Even now, sometimes Flow STILL makes me cry. Also, thank you for being brave enough to share your emotions on camera. I think we are moving away from those stereotypes with men, but it's great to see a man who is comfortable with his emotions, his sadness, and who isn't afraid to share it with the world.
I think its amazing how you related it to the feeling of a heavenly conversation, cause i felt the same way. I didnt really relate it to grief of losing a loved one, but moreso that an omnipotent God has been watching you go on this journey for YEARS, and been helping/ rooting for you from the sidelines for YEARS, and you only get to see them face to face for 30 minutes before they pass the torch on to you to finish the final job. It feels more like a reunion of friends who havent seen each other in person for a LONG time, and are excited to share stories they have only told eachother about in letters. This song made me bawl like a baby when i first heard it and still is one of my favorites from endwalker.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow really gets to me. The moment I hear "Stand tall my friend..." I just want to curl up in a ball and ugly cry into my carpet. Snot bubbles and all.
Close in the Distance does the same to me as Flow does. Even the Primals version still makes me tear up because of my story behind the songs. The memories it brings up and all the hardships, pain, and grief that come along with any of the lyrical versions for me just make me listen to the words being sung.
I know how you feel. When doing the walk to the end, my friend asked "how is it?" and I had to say "I HATE this game!" because I was struggling to maintain my calm. I stand by the statement that both Zenos and Hydaelyn were often talking to the player, not our WoL character. And the questions were relevant.
This is a hot take but seeing people break apart on other video games music and not gotten though the FF14 MSQ and reached when FLOW hits know nothing about emotional breakdown. Played EW during its launch and at the peak of COVID, feeling distant from friends that I was with for 19 years because of how life, morals and beliefs changed i never felt more alone. This song... Hits me in the heart. Loving yourself is the hardest thing to do especially with how much shit the world has been for everyone. I broke down my hearth aching, tears flowing telling myself i need to love myself more, even if it means leaving my former friends that never cared about me. Moving forward is painful but we must forge ahead.
You're right Marco. for me, "FLOW" represents the totality of our journey when we reach the Mother crystal and begin to talk to Venat about our journey. The song recalls our journey from day one from our successes and failures, our hopes and those times when we despaired but in the end we go on... its amazing how in this song there is conversation with both of you and Venat. Thanks for breaking it down Marco.
Theres a phrase from Revelations that sticks with me - Soft is the breeze that sets the petal free / Yet 'tis the storm that doth see the petal soar. Flow is that breeze, gentle and loving and comforting for the terror that is leaving behind our foundation for hardships ahead. But this is the only way we could fly higher.
We had put to our cat to sleep 2 days ago. I put this video on whilst doing dishes and now I'm crying. I miss him so much and his absence is haunting. My brave little spark. My beautiful baby gone. I'm heartbroken. Thank you for this video. And I wish anyone that may come across this comment the strength to keep moving forward if they're struggling with loss.
Althought the Dynamis theme speaks more to me, I feel you on Flow. I lost my father at the start of 2020 and, when I played through Endwalker, I had just put my life together again after going through all the implications of losing not only someone who's dear to me, but also the head of the household. Along with the grief, suddenly, all his responsibilities were mine, including the care for a wife who lost her almost 40 years partner. And soon after, I lost my job due to the Rona. So, after finally getting over it, I heard this song and I wondered how would he look at me then. It hits hard.
I'm gonna go out of my way to be a bit overly personal here and say that I feel this hardcore especially after the loss of my best friend. These songs are powerful. There's no expansion that makes me cry instantly like Endwalker does. It was one of the last things me and him did together before his passing. Now when I hear Flow, Close in the distance, With Hearts Aligned Etc. I cannot stop myself from falling into absolute tears. These songs are powerful, and very personal to me at this point in my life. Though you aren't here with me anymore Mat, I will forge ahead. I miss you friend.
It will be incredibly hard to top what Endwalker has done, emotionally, because few games have the 10-year-buildup that led to the finale. Time and the processing of emotions, the building of memories and of course the story. It all compounds... and the song hits you like a truck.
I lost two dear friends the past few years myself and feel much the same way. To the Edge, Flow, Close in the Distance are the ones that do it for me the most.
My favorite part of Flow, that just makes me swell with emotion, and why it does so is this: "Sinking deeper and deeper, in calm embrace, Loving tides sweep in and bear you down Should you meet a soul rising surface-ways With your unbeating heart wish them well." To me, this shows that death/ending shouldn't be something to fear/hate. Of course it can be sad, but it can also be beautiful, it can be peaceful, it can be hope, it can be a new beginning. Death is as much a part of life as everything else. And what do we learn from Answers? "Thy life is a riddle, to bear rapture and sorrow / To listen, to suffer to ENTRUST UNTO TOMORROW". "In one FLEETING moment, from the land doth life FLOW (death) / Yet in one FLEETING moment, for anew it doth grow (life/hope) / In the same FLEETING moment, thou must LIVE, DIE and KNOW." Our lives are but a moment in the grand scheme of things, so what else can we do than just enjoy it and help others too. We should be thankful for those who have left or "Look to those who walked before, to lead those who walk after." And when our time comes, as we are "Sinking deeper and deeper, in calm embrace", and to the next generations we must, "With our unbeating hearts, WISH THEM WELL." In my opinion, Answers & Flow are true masterpieces of massive cultural importance to us as a species. They represent peak human artistry, and deserve to be recognized as much as possible.
I lost my father ten years ago now. And yes, I still grieve for him. I still miss him. And yes, I hope that perhaps one day we will meet again. When I heard Flow I wept because it is a song of a parent who had to leave - for one reason or another - but still loves you. No matter where or how. Love is eternal.
I lost my dad while I was working through stormblood and shadowbringers, and when endwalker hit everything was still really raw. I think the hardest thing is wanting to share this game especially with him. He was a big wow nerd for a while, but tended to just run around questing and doing story stuff. I knew he would probably really have enjoyed ffxiv. Its really hard to want to share things with people who aren't around anymore.
Flow definitely feels like a song about a mother and her child's family. It feels so warm but so heart breaking....like even though back then things fell apart, things will be okay now.
You nailed it!!! I can’t listen to this song without crying!!! They really REALLY conveyed such a complex “flow” of emotions… something only music can do. Flow embodies a very complex experience - pairing the story, our experience, our own personal story- and the personal loss of a loved one - something everyone will eventually experience and understand. I’ve yet to hear a song that tackles the ‘flow’ of death and life in such a hopeful way leaving you feeling looking beyond its veil towards everyone’s next tomorrow!
When I first heard Flow it struck me how alike it was to Into the West, from Return of the King. A motherly figure singing to you at journeys end, welcoming you to heaven, embracing the beauty and peace in death. Both songs mean so much to me.
As someone dealing with a profound depression, and grieving a lot of stuff in my life, this song resonates so much. This one and Answers feels heavy in my soul, I love them so much. Thanks for this breakdown.
I lost my brother not long after i beat Endwalker, and at the time, I didn't know how much EW was really preparing me for. Both Flow and Close in the Distance are songs that I can't really hear without thinking about my brother. FFXIV has easily become one of my favorite games of all time, and I'm glad I found it when I did. Thanks for the video Marco, keep it up. :)
The piano in the beginning, the quality of her voice, and the outreaching, embracing lyrics are all so *gentle* and precious and loving. The shimmer of the violins. The backing track at about 8:00 becoming so blended and warm. The strength of Hydaelyn's love and her voice glowing so strong by the end.
When it comes to the ff songs that make me cry. Flow is the mid-boss. It chokes me up every time. Dynamis is the final boss. The song affects me so much that the opening part hits me like a truck when it shows up on any of my playlists.
It's nice knowing that I'm not the only one in the community who has an emotional attachment to this song beyond the context of the game. It's such a good song, and always makes me cry because I can hear my Mom in the lyrics.
"Flow", along with a few other FFXIV songs, are listed for my end of life playlist. As players in EW, we are given hints of Flow along the way until the 2 major points, and when we could hear it clearly were heartbreakingly satisfying.
Flow makes me think of my newborn daughter. About how far I’ve come on my life’s journey, yet her journey has only begun. She’s my little spark that I have waited so long for, and I can’t wait to see her grow and blossom into a Warrior of Light. Plus she’s my life’s blessing.
A friend of mine said that "Flow" didn't remind her so much of real life; but, her journey through FFXIV and inspires her to be a better player in FFXIV. When I asked her what she meant she said: "When I first started playing FFXIV, I was a very angry and mean individual due to real life circumstances. However, it was the friends and 'new family' I made that changed me: allowed me to face my demons and stood by me in game and even in real life that got me through the darkest time of my life. 'Flow' (especially the ending) says two things: as now a seasoned veteran player.... Help new players just as I was once helped by the community. However, my journey as the Warrior of Light isn't over. Tomorrow brings a new adventure and now with Dawntrail approaching a new saga to experience that will allow me to once again see FFXIV with the newness and excitement of a day one sprout. My goal in FFXIV is to help as many that will allow me to: experience all FFXUV can be and maybe more." While her response made sense: I find myself saddened that there aren't more players like her. But, more than that.... What other sublime messages does "Flow" convey?
This song is why i can no longer see Death as a skeletal hooded figure with a scythe. All i can imagine is a loving mother calling home her child and greeting them with a nice warm hug. Either to comfort them for their pain or ancitipate the next exciting detail of their adventure. Listening to what happened during the day they were away as they tuck them in to sleep
If you're still open to reccomendations I got another great one that's also emotional (if you haven't already), it's Ultima Thuls Theme, otherwise known as "Close in the Distance" from ffxiv's Endwalker it's a beautiful track and also hits home for the player as the main character reflecting on the journey we've been through ❤
I shouldn't have clicked on this video. Like 10 notes in and I started to cry again. And it's like you say, it represents so much more than just the game itselfs. I was first introduced to the game by someone who's not in my life anymore. During those short months I knew that person, I not only felt stronger than I've ever done before, I found myself and partook in a personal journey I still travel, and probably will for the rest of my life. That part of my life and this game is deeply intertwined, which have led me to choose not to partake in Dawntrail right now, because I know it would hurt too much. Thank you for sharing your passionate feelings on music. Your passion shines bright and is inspiring.
Considering my mom had passed away a week before endwalker's early access, I played the game as an escape instead of properly griefing. So safe to say Flow broke me.
I'd love to have you analyse the Garlemald Radio Theme "Home Beyond the Horizon". I feel that one is one of the more impactful songs that get too little credit overall!
Here is me opening this video, at work, to hear a reaction to this beautiful song... Just to end up balling my eyes out when you talk about missing someone that has left us... A father/mother we deeply miss. This game has connected with so many of us on so many levels... And now I also will think of my dad, who I miss deeply, everytime I hear this song that already makes me cry... ❤
Flow always makes me emotional, it comes from the PoV of a loving mother to the most adventurous kid and I'm that adventerous kid. That loving mother that tells me to keep going through rain or shine
Another Final Fantasy song that goes beyond the context of the game I think is "Choosing Hope" by Nobuo Uematsu and sung by Emiko Suzuki. It was the main song composed for FFXVs multiplayer DLC "Comrades". I think its heavily underrated and one of the best FF songs with and without the context of FFXV. Love that game.
FF XIV has been very strong on the musical front. I started playing in late 2018, and soon afterward my mom began her final battle with cancer. While still in ARR, I discovered "Oblivion", Shiva's theme, and it immediate burrowed into my heart. By the end of 2019, when it was clear my mom wasn't going to get better, the lyrics kept coming to the fore of my consciousness, and I even ended up writing a short story inspired by the lyrics and as a means to prepare myself for the loss I knew was going to come, almost as an early bargaining stage action. And the song continues to be one of my favorites from the game, though "Close In The Distance" and "Flow" have connected deeply with me from Endwalker, as well. "Flow" because of the reasons you mentioned with regards to the hope to be reunited with those we've lost, and "Close In The Distance" because of how it speaks to pushing on, putting one foot before the other, and continuing on with the memory of those who've made impressions on us in our hearts and minds, til the end of days. Honestly, there is no game I know of that comes close to XIV in using its music to tell as much of the story as the game itself.
You did so well holding it together. I can't listen to "Flow" without crying. I lost my father right after Heavensward came out. This song and "Close in the Distance" make me think of him.
The game, and the music especially from Shadowbringers on has taken a whole different level and meaning to me. The end of 2022 when I basically was wrapping up shadowbringers and heading to endwalker, my grandfather passed away the day after Christmas. Last October, as I was in post Endwalker and heading to the current end I lost my grandmother. Beginning of this year my beloved cat who had weathered the storm with me for not even eight years I lost to cancer. The game has kept my sanity, and kept me going. Now with Dawntrail the "new beginning" a Dawn of a new era is not lost on me as I'm starting my life over from almost eight years of being a caretaker. My life, my story now. I started the game as a means to cope with the stresses of being a caretaker. Now? It's forging my own way. I get it, the game touched many, some of us just at the times when we've lost loved ones. It in a sense kind of gives us strength to just keep pushing on. Our answers while unspoken are given.
playing this game during the Pandemic made so many things hit so differently. To The Edge was a defiant scream against our fate. While Answers roared through our veins, bookending our journey and all of it finally making sense as it rose in a choir of hope... Flow... reminded us, me, that someone saw it all and cared. I was not alone even as I sat at my computer in another room hoping not to give my partner something that could send him to the hospital. Every little step, side quest, week long crafting binge, Housing Savage 2020... canon, in character or not she was always there. Even when we had no name besides the one over our head and our Warrior of Light was just a hero with a name no one used. She was waiting for us, watching out for us, proud of us all those centuries. Even as we stand before her ready for the next unknown step. We stood as a person made up of those we met along the way and the deeds we did. We were just us and we were hers and she loved us. Our WoL, we, are loved. There are people in life like that for us all. In the depths of the pandemic it was very hard to feel that way. Someone loves us out there - here or gone - and nothing can take that from us. What we have done is worth it. We are worth it. We are enough and that is why the tears Flow
I remember the ending of Undertale really hit you hard as well. Might have been more the story than the music, but it was definitely emotional to watch.
I’ve thought of Flow a lot at what it means to me and why it makes me feel the way it does. Your video summarizes perfectly. It feels like you returning home, tired and at your end, and your mom is comforting you, asking you how you’re doing how you been. As you said, everyone’s connection to XIV is different and I’ve been through a lot of personal ups and downs during my time playing. When Flow started playing it just really hit me because it made me reflect on my personal journey. Hit me hard.
Hi Marco! Its Anis here, the astro that healed you in an FFXIV alliance raid the other day! I couldnt just watch and not comment on this one. Your remark about the beginning lyrics of "well come and well met my brave little spark..." feeling extra emotional if someone lost a loved one is so on point. I've recently lost my mother and, sadly, some other loved ones in a really short spam of time so the feeling of wanting to hear those kinds words from them - especially from my mom - is very, very real and on point. Its why songs in this game like Flow can indeed be so personal to the player, much like Close in the Distance as well. Wonderful analysys as always!! Much love, friend!
one single verse in this song brings me to tears every time "I'll catch your tears" For my entire life I feel like I've had to hide my pain. I don't have anyone I can reach out to for support. My dad is emotionally unavailable and my mom tells me that my depression is just an "excuse" to fail my classes. When I hear that line, it makes me feel seen, like I am loved and that I'm not alone. When I'm suffering, ffxiv is there for me, to lift me up and make me feel like I'm worth something. FFXIV genuinely saved my life, and I cannot express how grateful I am for the game, the developers, and the community
Thank you, Marco, this is...perfect. Yesterday was the anniversary of losing my mother, and having heard your interpretation....I hope she says to me when I see her again 'Welcome and well met, my loving son.'
Man, I feel this way about Close in the Distance. I CANNOT go to Ultima Thule without crying a bit and then having to...immunize myself against it again. I loved G'raha, and having the lyrics come in right after the scene with him...that just absolutely destroyed me. I almost didn't make it up the winding pathway he left. Such an amazing song. And also With Hearts Aligned made me so joyful I wanted to cry because I wanted a really banging remix of the "Warrior of Light boss theme" for so long, and I'd completely forgotten about the lyrics in the trailer we hadn't heard yet, so to have them jumpscare me in the middle of that victory lap of a phase 2 just made me sit up and take notice. Still makes me tear up typing this. I'm jamming away and crying over all the epic lines being delivered in turn by the Scions and then I hear "Our song of hope, she dances on the wind" I just freaking LOST IT. Now excuse my while I dry my eyes for the umpteenth time between the video and me typing this out.
I can relate to the loss of a loved one. when I lost my grandma I felt so lost.... but Flow.... it was so cathartic to me. it was like it was HER singing to me. telling me it's okay to grieve. but to also always have hope even amidst the despair of grief. and to me the song is one of comfort.
I'm just here to say I'm glad I didn't see this video at work because...yeah.... Anyway, this song makes me feel like getting a tender hug after holding on for so long. It also has a more personal impact to me especially hearing this song during that scene with hydaelyn and it genuinely reminded me of my mom and how we had just reconciled some weeks after a long constant fighting-- I was just glad I was alone because I was crying for five minutes straight long after the scene had finished.
This is how I feel about Dynamis, Meteion's theme. Mine isn't a specific loss, and is more generalized than your connection, but it hits me so strong from the very first notes. No lyrics, but instruments are lyric enough in some songs.
This piece just breaks me every time. I'm already sobbing. It hurts, so so deeply. But it also heals me, because it means so much to me in my journey in life and the fact that I have finally found myself ❤
Flow is my favourite FF theme song. Every word provokes in me emotions of joy, loss, love, grief. Each time I listen to it, tears well up in my eyes. It’s poetry, it’s a thank you, a promise and a goodbye. Thank you Soken Sama. Thank you Marco. Final Fantasy XIV Forever! ❤️
There are so many songs in FF14 that make me bawl but Flow is a big one. You're right in that it's deeply emotional, the start gives the vibes this is sung from a parent. I find so much meaning in it with my relationship with my fiance. For reasons outside our control we have a lot of challenges to face, especially long-distance. So much of the latter half of the song embodies how I feel about her. "Deep, dark, far away, I have heard your voice, weighed your every choice Now our hands join round the meaning you sought I'll catch your tears, quench your fears with joy, til you near the shore Where in time, all shall as hope be reborn, ah... Hush, love, close your eyes, and in sleep abide As sun's distant light echoes down to dreams, below Know you will wake, on winds rise again For this journey's end is but one step forward to tomorrow" You can see and feel how that fits lovers dealing with hard times, right?
For me, Elidibus delivers the most beautifully written line in all of FFXIV at the end of his life. "The rains have ceased and we are graced with another beautiful day . . . But you are no longer here to see it." And while this song has little to do with that line other than thematically, I would say that ALL of these songs and ALL of these experiences bring me back to that memory when I first heard that line atop the Crystal Tower with my boy Graha by my side. FFXIV is all about loss, love, friendship, memories, and the ability to overcome hardships. It touches us to our very cores. It's enough to make even a nihilistic and cynical asshole like myself tear up from time to time. It is a tragedy that so many people will never get to share in this experience and that even many who do play the game will never quite feel what you and I have felt.
Exactly my thoughts, my friend! A lot of things on Endwalker feels more like the characters are talking to US, not just the protagonist character. There are several dialogues that I felt deeply in my heart, and I couldn't help but cry. And songs like Flow are just like that too. A lot of things feel so personal and profound. One of the many reasons I love this game.
I plan to use both versions at my funeral if I get that much control. Long slow version for the start, rock version for the dinner/wake at the end. My area is a rain to mountain water cycle, so that idea of being water returning to the sea then rising again into cloud to start a new journey resonates so much.
After your analysis, i had to stop working and take a few minutes break to weep. Thank you for this video and for being vulnerable throughout it.Flow always had an impact of me, it's like a gut punch filled with catharsis. The Nautilus Knoweth feels melancholic, but refreshing.
The Nautilus Knoweth is one of those songs that just makes me feel. It leaves quite a bit of room for reflection, while also giving a lot of itself to the listener.
I lost my mom 10 years ago, very suddenly and the aftermath of that has been very very hard. The whole Hydalyn arc and flow especially fucking murders me. But I smile through the tears.
I never really cried with the songs, but when you take that walk and hear the old voices to keep going, hearing Haurchefaunt, make me weep. and the ultima thule voice track kicks in, I got emotional, but not because of flow or the other.
My grandfather died the day this expansion came out. I'm swallowing the feelings I had back then just typing this. The music that plays and how it is used in Ultima Thule made it so I will never forget FF14. It's also why I can never go to Ultima Thule with music on. It's why I will stick with this game until it too passes on.
Bravo Mr. Marco you break down the music so well. The instrumental that tells a story but yet Convey with such a Deep emotion with the Singer is such a Magical piece. Final fantasy truly have some of the best music that will hit our soul
i've avoided this video for a while because i knew i'd cry. i lost my dad the same year, just a few months before this xpac came out and i don't think i ever cried this hard at the game because having Flow play at the end evoked many of the same emotions you talked about in the beginning are some i also feel. playing it out til the end (heh) was incredibly cathartic for me. i still can't listen to it without starting the waterworks on the beginning notes. saw it at fanfest, i don't think there was a dry eye in the venue when it was played as the encore.
Yeah, I'm the same way. I sat here crying watching this video hearing Flow. I lost my Dad while going through the journey that is Final Fantasy XIV. So I know exactly what you mean about Flow, Marco. It's a powerful song that absolutely transcends the medium it came from and hits the heart with unmerciful emotion, but in a good way.
All though this song doesn’t really hit me that hard as others, it’s still amazing to listen to and understand others perspectives on it, and it’s beautiful. Thank you Mr. Meatball for sharing your personal perspective as well, it is very touching.
if i recall correctly, i think Soken told Amanda to sing Flow how she wanted to sing it.
also that she had to stop a few times because she started crying.
That is correct! He gave her the melody with, if I remember correctly, a few different tempos. What we got from it is the version she cried singing during rehearsal for the final product.
it took me about 2 weeks of trying to sing Flow to eventually not tear up somewhere in between.
Not quite. The song was recorded, mixed, and completed once. But then Amanda reached out to Soken and asked to record the song again, after letting the lyrics and melody blend in her head more. That second recording is what we got, and per Soken, he "couldn't stop shaking when I was mixing it into "flow""
Amanda recently went on stream with Kyle and Garret over in Grinding Gear
i thought * he * was the one crying when he receive the re-recording
I can't listen to Eternal Wind, Tomorrow and Tomorrow, With Hearts Aligned or Flow without tearing up or straight up crying, but definitely *especially* Flow.
As an older fan of the series before 14, Eternal Winds was just the overworld theme for ff3 and it was a theme to invoke adventure and mystery. It's melody is perfect to listen to when walking across mountains or traveling around plains.
That is why in 14 they made it G'raha's theme (also because CT is one big 3 reference) and why it became integral for shadowbringer's and also his character.
G'raha wants to journey with you. He wants to explore. The winds call him and until the end of shadowbringers he instead prepares for the future. But someday, he still yearns for that adventure alongside a friend.
If you really love eternal winds, listen to the original NES. Pixel remaster, even distant worlds version. I assure you that Eternal Winds appreciation won't fade and instead you will feel that long journey the song invokes.
"Dynamis" enters the chat. Without fail, that piano intro just stirs me so deeply. Even just thinking about it and all the emotional high points tied to it is deeply moving. But all the tracks you mention are just as poignant, with such deep double-triple meanings... What masterful pieces of art...
when the endwalker song close in the distance lyrics kick in at the zone I had to pause but hearing "no time for mourning" I started to try to push on.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow is def the one that gets me
The Line on Answers "Tell us why, given Life, we are meant to die, helpless in our cries?" ever time T_T
Soken learned to weaponize music. It's only going to get tougher on us from here.
bro just finished endwalker ost and ff16 ost. We are fucked for Dawntrial.
@@kiyu_u6009 Considering that the Dawntrail story writers also wrote Werlyt, it could be crushing.
@@25xxfrostxx but it's gonna be a fun expansion, what could go wrong? -YoshiP smirking
It will be a "hopeful and Uplifting" story
@@25xxfrostxx Summer vacation btw
To me, the story of Endwalker and FFXIV is the ultimate response against nihilism. You're alive, out of all those who "walked before", whom death has passed their judgement. You mean something to the grand tapestry of life and to the world while we create the "answer" of life together. It's not easy but it's not hopeless.
Nihilism is the question, not the answer. And so it does not exist against the idea of meaning to existence, but rather as a platform for meaning to arise.
Endwalker is, hey genocide is okay in this expansion….right?
@@omensoffate It's a lot more complex than that, it's a complex dilemma, of whether or not means justify the ends. Of weighing inevitable demise vs. inevitable suffering
@@BadassBaconator for some people deeper meanings are simply lost on them. Everyone I've talked to who speaks about the genocide of the ancients can't seem to look deeper than that. A lot of topics are covered in Endwalker and every time I allow myself to ponder the storyline I see a different angle. Alas, not everyone is capable.
@@stormkeeper1741 endwalker is one of those stories that does a great job of exposing which fans are here for a story and which fans are here for opportunities to say something loud and shocking that they hope will get them clicks on social media
I lost my father right after Endwalker. Flow didn't hit me that hard during the actual game, but at his funeral, I remember thinking how I missed being there when he passed and how sad I was that he was going to sleep forever and I'd never see him again. Out of the blue, the line "know you will wake, on wings rise again, for this journey's end is but one step forward to tomorrow" suddenly came into me mind and it filled me with overwhelming joy and sadness all at once (I'm tearing up again typing this). It's just so powerful and Amanda, Keiko, and Soken will always hold a place in my heart because of it.
My mom died on Dec 1 2021, days before the EW early release, and like you with your dad, this song hit me like a ton of bricks over my grief with her. I'm so sorry for your loss, Marco.
And yours ❤️
The tears begin welling *just* before "Hush, love, close your eyes" and then makes me weep.
The part from "Sinking deeper and deeper in calm embrace" on finishes me off every time. I'm a snivelling mess for the rest of the song.
Stronger than me. I start tearing up at "Welcome and well met, my brave little spark."
Mine start at "Deep dark far away, I have heard your voice..." ugh, i start bawling like a baby.
SERIOUSLY!!! In (i believe the first?) scene where it has lyrics, when talking with Hydaelyn, and i was holding back tears the entire time, until I heard “Hush, Love…” and completely broken down
Behold, more than ten thousand years of self-sacrifice, seeking, striving, strife and pain - all portrayed by one beautiful, haunting, bittersweet song. It's not just these characters at the center of the events of the game, it's every soul past and present. It's everyone that has struggled, despaired and fallen - only to rise again, in another life, to struggle, strive and seek again. And each time, you are greeted by the selfless love of the Ancients - that great, undying love for their world and fellow man that ultimately is at the root of their actions. Whether following the path of Light or Dark, each and every soul fervently believes that what they do is for the good of all.
It took me many months to be able to listen to this song without crying, because really, it expresses divine love like nothing else. It is gentle, it is comforting, but it ultimately tells you to keep going, through all the hardship before you - because that is how you shall become stronger. Hear, feel, think - and never forget who you are, deep inside. Reconnect with that divine spark within and walk forward.
Who are you, bard, and who gave you permission to channel my emotions thusly.
Well said. It channels the core message FFXIV has been trying to teach us all along. To aim to be better than we were yesterday, to search and seek, to maybe find... and even if we die before we do, there is meaning in our struggle, for those who walk in our footsteps can carry the torch onwards to a better tomorrow.
I can't listen to Flow without straight-up crying for a second. It reminds me as you said, grief is always with us, but it's also what lets us celebrate life and the life of those who have already passed. Grief is the aspect of love we hate, yet necessary at the same time.
There are so many songs from this game that really get me like this. The moment Close in the Distance started after Graha's sacrifice, through the crystal walk with the twins, i was in tears.
Then the scene with Hythlodaeus, Emet, and Meteion hits and we get Flow. This whole ending section of Ultima Thule pulled on me hard.
Something I realized listening to this is that the lower piano and the more stacatto plucked strings during "Sinking deeper and deeper" echo other tracks in the game which invoke a feeling of being underwater. It reminds me of Neath Dark Waters, for example. The game's music up to this point has trained our ear to associate those subtle choices with the feeling of a calm depth, and thats beautiful
I made a mistake...
I watched this at work.
Thankfully nobody has walked in on me sobbing.
Coworker walks in "whats wrong why are you crying?"
Me watching this video again: "you wouldn't understand please leave me". as I ugly cry like a baby.
The madness of FF14's story is after the long journey, and the embrace of Flow. Answers seems more impactful now. It has all looped back on itself to the first big song to make it even better after all these years.
People complain about the 'content' that's missing from Endwalker .... Dude we're dealing with Trauma from all the loss... I'm happy for the relaxing.
@@Nimoot Also one of the reasons I loved them making the Manderville questline so important now, by tying it with the relic weapon quest, because man did we really need that levity after what we went through xD
Man my dad died almost 18yrs ago and playing through EW towards the end I was a wreck, especially during Flow and the scene with the flowers. Choked me up a ton and made all those memories flood back. Loved the overall message of loss and that part of living is the loss and heartache and turmoil and suffering we experience.
This song absolutely kills me, moreso once finishing EW.
"should you meet with a soul rising surfaceways, with your unbeating heart, wish them well."
The idea of passing on and giving your well wishes to the people who come after you (something the Asians struggled to do!) ugh. So beautiful.
For me, it's Answers. I wasn't around for the Fall of Dalamud, but it always makes me emotional. I know the history and have read stories from people who were there, so I know the significance of it. The music and the voice carries so much weight to it.
It's crazy to me how they made they lyrics apply to the fall of dalamud, the fall of 1.0, the rebirth of 2.0 and A realm reborn, and then years later made the same lyrics make sense in the endwalker story in a completely different way
"My brave little spark." I can hear the start of the song and be fine. As soon as crystal mom finishes that line I get a giant frog in my throat. Every, damn, time. By the end I have tears stuck in my eyes that only drop when I blink.
Flow is truly a beautiful, bitersweet lullaby. But if any song can make me cry as soon as the very first note plays, is Dynamis. Dynamis is like that return to vulnerability and knowing that it is okay to not be okay, yet, having the certainty that there is hope and that things do get better despite it all, y'know?
"A flower..."
Dynamis is the one that hits me every fucking time too, I told a friend jokingly that if it plays EVEN ONCE in Dawntrail I am LEAVING
Thank you for showing such strong emotions in this video. Your bravery to show such a vulnerable side of you helps remind me/us that it is ok to feel and you don't need to hide your emotions.
There are a couple songs in XIV that just hit so hard. Flow is absolutely one of them. I cant hear it without tearing up. I lost my grandma back in November 2023, and Flow came up on my next played. I had been holding the loss in for about a week at that point and i just lost it. It was so freeing to just, let go of that pain with a beautiful song, and Flow will always be special to me. Amanda Achen did such a great job, unparalleled.
I take it as Hydaelyn is our mother, the one who created us. and as a warrior, exhausted from battle and staying strong for our allies and friends for almost 10 years, we finally meet our mother who has guided us and helped us with her voice, we finally can rest and let it all go, even though we have to go on a little longer, in this moment we are at peace and embraced by our mother. which made her testing us in a battle to the death even worse when we realize we are the ones who end her life so she can be sure we are strong enuff to defeat meteion
That is so on point😭 After watching the scene post-battle, I couldn't stop crying.
Around 5.55, was about 90% sure that neither Zodiark nor Hydaelyn would survive Endwalker. I wasn't sure how they would fall, by our hand or someone else's, or which side she would end up on. There was only thing I wanted out of the story: I wanted Hydaelyn to get the closure a mother needed: the knowledge that her children would be okay without her.
So when the choice came up, the last thing to say to her... there was really no choice at all.
This was an incredible take on flow and Endwalker as a whole. I finished the main scenerio of EW recently and there was just so many things to truly take in on this long journey from Hydaelyn wished for us, what Meteion was doing and why, and once it all came to an end, what we ended up teaching her. And of course, the music, that made me ball like a baby several times the closer we came to the end, especially when we walked up those steps. My heart goes out to you for the loss of your dad. And I can only imagine how hard it must've hit during your first run of this game.
No matter how times I relive this expansion, I'll always cry, especailly if I've lost someone dear to me. And the reality is that my parent's are old and just getting older, both pushing 70. (both happy and healthy thankfully) but I know it won't last forever. I'll never be prepared, but someday I'll have to say goodbye. And considering this expansion hit me really hard in the best possible way the first time, I know it'll do it even harder next time too. This comment began with me just wanting to compliment your amazing singing voice btw and ended up going off the rails 😂Thank you so much for this video! I would love to see you discuss how Shadowbringers main theme made you feel if you haven't already 🤗
Answers is my favorite piece of music ever, and it too is sung by Hydaelyn. Flow is also one of my favorites for that same reason. I love how the story begins with tragedy as Hydaelyn speak to us through Answers, and ends with calmness as She then speak to us through Flow. Old Sharlayan's night theme is one I listen to often. The guitar is sublime in it
Since 2010 (1.0), I met my ex, worked my ass off, lost my ex, became disabled , lost friends and family members and so much more. This song completely broke my soul to the core when I first heard it. So beautiful yet so hard to hear.
Geez, ouch. My heart. EW did something for me that I never thought would happen: it allowed me to grieve. Like full-on send, breaking down, emotionally distraught sobbing in a dark room at like 3am in the morning. Doing so allowed me to move forward. It kinda crazy. It seems intentional considering what a majority of us went through the last 10 years. Thanks to Soken and team, we were given a safe space to weep, which I believe we all need once in a while.
Still can't sing through it fully without crying xD.
Flow doesn't do that to me, but Close in the Distance? That turns me into a blubbering wreck...
especially when the lyrics kick in for the first time. but I heard the lyric "No time for mourning" so I pushed on.
@@ovted129 Considering the timing of when the full version hits, and the losses incurred at that point, this song hit me a year or so after my wife passed, so it was an auditory nuke to me. :S I still avoid going into Ultima Thule!
Same. I love Flow to pieces and it absolutely made me cry, but Close in the Distance destroyed me and built me back up in a way no other song has. I played EW on release and it took me over a year to stop crying every time I heard it. The day that happened, I made it my alarm. Been waking up to it ever since.
Same here.
Basically either one of em is meant to destroy you lol
Sir, how dare you put this up and make me tear up during my lunch break at work. HOW VERY DARE.
I lost my mom 3 months after endwalker came out I went from absolutely loving this song to not being able to listen to it without breaking down. It's been 2 years, and it's still tough...great video and great description of the emotion within this song.
When heard “Flow” first time, I just started crying, I put my controller down, leaned over my desk, put my head down into my arms and just cried. It hit me really hard after I started processing the lyrics. ❤\(T^T)/❤
The music in EW may have been some of the best in the game's history. I remember most of us could not go back to Ultima Thule without crying until we finally got used to it. Even now, sometimes Flow STILL makes me cry.
Also, thank you for being brave enough to share your emotions on camera. I think we are moving away from those stereotypes with men, but it's great to see a man who is comfortable with his emotions, his sadness, and who isn't afraid to share it with the world.
I think its amazing how you related it to the feeling of a heavenly conversation, cause i felt the same way. I didnt really relate it to grief of losing a loved one, but moreso that an omnipotent God has been watching you go on this journey for YEARS, and been helping/ rooting for you from the sidelines for YEARS, and you only get to see them face to face for 30 minutes before they pass the torch on to you to finish the final job. It feels more like a reunion of friends who havent seen each other in person for a LONG time, and are excited to share stories they have only told eachother about in letters. This song made me bawl like a baby when i first heard it and still is one of my favorites from endwalker.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow really gets to me. The moment I hear "Stand tall my friend..." I just want to curl up in a ball and ugly cry into my carpet. Snot bubbles and all.
FF14 fans! Assemble!
P.S. Was it two years ago already...? And my onions are still cutting themselves..
It really has been 2 years and it hasn't been any easier.
three years for me and they just won't stop cuttin and they won't stop cutting and they WON'T STOP CUTTING, those damn onions!
Fuck i wish i could play this again for the first time.
@@BlackGhostPanda I feel ya bro
Close in the Distance does the same to me as Flow does. Even the Primals version still makes me tear up because of my story behind the songs. The memories it brings up and all the hardships, pain, and grief that come along with any of the lyrical versions for me just make me listen to the words being sung.
I know how you feel. When doing the walk to the end, my friend asked "how is it?" and I had to say "I HATE this game!" because I was struggling to maintain my calm. I stand by the statement that both Zenos and Hydaelyn were often talking to the player, not our WoL character. And the questions were relevant.
This is a hot take but seeing people break apart on other video games music and not gotten though the FF14 MSQ and reached when FLOW hits know nothing about emotional breakdown.
Played EW during its launch and at the peak of COVID, feeling distant from friends that I was with for 19 years because of how life, morals and beliefs changed i never felt more alone.
This song... Hits me in the heart. Loving yourself is the hardest thing to do especially with how much shit the world has been for everyone. I broke down my hearth aching, tears flowing telling myself i need to love myself more, even if it means leaving my former friends that never cared about me.
Moving forward is painful but we must forge ahead.
You're right Marco. for me, "FLOW" represents the totality of our journey when we reach the Mother crystal and begin to talk to Venat about our journey. The song recalls our journey from day one from our successes and failures, our hopes and those times when we despaired but in the end we go on... its amazing how in this song there is conversation with both of you and Venat. Thanks for breaking it down Marco.
Theres a phrase from Revelations that sticks with me - Soft is the breeze that sets the petal free / Yet 'tis the storm that doth see the petal soar.
Flow is that breeze, gentle and loving and comforting for the terror that is leaving behind our foundation for hardships ahead. But this is the only way we could fly higher.
We had put to our cat to sleep 2 days ago. I put this video on whilst doing dishes and now I'm crying. I miss him so much and his absence is haunting. My brave little spark. My beautiful baby gone. I'm heartbroken.
Thank you for this video. And I wish anyone that may come across this comment the strength to keep moving forward if they're struggling with loss.
im so sorry :(
Althought the Dynamis theme speaks more to me, I feel you on Flow.
I lost my father at the start of 2020 and, when I played through Endwalker, I had just put my life together again after going through all the implications of losing not only someone who's dear to me, but also the head of the household. Along with the grief, suddenly, all his responsibilities were mine, including the care for a wife who lost her almost 40 years partner. And soon after, I lost my job due to the Rona. So, after finally getting over it, I heard this song and I wondered how would he look at me then. It hits hard.
"You have played like 500 hours" - Yes... yes I have... and those were the best 10 years I have spent.
I'm gonna go out of my way to be a bit overly personal here and say that I feel this hardcore especially after the loss of my best friend. These songs are powerful. There's no expansion that makes me cry instantly like Endwalker does. It was one of the last things me and him did together before his passing. Now when I hear Flow, Close in the distance, With Hearts Aligned Etc. I cannot stop myself from falling into absolute tears. These songs are powerful, and very personal to me at this point in my life. Though you aren't here with me anymore Mat, I will forge ahead. I miss you friend.
It will be incredibly hard to top what Endwalker has done, emotionally, because few games have the 10-year-buildup that led to the finale. Time and the processing of emotions, the building of memories and of course the story. It all compounds... and the song hits you like a truck.
I lost two dear friends the past few years myself and feel much the same way. To the Edge, Flow, Close in the Distance are the ones that do it for me the most.
My favorite part of Flow, that just makes me swell with emotion, and why it does so is this:
"Sinking deeper and deeper, in calm embrace,
Loving tides sweep in and bear you down
Should you meet a soul rising surface-ways
With your unbeating heart wish them well."
To me, this shows that death/ending shouldn't be something to fear/hate. Of course it can be sad, but it can also be beautiful, it can be peaceful, it can be hope, it can be a new beginning. Death is as much a part of life as everything else. And what do we learn from Answers? "Thy life is a riddle, to bear rapture and sorrow / To listen, to suffer to ENTRUST UNTO TOMORROW". "In one FLEETING moment, from the land doth life FLOW (death) / Yet in one FLEETING moment, for anew it doth grow (life/hope) / In the same FLEETING moment, thou must LIVE, DIE and KNOW."
Our lives are but a moment in the grand scheme of things, so what else can we do than just enjoy it and help others too. We should be thankful for those who have left or "Look to those who walked before, to lead those who walk after." And when our time comes, as we are "Sinking deeper and deeper, in calm embrace", and to the next generations we must, "With our unbeating hearts, WISH THEM WELL."
In my opinion, Answers & Flow are true masterpieces of massive cultural importance to us as a species. They represent peak human artistry, and deserve to be recognized as much as possible.
I lost my father ten years ago now. And yes, I still grieve for him. I still miss him. And yes, I hope that perhaps one day we will meet again. When I heard Flow I wept because it is a song of a parent who had to leave - for one reason or another - but still loves you. No matter where or how. Love is eternal.
I lost my dad while I was working through stormblood and shadowbringers, and when endwalker hit everything was still really raw. I think the hardest thing is wanting to share this game especially with him. He was a big wow nerd for a while, but tended to just run around questing and doing story stuff. I knew he would probably really have enjoyed ffxiv. Its really hard to want to share things with people who aren't around anymore.
Flow definitely feels like a song about a mother and her child's family. It feels so warm but so heart breaking....like even though back then things fell apart, things will be okay now.
You nailed it!!! I can’t listen to this song without crying!!! They really REALLY conveyed such a complex “flow” of emotions… something only music can do. Flow embodies a very complex experience - pairing the story, our experience, our own personal story- and the personal loss of a loved one - something everyone will eventually experience and understand. I’ve yet to hear a song that tackles the ‘flow’ of death and life in such a hopeful way leaving you feeling looking beyond its veil towards everyone’s next tomorrow!
When I first heard Flow it struck me how alike it was to Into the West, from Return of the King. A motherly figure singing to you at journeys end, welcoming you to heaven, embracing the beauty and peace in death. Both songs mean so much to me.
As someone dealing with a profound depression, and grieving a lot of stuff in my life, this song resonates so much. This one and Answers feels heavy in my soul, I love them so much. Thanks for this breakdown.
at first I was mad at the title. then I listened and then I brokedown, when you talked through the lyrics. damnit Soken!
I lost my brother not long after i beat Endwalker, and at the time, I didn't know how much EW was really preparing me for. Both Flow and Close in the Distance are songs that I can't really hear without thinking about my brother. FFXIV has easily become one of my favorite games of all time, and I'm glad I found it when I did. Thanks for the video Marco, keep it up. :)
The piano in the beginning, the quality of her voice, and the outreaching, embracing lyrics are all so *gentle* and precious and loving. The shimmer of the violins. The backing track at about 8:00 becoming so blended and warm. The strength of Hydaelyn's love and her voice glowing so strong by the end.
When it comes to the ff songs that make me cry.
Flow is the mid-boss. It chokes me up every time.
Dynamis is the final boss. The song affects me so much that the opening part hits me like a truck when it shows up on any of my playlists.
It's nice knowing that I'm not the only one in the community who has an emotional attachment to this song beyond the context of the game. It's such a good song, and always makes me cry because I can hear my Mom in the lyrics.
"Flow", along with a few other FFXIV songs, are listed for my end of life playlist.
As players in EW, we are given hints of Flow along the way until the 2 major points, and when we could hear it clearly were heartbreakingly satisfying.
Flow makes me think of my newborn daughter. About how far I’ve come on my life’s journey, yet her journey has only begun. She’s my little spark that I have waited so long for, and I can’t wait to see her grow and blossom into a Warrior of Light. Plus she’s my life’s blessing.
A friend of mine said that "Flow" didn't remind her so much of real life; but, her journey through FFXIV and inspires her to be a better player in FFXIV. When I asked her what she meant she said: "When I first started playing FFXIV, I was a very angry and mean individual due to real life circumstances. However, it was the friends and 'new family' I made that changed me: allowed me to face my demons and stood by me in game and even in real life that got me through the darkest time of my life. 'Flow' (especially the ending) says two things: as now a seasoned veteran player.... Help new players just as I was once helped by the community. However, my journey as the Warrior of Light isn't over. Tomorrow brings a new adventure and now with Dawntrail approaching a new saga to experience that will allow me to once again see FFXIV with the newness and excitement of a day one sprout. My goal in FFXIV is to help as many that will allow me to: experience all FFXUV can be and maybe more."
While her response made sense: I find myself saddened that there aren't more players like her. But, more than that.... What other sublime messages does "Flow" convey?
This song is why i can no longer see Death as a skeletal hooded figure with a scythe. All i can imagine is a loving mother calling home her child and greeting them with a nice warm hug. Either to comfort them for their pain or ancitipate the next exciting detail of their adventure. Listening to what happened during the day they were away as they tuck them in to sleep
When The Primals performed Nautilus Knoweth live, it gave me a picture of a group of friends chill-jamming around a campfire.
If you're still open to reccomendations I got another great one that's also emotional (if you haven't already), it's Ultima Thuls Theme, otherwise known as
"Close in the Distance"
from ffxiv's Endwalker
it's a beautiful track and also hits home for the player as the main character reflecting on the journey we've been through ❤
I shouldn't have clicked on this video. Like 10 notes in and I started to cry again.
And it's like you say, it represents so much more than just the game itselfs. I was first introduced to the game by someone who's not in my life anymore. During those short months I knew that person, I not only felt stronger than I've ever done before, I found myself and partook in a personal journey I still travel, and probably will for the rest of my life. That part of my life and this game is deeply intertwined, which have led me to choose not to partake in Dawntrail right now, because I know it would hurt too much.
Thank you for sharing your passionate feelings on music. Your passion shines bright and is inspiring.
Considering my mom had passed away a week before endwalker's early access, I played the game as an escape instead of properly griefing. So safe to say Flow broke me.
That moment from 12:00 to 12:10 somehow activates the tearducts every single time.
I'd love to have you analyse the Garlemald Radio Theme "Home Beyond the Horizon". I feel that one is one of the more impactful songs that get too little credit overall!
i think you're right!
I just watched through this and was immediately recommended your video with Amanda Achen. The two of you singing together would be incredible
*hugs Marco* Thanks for explaining this divinely maternal comforting sensation I get while listening to this song. I'm glad we could share it.
Here is me opening this video, at work, to hear a reaction to this beautiful song... Just to end up balling my eyes out when you talk about missing someone that has left us... A father/mother we deeply miss. This game has connected with so many of us on so many levels... And now I also will think of my dad, who I miss deeply, everytime I hear this song that already makes me cry... ❤
Flow always makes me emotional, it comes from the PoV of a loving mother to the most adventurous kid and I'm that adventerous kid. That loving mother that tells me to keep going through rain or shine
everytime i hear dragonsong i have the fallen hraesvelgr before my inner eyes and i want to shout and cry
My son was born a few months after I completed 6.0... the song I sang to lull him to sleep was Flow. This is an incredibly special song
Another Final Fantasy song that goes beyond the context of the game I think is "Choosing Hope" by Nobuo Uematsu and sung by Emiko Suzuki. It was the main song composed for FFXVs multiplayer DLC "Comrades". I think its heavily underrated and one of the best FF songs with and without the context of FFXV. Love that game.
FF XIV has been very strong on the musical front. I started playing in late 2018, and soon afterward my mom began her final battle with cancer. While still in ARR, I discovered "Oblivion", Shiva's theme, and it immediate burrowed into my heart. By the end of 2019, when it was clear my mom wasn't going to get better, the lyrics kept coming to the fore of my consciousness, and I even ended up writing a short story inspired by the lyrics and as a means to prepare myself for the loss I knew was going to come, almost as an early bargaining stage action. And the song continues to be one of my favorites from the game, though "Close In The Distance" and "Flow" have connected deeply with me from Endwalker, as well. "Flow" because of the reasons you mentioned with regards to the hope to be reunited with those we've lost, and "Close In The Distance" because of how it speaks to pushing on, putting one foot before the other, and continuing on with the memory of those who've made impressions on us in our hearts and minds, til the end of days. Honestly, there is no game I know of that comes close to XIV in using its music to tell as much of the story as the game itself.
You did so well holding it together. I can't listen to "Flow" without crying. I lost my father right after Heavensward came out. This song and "Close in the Distance" make me think of him.
The game, and the music especially from Shadowbringers on has taken a whole different level and meaning to me. The end of 2022 when I basically was wrapping up shadowbringers and heading to endwalker, my grandfather passed away the day after Christmas. Last October, as I was in post Endwalker and heading to the current end I lost my grandmother. Beginning of this year my beloved cat who had weathered the storm with me for not even eight years I lost to cancer. The game has kept my sanity, and kept me going. Now with Dawntrail the "new beginning" a Dawn of a new era is not lost on me as I'm starting my life over from almost eight years of being a caretaker. My life, my story now. I started the game as a means to cope with the stresses of being a caretaker. Now? It's forging my own way. I get it, the game touched many, some of us just at the times when we've lost loved ones. It in a sense kind of gives us strength to just keep pushing on. Our answers while unspoken are given.
playing this game during the Pandemic made so many things hit so differently. To The Edge was a defiant scream against our fate. While Answers roared through our veins, bookending our journey and all of it finally making sense as it rose in a choir of hope... Flow... reminded us, me, that someone saw it all and cared. I was not alone even as I sat at my computer in another room hoping not to give my partner something that could send him to the hospital.
Every little step, side quest, week long crafting binge, Housing Savage 2020... canon, in character or not she was always there. Even when we had no name besides the one over our head and our Warrior of Light was just a hero with a name no one used. She was waiting for us, watching out for us, proud of us all those centuries. Even as we stand before her ready for the next unknown step. We stood as a person made up of those we met along the way and the deeds we did. We were just us and we were hers and she loved us. Our WoL, we, are loved. There are people in life like that for us all. In the depths of the pandemic it was very hard to feel that way. Someone loves us out there - here or gone - and nothing can take that from us. What we have done is worth it. We are worth it. We are enough and that is why the tears Flow
I remember the ending of Undertale really hit you hard as well. Might have been more the story than the music, but it was definitely emotional to watch.
I’ve thought of Flow a lot at what it means to me and why it makes me feel the way it does. Your video summarizes perfectly.
It feels like you returning home, tired and at your end, and your mom is comforting you, asking you how you’re doing how you been.
As you said, everyone’s connection to XIV is different and I’ve been through a lot of personal ups and downs during my time playing. When Flow started playing it just really hit me because it made me reflect on my personal journey. Hit me hard.
As a big fan of the loop hero ost id love for u to react to it
Hi Marco! Its Anis here, the astro that healed you in an FFXIV alliance raid the other day! I couldnt just watch and not comment on this one. Your remark about the beginning lyrics of "well come and well met my brave little spark..." feeling extra emotional if someone lost a loved one is so on point. I've recently lost my mother and, sadly, some other loved ones in a really short spam of time so the feeling of wanting to hear those kinds words from them - especially from my mom - is very, very real and on point. Its why songs in this game like Flow can indeed be so personal to the player, much like Close in the Distance as well. Wonderful analysys as always!! Much love, friend!
one single verse in this song brings me to tears every time
"I'll catch your tears"
For my entire life I feel like I've had to hide my pain. I don't have anyone I can reach out to for support. My dad is emotionally unavailable and my mom tells me that my depression is just an "excuse" to fail my classes.
When I hear that line, it makes me feel seen, like I am loved and that I'm not alone. When I'm suffering, ffxiv is there for me, to lift me up and make me feel like I'm worth something.
FFXIV genuinely saved my life, and I cannot express how grateful I am for the game, the developers, and the community
Thank you, Marco, this is...perfect. Yesterday was the anniversary of losing my mother, and having heard your interpretation....I hope she says to me when I see her again 'Welcome and well met, my loving son.'
Man, I feel this way about Close in the Distance. I CANNOT go to Ultima Thule without crying a bit and then having to...immunize myself against it again. I loved G'raha, and having the lyrics come in right after the scene with him...that just absolutely destroyed me. I almost didn't make it up the winding pathway he left. Such an amazing song. And also With Hearts Aligned made me so joyful I wanted to cry because I wanted a really banging remix of the "Warrior of Light boss theme" for so long, and I'd completely forgotten about the lyrics in the trailer we hadn't heard yet, so to have them jumpscare me in the middle of that victory lap of a phase 2 just made me sit up and take notice. Still makes me tear up typing this. I'm jamming away and crying over all the epic lines being delivered in turn by the Scions and then I hear "Our song of hope, she dances on the wind" I just freaking LOST IT.
Now excuse my while I dry my eyes for the umpteenth time between the video and me typing this out.
I can relate to the loss of a loved one. when I lost my grandma I felt so lost.... but Flow.... it was so cathartic to me. it was like it was HER singing to me. telling me it's okay to grieve. but to also always have hope even amidst the despair of grief. and to me the song is one of comfort.
I'm just here to say I'm glad I didn't see this video at work because...yeah....
Anyway, this song makes me feel like getting a tender hug after holding on for so long. It also has a more personal impact to me especially hearing this song during that scene with hydaelyn and it genuinely reminded me of my mom and how we had just reconciled some weeks after a long constant fighting-- I was just glad I was alone because I was crying for five minutes straight long after the scene had finished.
This is how I feel about Dynamis, Meteion's theme. Mine isn't a specific loss, and is more generalized than your connection, but it hits me so strong from the very first notes. No lyrics, but instruments are lyric enough in some songs.
This piece just breaks me every time. I'm already sobbing. It hurts, so so deeply. But it also heals me, because it means so much to me in my journey in life and the fact that I have finally found myself ❤
Flow is my favourite FF theme song. Every word provokes in me emotions of joy, loss, love, grief. Each time I listen to it, tears well up in my eyes. It’s poetry, it’s a thank you, a promise and a goodbye. Thank you Soken Sama. Thank you Marco. Final Fantasy XIV Forever! ❤️
There are so many songs in FF14 that make me bawl but Flow is a big one. You're right in that it's deeply emotional, the start gives the vibes this is sung from a parent.
I find so much meaning in it with my relationship with my fiance. For reasons outside our control we have a lot of challenges to face, especially long-distance. So much of the latter half of the song embodies how I feel about her.
"Deep, dark, far away, I have heard your voice, weighed your every choice
Now our hands join round the meaning you sought
I'll catch your tears, quench your fears with joy, til you near the shore
Where in time, all shall as hope be reborn, ah...
Hush, love, close your eyes, and in sleep abide
As sun's distant light echoes down to dreams, below
Know you will wake, on winds rise again
For this journey's end is but one step forward to tomorrow"
You can see and feel how that fits lovers dealing with hard times, right?
For me, Elidibus delivers the most beautifully written line in all of FFXIV at the end of his life.
"The rains have ceased and we are graced with another beautiful day . . . But you are no longer here to see it."
And while this song has little to do with that line other than thematically, I would say that ALL of these songs and ALL of these experiences bring me back to that memory when I first heard that line atop the Crystal Tower with my boy Graha by my side.
FFXIV is all about loss, love, friendship, memories, and the ability to overcome hardships. It touches us to our very cores. It's enough to make even a nihilistic and cynical asshole like myself tear up from time to time.
It is a tragedy that so many people will never get to share in this experience and that even many who do play the game will never quite feel what you and I have felt.
Exactly my thoughts, my friend! A lot of things on Endwalker feels more like the characters are talking to US, not just the protagonist character. There are several dialogues that I felt deeply in my heart, and I couldn't help but cry. And songs like Flow are just like that too. A lot of things feel so personal and profound. One of the many reasons I love this game.
I plan to use both versions at my funeral if I get that much control.
Long slow version for the start, rock version for the dinner/wake at the end.
My area is a rain to mountain water cycle, so that idea of being water returning to the sea then rising again into cloud to start a new journey resonates so much.
After your analysis, i had to stop working and take a few minutes break to weep. Thank you for this video and for being vulnerable throughout it.Flow always had an impact of me, it's like a gut punch filled with catharsis. The Nautilus Knoweth feels melancholic, but refreshing.
The Nautilus Knoweth is one of those songs that just makes me feel. It leaves quite a bit of room for reflection, while also giving a lot of itself to the listener.
I lost my mom 10 years ago, very suddenly and the aftermath of that has been very very hard. The whole Hydalyn arc and flow especially fucking murders me. But I smile through the tears.
I never really cried with the songs, but when you take that walk and hear the old voices to keep going, hearing Haurchefaunt, make me weep. and the ultima thule voice track kicks in, I got emotional, but not because of flow or the other.
My grandfather died the day this expansion came out. I'm swallowing the feelings I had back then just typing this. The music that plays and how it is used in Ultima Thule made it so I will never forget FF14. It's also why I can never go to Ultima Thule with music on. It's why I will stick with this game until it too passes on.
Bravo Mr. Marco you break down the music so well.
The instrumental that tells a story but yet Convey with such a Deep emotion with the Singer is such a Magical piece.
Final fantasy truly have some of the best music that will hit our soul
i've avoided this video for a while because i knew i'd cry. i lost my dad the same year, just a few months before this xpac came out and i don't think i ever cried this hard at the game because having Flow play at the end evoked many of the same emotions you talked about in the beginning are some i also feel. playing it out til the end (heh) was incredibly cathartic for me. i still can't listen to it without starting the waterworks on the beginning notes.
saw it at fanfest, i don't think there was a dry eye in the venue when it was played as the encore.
Yeah, I'm the same way. I sat here crying watching this video hearing Flow. I lost my Dad while going through the journey that is Final Fantasy XIV. So I know exactly what you mean about Flow, Marco. It's a powerful song that absolutely transcends the medium it came from and hits the heart with unmerciful emotion, but in a good way.
All though this song doesn’t really hit me that hard as others, it’s still amazing to listen to and understand others perspectives on it, and it’s beautiful. Thank you Mr. Meatball for sharing your personal perspective as well, it is very touching.