Final Fantasy XIV's Break From Narrative Tradition
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Final Fantasy has a long and storied history of commenting on real-life social, political, and religious issues. But it has a particular way it approaches this subject matter, and Final Fantasy XIV has found massive success in a completely different method. How does it break from the series' standards to make its points?
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I cant believe this video exists, FFXIV is honestly my favorite game to date just on its story. I hope that you can make a full analysis on the game, the more you look into it the better it gets as time goes on, things mentioned in ARR come to fruition in SHB
Lore isn't story. Its just Wikipedia entries. Ppl need to stop this
You're right about lore, but that's not what FFXIV is. Not even remotely.
and Endwalker shits on everything by saying Nazi bad...and Japan...did nothing wrong lmao jesus...these games arent that deep actually
Did you even play the game?
? I think you played a different game
He said the thing 2:20 in all seriousness I would love to one day see a full literary analysis of FFXIV one day maybe make it a Patreon goal just a thought.
I mean, I’d be interested in a full analysis of FFXIV not unlike TWEWY’s. Make it an official goal on the Patreon and I’d bet money more people would join to push towards it, I’m just saying. BD
What I love about FFXIV is that it very rarely gives out an easy answer to the social problems it poses. It's left for the player to reflect on the actions taken by the characters in-game and the consequences of those actions.
FF14 feels lke this HUGE phnomenon that I've somhow managed to see little of.
It's like there being a massive carnival going on on the other side of my tall garden fence. I can hear all the hubbub but I ain't seeing jack.
How dare you play Dragonsong and make me feel emotions
Never forget our dear Hilibrand.
I mean I made a video about him before I even made this one, so definitely not forgetting our king Hildy!
Love the video, great job of keeping the spoilers to a minimum - also, yes!, I am watching the Playframe playthrough and can corroborate that Dan Floyd is a treasure.
Any plans to talk about Echoes of the Eye? 👀
Hoping your Patreon reaches the point when you can do whatever video you like ♥ It's always a pleasure watching what you create!
Heavensward is one of my favorite FF stories, full stop. Ishgard is such a well-realized city that the question "why is there a seedy bar next to the knights' congregation" has an answer that strikes to the heart of the wealth inequality of the city. I also love Shadowbringers, and one of the ways the fantastical plays with the literal, at least in my mind, is how much the Flood's devastation of Norvrandt kind of mirrors climate change. And when viewed in that lens, Eulmore begins to look more ecofascist.
Stormblood is a mixed bag. There's a lot of interesting stuff there, but Lyse, the POV character, is kind of flat, and Ala Mhigo is ultimately done a disservice by the expansion's split approach. The patches make it even more mixed. Yotsuyu's plot line makes me cry! I cry when the trial pops up in roulette! It hit me hard and I love it and I hate Asahi so so much. On the other hand, the Ala Mhigo plotline wraps not with Nanamo taxing the rich to help refugees (because that would be favoritism [even though they live so precariously that rape and murder by bandits are accepted as facts of life {god I hate Godbert}]) but with her giving Ala Mhigan land to the Ul'dahn Monetarist that poisoned her. So Ul'dah joined a war in the middle east to depose the government and install one that is more agreeable with sharing the country's natural resources with their corporations. It kind of feels like they might not have thought that plotline through.
What softened the blow of Nanamo's subplot for me was that it was explicitly framed as what she could accomplish within a system that's well established to be broken and corrupt. Her character arc has been about learning she's "monarch" in name only, and that her power is more akin to a corporate heiress with a single seat on the board. The title of Sultana is so symbolic she can't even think out loud about abdicating without one scumbag reacting so badly she ends up owing big favors to another. She had a lot of self-resentment bundled up in needing to rely on Rauhbahn for everything, so she wanted someone she respects to witness her growing to figure out how to do some short-term good for some people within the bounds of her power. Only then could she let herself free him from a co-dependency that would leave both unfulfilled in the end.
I enjoyed it on that level, but none of the above is counter to your criticism, which I felt put really good words on an uncomfortable feeling I had throughout the subplot. It is entirely a story about Nanamo's personal growth and familial bond with Rauhbahn, and all the broader political implications of "doing what good you can within the system" get kind of glossed over in service of that story. I'd agree that's a weakness.
The story writers are never as hard on the "good" ruling powers as they should be, and I think that has a lot to do with Japan's own history of colonialism. You have 3 Eorzean city states that are ruled by literal genetic lottery and a form of divine right (Gridania), a military leader who seized power over an admittedly flawed but democratic system and has been ruling as basically a tyrant (Limsa), and a parliamentary monarchy where the Parliament is just monetarists (Ul'dah). They mostly get away with this by juxtaposing them to the Nazi allegory of the Garlean empire. Doma gets the same treatment, with even more sweeping of problems under the rug by essentially pinning everything on the empire. Yotsuyu's story is a good example of how everything under the sun so to speak was not very rosy even before the empire took over, with stuff like the awful confederates being allowed to run rampant in the Ruby Sea, sex slavery, more capitalist oppression and wealth inequality, etc; all of this is just kind of hand waved away by its rulers and never really adequately resolved, except by some empty promises to make things better as soon as the Nazis are gone. Any time they get a little too close to anything approaching self criticism, they quickly find some bigger bad guy to use as a distraction. On the other hand, they are definitely not shy about playing up the criticism of western religion and theocratic authoritarianism as we see liberally in Ishgard.
@@lethargicwizard to be fair, let’s not pretend that American media doesn’t do exactly that for our cultural powers. Superheroes are basically just a deification of US military power. Not saying the FF14 devs“secretly want to do more,” I don’t know them enough to know that, but even if they did, it’s not exactly easy to do that sort of self reflection when working on a billion dollar property.
Your interpretation on HW's and ARR's story is fantastic! I can't believe this video doesn't have a couple hundred thousand views. I hope it explodes with the release of Endwalker.
Thank you for this analysis!
Glad you liked it! I'm hoping for more views too haha, but your comment helps engagement so thanks! Fee free to share it around if you feel so inclined. 🙂
@@GameProf I sure did with my FC mates
Kinda funny, going from wealth inequality and marginalized groups to a literal manifestation of existential dread in Endwalker.
Yeah, Endwalker leaned WAY further into fantasy allegory for sure. To good effect, for the most part, in my opinion at least.
@@GameProf to be fair, it was already headed that way via Shadowbringers. It wasn’t as explicit, but it was definitely a lot more heavy on the fantasy than previous expansions.
Great video! Not interested in MMOs whatsoever, but the game's story sounds very interesting.
That's rly the thing with ff14 that it's like a Single player narrative FFgame first and an MMO second. You can ditch a lot of those pre-conceptions you have about how a typical MMO works when approaching this game.
Then you get sucked into the MMO stuff anyway, if you're anything like me. I started off just being curious about the great story everyone raved about, and now I'm grinding regularly to get cool new gear to make my catgirl Warrior of Light look cute. It's a dangerous thing to start lol
Its....also not free. Its a monthly subscription plus purchase
@@RhizometricReality the free trial lasts until the start of the second expansion. That’s literally hundreds of hours of free content and what the meme is referencing.
@@GameProf You hit the real endgame, making your character look X way until you see someone with a different piece that you like more. Love how many people have jumped into the game for one reason and fall in love with it for a completely different reason.
If you havent heard of them, I highly recommend the Zero Escape series and AI: Somnium files for their stories. Similar to Ace Attorney and the other game made by the same guy with all the ghost shenanigans (I forgot the name)
Another great video. Thanks!
Also, I'm surprised to hear that a Final Fantasy gets so direct with its commentary. Makes XIV seem a little more interesting...
Another banger from the king, we truly do not deserve you.
Heavensward and Shadowbringers are 2 of the finest Final Fantasy stories ever told
Full Literary Analysis please!!!
Great video thoughtful and poignant as always
This is a really nice runthrough! Makes me want to play FFXIV now tbh. . .
Sharing this around discords I frequent!
Thanks for the vid
Eulmore mixes messages a lot in 5.0, to echo another poster's comments on Stormblood and Ul'Dah. Technically, there are no "rich" in Eulmore, because the wealthy are required to give up their wealth in order to run the city free for all living in it. People in the neighboring villages are in dire straits due to the "hopefuls" leaving their homes and livelihoods to wait in Gate Town for a chance to work in Eulmore. Not that there isn't work elsewhere (like those home villages), they just insist on Eulmore. They refuse even the alternatives Alphinaud gives them. It's hard to understand how their choice is anyone else's fault in this case. Some people in Gate Town aren't even there to get in, it's a curiosity or a business opportunity to them.
For those that do have skills Eulmorans are looking to hire, the city rules expect those workers to be treated well, according to a quest NPC. There's even a bouncer that protects the entertainers. The writers may have been aiming for commentary, but they really contradict themselves a lot in this arc--especially when the people of the Crystarium themselves flatly state "if you want to stay here, you have to work for it". What's the difference?
Don't even get me started on the Ishgard elite wanting to charge the destitute of the Brume--who have no other options--rent they have no means to afford for basic shelter, or expect them to work the cost off for the nobility. It's written like a good and happy thing when it's as exploitative as Eulmore was supposed to be.
Can't stop...
Can't log out...
If I log out now...it will take me hours to log back in...
Great video!!! Love the game and love your channel
you sure your not one lbgt or qs
That actually sounds like a really interesting storyline
Could you do a video about The Darkness 2 game, especially the part where the focus shift between The mental hospital and normal story.
I'd be interested to hear your take on Endwalker. :)
Short version: if you're going to make your story about nihilism, that's how you do it.
Side note: literally never seen a story that is, on some level, explicitly about anti-natalism. I have precisely one friend who should really play it lol
@@GameProf There is a very awesome deep dive on the subject by Digital Dream Club here: ruclips.net/video/QOvtuWs0fZc/видео.html
This inspires me to play more of FF games. Would be interesting to trace these narrative traditions
i Think we definitely need some Ace Combat in this channel!
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Hey remember that one 10min video you did on choice in life is strange? I feel like that game's story, atmosphere, characters and world building would be perfect for your channel's style of dissection. Just a thought..
It's certainly one I would like to do someday! Once I find the right approach and the right collaborator, I'll tackle the game in more depth.
@@GameProf that's great to hear, I'd pay for one of your video essays on that game.
Nice
The Forgotten City analysis pleeeeeeeeeeease.
I never played final fantasy...
From which game should i start?
I'd recommend VII or X to start, with the caveat that they're old enough to feel a little dated (PS1 and PS2 respectively). If you want a more modern entry point, the VII remake is also excellent.
And of course, FFXIV is fantastic, it's just also very different from the series standard on account of being an MMO. But you could do worse!
@@GameProf okay thanks!
I will try that game
@@GameProf the VII remake is a poor starting point on FFVII, since it's technically the third game in the saga, not a remake of the original.
As disappointed as I am that the ending goes off the rails like that, it's still overall an excellent retelling. And I'd argue the best modern game in the series (barring XIV, which is also great but so different as to make it a questionable introduction to the series).
So yeah, I get ya, but I don't think it's a bad starting point.
@@GameProf not me, since it isn't a remake, I don't have to be upset that it isn't turn based. A remake that doesn't remake the game isn't a remake at all.
Its....not free? It costs 20$ plus monthly????
I'm confused....
If you make a free trial account, you can play the base game and its first expansion for free; no subscription needed. You don't have to buy the game or pay a sub until you reach the second expansion.
Yep. I do take issue with how they do it, namely that there's not a free service status so when you pay once you HAVE to be subbed to play even if you're still within the "free" content, but nonetheless, you can play the first long while of the game without paying a cent.
The free trial is great, but you aren't allowed to use many of the MMO features unless you buy the game and a subscription (Market Board (Auction house), Free Companies (Guilds), Home Ownership (or even access to home areas for that matter), Trading, Friend Requests (you can receive and accept them, you cant send them yourself)). Most of that is likely to help stop bots. Personally I played through level 40 before really needing access to all the other stuff, as I have a lot of friends playing the game and doing stuff with them was difficult without these features. During the free trial you can play through the base game and first expansion, plus all the extra stuff for free without a subscription. Afterwards, you buy the game and its expansions (they are bundled), and buy a subscription, which is $12.99 monthly.
Shb minor spoilers ~3 minutes into the video, cmon man
edit: not like, showing an area- it's a cutscene from 5.4
lmao listening to an American trying to woke-ify this game's tropes makes me even more thankful that this game wasn't made by Americans.