Snow Villiers: Overcoming Tests of Faith (Final Fantasy XIII Character Analysis)

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 1 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 82

  • @Gwen1661
    @Gwen1661 10 месяцев назад +8

    Snow really is the type of character to wear his heart on his sleeve, as opposed to Lightning who keeps it hidden behind layers upon layers of thick walls. His scenes with Hope bring me to tears to this day, it is so beautifully handled and well written.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  10 месяцев назад +5

      That scene and the scene of Hope + Alexander on Gran Pulse are the BEST emotional beats for sure

  • @cameraredeye3115
    @cameraredeye3115 Год назад +25

    This analysis was really well done. I can actually relate to Snow in more ways than one, especially with regard to losing the one he loved most. That happened to me over a year ago, and even now it still tears me up. I find it real hard to keep going sometimes knowing that she's gone.
    Gotta hand it to Snow though. His endurance is something else, to be able to deal with that pain while carrying what's left of the world on his back, and for a whopping 500 years to boot...

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +5

      Probably one of my favorite lines in the game that I somehow failed to put in this video was when Lightning was worried whether Snow lost his mind, and says "if it were anyone else, I'd say that was a given." Snow's endurance and spirit really are off the charts.
      Also, idk if it sounds sincere coming from a stranger on the internet, but I'm sorry for your loss, and that pain is valid no matter how much time passes. I hope that you also find some healing.

  • @KyngD469
    @KyngD469 Год назад +5

    I always tear up at the Hope and Snow scene. It so heartbreaking and the music is incredible.
    It's so tragically beautiful how wonderful this game is and how underrated it is. Melancholy? A radiant flower than blooms without light? Who knows...
    This is my Favourite Final Fantasy trilogy.

  • @placefantasy1821
    @placefantasy1821 Год назад +11

    Got the pulse l'cie brand tattooed on me a few years ago in the same placement as Snow. Genuinely one of my favourite characters of all time. The way he goes from the traditional optimistic to a fault hero in the first game to someone that has become completely disillusioned to the reality he faces. From a man who wouldn't hesitate to die for his friends to the last one standing and unable to join them in death, he is so masterfully written. For a character that identified so strongly as a hero to go on the antithesis of a hero's journey I truly believe every character in this series is complex and well written, but he is perfect in every way and I feel he is so underappreciated as a character.

    • @TheAlmostGothic
      @TheAlmostGothic Год назад +1

      Out of curiosity what stage of the brand did you get?

    • @placefantasy1821
      @placefantasy1821 Год назад +1

      @@TheAlmostGothic I went with the initial brand, so in its earliest stage of development :D!

  • @pessimistic_optimist8322
    @pessimistic_optimist8322 6 месяцев назад +3

    Glad to see someone give Snow a proper analysis, gets frustrating talking to people that tuned out while playing XIII, saw Snow's "Hero" mask and assumed that was just his entire personality, completely missing or avoiding his development later in the game where openly admits that he's terrified, that he knows the odds are impossible, but that he can't give up on Serah, so even if he has to lie to himself, he'll keep being a "Hero".

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  6 месяцев назад

      What I love though is that he isn't lying to himself by the end-as you said, the odds are impossible, and he stands by his love and his ideals because they matter to him more than his own life. That's the real essence of heroism tbh

  • @JC-rg2qp
    @JC-rg2qp Год назад +10

    Amazingly done! 13 (as a whole) was WAY better than it ever got credit for.

  • @Someguyhere111
    @Someguyhere111 Год назад +8

    If you haven't played Dissidia Opera Omnia, you might wanna check it out if you wanna see more of Snow (and the other XIII characters) post-XIII. The earlier chapters introduce the characters with only parts of their memories, but they eventually get them back and from there, there have been chapters that expand on their stories, as well as playing them off well with characters from other Final Fantasy games that have shared similar experiences. So far, there are all 8 of the playable characters, as well as Caius and Raines.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +1

      Oooh I might need to check that out!

    • @Dagonblade_Kal-El
      @Dagonblade_Kal-El Год назад

      I like the scenes between Caius and Noel in the latest cheaper. And I like how they introduced Iroha.
      Also Jhil Nabaat will also become a playable character this year.

  • @brieezy.
    @brieezy. Год назад +11

    Oh my God, you just made me love him even more!!! he’s always been my favorite regardless of what anyone said, they were all wrong and that’s what you get for not paying attention to cut scenes❤❤❤❤❤❤

    • @minhtao9774
      @minhtao9774 Год назад

      ZOMFG SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!

  • @Kerunou
    @Kerunou Год назад +1

    Snow is arguably the true main character of that particular story (the lightning series). At the very least, living a life/story that is as compelling, if not more so than the actual protagonist.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад

      I'd say his and Lightning's journeys intertwining helps strengthen both of their writing!

    • @KyngD469
      @KyngD469 Год назад

      It's really Hope. Given his Arc in the first. His major role and potential death in XIII-2 and his manipulation as torture as a puppet in LR.
      The trilogy really revolves around Hope and Light.

  • @Krat0s9001
    @Krat0s9001 Год назад +10

    Snow is my favorite character in the XIII series. You touched on some things that I didn't with my analysis 10 years ago.
    I highly recommend that you check out the novellas as they offer additional insight on him as a character.
    In the second XIII-2 novel, it's revealed that he not only witnessed Serah die but his focus was to be there to help her fight Caius.
    He does develop PTSD in the LR novel.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +3

      Oooh so I did know about Snow's adventure with Cacutar, yeah; it just never really came up during the analysis. I try to stick to what we can glean from the games since I can back it up with footage lol. Bit I do want to read the novellas at some point

  • @MementoDespair
    @MementoDespair Год назад +8

    I voted yes, he is a hero

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +2

      I maintain that if he somehow ever met Zack Fair, those two would really hit it off

  • @yesofcourse8520
    @yesofcourse8520 Год назад +3

    I really appreciate these videos, very enjoyable watches. It's not only to take a look at the characters I grew up with in a way I might not have considered before, but I've also recently started writing as a personal hobby. So, I love watching content that really interprets characters, what their actions mean, why they do what they do, what it means about them as people, etc.
    It's very interesting stuff to consider, and it sucks that people tend to dismiss it altogether for lame excuses like muh hallway. Criticism is fine, but credit is due where it's due as well.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +1

      Oooh, ironically enough I was planning to do more analysis with writing (as far as conflict/raising stakes/etc.) in the next video! As a writer myself, I love your choice of hobby!

    • @yesofcourse8520
      @yesofcourse8520 Год назад

      Love ta hear it! And those are most definitely things I'm interested to hear, so I'm looking forward to what you have to say.

  • @ReariseGaming
    @ReariseGaming Год назад +1

    I have been waiting for the ffxiii trilogy to get this type of videos. It's a worthwhile series and complex enough for discussion.

  • @Bogustice
    @Bogustice Год назад +1

    Damn to see the amount of despair he was in when lightning was trying to reach him was heartbreaking

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +1

      The look on his face around 31:14 when Lightning offers to help him is gut-wrenching. Biggest tell for how much has happened to him in her absence

  • @clare253
    @clare253 Год назад +2

    I really appreciate these videos. The characters are so real. Keep up the great work!

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад

      Thanks so much! Can't help but notice you share a name with one of them lol

    • @clare253
      @clare253 Год назад

      @@wanderingbardgaming Haha, yes! I was very surprised by that reveal!

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад

      @@clare253 the name does seem fitting though. Not sure how to explain why

    • @clare253
      @clare253 Год назад +1

      @@wanderingbardgaming Your response was probably rhetorical but I was having fun thinking about it so I’ll reply anyway. This will sound self-serving as it is my name, too, but I say this in context to Lightning. I’m sure, on the surface, the developers were just looking for a name that translates to “lightning”. So in this case the French word “l’ éclair”. Pretty much all forms of the name Cla(i)re mean light, clear, bright. Although in English, we’re not thinking of the literal meaning. We just hear the sound and what it evokes. So as to why it feels so fitting, I think has to do with the combination of the hard consonants and soft vowels. The ‘C’ giving a cutting edge, and the ‘a(i)re’ giving a soft, breathy finish. Lightning herself, at first glance, seems curt and rigid, but just under that veneer she is a deeply caring and tender person.
      Ha! Don’t know if that made sense, but thanks for humoring me.

  • @firstgenesis8925
    @firstgenesis8925 Год назад +1

    Yay I’m looking forward to the watch and the next analysis

  • @taroupriapus9760
    @taroupriapus9760 Год назад +2

    Snow has always been my crush m what a dashing man ❤

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад

      He is quite a man. Also behold: ruclips.net/channel/UCBzQ3QuY8NZqOl5YCVRyJlQcommunity?lb=Ugkx2wweV5goQokBF91wkpMk6DcO080kEXzX

  • @Juan-i3u4g
    @Juan-i3u4g Год назад

    He IS a HERO. With a heart in his hands ❤

  • @elmaof
    @elmaof Год назад +2

    Day one snow supporters where ya at

  • @jbcatz5
    @jbcatz5 Год назад

    The Fragments short story anthology duology has a couple of stories (one in Fragments Before and one in Fragments After) that follow Snow before his appearance in XIII-2 including how he became a l’cie again.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад

      I have heard of them, yup! Have yet to read them, but I want to at some point

  • @PluffieChats
    @PluffieChats Год назад

    I'm really glad I found these videos and your channel. I've been wanting to make a video about FFXIII for months now and I'm glad to see other people are currently doing it too! I remember first playing 13-2 and feeling angry with Snow because I felt like he seemed too aloof about Serah. I really like the way you framed it - that his concept of found family had expanded - and while I still kind of feel he seemed too distant with her, I have new appreciation for his characterization in 13-2! This is the first video of yours I've seen, but I'm excited to watch the others on FFXIII. Cheers!

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад

      Thinking on it, I do agree that he was more passive with Serah in XIII-2 for sure. I think I was focusing more on the positive with Vanille and Fang (although we do see a better side of him and Serah if you play the Coliseum DLC)
      Oh?? What kind of FFXIII video were you planning to make?

    • @PluffieChats
      @PluffieChats Год назад

      ​@@wanderingbardgaming I think the coliseum DLC was probably the only thing I didn't do in that game, so I'll definitely revisit that in the future, because I'm very curious!
      I have been wanting to make videos that are about things that matter to me - so they might be kind of light on hard-hitting facts or "objective truths", but instead investigate why certain games or other pieces of media have been influences in my life. I would really like to share things I'm passionate about and in general I like to share experiences that have shaped me. I'm not sure if anyone will be interested in watching them due to how personal the videos will be, but I'm hoping some people will be able to relate to what I share! I'm planning to make videos on FFXIII, the Kingdom Hearts series, an old and dead MMO i used to play, and a few other things. The FFXIII video specifically is going to be kind of a "passionate defense" since people rag on it so much, but again, more from the angle of "this is why *I* like it" vs something more like "this is why it is *objectively good*".
      I've been wanting to try RUclips for at least a decade now and I'm finally taking the plunge! Although after years of neglecting my writing skills, the scripting process has been a bit of a trial.
      Super excited for your future videos, I really appreciate Noel's character and would love to hear your thoughts on him!

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад

      @@PluffieChats I do have a video on the full thing if you want to skip the many hours of grinding required for some fights lol.
      Oooh gotcha; that's rather how RUclips started for me (and kind of how I don't lose focus) is just the entire notion of sharing things that matter to me. For me that's story, characters, and music, so that's what my channel name and brand have become is embracing those. I did sub to you, so I'm curious to see what you come up with! Def make the effort (and yeah, scripting is a pain. I'm writing an FFXIII summary script rn and it's gonna be LONG)
      Thanks so much! I mentioned this in another comment, but I'll technically be doing two videos on Noel since he'll come up in my Caius analysis too!

  • @joeill620
    @joeill620 Год назад

    Thank you for this video

  • @JC-rg2qp
    @JC-rg2qp Год назад +4

    They all were hero’s, it’s just complicated, as things are always shifting, and you’re a hero based on the current perspective.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +1

      That's fair. I was more making a play on his optimism and obsession with being a hero vs his depression with the thumbnail

  • @supersnow17
    @supersnow17 7 месяцев назад +1

    I named my YT channel after Snow, and if I ever get asked for a nickname, I just prefer people call me Snow.

  • @Riadurrohman
    @Riadurrohman Месяц назад

    Very dandy

  • @Danteslnferno
    @Danteslnferno 20 часов назад

    so far i’ve only played ff13 part 1 & 2
    snow is definitely one of my favorite characters ever, i love his personality & his love & dedication to serah & everyone around him.
    i still love him in ff13-2 & but what i didnt like & felt was out of character for him was to leave serah for an entire year without ever letting her know how hes doing or anything like that. thats just always bugged me & it felt weird
    which is amplified by the fact that hes just as he always was with serah when they reunite in sunleth so its not like he stopped loving her or anything like that, its just kind of a weird writing choice. it felt like they needed some way to have him not be present in ff13-2 & chose the weirdest way for that to happen.
    i wonder how you feel about it?

    • @Danteslnferno
      @Danteslnferno 20 часов назад

      and side note, some people think he left serah for like 3 years which is not true, they lived together in new bodhum for two years and he built her a school because she wanted to be a teacher.
      he was struggling with accepting that lightning might still be alive, but he chose to believe serah because no one else did and he knew that she would never be truly happy if her sister was out there somewhere and she just continued living without ever knowing the truth. and when he told her that he believed her and he wanted to go and find lightning for her, serah wanted to come with him but snow urged her not to come for the sake of her students and that he didnt want to put her life in danger.

  • @rileysmith117
    @rileysmith117 Год назад

    lightning doesn't really hate snow. the personality clash between the two.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад

      Their personalities did clash for sure. I think in the beginning she either hated Snow, or at the very least she didn't respect him or approve of him for Serah. She did take every chance she could to disparage him. Over time they both grew as people and came to understand each other. One of my favorite parts of doing these videos was seeing the progression of Lightning and Snow's friendship

    • @rileysmith117
      @rileysmith117 Год назад

      @@wanderingbardgaming yes. at the core both characters have hearts of gold. snow had is guard down but got him in trouble while lightning had her guard up kept others away puts herself in places she can't do by herself when help is needed.

  • @Teekayhuey_TK
    @Teekayhuey_TK Год назад +1

    Snow is a bigger hero than lightning ever is.
    For me snow has always been the hero he believed himself to be. Hopes mother dying was never his fault infact he gave hope and everyone who was being exciled a chance at survival. The fact he couldn't save them all isnt something anyone could ever blame Snow for, some of the people were saved and that is better than a 100% of them being dead. (Remember Nora had to have saved the people they were tasked to protect).
    Snow's heroic character to save people never changes throughout the games and that never changes in contrast to lightning. In lightnings DLC lightning gives up the moment she realises serah is gone and turns crystal to preserve her memory however Snow doesnt give up infact he continues the fight for 500 years. Snow should have been the main character

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +2

      I 100% agree that Nora dying wasn't Snow's fault.
      I will push back a bit on saying that Snow should have been the main character; I do think Lightning's arc works better for the series as a whole. I think Snow and Lightning's dynamic is one of the better ones in the game because both of them lose hope at various points through their respective journeys, and every time that happens they're there to pull the other out of darkness. They come a long way from Lightning hating his guts at the start of game 1

  • @LeMelleKH2
    @LeMelleKH2 9 месяцев назад

    Beautiful video! Im blanking on the song name at 3:00?

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  9 месяцев назад

      Thank you! The song is “Sunset Path” from Lightning Returns FFXIII; it’s the evening theme in the Wildlands

    • @LeMelleKH2
      @LeMelleKH2 9 месяцев назад

      @@wanderingbardgaming Yes! Thank you! Cant wait to watch the other character studies
      Edit: oh I see the music subtitles in the video now LOL

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  9 месяцев назад

      @@LeMelleKH2 of course!
      Yeah honestly I wasn't gonna bring that up; that subtitle appears a little bit before the song actually plays, so I didn't think it weird that you'd missed it.

  • @erickgramir
    @erickgramir 5 месяцев назад

    uhh moms are tough?

  • @EAchank
    @EAchank Год назад

    He should have been a more interesting character...could say that about Fang and Hope as well

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +1

      See, I have a lot to say about how Fang was written, but I do disagree about Snow and Hope. I loved both of them as characters. I get that both Snow and Hope weren't very likeable in the beginnings of their respective arcs, but I do like seeing how they grow.

    • @EAchank
      @EAchank Год назад

      @@wanderingbardgaming snow didnt really grow his whole story arch revolves around Serah and that didnt end well was kinda dropped entirely
      Hope... man I see some ppl like him but he was such a waste of time whole time he wants to kill Snow no really payoff in that situation and Hope in Lightning returns was basically a robot

    • @EAchank
      @EAchank Год назад

      @@wanderingbardgaming jsyk I wanted to like Snow coming into ff13 and in the first 1/2 of the game I thought he was just fine. Snow was relatable to me cause I'm a big strong handsome dude with a hot woman lol

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +2

      @@EAchank my take on Snow was that he had to learn to face harsh reality. His focus/desire was for Serah, but that wasn't his arc. His arc IMO was him having his confidence, bravado, and naivete stripped away and learning to stay true to himself even in the face of despair.
      And likewise, Hope's goal for a while was to kill Snow, but that's not what his arc was about. My take on Hope (which I'll dive more into in my next video) was that his arc was him growing up and learning to process and overcome fear. So while he didn't kill Snow, there was a payoff as him confronting Snow forced them both to acknowledge the loss and guilt, respectively, that they'd been running from and they grew as people because of it.

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +1

      @@EAchank re: wanting to like Snow, I do understand wanting to like a character abd ultimately not being able to. I had that experience with Machina Kunagiri in Type-0. But my wish with these vids is to show that even the characters that people don't connect with are well-written, for the most part, and to have dialogue with people who also played these games.

  • @jennaholmes6958
    @jennaholmes6958 Год назад

    Snow is one of the most anoying characters ever.
    He's one of the reasons I hate FF13

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +1

      Interesting...I feel like most people would have said that about Hope. I think both Snow and Hope have fantastic arcs though, even if they weren't the most endearing in FF13

  • @KyngD469
    @KyngD469 Год назад

    Please do Hope justice in your own way.
    That boy deserves the world. 🥲

    • @wanderingbardgaming
      @wanderingbardgaming  Год назад +1

      I did indeed do a Hope analysis! (And don't worry; I adore Hope's writing so all good)