Kuja's entire character arc is based around this collapse of playwright and actor. From the beginning he knew he was just a puppet acting to Garland's script, but he aspired to surpass Garland and write his own script. He failed when Garland destroyed Alexander, but he wasn't dissuaded. He thought of a new plan, and a new script, and this time it works and he defeats Garland. But then Garland reveals the truth to him. His part is already over, because Kuja was designed to only live long enough for Garland's true angel of death, Zidane, to be ready. Kuja is about to die. Therefore, for Kuja to escape Garland's script only one choice remains. He must destroy everything. He must destory Terra and Gaia, so that the souls of Terra can't take over Gaia and Garland's plan is ruined. Also, if you think about it, Necron is Kuja's Deus Ex Machina. Kuja is losing, with the last of his energy he uses a suicide attack. But it fails to kill the party. Then Necron descends to fulfill Kuja's play, to resolve the problem Kuja could not solve: finishing off the party. Defeating Necron puts an end to Kuja's script and condemns Kuja, who thought he was a script writer, to being just another actor. Kuja's final act, as he lies dying among the roots of the Iifa Tree, is to send Zidane and the party to safety. But Zidane refuses to leave him alone, and enters the Iifa tree. There Kuja tells Zidane that after he lost everything, he finally realized what it meant to live. While he never expounds on this, it's possible that once his script is ruined, he was finally able to see the world as it is and not as some play where he's writing the script. That he wasn't just directing actors on a stage. They were people, and many of them died.
As someone with a lifelong special interest in FF9, this is the most original analysis I've seen of it in a long time. Wonderful job. Also, Quina (my favorite character) refuses to pretend or perform, unlike literally everybody else in the cast. They're literally part of an agender race and they don't conform to humanoid gender identity. They refuse to lose their love for food, and in fact, their character arc - if anything - is being able to show that love even more (Quan's Dwelling scene), and being able to share their heart with their friends more (You're Not Alone scene + their frequent kind words to Vivi, even including the silly "I... so happy..." which I think was kind of genuine in a silly childish way). I love Quina so much.
As long as watching a couple of friends play 7 for a bit and thinking damn that looks ugly and boring (they were escaping after the reactor bombing) what part of this is the best game you've ever played? 9 was my first too, then I worked my way backwards. Have no regrets changing daggers name to a word that starts with p and ends with enis which did make laugh with how it unintentionally worked.
I think it's very interesting that Vivi, the character who is arguably the least 'alive' and has the shortest life, ends up full of so much life by the end.
Minor characters in FF9 who are playing roles: The theater troupe Prince Puck Queen Brahne Gilgamesh Ramuh Doctor Tot Cid Basically everyone in Dali village Of the playable team, arguably the only character who isn't playing a role is Quina.
@@AkaiAzulBoth are highly self-reflective characters (name one that isn't, I know). Freya is a knight to a lost kingdom, and thus a knight no longer, and yet there she goes. Amaranth is more of a philosopher and sage. He struggles to take any initiative at all unless he can puzzle out why he wants to, to begin with. He seems more like he plays the role of a sage, which necessitates him getting less screen-time, because of his unusual self-awareness.
@AkaiAzul freyas playing the patriot. Since its the only purpose to have after your people are genocided. Shes also playing the jilted ex as shes not as mad at Zidane for his antics as she lets on😊
Remember Lani, Amarant's partner assassin, who tried to seize Garnet for the Jewel? It is revealed that she ended up staying with the Moogles in Madain Sari, and ended up loving them and re-evaluating her life.
Ahhh the unusual battles near the end of the game while "you are not alone" plays and a disheartened Zidanes companions pop up to stand by him... a tear is literally rolling down my cheek. I love this game; great analysis - thanks a bunch!
I think this is wonderfully well argued! I hadn't really thought about how much everyone is 'playing a role'. Even Eiko is pretending to be grown-up and mature. One more point: the final scene. It is clear that the monologue being given throughout the vignettes is Vivi, however we never see him, only his children. It becomes clear that Vivi has ceased to function, and we are hearing his 'truth' at long last. To your point, he has 'faked it until he made it' and death was the end of the whole charade, he was no longer faking it, he was his true autonomous self - so much so he delivers the epilogue of the story. He caps out the importance of life, of living, of choices - much like a Shakespearean play, he closes out the production by reaffirming the themes from the entire piece. Very well done!
All he has to go off of is symbolism and parallels. This doesn't change the way the game is seen or viewed. It's just a set of fun facts. It doesn't say anything profound.
@@leargamma4912 He's pointing out symbolism and parallels. Which the viewer may not have noticed, and with which the game seems to be trying to say something. Whether or not pointing out that symbolism reveals a profound message, or changes the way the game is viewed, is a personal issue.
@@leargamma4912 Isn't that how things work? It's all just a set of fun facts if you devalue something and it doesn't have meaning to you but things are profound when you give it meaning.
100/10. Liked and subscribed. The conceptual connections you have so meticulously unearthed here have been an inexplicable charm that repeatedly drew me back to FFIX for decades. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Great work. I gotta say, I really appreciate how you correctly used "subconsciously" at 8:03 instead of saying "unconsciously," which is an extremely common error.
FFIX is still what I would consider Square's magnum opus for the PSX generation. The entire world, it's myriad high fantasy settings, and it's characters, both major and minor, were all so full of life and personality. The game and its world felt very much alive, and existed with real reason and purpose. It's still without question my favorite in the series, and in my arguably biased opinion, one of the best Square has ever made
after playing dark souls 2, that ending line really hit hard. theres a description that says something like, is death nature holding a mirror up to humanity, and you really gave an answer to the purpose in life in reflection. to live your life and forge an identity
Wonderful video! There's always so much thought behind video games. I'm making one myself and the sheer amount of thought put into every aspect of a game is astounding. Not to mention the jrpg gold era of the OG Playstation.
It was because of these details that I fell in love with video games. But the industry got lost along the way and today companies are no longer able to create games with the quality of the Playstation 1 era.
I think you might want to check out Outer Wilds, if you've never played it. It absolutely has that level of care and detail put into it, and you fall in love with a number of characters as you play the game and solve its mysteries. I wouldn't suggest looking up anything about it, as spoilers will absolutely ruin the game. The gameplay focuses very strongly around exploration, discoveries, and player knowledge, and gaining knowledge artificially is anathema to that. Let's just say it has the "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam and "Game of the Year" accolades for many gaming publications for a reason. (A lot of players have been very vocal about it being "the best game I have ever played" and "has permanently changed my outlook on life," as well.)
FF9's ending is so beautiful. It's not even my favorite FF, but it has my favorite ending easily. "Bring my beloved Dagger to me!" gets me every single time. Started with a performance and ended with one. Zidane even fakes his own death. I think the romance in FF9 is the best in the series. It's the little things like Zidane beneath Dagger on the ladder, or when he says they should start their own thief group called "The Betrothed". His love seems so real and sincere. Anyway, I digress.
I agree, FF9 has the best relationships between the main party ensemble. Though other entries have great individual characters, their connection to each other and to the story is often a bit thin.
A pity you had no comments on the battle gameplay of ff9, which is massively spectacular on it's own, the camera work on every single battle is very clearly meant to give a very cinematic feel to the actions, with abilities having all these dramatic close ups and what not. Also the friendly monsters exist in the game, which are just a simulacra of the regular battle gameplay on their own way.
As a small alternate to the last point, perhaps Garnet and Zidane embracing at the end is, instead, encouraging the spectator to fully, openly, and honestly embrace the performance, to show the love we have for the art. In this case, it's a very emotional way of saying "Thank you for playing," I think, and shows that the creators of this wonderful art want to love and embrace those that support their creations.
I dont know what I expected from this video just from the title, but it wasn't this beautiful, poignant investigation into how the core themes of FF9 are presented through its narrative. Thank you so much!
Vivi, along with all the FF9 cast of characters. Told me a truth that I needed in my childhood. That no matter what is someone's life. We have the right to choose our path in this world, and not let ourselve be guided by some string of false concept of "Destiny" After all. Wouldn't it be tragic to do something for a person that see us like puppets? To be discarded like we worth nothing after doing their bidding? We worth more then we though it to be.
FF9 is my favorite game and I am so glad I was recommended this video. I grew up watching my dad play this game, then played it myself as a kid, and have been picking it up every so often again and again. As someone who struggles with identity and compulsory performance, hearing this take where my favorite game itself revolves around performance and identity is fantastic and gave me a frame of reference to really consider on my next playthrough. Thank you!
This is a brilliant perspective. I knew ff9 was a reference to theater but how often it does it, your video surprised me. Thanks for acknowledging the reoccurring details.
His ending was so bittersweet. He knew exactly what was coming. Not sure how the others reacted. It's implied six months had passed after the Iifa Tree incident.
Oh my God what an absolutely wonderful video, you've made something truly special and to think that a little game from my childhood that i barely understood at the time could have so much meaning is unbelievable
My take from this perspective is 13:08 The idea of missing someone's identity or having identity crisis of who they're really are is really on point! I really appreciate this piece and advice from the end of the video! Its so fitting.
Amazing video, I'm so glad I clicked it on a whim. FF9 will always be my favorite FF; I always struggle to put into words exactly why that is. I knew the theatrical component was part of it (as I am a big fan of theater), but I never knew it ran so deep in FF9's DNA. 10/10 video for sure, liked and subscribed
I loved FF9 and played it so many times, and this video opens up a whole new perspective and layer into the Garnet references with Sphene. Just how Garnet is actually not the real princess Garnet, and just a replacement, Sphene is also not the real/original Queen Sphene, just an imitation/copy/replacement, both are also named after gems, and forcefully thrust into their respective roles by their people, Garnet by Brahne, and Sphene by her people. I loved the entire second half of Dawntrail and Sphene is a wonderfully done reference to Garnet in my personal opinion.
It feels like a lot of players have finally gotten around to trying 9. I'm seeing more and more people say it's their favorite now. I love it, there's a reason why it's the creator of the franchise's favorite game.
I call Dagger "Knives" every time. Quilianna also means "weighty". I don't know why I'm sharing this. I keep everyone else's names as default, but absolutely love changing these two.
Thanks for the work dude, you have a very nice way of expressing and speaking. Btw, lovet the image of "they fall into the text". Very nice theatrical analysis
This was fantastic. First video I have watched from you and instantly subbed. The analysis of themes and presentation you've dissected here, in my favourite FF, and related to life's mysteries and deeper questions, is greatly appreciated. 👏👏
You were explaining something entirely different about the love letter scene at 4:07, but with the theater and Shakespeare connection in my mind all I could think while watching it was how that could be a scene right out of Much Ado About Nothing. It's the exact kind of misunderstanding and confession that occurs all over that play.
I was in actual tears at the end of this. Playing this game with my partner was one of our foundational experiences as a couple and we named our kiddo after Dagger so this game is very close to my heart. Thank you for making this and for describing all the things I love about it but don't have the words for.
What a well written video! There is a lot about ix that is so special to me and has always been and the way you went into details about its parallels to theatre really opened my eyes to me understanding it on a different level. This game will always be special to me. And you expressed it perfectly. Really. Thank you. ❤
By far the most interesting take I've seen for ff9. Whenever I play the game now I won't be able to stop noticing these spectacle-to-spectator setups and the real/fake themes. Thank you for the different perspective.
I replayed it and now I think people who think FF9 is good just have sophomoric tastes, like people who think DS9 is the best Star Trek. Of all the Final Fantasies I've played (6-10) it's the most forgettable. I literally could not recall any of these scenes even in the beginning. The whole "it's like a play" theme is on the money, sure, as in it's like a lousy stage performance where none of the stakes seem real and everyone is overacting. Zidane is basically Locke from FF6 except instead of being on the side as someone like him is suited for, he takes center stage. He's heroic, just 'cuz. No wonder it was considered such a letdown back then and FF8 was revered as the peak even after 10 came out. FF9 has some really memorable characters because they're fun and colorful unique folklore types, but everything else is pretty mediocre at best.
FF9 is probably my favorite out of any. Each has a special place in memory and heart. FF9 however hold such a deeply resounding attachment. Great synopsis
This is a great video! Good deconstruction of the theatre framework--we see the series play with this early on in Final Fantasy 6 and then the theatre scene in 7, but 9 really takes it all the way home. It's such a special game. So visually and narratively simple which made it digestible to even my 11 year old self at the time it released. Yet it's so unimaginably deep that I'm still thinking about it 24 years later. Your video gave me a perspective I hadn't considered though which is just how much they play with the camera angles and animations to relay a theatrical drama.
This is a fascinating point of view. I love FFIX so much, as it was the first chapter in the series I've played solo, and I never thought about it in such a way. This subtext you just pointed out makes this beloved chapter of mine even more lovable, honestly.
I love this so much. I'd like to add that Kuja is stuck in his role believing he's the better creation when he isn't, yet he played many roles: working with the queen as an advisor, Garland's loyal agent of war, the Angel of Death (when he isn't), etc.
30 seconds in and you've adequately captured why I loved and continue to love this game so much. I played countless games, before and after 9, and it's just so special. Edit: excellent video, subbed
FF9 - man, imagine what could've been had the final boss wasn't Necron. A no-name entity arrives and upstage's the emotional turbulence between Zidane & Kuja. Majority of the time spent in the game is attempting to stop Kuja, and then the game makes Necron's reveal feel like it doesn't belong. Necron could have been introduced or hinted at much earlier which would have generally fixed all of the issues people have with it's existence as a final boss. FF9 is so close to being on FF6's level, and would be, if the ending was more climactic.
The execution of this video is fantastic! *chef's kiss* I hadn't thought about this perspective until now. I'm not a gamer, but I adore a good story. (Theater, literature, band nerd for life!) My husband got me into watching him play when FFX came onto the scene. Since then, I have developed a deep appreciation for the series. Great job!
I must admit to have been too absorbed by the play the game is, to notice the intricacies you pointed out here. Much appriciated for these wonderful insights! Subbed!
Garnet actually is a princess. Her mother was the queen. She escaped with her daughter who is the princess. Braun had her mother killed and lied to Garnet over what transpired. Braun became the queen of Alexandria as Garnet’s defecto mother. Since there is no King, by default the crown goes to next in line. It’s hinted at in the beginning. This is why Garnet has feelings for Braun as a mother figure. She’s not a fake princess.
@@gnosis_gaming but that has nothing to do with it or no baring in her status as a princess or queen. She is adopted but she's still a royal in that respect. Calling her "false or fake" makes it confusing and as if she has an identity order. You played the game u kno the story, we're introduced to Garnet's dream/memory as a child with her mother in the dinghy escaping from the summer village unfortunately her mother died and Beatrix was the one who found her and took her back to the castle where the queen adopted her thus making her a princess by right. And yes it was at the queens hand that Garnet lost her mother among her other family but she didn't even remember those parts of her past she basically had amnesia so to her this life as a royal, as a princess is all she knows. And she was trying to "act" a different when when changing her speech she literally asked Zidane how ppl talk, regular ppl and how to blend in he even said she should talk differently. Steiner even calls Zidane a country bumpkin cause all they kno is living life in a high social class standing. Again if you played the game and paid attention you'd kno there's no need for all this convoluted exposition that isn't necessary or makes sense. I get the whole "the world is a stage" aspect of what you explained which looking back is true but other than that, that's about it.
@@ashtonashton7559 I see the point you’re making, though I don’t think it hinders the analysis. Her life until the beginning of the game is predicated on a belief in the fact that she is actually Princess Garnet. She’s performing an identity that’s not inherently her own, which means that she isn’t the authentic Alexandrian princess, though she nevertheless manages to become a legitimate Alexandrian Queen.
These details were well observed. I think also of Freya questing for Fratley, who then can't remember her and as such both is and isn't her lover. That his memory, his old self, never returns contrasts with the dramatic self-revelations the main characters despair through. So who's fate was worse? And was Freya's forgottenness worse than death, as implied by how she's quoted in the game guide? Being forgotten is surely a kind a of death, as is remembering who you really are. But the game seems to contradict the "worse than" comparison by ultimately recoupling Freya and Fratley. It potentiates a new history for them in both the ruins of a Burmecia that calls them to rebuild it (a symbol of their relationship) and in the bliss of now: "How long will it take to rebuild Burmecia?" "I don't care, as long as I am with you [...] I just want to cherish our time right now." Thanks for your thoughts.
@@umamicashflow1809 Freya is one of my favorite characters. I would have loved to include a section about her, but I felt my video was dragging a bit and I ended up making some cuts
What an outstanding video , this is my favorite game of all time and i finished it more than 10 times. I always thought that this game is a theatre opera so i'm proud somebody made a video about the "literature aspect" of ff9. I share everything you said . One thing i was thinking about was about Necron , even dough it is personification of death /end of all, following your thoughts about the play , the characters defeat necron (personification of both death and "acting") and became creators of their own destiny , they stop acting and live without any "role". The fact that zidane and garnet stop pretending at the end is the whole representation of this game , because as almost every ff game this is a love story. Hope this is right. Thanks for this video
1:40 After this scene, that very thin line between the game being a stage play for us, the players, becomes even thinner, as the band playing music is interrupted, and the music we hear as players is disrupted. It sets it up as if that very band in-universe, is the one playing all the music for us throughout the game. It's incredibly subtle and is over in a matter of seconds, but it's such a great detail that I want to add it here.
This game shaped my perception of what a game could and should be for my entire life. I finished the game for the first time at 10 years old. I cried for the first and last time at a video game. Nothing since has recaptured that emotional fire.
Awesome video. FF9 was my favorite one ultimately. Most people I knew always said FF7 was the best and I like that game a lot, but FF9 felt like a true return to what FF games great to begin with. The combination of modern and might and magic in 7 was cool but it felt great when the FF series went back to it's roots with 9.
I really like Steiner, he is a man with one duty and he will go all the way in, it also helps how many times he saved my bacon by being the impregnable fortress, man every time he tranced i was sure i would not get a game over while it lasted.
Thanks for giving me a whole new perspective to see FF9 from. It's my favourite FF, and I almost thought there wasn't anything else I could learn. You're also a great speaker.
ff9 always felt like sakaguchi-san's message to us players. a prayer for us to all fight for life and beauty. so he showed us a world that had such deep warmth and comfort, yet under assault at its very foundation. i love steiner because he starts off as a cold man, a real stuffed shirt. but his love of his nation, his duty to the princess, and his love for beatrix turn him into a man on fire, finally certain of what he must do to make the world a better place. we should all be so lucky.
Excellent video reflecting on the themes and narrative of FFIX. "The world's a stage, and we're all actors", so it makes a lot of sense that a game that muses on life and death so much would focus on the roles we choose to play while we're on that stage. FFXIV dawntrail spoilers (people buffer these out with a few period lines, right?) . . . . . . . . VERY interesting to reflect on the elements of "Simulation" in ffix, given that ffxiv's equivalent to Memoria, Living Memory, is essentially a massive series of computer systems using people's saved memories to simulate and play out continued lives for those that were lost, complete with staging previously connected people together as if creating crowd-pleasing scenes of a play where loved ones reunite. The simulated people both are and aren't "real", they're a machine creating reactive people who play out the role of the lost people, but they're very Real to the people determined to keep living memory running, at all costs. A stage play that goes on forever, with orchestrators that travel between worlds to rob them of everything they have, of their lives themselves, in order to run it forever. In a way, Living Memory and FFXIV's Alexandria in general are almost like the darkest reflection imaginable of Tantalus, twisted together with the Terrans and the Genomes. Instead of the stage play being a facade for Tantalus' theft, FFXIV's Alexandria's theft is the means by which their ever-growing stage play goes on forever... There's also a lot in dawntrail about learning how to fulfill roles, how to grow and change and learn by engaging with the narratives and roles and stories of the people around you... About how sometimes ceremonies are facades played out to facilitate neccesity, or about how sometimes "necessity" is a hollow facade to carry a ceremony whose purpose is lost or forgotten...
Years ago I saw a FF9 video about how FF9 is first and foremost a story about acceptance in front of the inevitable (namely the death by fusion of both worlds which litteraly can't be stopped, same as aging really..) and that is was the reason for the final boss to be darkness, coming "out of nowhere" (never seen before in the game, nor mentionned). Though it's probably a misstranslation (boss' name is probably despair or depression) it doesn't come from nowhere : the heroes are all KO's and when you choose who will fight it, it's the hope placed by the non fighting members that give energy to their mates. Your video make a good complement to this argument, acceptance through getting rid of your persona only to be yourself, with all the good and the bad that entails, and the possibility to keep doing your best is only known to those who don't fake who they are.
I thought this video would suck but actually it was pretty clever and made me think about my own work and the role I might be playing without realizing
Great video! So many layers on the theatrical roots of the game. I really like when games involve the player in the story indirectly through presentation, and use those links to develop the main themes even further. Remedy does this a lot, in Alan Wake 2 for exemple. In FF 9 its the performers and the audience and in Alan Wake, the writer and the readers. Alan has the ability to change the story by rewriting it, but it has to be plausible, it can’t be just a happy ending, in other words, it has to be interesting to us, the readers. Alan servers as a vessel for the writers of the game that want to deliver a good story for us, and we fill the role of players in the vessel of the readers. Great media literacy! Learned a lot from this video
@@gnosis_gaming Yeah, I’m specially proud of these ones. I really tried to up my game with them and it took a lot of effort. How you doing? All good? And don’t worry about it, we don’t always got the time, haha. Looking forward to your feedback on them.
I'm not sure if anyone has pointed out yet, but another thing that reinforces the "theatrical" idea is that this final fantasy reintroduces the concept of classes in the series, so each character has one well defined role in the party, unlike the previous ff7 and ff8 where the player was free to choose each character's skills
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Kuja's entire character arc is based around this collapse of playwright and actor. From the beginning he knew he was just a puppet acting to Garland's script, but he aspired to surpass Garland and write his own script. He failed when Garland destroyed Alexander, but he wasn't dissuaded. He thought of a new plan, and a new script, and this time it works and he defeats Garland.
But then Garland reveals the truth to him. His part is already over, because Kuja was designed to only live long enough for Garland's true angel of death, Zidane, to be ready. Kuja is about to die.
Therefore, for Kuja to escape Garland's script only one choice remains. He must destroy everything. He must destory Terra and Gaia, so that the souls of Terra can't take over Gaia and Garland's plan is ruined.
Also, if you think about it, Necron is Kuja's Deus Ex Machina. Kuja is losing, with the last of his energy he uses a suicide attack. But it fails to kill the party. Then Necron descends to fulfill Kuja's play, to resolve the problem Kuja could not solve: finishing off the party. Defeating Necron puts an end to Kuja's script and condemns Kuja, who thought he was a script writer, to being just another actor.
Kuja's final act, as he lies dying among the roots of the Iifa Tree, is to send Zidane and the party to safety. But Zidane refuses to leave him alone, and enters the Iifa tree. There Kuja tells Zidane that after he lost everything, he finally realized what it meant to live. While he never expounds on this, it's possible that once his script is ruined, he was finally able to see the world as it is and not as some play where he's writing the script. That he wasn't just directing actors on a stage. They were people, and many of them died.
Fantastic comment. The ending of ff9 always felt sort of confusingly non-sequitur to me plot wise but this framing is just perfect.
As someone with a lifelong special interest in FF9, this is the most original analysis I've seen of it in a long time. Wonderful job.
Also, Quina (my favorite character) refuses to pretend or perform, unlike literally everybody else in the cast. They're literally part of an agender race and they don't conform to humanoid gender identity. They refuse to lose their love for food, and in fact, their character arc - if anything - is being able to show that love even more (Quan's Dwelling scene), and being able to share their heart with their friends more (You're Not Alone scene + their frequent kind words to Vivi, even including the silly "I... so happy..." which I think was kind of genuine in a silly childish way). I love Quina so much.
@@THEMINDCASTLE I’m glad the big fans of FF9 have enjoyed watching.
FF9 was the first Final Fantasy I played. Strange one to start with, but I was hooked to the franchise from that day forward.
FF9 was my 3rd, and my favorite.
FF9 is my most replayed by far
@@diogenes3300 Mine too!
Me too, whenever someone mentioned FF, I always thought FF9 first then FF7 (because of the movie)
As long as watching a couple of friends play 7 for a bit and thinking damn that looks ugly and boring (they were escaping after the reactor bombing) what part of this is the best game you've ever played? 9 was my first too, then I worked my way backwards. Have no regrets changing daggers name to a word that starts with p and ends with enis which did make laugh with how it unintentionally worked.
I think it's very interesting that Vivi, the character who is arguably the least 'alive' and has the shortest life, ends up full of so much life by the end.
Johnny 5 is ALIVE!
The fact that Vivi's name in spanish means "I lived" (yo viví) is so poetic. By the end of FF9, there is no doubt that Vivi truly lived his life.
@@Pepe_da_farmer Im a portuguese speaker, in portuguese "vivi" has the same meaning than in spanish but I never realised that! Nice 😍 ty
Ff9 doesnt have a lead role theyre all leads. Cept amarant hes an after thought
@@36inc True, it's an ensemble cast. But I didn't say anything about the lead so you may have responded to the wrong comment.
Minor characters in FF9 who are playing roles:
The theater troupe
Prince Puck
Queen Brahne
Gilgamesh
Ramuh
Doctor Tot
Cid
Basically everyone in Dali village
Of the playable team, arguably the only character who isn't playing a role is Quina.
Quina has no filter 🤣
What roles are Freya and Armarant playing?
@@AkaiAzulBoth are highly self-reflective characters (name one that isn't, I know). Freya is a knight to a lost kingdom, and thus a knight no longer, and yet there she goes.
Amaranth is more of a philosopher and sage. He struggles to take any initiative at all unless he can puzzle out why he wants to, to begin with. He seems more like he plays the role of a sage, which necessitates him getting less screen-time, because of his unusual self-awareness.
@AkaiAzul freyas playing the patriot. Since its the only purpose to have after your people are genocided. Shes also playing the jilted ex as shes not as mad at Zidane for his antics as she lets on😊
Because no one uses her and even the devs seemed to just kind of forget about her.
The algorithm works! Never enough FFIX love in the world!
FF9 is my comfy game
heeey, funny seeing you here lmao.
@@FuggetWeeble we are helping the algorithm with the power of parasocial relationships!
@@AlexiusYindor Lets goooo!
Algo brought me too
Remember Lani, Amarant's partner assassin, who tried to seize Garnet for the Jewel? It is revealed that she ended up staying with the Moogles in Madain Sari, and ended up loving them and re-evaluating her life.
i always saw her appear at the place everytime i entered the map but couldn't ever reach her in time i always wondered what it meant.
@@HorizonBiscuitYou can talk to her if you don't have Amarant or Garnet in your party
"that thing crying kupo kupo kept me up all night throw him out!" - Lani -
They should've done more with her. Maybe make a lenna and Faris type storyline where she's actually garnets sister
Ahhh the unusual battles near the end of the game while "you are not alone" plays and a disheartened Zidanes companions pop up to stand by him... a tear is literally rolling down my cheek. I love this game; great analysis - thanks a bunch!
FF6 is an opera, FF9 is a stage play.
That is a great way to put two of the best final fantasy games
and FF13 is a finger painting
@@coffeefiend9492FF13 is a french Arthouse movie.
FF15 is a passion play written by Shakespeare
FF16 Is an HBO show.
And FF7 is a marionette show
I do prefer the opera.
I think this is wonderfully well argued! I hadn't really thought about how much everyone is 'playing a role'. Even Eiko is pretending to be grown-up and mature. One more point: the final scene. It is clear that the monologue being given throughout the vignettes is Vivi, however we never see him, only his children. It becomes clear that Vivi has ceased to function, and we are hearing his 'truth' at long last. To your point, he has 'faked it until he made it' and death was the end of the whole charade, he was no longer faking it, he was his true autonomous self - so much so he delivers the epilogue of the story. He caps out the importance of life, of living, of choices - much like a Shakespearean play, he closes out the production by reaffirming the themes from the entire piece. Very well done!
All he has to go off of is symbolism and parallels. This doesn't change the way the game is seen or viewed. It's just a set of fun facts. It doesn't say anything profound.
@@leargamma4912 He's pointing out symbolism and parallels. Which the viewer may not have noticed, and with which the game seems to be trying to say something.
Whether or not pointing out that symbolism reveals a profound message, or changes the way the game is viewed, is a personal issue.
@@leargamma4912 Sorry you didn't like it 🥴
@@leargamma4912 yeah you're completely wrong lol
@@leargamma4912 Isn't that how things work? It's all just a set of fun facts if you devalue something and it doesn't have meaning to you but things are profound when you give it meaning.
100/10. Liked and subscribed. The conceptual connections you have so meticulously unearthed here have been an inexplicable charm that repeatedly drew me back to FFIX for decades.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Great work. I gotta say, I really appreciate how you correctly used "subconsciously" at 8:03 instead of saying "unconsciously," which is an extremely common error.
The song "you're not alone" suddenly took a whole new meaning after this video.
The most legendary scene in all of Final Fantasy franchise, pretty much the epitome of what FF stands for when that music starts playing!
FFIX is still what I would consider Square's magnum opus for the PSX generation. The entire world, it's myriad high fantasy settings, and it's characters, both major and minor, were all so full of life and personality. The game and its world felt very much alive, and existed with real reason and purpose. It's still without question my favorite in the series, and in my arguably biased opinion, one of the best Square has ever made
after playing dark souls 2, that ending line really hit hard. theres a description that says something like, is death nature holding a mirror up to humanity, and you really gave an answer to the purpose in life in reflection. to live your life and forge an identity
I don't often find videos that analyze FF9 compared to the others in the series, so they're always welcome for me. Great one.
FF9 is underappreciated for sure.
Wonderful video! There's always so much thought behind video games. I'm making one myself and the sheer amount of thought put into every aspect of a game is astounding. Not to mention the jrpg gold era of the OG Playstation.
It was because of these details that I fell in love with video games. But the industry got lost along the way and today companies are no longer able to create games with the quality of the Playstation 1 era.
I think you might want to check out Outer Wilds, if you've never played it. It absolutely has that level of care and detail put into it, and you fall in love with a number of characters as you play the game and solve its mysteries.
I wouldn't suggest looking up anything about it, as spoilers will absolutely ruin the game. The gameplay focuses very strongly around exploration, discoveries, and player knowledge, and gaining knowledge artificially is anathema to that.
Let's just say it has the "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam and "Game of the Year" accolades for many gaming publications for a reason. (A lot of players have been very vocal about it being "the best game I have ever played" and "has permanently changed my outlook on life," as well.)
FF9's ending is so beautiful. It's not even my favorite FF, but it has my favorite ending easily. "Bring my beloved Dagger to me!" gets me every single time. Started with a performance and ended with one. Zidane even fakes his own death.
I think the romance in FF9 is the best in the series. It's the little things like Zidane beneath Dagger on the ladder, or when he says they should start their own thief group called "The Betrothed". His love seems so real and sincere.
Anyway, I digress.
I agree, FF9 has the best relationships between the main party ensemble. Though other entries have great individual characters, their connection to each other and to the story is often a bit thin.
A pity you had no comments on the battle gameplay of ff9, which is massively spectacular on it's own, the camera work on every single battle is very clearly meant to give a very cinematic feel to the actions, with abilities having all these dramatic close ups and what not.
Also the friendly monsters exist in the game, which are just a simulacra of the regular battle gameplay on their own way.
Well the friendly monster side quest and the story battles are prolly the only not totally real encounters.
Because the battles are a chore. >30fps and minute long casting animations, trance animations & battle loading animations 😩
As a small alternate to the last point, perhaps Garnet and Zidane embracing at the end is, instead, encouraging the spectator to fully, openly, and honestly embrace the performance, to show the love we have for the art. In this case, it's a very emotional way of saying "Thank you for playing," I think, and shows that the creators of this wonderful art want to love and embrace those that support their creations.
I dont know what I expected from this video just from the title, but it wasn't this beautiful, poignant investigation into how the core themes of FF9 are presented through its narrative. Thank you so much!
Vivi, along with all the FF9 cast of characters. Told me a truth that I needed in my childhood. That no matter what is someone's life.
We have the right to choose our path in this world, and not let ourselve be guided by some string of false concept of "Destiny"
After all. Wouldn't it be tragic to do something for a person that see us like puppets? To be discarded like we worth nothing
after doing their bidding? We worth more then we though it to be.
FF9 is my favorite game and I am so glad I was recommended this video. I grew up watching my dad play this game, then played it myself as a kid, and have been picking it up every so often again and again. As someone who struggles with identity and compulsory performance, hearing this take where my favorite game itself revolves around performance and identity is fantastic and gave me a frame of reference to really consider on my next playthrough. Thank you!
This is a brilliant perspective. I knew ff9 was a reference to theater but how often it does it, your video surprised me.
Thanks for acknowledging the reoccurring details.
Vivi made me cry
Vivi is the best character in the game and one of the best FF characters in general.
His ending was so bittersweet. He knew exactly what was coming. Not sure how the others reacted. It's implied six months had passed after the Iifa Tree incident.
When I played ff9 the first time, I didn't know English well, so imagine my surprise when I was replaying it years after 😢
Sorry bae
My son...
Oh my God what an absolutely wonderful video, you've made something truly special and to think that a little game from my childhood that i barely understood at the time could have so much meaning is unbelievable
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it
10/10 can't wait to see your analytical process applied to other works.
Thanks! I have some other videos like this one you may enjoy.
My take from this perspective is 13:08
The idea of missing someone's identity or having identity crisis of who they're really are is really on point!
I really appreciate this piece and advice from the end of the video! Its so fitting.
Baudrillard must be very proud
FF9 is like the last Final Fantasy with a happy ending
FFXIII almost kept it, until the sequels came like the universe with the cosmic reminders...
Amazing video, I'm so glad I clicked it on a whim. FF9 will always be my favorite FF; I always struggle to put into words exactly why that is. I knew the theatrical component was part of it (as I am a big fan of theater), but I never knew it ran so deep in FF9's DNA. 10/10 video for sure, liked and subscribed
Thanks for clicking!
coming to watch this after finishing FFXIV
nice!! i loved dawntrail and the FFIX references it had, can't wait for post msq!
I loved FF9 and played it so many times, and this video opens up a whole new perspective and layer into the Garnet references with Sphene. Just how Garnet is actually not the real princess Garnet, and just a replacement, Sphene is also not the real/original Queen Sphene, just an imitation/copy/replacement, both are also named after gems, and forcefully thrust into their respective roles by their people, Garnet by Brahne, and Sphene by her people.
I loved the entire second half of Dawntrail and Sphene is a wonderfully done reference to Garnet in my personal opinion.
It feels like a lot of players have finally gotten around to trying 9. I'm seeing more and more people say it's their favorite now. I love it, there's a reason why it's the creator of the franchise's favorite game.
I call Dagger "Knives" every time.
Quilianna also means "weighty".
I don't know why I'm sharing this. I keep everyone else's names as default,
but absolutely love changing these two.
Calling her Knives is a fun way to make fun of the fact that Dagger is actually a ridiculous name. 🤣😂
Thanks for the work dude, you have a very nice way of expressing and speaking.
Btw, lovet the image of "they fall into the text". Very nice theatrical analysis
This was fantastic. First video I have watched from you and instantly subbed. The analysis of themes and presentation you've dissected here, in my favourite FF, and related to life's mysteries and deeper questions, is greatly appreciated. 👏👏
Thanks and welcome to the channel!
You were explaining something entirely different about the love letter scene at 4:07, but with the theater and Shakespeare connection in my mind all I could think while watching it was how that could be a scene right out of Much Ado About Nothing. It's the exact kind of misunderstanding and confession that occurs all over that play.
😊 I love Much Ado, but my favorite comedy is As You Like It
I was in actual tears at the end of this. Playing this game with my partner was one of our foundational experiences as a couple and we named our kiddo after Dagger so this game is very close to my heart. Thank you for making this and for describing all the things I love about it but don't have the words for.
I'm really glad my vid was able to touch you! And welcome to the channel 😌
If you named your child "dagger", then you have more than a few worries as a parent
@@leargamma4912 Probably they named their child 'Garnet'? 🤔
.. or Sarah 🥸
coming to this after finishing Dawntrail made me appreciate it even more
This was a really beautiful and insightful analysis of FF9. I genuinely hadn't noticed, or even considered, the themes of theater. Excellent work!
@@crosswire40 thank you!
What a well written video! There is a lot about ix that is so special to me and has always been and the way you went into details about its parallels to theatre really opened my eyes to me understanding it on a different level. This game will always be special to me. And you expressed it perfectly. Really. Thank you. ❤
Thank you!
This was a wonderful video that encourages deeper thought not only about the game itself but our own existence and actions. Very well done.
You being so well read brings out so much of the narrative of this game. Hope to see future videos like this one.
This was EXCELLENT! You brought new life to one of my favorite games.
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it
My personal favorite game of all time, beautifully understood by you. You've got a sub.
Good video but you left out any mention of best girl Freya.
Freya is one of my favorites too
@@gnosis_gaming I would love to hear you about her.
By far the most interesting take I've seen for ff9. Whenever I play the game now I won't be able to stop noticing these spectacle-to-spectator setups and the real/fake themes. Thank you for the different perspective.
You've given me a whole new perspective on FF9. Time to replay it and gain a whole new appreciation.
I replayed it and now I think people who think FF9 is good just have sophomoric tastes, like people who think DS9 is the best Star Trek. Of all the Final Fantasies I've played (6-10) it's the most forgettable. I literally could not recall any of these scenes even in the beginning. The whole "it's like a play" theme is on the money, sure, as in it's like a lousy stage performance where none of the stakes seem real and everyone is overacting. Zidane is basically Locke from FF6 except instead of being on the side as someone like him is suited for, he takes center stage. He's heroic, just 'cuz. No wonder it was considered such a letdown back then and FF8 was revered as the peak even after 10 came out. FF9 has some really memorable characters because they're fun and colorful unique folklore types, but everything else is pretty mediocre at best.
And just like that I'm playing FFIX again. Brilliant video!
FF9 is probably my favorite out of any. Each has a special place in memory and heart. FF9 however hold such a deeply resounding attachment. Great synopsis
This is a great video! Good deconstruction of the theatre framework--we see the series play with this early on in Final Fantasy 6 and then the theatre scene in 7, but 9 really takes it all the way home. It's such a special game. So visually and narratively simple which made it digestible to even my 11 year old self at the time it released. Yet it's so unimaginably deep that I'm still thinking about it 24 years later. Your video gave me a perspective I hadn't considered though which is just how much they play with the camera angles and animations to relay a theatrical drama.
All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts
Beatrix gets so many monologues. She enters, her theme plays and its almost like she gets a spotlight for her moments I love it
This is a fascinating point of view. I love FFIX so much, as it was the first chapter in the series I've played solo, and I never thought about it in such a way. This subtext you just pointed out makes this beloved chapter of mine even more lovable, honestly.
I have a soft spot for 9 too. I think 7 may be objectively a better story, but 9 is comfy for me.
I love this so much. I'd like to add that Kuja is stuck in his role believing he's the better creation when he isn't, yet he played many roles: working with the queen as an advisor, Garland's loyal agent of war, the Angel of Death (when he isn't), etc.
@@ruinedkuria interesting!
I never thought about this in the history of the game, it's really brilliant how this game never stops surprising me!
FF9 was inspirational. There's so much it did so amazingly that it stands out from most other games.
Idk how I ended up here. This was my first FF game as a kiddo. Replayed it many times in my life. Thanks for making this video. Really touched me
"You owe them nothing." ...Oh god, my friend, I started tearing up. Beautiful video
@@VervaraRozthan I’m glad you enjoyed it!
That was honestly better than a MatPat video during its golden age.
That was a great analysis of the story, world and characters!
Thank you!
I'm sure he feels offended by the comparison
I don't know how many times I've played this game over the years, and you made me appreciate its story even more. Thank you.
I'm glad I could do that for you!
I'm excited to see you grow, gnoses! You deserve millions of subscribers!
This was a good video considering FF14 just had an entire FF9 themed expansion
Eh. Its only sorta themed after ff9. It name drops Alexandria but it has nothing to do with the actual game.
This was a wonderfully told retrospective of the themes of FF9. Very good work.
Great insight! That was an excellent watch
30 seconds in and you've adequately captured why I loved and continue to love this game so much. I played countless games, before and after 9, and it's just so special.
Edit: excellent video, subbed
Hope you get 10k subs soon. It's an underrated channel
this is a really nice analysis, you pointed out aspects i'd never noticed or considered before. what strong themes, so much to appreciate.
@@cinnasauria thank you!
I'm 1 minute into this video and I realize, every Final Fantasy is my favorite Final Fantasy.
Lore of FF9 Is Not What It Seems momentum 100
Wonderful analysis!
Thank you!
FF9 - man, imagine what could've been had the final boss wasn't Necron. A no-name entity arrives and upstage's the emotional turbulence between Zidane & Kuja. Majority of the time spent in the game is attempting to stop Kuja, and then the game makes Necron's reveal feel like it doesn't belong. Necron could have been introduced or hinted at much earlier which would have generally fixed all of the issues people have with it's existence as a final boss. FF9 is so close to being on FF6's level, and would be, if the ending was more climactic.
FANTASTIC video my man! Have a sub!
Literally made my entire day! Thank you
I'm glad you enjoyed it so much!
@@gnosis_gaming i never considered this perspective before, it really opened my eyes to looking at FFIX and all media in a different light.
Just want to say I love the choice of music in this.
Thanks! Picking music is always the hardest part 😅
Came to say the same thing. Incredible music choices. Nice change of pace from using the game music, yet it feels so fitting.
My favourite game of all time and this is something I never picked up on. Well done for connecting those dots, this was really interesting to watch
The execution of this video is fantastic! *chef's kiss* I hadn't thought about this perspective until now.
I'm not a gamer, but I adore a good story. (Theater, literature, band nerd for life!) My husband got me into watching him play when FFX came onto the scene. Since then, I have developed a deep appreciation for the series.
Great job!
I'm glad you appreciated the editing! Haha, it's more work than it looks 🤣
Wow! I've loved this game for my whole life, and you've put such a fresh polish on its themes!
I must admit to have been too absorbed by the play the game is, to notice the intricacies you pointed out here. Much appriciated for these wonderful insights! Subbed!
Garnet actually is a princess. Her mother was the queen. She escaped with her daughter who is the princess. Braun had her mother killed and lied to Garnet over what transpired. Braun became the queen of Alexandria as Garnet’s defecto mother. Since there is no King, by default the crown goes to next in line. It’s hinted at in the beginning. This is why Garnet has feelings for Braun as a mother figure. She’s not a fake princess.
@@bulletproofrecon1082 That’s true! But she is a false Garnet. She’s not the legitimate heir to the throne of Alexandria.
@@gnosis_gaming but that has nothing to do with it or no baring in her status as a princess or queen. She is adopted but she's still a royal in that respect. Calling her "false or fake" makes it confusing and as if she has an identity order.
You played the game u kno the story, we're introduced to Garnet's dream/memory as a child with her mother in the dinghy escaping from the summer village unfortunately her mother died and Beatrix was the one who found her and took her back to the castle where the queen adopted her thus making her a princess by right.
And yes it was at the queens hand that Garnet lost her mother among her other family but she didn't even remember those parts of her past she basically had amnesia so to her this life as a royal, as a princess is all she knows.
And she was trying to "act" a different when when changing her speech she literally asked Zidane how ppl talk, regular ppl and how to blend in he even said she should talk differently. Steiner even calls Zidane a country bumpkin cause all they kno is living life in a high social class standing.
Again if you played the game and paid attention you'd kno there's no need for all this convoluted exposition that isn't necessary or makes sense.
I get the whole "the world is a stage" aspect of what you explained which looking back is true but other than that, that's about it.
@@ashtonashton7559 I see the point you’re making, though I don’t think it hinders the analysis. Her life until the beginning of the game is predicated on a belief in the fact that she is actually Princess Garnet. She’s performing an identity that’s not inherently her own, which means that she isn’t the authentic Alexandrian princess, though she nevertheless manages to become a legitimate Alexandrian Queen.
These details were well observed.
I think also of Freya questing for Fratley, who then can't remember her and as such both is and isn't her lover. That his memory, his old self, never returns contrasts with the dramatic self-revelations the main characters despair through. So who's fate was worse? And was Freya's forgottenness worse than death, as implied by how she's quoted in the game guide? Being forgotten is surely a kind a of death, as is remembering who you really are. But the game seems to contradict the "worse than" comparison by ultimately recoupling Freya and Fratley. It potentiates a new history for them in both the ruins of a Burmecia that calls them to rebuild it (a symbol of their relationship) and in the bliss of now: "How long will it take to rebuild Burmecia?" "I don't care, as long as I am with you [...] I just want to cherish our time right now." Thanks for your thoughts.
@@umamicashflow1809 Freya is one of my favorite characters. I would have loved to include a section about her, but I felt my video was dragging a bit and I ended up making some cuts
What an outstanding video , this is my favorite game of all time and i finished it more than 10 times. I always thought that this game is a theatre opera so i'm proud somebody made a video about the "literature aspect" of ff9.
I share everything you said . One thing i was thinking about was about Necron , even dough it is personification of death /end of all, following your thoughts about the play , the characters defeat necron (personification of both death and "acting") and became creators of their own destiny , they stop acting and live without any "role". The fact that zidane and garnet stop pretending at the end is the whole representation of this game , because as almost every ff game this is a love story. Hope this is right.
Thanks for this video
Thanks!
Finally a legitimate analysis video essay instead of just a summary. Well done. FF9 is definitely my fave
1:40
After this scene, that very thin line between the game being a stage play for us, the players, becomes even thinner, as the band playing music is interrupted, and the music we hear as players is disrupted.
It sets it up as if that very band in-universe, is the one playing all the music for us throughout the game. It's incredibly subtle and is over in a matter of seconds, but it's such a great detail that I want to add it here.
@@87in7 great point!
This game shaped my perception of what a game could and should be for my entire life. I finished the game for the first time at 10 years old. I cried for the first and last time at a video game. Nothing since has recaptured that emotional fire.
Awesome video. FF9 was my favorite one ultimately. Most people I knew always said FF7 was the best and I like that game a lot, but FF9 felt like a true return to what FF games great to begin with. The combination of modern and might and magic in 7 was cool but it felt great when the FF series went back to it's roots with 9.
I also have a soft spot for 9
I really like Steiner, he is a man with one duty and he will go all the way in, it also helps how many times he saved my bacon by being the impregnable fortress, man every time he tranced i was sure i would not get a game over while it lasted.
Your exposure was moving and this wonderful game never ceases to surprise
Thanks!
Thanks for giving me a whole new perspective to see FF9 from. It's my favourite FF, and I almost thought there wasn't anything else I could learn.
You're also a great speaker.
FF9 is also my fav
ff9 always felt like sakaguchi-san's message to us players. a prayer for us to all fight for life and beauty. so he showed us a world that had such deep warmth and comfort, yet under assault at its very foundation. i love steiner because he starts off as a cold man, a real stuffed shirt. but his love of his nation, his duty to the princess, and his love for beatrix turn him into a man on fire, finally certain of what he must do to make the world a better place. we should all be so lucky.
Fantastic video! Can't wait for more!
Thanks!
This is the 2nd FF9 video Im watching that was recently uploaded. I am feeeeeeling that remake being announced any time now!!
I hope so too!
Excellent video reflecting on the themes and narrative of FFIX. "The world's a stage, and we're all actors", so it makes a lot of sense that a game that muses on life and death so much would focus on the roles we choose to play while we're on that stage.
FFXIV dawntrail spoilers (people buffer these out with a few period lines, right?)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
VERY interesting to reflect on the elements of "Simulation" in ffix, given that ffxiv's equivalent to Memoria, Living Memory, is essentially a massive series of computer systems using people's saved memories to simulate and play out continued lives for those that were lost, complete with staging previously connected people together as if creating crowd-pleasing scenes of a play where loved ones reunite.
The simulated people both are and aren't "real", they're a machine creating reactive people who play out the role of the lost people, but they're very Real to the people determined to keep living memory running, at all costs. A stage play that goes on forever, with orchestrators that travel between worlds to rob them of everything they have, of their lives themselves, in order to run it forever.
In a way, Living Memory and FFXIV's Alexandria in general are almost like the darkest reflection imaginable of Tantalus, twisted together with the Terrans and the Genomes. Instead of the stage play being a facade for Tantalus' theft, FFXIV's Alexandria's theft is the means by which their ever-growing stage play goes on forever...
There's also a lot in dawntrail about learning how to fulfill roles, how to grow and change and learn by engaging with the narratives and roles and stories of the people around you... About how sometimes ceremonies are facades played out to facilitate neccesity, or about how sometimes "necessity" is a hollow facade to carry a ceremony whose purpose is lost or forgotten...
Dude this is such a BEAUTIFUL Breakdown :: so glad this auto-played
Years ago I saw a FF9 video about how FF9 is first and foremost a story about acceptance in front of the inevitable (namely the death by fusion of both worlds which litteraly can't be stopped, same as aging really..) and that is was the reason for the final boss to be darkness, coming "out of nowhere" (never seen before in the game, nor mentionned).
Though it's probably a misstranslation (boss' name is probably despair or depression) it doesn't come from nowhere : the heroes are all KO's and when you choose who will fight it, it's the hope placed by the non fighting members that give energy to their mates.
Your video make a good complement to this argument, acceptance through getting rid of your persona only to be yourself, with all the good and the bad that entails, and the possibility to keep doing your best is only known to those who don't fake who they are.
I thought this video would suck but actually it was pretty clever and made me think about my own work and the role I might be playing without realizing
Haha, I'm glad I could win you over!
Beautiful explanation of performance and performer. While you have explained and explored, I have observed. Well played kind sir
Great video! So many layers on the theatrical roots of the game. I really like when games involve the player in the story indirectly through presentation, and use those links to develop the main themes even further.
Remedy does this a lot, in Alan Wake 2 for exemple. In FF 9 its the performers and the audience and in Alan Wake, the writer and the readers. Alan has the ability to change the story by rewriting it, but it has to be plausible, it can’t be just a happy ending, in other words, it has to be interesting to us, the readers.
Alan servers as a vessel for the writers of the game that want to deliver a good story for us, and we fill the role of players in the vessel of the readers.
Great media literacy! Learned a lot from this video
Thanks for the watch and comment! I haven't been active on YT recently, but I see you've got some new vids out. I'll have a look this week!
@@gnosis_gaming Yeah, I’m specially proud of these ones. I really tried to up my game with them and it took a lot of effort.
How you doing? All good?
And don’t worry about it, we don’t always got the time, haha. Looking forward to your feedback on them.
@@Igones That's great. Looks like they performed pretty well!
@@gnosis_gaming yeah, they did! And a lot of great feedback on them, the gaming essay community on youtube is awesome
I'm not sure if anyone has pointed out yet, but another thing that reinforces the "theatrical" idea is that this final fantasy reintroduces the concept of classes in the series, so each character has one well defined role in the party, unlike the previous ff7 and ff8 where the player was free to choose each character's skills
Yes, brings new meaning to the term ‘role playing’