Welcome back everyone. And sorry for such a delayed post. This was long overdue, but when I was not busy with IRL stuff I was preoccupied with playing games and not writing about them. A lot has happened since last I wrote. 9.1 finally hit the PTR and it is as disappointing as it is late. We also saw the release of the new Mortal Kombat movie which will piss off fans and confuse non-fans. A terrible movie all in all save for the final battle between Scorpion and Sub.Zero. That was cool, but not good enough to warrant a second movie.
Speaking of which we also had one of the most disappointing Star Wars days this week as the only real news was the premier of the Bad Batch. Because of course we don't have enough stories in the rebellion era with familiar faces, amiright? But that is a discussion for another time. Because we also have...
The first hald of patch 5.5 Slight Injury unto dawn. You can guess from my passive-agressive tone that I will be somewhat critical. Yes, I can be. I don't have a bias towards Final Fantasy. Now I didn't complete the whole story. the NieR raid is followed up by a series of weekly quests, that are still not done. Leave it to Yoko Taro, to take advantage of a video game being a video game. I didn't inderstand everything yet, but that is the beauty of Taro games. They are a confusing mess that destroy you emotionally. And the raid had some of the best mechanics in the game yet. Not only are you playing a rythm game with a flower girl as she yeets the Square Enix HQ at you multiple times, but it sort of makes sense in the narrative. I'm sold. I also understand those who preferred Ivalice and how it was remade to fit the canon of FFXIV, but as a fan of Yoko Taro, I've had a blast.
Moving on we have the finalee of the Sorrow of Werlyt. TL;DR: The Empire loses nother important territory. But of course there is more to tell. Naturally what everyone was wondering was wether our old pal Gaius will make it out alive. He actually did. Granted Shadowbringers was always good at making villains nuanced and somewhat likable, but van Baelsar is the only one to get a bona fide redemption arc. And it is glorious. To tell you the truth as badass as he was in 2.0 Gaius was a huge chump. I mean he struck a deal with Lahabrea, a guy who looks more satanic than satan himself. Yet his betrayal came as a surprise. Pathetic indeed. But Gaius survived. He relinquished his rank and became an Ascian hunter. But the past has the bad habit of not staying in the past. We knew the fate of some of his orphans. Livia and Rhytatyn are dead while Fordola is working for Eorzea now. But he had more kids who looked up to him, and a crazy madman used them to fuel his own Evangelion project hoping to use that to become emperor. Eventually he can rescue his last foster daughter and begin working on a new state free from imperial rule. What is most interesting is that I really enjoyed this storyline despite it using some of my most hated tropes. It was an absolute cliche storm. Gaius' orphans kept sacreficing themselves so that the final girl could surive. During the final fight between Gaius and Valens, the latter reveals to have studied the former's combat data in detail, only for Gaius to reveal one special technique not included in the data. And he even pulls out the "I only need one bullet" trick. During the saddest part of the scene rain starts to fall, and Allie, the final rescued girl, stays catatonic from her trauma till Gaius remembers to show her the recorded memories of her foster siblings. It's riddiculous how many clichés are included. But somehow the story makes it work. The reasons are numerous, but I want to highlight one. Allie is not really just a passive damsel in distress who needs to be saved. Oh, no. She often takes initiative, nearly kills Valens herself and is shown to be an observant and often shrewd girl. She is anything but helpless. We also learn quite a lot of past events. Who was there at the Praetorium or during Zenos' attack on the resitance camp. Not quite Rashomon level, but we now have a clearer picture of events. All in all it was a great storyline. And it put me in the mood for some big fat tacos.
I'm less enthusiatstic about the MSQ however. I understand this is only the first part, but I was honestly underwhelmed. Everything is going too smoothly. We kill Lunar Bahamut in a dungeon. He isn't that difficult to kil either. We rescue Tiamat, make peace with the Amal'jaa and scout one of Fandaniel's towers. Oh and Estinien officially joins the Scions. And what is the terrible price we have to pay for all of this in a patch titles DEATH unto Dawn? The leadup to the apocalypse? Arenvald, somebody with deathflags around him all the time, getting so hurt that he needs medical attention. Yep, that's it. That is all. Pathetic. Now I don't want a Red Wedding, but I want consequences. As Mr Plinkett put it in his TPM review: "It really adds tension to the scene if the enemy force is useless". I need more than injuries and the usual swiftly undone Y'shtola deaths to make me care. If there is no feel of danger the player is not invested. Granted the patch was not all bad, but I really want to emphasize this, because I am approaching a breaking point. If by the end of 6.0 I wont feel that we have to struggle to save the world, I will say goodbye to Final Fantasy XIV. Maybe Diablo Immortal will finally release. We have the next alpha going on now, and everyone who is not the player character of Deckard Cain can die, and quite a few of them do. DuD showcased everything I like and dislike about the writing. The characters and their interactions are amazing. Just look at Estinien and how he relates to everyone else! Fordola is a fellow cynic, but one who embraced his cynical side. Alphinaud looks up to him as if they were brothers, and Estinien finds his idealism inspiring. Alisaie absolutely hates Estinien for mistaking her for Alphinaud and calling her rugged. And finally we have Krile, that Baldesion woman, who is halfway between annoying and terrifying. How many times Estinien was bribed and or blackmailed by Krile and Tataru is anyone's guess. Speaking of Fordola, she doesn't really get a redemption arc. Nor does she want one. She just investigates the towers for closure. She aided the Empire and fought for Zenos. Now Zenos is bringing about the apocalypse and she wants to know what she fought for. A completely understandable sentiment.
And finally since we brought thicc Sephiroth up, let's talk about the stinger. Zenos is one frame away from revealing the new melee job. Now be it Templar, Necromancer, Beast Master or Reaper, most agree that the new weapon will be a scythe. While we didn't see the weapon, we've got plenty clues to support this theory. Zenos draws the weapon with the same motion as a katana, yet the sound of the blade is more drawn out, suggesting a long horizontal blade. More importantly Fandaniel calls the weapon choice surprising but rather apt. For one, they are trying to end the world, Additionally Fandango was talking at lenght about how seeds have been sown and all they have to do is quicken. Now what you do with quickened seeds? You reap them of course.
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