Rinka ZhongAs a classic JRPG game, FFXIV‘s storyline perfectly follows the format of introduction, development, twist and conclusion. At the very beginning, our hero, warrior of light, accompanied with Mission partners, ships to a new area which may provide ways for them to save the planet. Obviously, it is not simple to know the method, so the protagonist and his party try to complete the tasks to show proof to the city’s council that they are trustworthy, while doing their secret investigation. These are the introduction and development parts of the game. The twist is that: when they eventually get the full picture of what’s going on, they find that the method the council provided is too conservative. Meanwhile, the enemy, who wants to burn the planet into nothingness, appears in front of all. To take the responsibility, they go head to head. From the fight and the conversation, we can know that in fact, the enemy is our old friend whose memory has been deleted clearly. The only thing she understands is that all the civilization in the universe is suffering from endless despair, and in order not to let the pain fill the world, she should end others’ lives first. As a solution, we bring the Elpis flower which represents love and hope to her. Through the flower, she remembers everything and prays for an end. Finally, we defeat our old friend and the world becomes bright again.
A difference from other chapters is that this version includes more allusions and references from myths, which let the story not just be a traditional adventure game. For instance, our enemy, Meteion, represents the side of the Creator and we humans represent the side of creatures. When sentiments begin to appear on Creator’s behavior, their god-like status starts to collapse. Since then great chaos has come to the world. With an attitude of Nihilism, Meteion practices the destruction of everything, which inspires our thinking about the classic question’ To be, or not to be’ and the meaning of fighting. In a word, this version is not just an adventure any more.
From my perspective, the game promotes a heroism, ‘there is only one heroism in the world: to see the world as it is, and to love it.’ (from Romain Rolland) Saving and keeping hope is not the only theme in Final Fantasy XIV now, but the love for lives after recognising reality matters more.
However, the section on philosophical thinking does not do well for most players. Nowadays, especially MMORPG players, pursue more for fun and excitement. They do not want the game to raise too many serious and profound problems. Such thinking is not suitable for them and thus leads to arguments. For example, some players consider Meteion as an incomprehensible extremist, but neglect the background and metaphors behind the character. From that, I cannot hold my belief that adding such thought-provoking matters is proper.
What the game does well is the portrayal of most characters. In the past, most characters were depicted like they have only one side; but now, they have many positions which will let them have different, flesh-and-blood images.
