Mario will always be my favorite franchise and it’s because of games like this. Creativity, innovation, artistic expression at its finest, this game has everything. Bosses are a little weak but that’s nothing to complain about when the game offers so much more. Level design is the best it’s been since the original entries and the wonder mechanic adds such a fun twist to every level. I will never grow tired of anticipating these games and playing them with my siblings. I completed every challenge and got all six of the medals, it was incredibly entertaining. It’s amazing to be a Mario fan right now.

I really wanted to come out of the ending satisfied, being able to find it within myself to fully accept the way FF16 executed its vision and say "despite its flaws it's very well done". But as the dust has settled, I find that while I still feel like its messages are extremely palpable and powerful, I didn't come out of the experience feeling wholly confident that FF16 executed itself to the best of its ability.

It's no secret now that this game is not actually a game of thrones politics heavy Final Fantasy game, but is actually just your typical JRPG romp. Make friends, save world, defy fate, etc etc. It's this first element especially that is essentially the lynchpin of the entire narrative, and it is the center of its focus on every level. From the plot, to the thematics, to the characters, to the game design YoshiP and Maehiro STRESS deeply the communities you've come to be a part of, as well as the power of the found family you’ve come to create. And I think through the sidequests this is done super well, but I don't love how these elements at times can take away from the main scenario experience. From the literal times which the plot halts completely and has you fill time by going around the hideaway, or how everytime you enter a new area you have to learn about its local town and the secret leaders who run them. While I find the former egregious, the latter isn't inherently problematic. I am a 14 fan after all, but the difference between 14 and 16 in this department is the potency of their writing and worldbuilding. I don't mind helping people do random BS in Shadowbringers cause Norvrandt is one of the richest worlds out there and Ishikawa writes with such charm and turn that random NPC's can really have an impact on how you view the world. Maehiro in 16 just really doesn't have the charm in his writing to consistently make his NPC's pop and Valisthea is just not an interesting enough setting to carry these more mundane sections. There is a lot of focus in trying to make some of the more significant NPC’s notable characters and I really appreciate that approach, but there really is only so far you can go with an NPC in terms of character writing.

It really ends up being a double edged sword, where while I do think it ultimately contributes to this holistic vision that can be satisfying (see the conclusions to many of the side quests), it at the same time draws focus away from things that definitely could've really used it like better exploration of the politics within Valisthea. This is something really made apparent by the fact that there’s literally a character who’s entire job is to explain to you the political state of the world on the handful of occasions Clive actually ships out on a mission.

I feel like every day I'd hop on 16 I'd feel different about it, more or less confident with its vision at each step, one day content and another quizzical. Funnily enough this is exactly like how I was with Endwalker, and I probably have it within myself nowadays to admit that Shadowbringers/Endwalker are my de facto top 1 fiction, but the difference here is I just don't think the quality of the writing is ever strong enough to really make my confliction ever bloom into deep appreciation and love.

That being said, I do really enjoy a lot of the game. I've been very critical of it simply because I think there is a lot to say about 16 as an experience, but ultimately there are still a lot of positives to remark on. The boss fights and setpieces are awesome, the cast is way better than I'd ever thought it'd be, Maehiro wrote his first truly great antagonist, the cutscene direction/general visuals are incredible, and I think in general the story has a really great sense of thematic cohesion which makes a lot of the moments land especially hard. This game is good, without a doubt in my mind do I think it's good but before I had first played it I said something to myself, which was I'd be content if it was at least better then Heavensward. And I haven't played Heavensward in so long, so it's hard for me to even make this judgment properly, but it's the fact that I can't be confident about it that gives me pause.

Endwalker is something that I approached with a lot of hesitation, doubting that it had much left of its story to tell, much left of its characters to explore, much left of its world to expand. And in a way, I was right, but Endwalker’s aim isn’t to just be another stepping stone for the overarching narrative. It is as most would say a “culmination”, and it is in this idea where I feel Endwalker once again repurposes that same cognition that made Shadowbringers feel so special.

In this instance acknowledging the titular “End” which this expansion represents, both philosophically and literally. While the former is the one many find the most interest in, and deservedly so, it’s the latter which really came off to me as profound. There’s something special about XIV’s meta storytelling, Ishikawa helmed expansions in particular, that really moves me. It’s not as if these expansions intend to muse upon the nature of the relationship between game and player, or the twisted morality of typical game mechanics, rather it’s an acknowledgement of us, the players, the heroes. A self-aware recognition of the long and arduous journey we have walked, and an assurance that our journey is not over yet.

Following this notion we find in Endwalker’s deep embrace, is a trend of solemn reflection amongst its character. Ruminations on their pasts, beliefs, adventures, echoing the voice of its creators, a voice which extends the same question to us. Has our journey been good? Has it been worthwhile? Amongst the aggregate, a single answer is nigh impossible, each and every soul will provide their own story.

Yet it is this anthology that XIV champions. Each story portraying the never-ending quest of another who has braved the infinite, who continued to walk forward, and at journey’s end found an answer they can call their own.

“Was this life a gift or a burden?
Did you find fulfillment?”

I’ve played four soulsbourne titles over the last year or so, and I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve kinda just accepted that no series will ever top this one and no other developer will ever top Fromsoft when it comes to the video game market.

Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, and Elden Ring are probably in my top 5 games of all time, but I just like to say they’re tied because it’s nearly impossible to say one is better than the other - that is until I played Bloodborne. Bloodborne is a flawless game, with little to none of the draw backs that are present in the rest of the series. It’s combat is stellar, the world design is the best I’ve ever seen in fiction, and the score? Jesus christ man. Just listen to any boss theme and you’ll instantly ascend to a new plane. BB really culminates everything about Fromsoft and what they’re good at without having any parts that drag or any moments that are insufferable. It’s the most consistent game I’ve ever played, as it only gets better and better as you progress compared to let’s say Elden Ring which has a weak third act, or Dark Souls 3 which has a weak first act. It’s literally perfect.

And this is something I mentioned very briefly in the last paragraph, but it’s something that needs to be addressed even further. The world and story of Bloodborne are among the best in gaming - Miyazaki and his team at fromsoft excellently craft a dreadful depiction of sadness and pure anxiety unlike any other piece of fiction has done yet. Every corner of the map tells a story and is highly detailed, as if even the most irrelevant spots got someone’s full attention. There is so much care and work put into crafting this world to be SO depressing, and yet, it’s hopeful? Bloodborne, despite having this world, is still hopeful as much as it is dreadful. You look at the world of Bloodborne and see nothing but anguish and despair, and compare that to our world, while it isn’t the best, it’s easy to be grateful for what we have now when looking at a game like this. Sure this might sound cheesy, but it’s true. And another external factor could be the fact due to this being such an incredible fucking game, I had more of a reason to get up every day just so I could play this game - really, this can be said for any FromSoft title that I’ve played so far, but Bloodborne is truly just the highest peak.