TWO MGS GAMES IN ONE MONTH??!!! Perhaps a third??? nay... .lest?
yeah this game fucks so hard and has no problems at all except i find solidus not very compelling but who tf cares its president snake in power armour
my god this game held me hostage for a week but it felt like years, in a good way. i will think back on this time when i reflect on my mgs era, i will think about the ending til i am dead, i will think about the 'TURN THE GAME CONSOLE OFF' moment and how much it made me shit myself every day til im infodumping on the poor ppl in the nursing home about it and they strangle me to shut me up and collect the insurance payout
just as campy, exciting and compelling as its predecessor with infinitely improved gameplay, flawless soundtrack, amazing and extensive voice acting. i dont quite know what else to say about it, except what i keep saying to my very patient friends; this game feels complete. it feels like they did absolutely everything they could to finish this game to the highest quality and fit everything they wanted to in it. no part feels unfinished or neglected, everything you interact with and engage with is rewarded. i would kill someone, like a nice old lady or a toddler, to be able to wipe my memory and play this again from scratch

Hope...is everlasting.

Where to even begin to review an expansion this deep and absorbing, I don't want to spend all day gushing about how much I loved this, describing every captivating scene at length, but I certainly could and I still will to some extent! Fundamentally, shadowbringers is an essential experience with probably the greatest final fantasy story i've ever seen. Simultaneously it is inherently tied to the overarching story built up since the game's troublesome launch and it is standalone, signalling a new beginning for the hero of the story and their allies.

Narratively this takes a big risk in my opinion, from the ending of stormblood the main setting of FFXIV is in a state of chaos and uncertainty, there are multiple angles this story could have taken that would have made sense and yet it chooses to shoot off in a wildly unexpected direction, reinventing itself in an unprecedented fashion in the process as the story's hero is thrust into an entirely new and alien world to combat threats new and old. Having to essentially begin again after everything you have achieved is a big statement and one I was very excited to see play out. The vibe of this new setting and this new direction are ushered in with an outstanding soundtrack, beautiful new locations that take full advantage of the increased potential of the next console generation and new content that is some of the best to date.

Shadowbringers marks a leap in the quality of the game's writing and adds new layers of depth to many of the existing mysteries and lore of the game's universe, deepening their meaning and my own understanding in the process. The motivations of the game's primary antagonists is established gradually through the actions of this expansions' primary villain, one of the greatest i've seen in the medium to date - Emet Selch. Emet perpetuates everything that I think works best about this expansion, since he subverts our expectations and plays on my sense of curiosity as well as the sense of treading alien ground. What makes Emet so fascinating to me isn't just that he is somehow irresistably charming and likeable despite his clearly unforgivable actions, its that he chooses to believe in the player character and follows along for the ride with no interference until the end. At this point the hero is so absurdly powerful and Emet recognises this, choosing to put his faith in him that they could somehow work together and faith in the sundered as a result; wanting to explore this possibility he serves much of the story as an onlooker and at times, even lends a helping hand. He single handedly expands the possibilities of what it means to be a villain in this universe and the ancient knowledge he dispenses (and even physically forms in the case of amaurot) reinvents the perceived truths of this game's history and future, greatly intensifying their meaning and our own motivations in the process, reaching new heights previously unexplored in any other point in the story.

Beyond this, there are mysteries, histories and motivations to be explored at many, many other angles, from the heroic sacrifices and lasting impact of the warriors of darkness and minfilia, old adversaries and allies respectively, to the garnering of new allies from many different walks of life, each coming with their own deep and interesting cultures, values and beliefs. The setting of norvrandt is large enough to have several new, exciting and unique areas to explore, but it is also contained, functioning as the last bastion of a world that has faced unimaginable calamity. With the introduction of new faces such as the Crystal Exarch and Ryne (Minfilia) to those returning such as Ardbert and to our returning allies who have remained in the first for far longer than was ever expected, almost every character tied to this expansion's main story show development and intrigue on a newfound scale. The emotional highs reached for here far exceed anything I had grown accustomed to thus far and I was completely absorbed and moved by each of my allies and my rivals' stories. The one that won my heart most of all was the Exarch. Any suspicion I had of him early on due to his enigmatic appearance was quickly removed once it was established that my allies were brought here by mistake due to a fumbled summoning spell on his part, which also served to humanise him and make him that much likeable to me. I wanted desperately to know why he had done so and was expecting vague and inconsequential retorts but instead, to my surprise, he largely wears his heart on his sleeve and is willing to answer pretty much all of your questions if there is time, which also served to strengthen my fondness for him. This fondness gradually grew to a real love for this character, the sheer enormity of his burden and his utter, unabated belief in me captured my heart and made me want to help him in turn. All beats with this character worked for me and seeing him get his happy ending is one of the most victorious moments in the entire story. Nobody deserves it like he does.

Two of my other favourites get plenty of screentime and no shortage of development in this story - the twins, Alphinaud and Alisaie. As is their nature, they approach the crisis in Norvrandt from two entirely different directions, with Alphinaud taking a more passive, diplomatic and political approach in Kholusia while Alisaie fights on the frontlines and helps those affected by the monstrous sin eaters on the ground in Amh Araeng. Both come with their own challenges which we lend our assistance with, both branching storylines serving our understanding of both the terrifying physical threats the people face and the political turmoil and manipulation under the surface - which is feeding lies and egocentrism within the ranks of Eulmore, a belief of superiority which eventually festers into all out war (Vauthry is another great villain with a fantastic VA, he's basically a massive manchild with illusions of paradise who throws constant tantrums and regularly made me laugh). The twin's different approaches bring about lasting change and an overwhelmingly positive impact to the people and the land of the first, strengthening their resolves and fostering the unity between the two when they both play to their strengths. Similarly moving stories such as those of Thancred and Ryne's relationship and father/daughter like bond which grows with time, the heartbreaking, moving and captivating story of Ardbert's final task and the inspiring resolve of the people of the Crystarium all come with their own messages of hope, community and the perseverance to build a better future that you may never see.
Even the minor/side characters have many chances to shine in this expansion such as the ever lovable and joyful eulmore couple of Chai-Nuzz and Dulia-Chai, who strive to be better and do better for their neighbours, Lyna, the devoted defender and guard captain of the Crystarium and Feo Ul, an affectionate and protective pixie whom we befriend (and are often scolded by). Each of them bring a different flavour and are unequivocally endearing to me in their own ways.

As for the actual content, shadowbringers significantly improves on the game's dungeons, trials and raids with its increased challenge, awesome visual setpieces, great trust interactions, outstanding music and interesting and unique boss mechanics that go beyond just 'dodge or mitigate the attack'. The new trust options allowing you to take who you want into a dungeon is a brilliant idea basically turning dungeons into a little jrpg excursion and the little pieces of characterisation sprinkled into the flavour of the dialogue and your allies' animated reactions to things such as the 'bridge' moment in Dohn Mheg are so great. The story serves the drama which serves the content, the soundtrack serves everything in unison and it all comes together to make for an incredible experience all round, it just ties together beautifully and I only wish it was able to accomodate slightly better graphics but I understand the undertaking that must be for an MMO of this scale and ambition. The bonus content such as the Nier raids, Eden raids and weapon trials each deserve their own appreciation too, some of the best side content that i've seen in the whole game wraps up this top quality expansion. The payoff here made everything leading up to it wholely worth it and though there are parts of this story that do trail off into some busywork and somewhat inconsequential meandering, its far limited compared to what I was used to and at the best of times, it even helps to break up the pacing in a way I actually welcome! This is a must play for any final fantasy fan, its just such a gigantic task to be able to reach and appreciate it, but I am so glad that I did.

Stormblood is a solid expansion but not one that felt like it built upon the foundation of FFXIV as strongly as Heavensward, there's definitely a lot more chores and busywork to be done and the general tone, while I do like it a lot, does feel very steady and one-note in comparison to Heavensward's gripping story filled with twists and turns (at least up until the later patches, which usher in a dramatic jump in overall quality).

I think the biggest success of stormblood is its overall vibe and the beauty of its locales, taking inspiration from middle eastern and far eastern culture with some jaw dropping setpieces and outstanding music. By far my favourite area and my favourite portions of the expansion came in the form of the azim steppe and its native inhabitants with their mongolian influences. The music and tone of this area gets me going, its awesome. Those 'endless fields and boundless skies' as Hien puts it were beautiful and learning about the differences in its tribes and their gods was just really fun and interesting and a nice change of pace for a game very centred around one major theme. That theme is liberation and I think for the most part it handles it quite well. There is a lot of complexity in its different cultures and the nature of how they are surviving under colonial oppression and I was particularly fond of the dissonance between Lyse's headstrong determination to free her people and the reality of the local population's struggle to even survive, let alone fight back. Stormblood is constantly highlighting the different perspectives and ways that people survive and eventually reignite their resolve but also takes time to recognise the lasting damage and consequences of the Garleans' violent conquest. Notably there is a fascinating character study into the mind of Fordola, an incredible character and an Ala Mhigan native abused and spat upon by her comrades for her family's co-operation with their oppresors - labelled a traitor by her neighbours and a savage by the Garleans, Fordola vows to achieve freedom by any means and embraces her brand of 'savage', working with the Garleans in pursuit of both liberation and vengeance for her father who died at the hands of a furious Ala Mhigan mob. Fordola's story is that of the victim of circumstance (and it isn't the only time this comes up) and the question of if or how this could ever justify her actions is one the game isn't afraid to look into, but her story is also one of redemption and I just found it really compelling.

Stormblood is a story with a lot of tragedy and melancholy but there's also a lot of hope to be found and I think for the most part it is great stuff and I was thoroughly invested, but there are times where it falls off or otherwise becomes too unbelievable. For one, there are far too many fakeouts and deaths of main characters begin to feel of little consequence unless said character dies onscreen with absolute certainty. In the patches alone I counted 4 fakeouts where you think a character is straight up dead but then they come back for various reasons, if you're going to do that you had best have a very good reason or you risk playing down everything that came before and setting up a worryingly anticlimatic precedent. Also, I would note the handling of Yotsuyu's abuse and the nonchalant attitudes of those that are supposed to protect her as a negative, as it leads to a sadly predictable outcome that feels like it does Yotsuyu dirty and doesn't properly respect her as a victim of horrific abuse and neglect. It felt like it was at its lowest when Asahi, a very obvious bad guy, cruelly brings her parents back into her life with the sole intention of causing her untold pain and misery - to which the player and their allies do nothing except scowl and call it a 'dirty trick' when it felt like they could have and should have done more. Not to mention Yotsuyu is supposed to be under strict house arrest and yet escapes and puts herself in mortal danger twice, this whole section just felt quite rushed and lazy and like it didn't respect Yotsuyu as a character - the tragic outcome of her story seems only to serve to make Gosetsu sad and ponderous and set up the plot around the Ascians pulling all the strings, which could have been done without bringing back Yotsuyu and Gosetsu, I don't know it just felt inconsequential and I don't think the storyline justifies bringing the two back, it certainly could have done but I don't think it does. But saying this the tsukiyomi trial is absolutely hype and Gosetsu's spirit showing up to protect her was so awesome.

The new dungeons and trials in Stormblood carry on the marked improvments that came with Heavensward and the trials in particular, such as those of Susano and Byakko, go so insanely hard. Stormblood also quickly sheds its one-note and focused themes for extremely nuanced and exciting political turmoil and utter chaos in its final acts, introduced in the later patches. These patches are incredible and are filled with amazing monologues, exciting new mysteries that unfold, experly constructed and dramatic cutscenes and battle sequences and my favourite part by far - the relationship that grows between the warrior of light and alisaie, these final quests made me fall in love with alisaie as a character and I felt genuinely crushed when she succumbed to the same fate as her brother and the other scions. The music in this part of the game, the constantly moving and chaotic nature of the story, the character development, all fantastic and it makes me so excited for shadowbringers so bring it on. Captain has freed Doma and Ala Mhigo but the real battle has only just begun!