I didn't expect to be writing this review at all. Usually, when a game hits me this hard, I prefer to stand by for a long while, and just think deeply about it to have a more formulated opinion but....I just happened to be listening the piano version of Eternal Wind while scrolling through Backloggd, and you know what that means.
Probably I should give some context, because this was a really personal experience for me. All started 2 years ago, when I heard people talking about FFXIV, and how the Shadowbringers expansion was so amazing...at that point I only knew that the game existed, but never really thought about venturing into it because of the MMO etiquette (and still, 700 hours in, as ironic as it can sound, I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of the genre, although XIV did a lot to change my opinion about it, that's for granted). Then, though, I watched the cinematic and some reactions, and it just blew my mind, I wanted to play the game. Really.
I still had some hesitation, but at last, I started the game almost a year ago by now. Although ARR had a rough start, I just couldn't help but fall in love with the game, I was fully invested and then...I reached Shadowbringers.
I was so excited, I couldn't believe I already hit the point that made me start playing in the first place...and then came the hesitation again. Will it live to my expectations (I lowered them but still, the doubt was there), what will be my opinion of it? But in the end, those wonderings are pointless, so I decided to go straight through the experience. So...was it worth? Well, I just don't know how to explain it.
If I already loved FFXIV, Shadowbringers just blew me away in every possible regard, and the more I think of it, the more I like it. Sure, there's no game for everyone to like equally, and I may be a little biased because it actually even surpassed my expectations, but at this point, I don't care,I firmly believe it's one of the greatest narrative I've experienced, but that's not actually my point here. For me, the most important part of Shadowbringers, was the journey. Even though I think I'm an emotional person and will always prefer the more "personal" driven narratives, it's hard for me to actually "cry" or feel deeply emotional about something if I don't first think about it in retrospective (hence my point not writing my thoughts about games early-on), but this was one of those rare cases...
It's like it was just made for me, and I'm really, really happy about that. Shadowbringers is not only a personal experience for me, but also for the characters and the general narrative. It's a story about loss, about finding yourself, and also has the best representation of heroism and antagonism I've seen in fiction so far; to the point there's no really a noticeable difference between those two concepts. I really think there's a lot of humanity in the characters. Be it Ardbert's inspirational development, Thancred's exhaustion but also determination to be the best version of himself, be it G'raha's selfless acts of sacrifice, Emet's love for his people or the tragedy of Elidibus' hollow pursuit of a half-forgotten cause. This game has so many stories that just resonate with me so much. And the best part of it? That the general message of Shadowbringers is also really present in the side-content: be it Eden, Werlyt or the Role quests.
I shouldn't even be writting this, I have an exam in an hour, but I just love this game so much. I really feel like it just gives me strenght and inspiration when I need it. There's a lot more to be said about it, I barely talked about the game itself, but that's for another review or essay, I'll see.
Until then, stand tall, my friend.
Probably I should give some context, because this was a really personal experience for me. All started 2 years ago, when I heard people talking about FFXIV, and how the Shadowbringers expansion was so amazing...at that point I only knew that the game existed, but never really thought about venturing into it because of the MMO etiquette (and still, 700 hours in, as ironic as it can sound, I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of the genre, although XIV did a lot to change my opinion about it, that's for granted). Then, though, I watched the cinematic and some reactions, and it just blew my mind, I wanted to play the game. Really.
I still had some hesitation, but at last, I started the game almost a year ago by now. Although ARR had a rough start, I just couldn't help but fall in love with the game, I was fully invested and then...I reached Shadowbringers.
I was so excited, I couldn't believe I already hit the point that made me start playing in the first place...and then came the hesitation again. Will it live to my expectations (I lowered them but still, the doubt was there), what will be my opinion of it? But in the end, those wonderings are pointless, so I decided to go straight through the experience. So...was it worth? Well, I just don't know how to explain it.
If I already loved FFXIV, Shadowbringers just blew me away in every possible regard, and the more I think of it, the more I like it. Sure, there's no game for everyone to like equally, and I may be a little biased because it actually even surpassed my expectations, but at this point, I don't care,I firmly believe it's one of the greatest narrative I've experienced, but that's not actually my point here. For me, the most important part of Shadowbringers, was the journey. Even though I think I'm an emotional person and will always prefer the more "personal" driven narratives, it's hard for me to actually "cry" or feel deeply emotional about something if I don't first think about it in retrospective (hence my point not writing my thoughts about games early-on), but this was one of those rare cases...
It's like it was just made for me, and I'm really, really happy about that. Shadowbringers is not only a personal experience for me, but also for the characters and the general narrative. It's a story about loss, about finding yourself, and also has the best representation of heroism and antagonism I've seen in fiction so far; to the point there's no really a noticeable difference between those two concepts. I really think there's a lot of humanity in the characters. Be it Ardbert's inspirational development, Thancred's exhaustion but also determination to be the best version of himself, be it G'raha's selfless acts of sacrifice, Emet's love for his people or the tragedy of Elidibus' hollow pursuit of a half-forgotten cause. This game has so many stories that just resonate with me so much. And the best part of it? That the general message of Shadowbringers is also really present in the side-content: be it Eden, Werlyt or the Role quests.
I shouldn't even be writting this, I have an exam in an hour, but I just love this game so much. I really feel like it just gives me strenght and inspiration when I need it. There's a lot more to be said about it, I barely talked about the game itself, but that's for another review or essay, I'll see.
Until then, stand tall, my friend.