The BEST FF Story in Ages: Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers

I finally review Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers, and find one of the strongest FF stories ever told within it. Square Enix's CBU3 inspires me in ways I haven't felt in a ages from the series, and have earned their place in the series future.
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#FinalFantasyXIV #Shadowbringers #EndWalker

[@FABRIZZLE]

The scene with Ardbert’s axe and the revelation of who you really are is up there with the best climaxes in gaming history, imo. ❤️

[@FinalElysion]

It made me literally gasp out loud. It was such an amazing moment.

[@brandonmeadows7972]

I didnt quite understand that scene. Who are you? Are you suppose to be the 14th member of the Ascian counsel?

[@Gogoglovitch]

@@brandonmeadows7972 The full details unfold over the course of the patches from 5.1 to 5.3, but ultimately what you find out is this: You are in fact a fragment of the soul of the holder of the Convocation's fourteenth seat, who went by the title of Azem. And so was Ardbert. When the fight between Zodiark and Hydaelyn shattered the world, the people were shattered with it, and fragments of them ended up on each of the worlds. You are the reincarnation of what was left of Azem on the Source, and Ardbert is the reincarnation of what was left of Azem on the First. In that famous scene, Ardbert has realized that you and he are both parts of the same soul (as Hythlodaeus told you earlier), and uses that fact to merge with you, giving you all his strength so you can contain the Light within you and stand up to Emet-Selch. He has the chance to make a difference, something he's despaired of during his past century of existence as a ghost, and he takes it without hesitation, even though it's the end of him as an individual. It's the capstone of the character arc he's been undergoing through the whole expansion, ever since he realized you could see him.

[@SirBeanTheJust]

@@Gogoglovitch Also recall that the constellation stone of Azem was made in secret by Emet Selch, and when you hear the narration invoking its power at the Seat of Sacrifice, it's Emet's voice retelling its creation. He recognized you - "his dearest friend" - before your fight with him, where Elidibus didn't ("An invocation of eld, though not of Hydaelyn's making. What are you?"), and it was your wish upon the stone's power to call forth friends and allies that brought Emet to your side and save you from the bind you were in, as only he could (thanks to his mastery over death and the Lifestream). It was amazing moments heaped on amazing moments that the ramifications couldn't be processed as they were happening. But letting it stew for awhile and thinking about it? We love to see ancient friends reunited.

[@legolaswong]

It gave me chills, goosebumps, and tears.

[@spoink4922]

12:15 "The victor shall write the tale, and the vanquished become its villain." Emet be spitting

[@77wolfblade]

He's not wrong.

[@1LuvMLPFiM]

Even irl history works that way. Not everything we know about our own history is 100% true to what actually happened.

[@GetterRay]

I just love the metaphysical implications of light=stasis, dark=activity. Its everywhere in the expansion and can be extrapolated to the main themes of the expansion. Being a Shadowbringer isn't about being an edgelord, its about pulling people out of depression and getting them back on their feet. You're getting Magnus to stop drinking and build a train and Seto to go on another adventure. You're getting the people of Norvrandt to get out of their beds and build a giant mountain that grabs another mountain. Linking that to the idea of how to deal with grief, that you need shadow in your life push forward and you can't just stay in the light forever. And how its all reversed in the end when your light puts "his" shadow to rest. Its such a beautiful message. I think Shadowbringers is the best FF story and its not even close. Its not just your opinion NSP, pretty much anyone who has played it will agree. The only people who deny it are the ones who are too scared to jump into an MMO.

[@yoloparrot42]

10/10 comment Not a close race at all Source: fan of FF since 1995

[@atgthegreat28]

Great comment. To add to what you stated, shadow in the world of the First represents hope. The expansion's narrative is ultimately about the enduring power of hope, even in the greatest despair. We are bringing hope back to the people of the First. The character who represents this best - other than the Warrior of Light of course - is the Crystal Exarch. One just needs to think to 5.3 (the actual end of Shadowbringers' narrative arc). Wish NSP would have given him a shoutout (he's my personal favorite character of the expac). But still, a great video!

[@nnymeia7663]

dude stop, you're making me cry T_T

[@FranklinW]

All that also ties into the greater theme of not being stuck beholden to the past, but also not forgetting it as you strive for a better future. Almost every single story, character arc, and sub-theme ties into that in some way. All of that culminating in the finale as basically your response to Emet. It's just layers upon layers of it. Thancred's character arc is about moving on from his grief over Minfilia, and that has a direct parallel with Magnus and his grief. But then it ties into Thancred's conflict with Ranjit where Ranjit wants to keep Ryne locked up in safety because of his grief. And then this all ties into Ryne's own character arc culminating in the culture of the Night's Blessed directly tying into Ryne having a new "true" name in the darkness hidden away from the old name of Minfilia in the Light/stasis/past. And that's just a tiny example. Almost literally everywhere you look you will find something that reinforces that theme and usually on multiple levels too.

[@Tenkuu-san]

I wouldn't call it depression so much as hopelessness. The Warrior of Darkness, before we ever came to the First, was a figure who brought people comfort in their final moments. Compared to that, the Warrior of Darkness that we are instead brings people hope for change. And the best part is, the temporary return of the Light doesn't dampen people's spirits or make them give up.

[@Liltama]

what makes me a bit sad is that new players try so hard to speed run the game just to get to Shadowbringers, but the truth is, shadowbringers is great cause is the culmination of ALL previous stories we went through.

[@ovangunnar1709]

This is what I did. I speedrun so I could catch up with my friends and regret it. Should've just taken my sweet times playing it and not rushing it through :(

[@raphathekid]

So when i finally get back to 14, i must take it easy, i see. I'm a player since Open Beta, and did everyhting until Heavensward ends. Freya Brynhilde, Hyperion server, nice to meet you >Dv So far, i've heard that ShB is the BEST expansion, about every detail. Man, i just LOVED the New Shiva's theme, Return to Oblivion A LOT This song is ULTRA MELODIC, and i really liked it. Way better than the Previous Shiva O_o And, of course, the main theme.of ShB is incredible awesome as well with that guitar :'D I guess FF14 is calling me to get back and do Stormblood and ShB. After all... HOME, RIDING HOME

[@Akago]

This is why I'm so happy they put the New Game Plus in for people who did this. It's not exactly the same as doing it vanilla, but it still allows someone to experience the major arcs that they can go back to Shadowbringers and still have that oh moment.

[@alanrendonmejia2603]

I blasted through the story without skipping any of the dialogue. Best story in FF. Literally didn’t want to do anything until I finished the MSQ. So good.

[@FreeFlow__]

False. Its just that ARR is so painfuly average that players want to see better stuff. I played for 50h and decided to quit.

[@kadomaix8698]

Natsuko Ishikawa is absolutely brilliant. I’m looking forward to what she has in store for us in the Endwalkers MSQ and beyond...

[@m0ldyche3se]

I want her to write stuff in 16 so bad.

[@Omnis.satanica.potestas_omnis]

@@m0ldyche3se she is though, isn't she?

[@yuukarnstein]

I'm not ready for Endwalker Q_Q She is going to kill us with emotion

[@hkoizumi3134]

Have hope. They made Elidibus from boring to antagonist we cried for within few patches in shadowbringer. I know they have something for Fandaniel.

[@gianni.sacciloto]

@Sypha Flowen I don't think you should worry about it too much. I personally don't like Fandaniel all that much either, not in comparison to Emet or Elidibus, but a couple days ago there was an update to the Fanfest's website with messages from select few members of the FFXIV team. One of them, written by ShB and END writer, said her favorite character was Fandaniel and his [???]. We don't know what that means yet, as it was not revealed, but I have a hard time believing such a masterful writer would find her favorite character to be one of the most bland we were shown so far. So, dare I hope, he'll have plenty of character development in the upcoming expansion.

[@hkoizumi3134]

Emet Selch is so well written, it makes Sephiroth feels like he was written from post-it note. If it wasn't for the pandemic, we would have seen more Emet Selch cosplay. He needs more recognition.

[@dale7326]

Elmet is a supporter type while Sephirot is a fighter. These two aren’t that similar in anyway one or another. It’s pretty much the comparison between raw power and potential power. Sephirot is similar to Elidibus than Elmet. Though ppl might like him but I don’t think he is a type who care for other ppl that below him. It is just another bad guy after all (according to Eden questline) If someone they should be pitiful and being called a bad guy. It’s Elidibus. He isn’t having a lot of plots and so dying fast...

[@tjongdavid1921]

Eh I don't even remember Seph's motivation on becoming the world destroyer aside from him crying for mommy

[@TheNCreid]

@@dale7326 **5.3 SPOILERS BELOW; for those who need the warning** Elidibus ended up receiving more of a backstory in the online posted Tales from the Shadows. For example, did you know that Elidibus' parents were (very likely; it's just implied) Lahabrea and Igeyhorm? (Meaning we also literally killed his parents. Yay us.) And those were the stones he was holding after we beat him and he was crying? Or his line "Elidibus, it is my name and my duty." was taken from Azem? In other words, our character was the living inspiration that drove Elidibus to become the heart of Zodiark and the Primal of Salvation. Honestly, I think it's a genuine shame that these aspects couldn't make it to the game. It's never been confirmed, but I really do think that the staff shuffling that was a response to the pandemic resulted in a lot of this being cut.

[@hkoizumi3134]

I disagree. Indeed Emet chose cooperation rather than involving himself to fisticuffs. But he only did it because Lahabrea direct approach failed. And Elidibus had to improvise to use our own weapon against us when cooperation failed Emet. All 3 ascians changed their strategy based on past failures, not based on their inherent personality of whether they were fighters or not. To me, this level of improvisation made by between them certainly made them a formidable antagonist.

[@Null_Experis]

Modern Sephiroth? Yes. Original Sephiroth? No.

[@onetrickponysona2613]

isekai might be "tfw no gf" but shadowbringers is "tfw many bfs"

[@kataku8609]

YES!

[@taco_sensei]

When you said Shadowbringers will live with you for the end of your days, that hit me. Being an ffxiv player feels like I'm being part of something larger than life. And I cannot wait to see how Endwalker shapes the MMO and gaming history.

[@keiichimorisato98]

God, I hope the TV show is good...

[@asherville7163]

10:22 I love that this was LITERALLY a custody battle between two dads

[@MurakamiTenshi]

LOL

[@FranklinW]

Literally a custody battle, and yet at the same time also a microcosm of the theme of Shadowbringers. Be stuck in the past with Minfilia (both Thancred's and Ranjit's) or move on to a brighter future with Ryne on her own terms? Sound familiar?

[@piersoncalley2236]

It was a really great moment, my biggest problem with the story was that Ranjiit didn't die in that fight.

[@SevenBlades]

Urianger’s prominence as a good character for me really formed during the Warrior’s of Darkness arc all the way back in Heavensward

[@daistellae]

Well said king. Imo Emet Selch is not only the best villain, but also one of the best characters in the entire series.

[@gianni.sacciloto]

The japanese fanbase for sure agrees with you as well! He ranked extremely high on the recorrent polls that rank FF characters by popularity in there. If I'm not mistaken, he was only surpassed by a few couple characters (like Sephirot).

[@daistellae]

@@twocatsyelling723 Pretty much, yeah! He's believable. Also I don't think it's bad if people hasn't played many games, not everyone has too much time, or money! So let's enjoy whatever we like, and form our own opinions :) We all connect with some things in different ways than other people, and that's okay. 😉

[@CC-df3pn]

Clean af transition from the SHB WOD pose to the END WOL posing on the moon.

[@dedexter88]

great edition indeed

[@chibikya_selch4699]

I love Emet-Selch deeply and I love your take I am so glad you finally got to experience the masterpiece that is Shadowbringers

[@BigGamingBossMan]

Shadowbringers is my favourite game of all time and I will forever miss my first time plaything through it

[@TheAshenDragoon]

So many people are missing out on this beautiful story because "ItS aN MmO!" Been trying to convince my friends it's more than worth it. Maybe this video will sway them 😏

[@wolfspledge1762]

@S Gr base game is nowhere near the worst mmo ever, you can literally beat in like 25-30 hours and do it all without paying a single penny

[@jandroan1120]

FFXIV 1.X was the worst MMO ever. ARR may not be perfect, but it is thanks to its improvements on the original game that we have shadowbringers at all.

[@yoloparrot42]

COMPLETELY disagree with.S Gr. BS.

[@helenae3929]

@S Gr ARR has its faults, but after they streamlined it back in 5.3, it's nowhere near as bad as you say it is. The story is on the meh side until you reach Coerthas and it stays okay until HW. Not mention you never reach the level cap and that the game gives you all the gear you need makes it a breeze. They also reduced a lot of the fetch questing that was in ARR. In fact, HW now feels more fetch questy in comparison bc it too shared a lot of the same sins as ARR but had a shinier paint. It does not take 50 hrs to get from lvl 1 through the post patches and into HW anymore and it's overall pretty painless. They could have cut more imo, but they have narritively addressed ARR's story flaws. The one thing I do agree with is the game play. Melee don't get aoes until after Brayfox, which is asinine and a dumb decision. The slow introduction of skills is poorly paced but at least mages, tanks, and range can kill mobs faster. Skills really need to be redistributed better in ffxiv period. Back when ARR was new- hell even back in HW there were enough skills to your class that it made these uninspiring dungeons at least bearable. With Endwalkers, I bet they're gonna delete more skills from the game to deal with the bloat like they did with stb, they need to take that time and really think over how to build these classes during ARR. Bc they already made it worse the first time around and made ARR embarrassingly easy. But perhaps the stat squash will address how boringly easy ARR is. Or it'll be worse. Maybe we'll be lvl 50 with three skills.

[@magegaming5182]

@S Gr if you think ARR is the worst MMO experience out there, then you haven’t played that many MMO’s. ARR isn’t perfect, far from it, but to say it’s ‘steaming pile of shit’ is a massive over-exaggeration.

[@Neo-Midgar]

Dude I literally just finished ShB like 20 minutes before you posted this, eerie timing. And I 100% agree with you on the narrative being shockingly good. I was also told "just wait for Shadowbringers" the whole time I played, but it still didn't prepare me.

[@dataecto6135]

JUST FINISHED SHADOWBRINGERS 5.3 YESTERDAY LETS GOOOOO

[@yoloparrot42]

Ye ye!!!!

[@ArchieGamez]

The rains have ceased, we are blessed with another beautiful day yet you are not here to see it 😭

[@CreechNBong]

To add onto the neat dialogue options point: if in the Eden quests you talk to Urianger in The Empty during a certain dialogue while being a scholar, there is a sassy option available to you when he asks you a question. Something along the lines of: "Dost thou knowest how rain works?" And you can go, "Well as a scholar, fucking duh."

[@SapphireGladeComics]

I usually never cry at a video game, but... this one made me feel all sorts of emotions. Hopefully, Endwalker builds on that.

[@Ladywizard]

considering we're already promised the same writer on Endwalker I'm optimistic

[@juanvsreviews]

Absolutely loved your review. You managed to explain the why without having to dig deep into the story to do so. Wonderful job!!

[@massPanic22]

Hard to describe without spoilers, but the scene before the level 80 trial may be the hyoest moment I've ever had in gaming, bringing Ardbert story to a close in the most satisfying way.

[@keiichimorisato98]

Seeing the warriors of Light from each of the remaining shards was awesome, it really did a great job of including the mechanics on an MMO into the story itself in an impact full way.

[@kataku8609]

Ardbert literally has a motive for not helping the player, even though he tries and fails because -ghost-. And gets so depressed for it, bless his hearth!

[@33link333]

A couple slight corrections: You also have a choice of first area to go to in HW and SB as well, in HW it's between Western Coethas and the Sea of Clouds and in SB it's between the Fringes and the Peaks. Uematsu didn't write the main themes for HW and SB, The ones he wrote are more like ending themes and mostly only get remixed in the update quests, the main themes that are used for most of an expansion is written by Soken and bears the same name as the given expansion.

[@sephiroth21347]

Had to hold back tears at the end there, especially with the music cut in. Banger review my friend

[@Bozidar94]

I always love to hear you're opinion on everything my fav FF is 8 but i can understand why you love FF14 so much its perfekt and the storytelling is🔝

[@J01789]

Your.

[@dmckenna]

ShB is rightly praised, and I couldn't be happier with my time in the game, but I think some people do so at the expense of everything that came before. Without the groundwork laid in 2.X, 3.X, and 4.X (and especially in their respective patch cycles) the ShB story would never have had the same impact. I think it is better to consider FFXIV as a whole rather than reserving praise only for certain expansions, because the reality is they don't stand alone.

[@zeehero7280]

I like how Ardbert contrasts my female Hyur WOL. he's like my soul brother from another whole world.

[@Caen-MK]

I still remember how I felt the first time I ever saw the Shadowbringers trailer. I get goosebumps thinking about it to this day.

[@Vyomesh839]

I love the part in ShB where the Light WoL has been absorbing is slowly turing them into a Sin Eater. I loved it so much in fact, that I used the free race change potion to turn my catgirl from a blonde haired, slightly tanned girl with blue eyes into one with white hair, pale skin, and white eyes. A permanent reminder that she was *this* close to becoming a Sin Eater.

[@TigeriPlaysGames]

ok, maybe it's because it's 2:30 am and i took a melatonin 15 minutes ago, but something about the concept of nabriales putting shrimp in the scions' cereal has me losing it

[@foxyfoxington2651]

Soken's been the primary composer for FFXIV since A Realm Reborn. Uematsu contributed to the theme songs for Heavensward and Stormblood, as well as the music re-used from 1.0 (which Soken created new arrangements for). The difference in Shadowbringers is that it's the first theme Uematsu didn't have a hand in.

[@Trueshiriko]

The way I often see it: other MMO games like WoW are MMORPGs, but FFXIV is an RPGMMO. It is a Final Fantasy game first, and tells a (VERY STRONG) Final Fantasy story. This video was great!

[@KarmaExtonline]

imo shadowbringers has the best narrative in any final fantasy.

[@keinchi]

I was there at Pax for that... seeing her get emotional actually caught me up too.

[@TheNightSkyPrince]

Amazing! That was a Historical moment lol!

[@GeeeBeee81]

I rarely comment but this was such a well-written and edited video. I have watched your Shadowbringers journey and I am really happy to see others enjoy this game as much as I did. I have made a new hobby of watching new players on youtube react to the ending of 5.0 and 5.3. I can't wait to see what the write does with Endwalker. Do you know if she's involved with FFXVI at all? I hope so!

[@rogthepirate4593]

inb4 "Wait till you get to Endwalker" becomes a thing.

[@ScarletDeath]

I was up front at that PAX panel. Shit was intense.

[@Khalmidgar]

my biggest complaint about shadowbringers is this: how the hell do you follow up a masterpiece expansion.

[@tetsuookami]

I'm optimistic Endwalker will at least be of equal quality.

[@legolaswong]

@@tetsuookami I'm not that optimistic. The villains don't appear as interesting to me . And of course, because the shadowbringers is really really good, I really can't think anything that would top that. But I'm prepared to be proven wrong. :D.

[@TotoTheBest91]

by having the exact same person working on it

[@TheTrinitySaga]

@@legolaswong tbf Emet-Selch wasn’t at all interesting in the 4.X patches leading up to SHB either. He kind of did the same “prancing around like a jester while dropping a vague and cryptic monologue” thing and didn’t get interesting development until the 5.0 MSQ. So for all we know Fandaniel, as basic as he is now, might pull an Emet and surprise us.

[@legolaswong]

@@TheTrinitySaga I hope so!

[@kourtneydixon6050]

Ngl, when I first heard that Natsuko Ishikawa was returning again as the lead writer for Endwalker, I screamed for joy then legit cried tears of happiness because she did a PHENOMENAL job with ShB. Will she be able to surpass the masterpiece of ShB with END? I don't know (we don't know) and I'm keeping my expectations to a moderate level. Whatever the case, I can't wait for her to wreck my emotions once more lol P.S. Amazing review because everything you said is absolute facts XD

[@cindaflame]

I have been so waiting for this. I enjoyed being a part of your live reactions with your play-through. Now to see it in a refined form. So looking forward to your Endwalker reaction

[@Steveoreo]

“Just make it to Shadowbringers”...I have said this NUMEROUS times to many people haha

[@blackmage567]

I mean, the other expansions were good, but its a long way to shadowbringers if you are starting fresh

[@Steveoreo]

@@blackmage567 Absolutely, at least 2.0 quests have been skimmed down.

[@furyan9470]

Just saw this and couldn't helped but notice, you missed one tiny bit of detail, when you praised Emet-Selch, that carries so much impact (imo). He goes on and on, how he carries such a important burden, has a duty to fulfill. It is really good seen in the scene directly after the battle, where he does not want to give up. Now fast forward, where he lifts his hood and in his dying breath asks you to remember. We see him standing up-straight for the first time, not hunching like "he is carrying something really heavy on his shoulders". This little detailed combined with the slight smile ... he died without regret, knowing the his people might not be brought back, but their legacy will live on.

[@TheMistressMisery]

Every single aspect of this game feels very well thought out and polished. After slumming it in WoW for the past few years, I came back to FFXIV, and I've never been happier. It's like going from having dry burgers for dinner, to a 4 course meal with full flavours, music and candles.

[@muajin]

I loved shadowbringers!! Awesome expac with a lot of thought put into it. Much better than the half-assed thought that got put into shadowlands by blizzvision. FF14 cares about its player base and it clearly shows. I started into this game a few months after SB release and loved going through the storyline up to it. It takes a LONG time to get to the story as a new player, but it's well worth it.

[@yummypancakes7768]

You really did your homework for this one, great video NSP!

[@taro6266]

I atleast cried 10million times this expansion, literally

[@kohlyis6177]

Honestly yeah, and not just from the Main Story, the Sorrow of Werlyt story has been the best trial series.

[@taro6266]

@@kohlyis6177 yeah, that was amazing honestly, i wish the nier raids were as good as it, and by that i mean the story, the raids were amazing, but the tower at paradigms breach was the worst out of the 3, its so cliche and the mechanics are obvious af, the only good thing about it was the last boss, “her inflorescence” it was amazing and i cried so much, but the other fights? Theyre obvious, and thats what makes it so bad. It should have been like the copied factory and the puppets bunker, which the mechanics werent as obvious in. But what im trying to say is the only bad thing in this expansion is the nier story and the tower at paradigms breach

[@chasemcdowell1294]

@@taro6266 I had so much hope for the Nier story as well. I was instantly hooked on the story from the start all the way through Tower, then after Tower all I could say was “what?” Like how did we get that ending?

[@Multifridgeman]

In my opinion, the best thing about Shadowbringers is that it found a way to benefit from being a MMO story. The emotional connection and narrative agency it imparts onto your own personal character and the way it treats them as an actual part of the world whether it be of grand scale or mundane is something that all other mediums can't do.

[@emptysymbol]

Nothing broke me more in this expansion than Seto

[@FARRIZ1989]

WOW can only imagine to have these kind of storytelling and depths of its character period...

[@hikari_no_senshi]

I don't normally comment, but I want to congratulate you on this video.

[@Peachyfruit]

Thank you so much for this! Your enthusiasm and honest love for XIV and Shadow bringers shows through so well and honestly is a mirror for all of us who fell in love with XIV. That Jay-Z joke killed me.

[@patsg1146]

Man, as a lifelong Final Fantasy fan who enjoys the hell out of XIV's soundtrack, because it's the only thing from that game I have to time to enjoy while I'm working, I just don't have time for an MMO... That's what I've been telling myself, but this video made me seriously consider taking the plunge. DAMN YOU!!!!

[@Ariancia.Thystarian]

It's an mmo but it's really respectful to your time, specially if your main focus is story. You can take it at your own speed and is even better if you don't let anyone rush you. It's in the end like you binging multiple seasons of a show but you decide how many episodes you want to see each night ^^

[@patsg1146]

@@Ariancia.Thystarian It's funny, because right after I wrote this I went back to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla, where I've been wandering around aimlessly for about 80 hours, and I thought "You know, I think FF14 will give me a better time..." So, when I'm done with England, I'll be off to Eorzea!

[@estefaniac.1011]

Yoshida said in many interviews that he believes the future of mmos should go towards respecting the players' time because we all have other things to do besides gaming (unfortunately so) so FFXIV is pretty good at not punishing you for playing it at your own pace. The free trial gives you the base game + the first expansion for free (one of my personal favorites) so maybe you can give it a try without having to commit financially. Come on, give in, you know you want to ❤️

[@MB-wy6tb]

100% Agreed This seriously could have been it own FF title. Makes me nervous if Endwalker will ever come close to touching Shadowbringers.

[@neoaevis1884]

"It's a story that remembers to use fantasy to reveal nature of human nature through fiction" great line, couldn't have said it better myself.

[@dadodem2157]

I really like your FF 14 Shadowbringers game review NSP! I can definitely tell you are really enjoying FF 14. The little jokes you included within your review along with your opinion are appreciated!😁😂😊

[@joshuataylor7443]

Why do you like it?

[@blackh9604]

I loved all of the expansions so far but I honestly wondered how we were gone get out of some of the situations in Shadowbringers, they really nail the hopeless vibes

[@sebastianrivera6976]

I feel so sorry for the FF fans who refuse to play XIV cause of the MMO thing.

[@michaelsc78]

Same story writer from Shadowbringers is also writing the Endwalker. I'm looking forward to it. :)

[@DLane814]

Great stuff as always, bud. Glad you're finally caught up ":)

[@SHARKTANKK]

"WAIT TILL YOU GET TO SHADOWBRINGERS" That what they told me lol 😅

[@kefkapalazzo1092]

lmao 😂

[@BaithNa]

These analysis videos take a lot of time but they are definitely worth the watch. Great job

[@benjaminschroeder5465]

And then she did it *AGAIN* with Endwalker. Her wild ride has no brakes, and yet it is enjoyable from beginning to end.

[@akiinmoonlight79]

one of your best video for one of the best game stories ever ❤

[@robikkupegasus7039]

Remember...remember us - remember that we played a goddamn awe inspiring expansion!~

[@PaulHofreiter]

Was waiting to beat it until looking at any videos…well I just beat it and yours was the first video I watched. You’re spot on and I agree with pretty much all of it. Shadowbringers was one of the best FF stories to me, perhaps even THE best, the music was great, it was super immersive, and easily had my favorite villain out of any FF game. It’s crazy that they have such an amazing experience hidden behind…idk how much content but I was around 55 days of play time I guess. Ironically I didn’t come back specifically for this but for the Nier content - I had played up to and through the end game when ARR was all there was and the patch content burned me out. When I returned early this year I was greeted with the fantastic Heavensward story and just really have loved everything but Shadowbringers is an experience I will not forget and am very glad I experienced.

[@Tenkuu-san]

4:53 That's actually a fan theory. The real reason is merely that they wanted Lakeland to reflect the purple skies of Mor Dhona. One of the background artists who helped design it also mentioned that they thought of cherry blossom trees when envisioning a forest of purple-leafed trees. You can watch Episode Two of the Creation of Shadowbringers series they released last year. I was always of the opinion that Emet-Selch was an antagonist rather than a villain. His motives are not evil, and he shares our desires and feelings when it comes to his home and his loved ones. Glad to see you agree. :)

[@HezrouDhiaga]

I loved 10 and couldn't get into any other FF but when I got into XIV I went from a non-fan of FF to a heavy one. I LOVE this game. xD

[@Kserijaro]

There is more game and better story in FF10 than FF14.

[@greensmurf221]

"They even got Namine." Yeah, I noticed that too lol

[@KnightRaymund]

Shadowbringers is fantastic! To be fair on the lore side, it has the advantage of sll that came before explaining a lot if stuff ShB doesn't have to now. But it does add a lot of it's own in a pretty organic way.

[@babarrett1]

When he said Soken was composing FFXVI I literally shouted “WOOOOOO” in my apartment. yes please, he so can take the reigns, hopefully with some collabs with Uematsu. My must/must/must for any mainline ff score are some pieces used in every installment, like prelude, victory them etc.

[@andrewclear8905]

Ardbert makes this story, his scenes are so emotional. I didn't think they would be able to top Heavensward in any expansions, but DAMN, Shadowbringers is amazing. One of the best stories in RPG's period, and its in an MMO, which makes it even more amazing.

[@Ladywizard]

writer for shadowbringers also did the crystal tower raid, then the dark knight questline for hw then Azim Steppes

[@Gunplabro]

Am I the only one that found Heavensward to be a little over rated? The story was predictable for me, and the zones were boring. I'm sure it was hype shit at launch, and I probably would have enjoyed it more, but I played ARR when it launched and I think I enjoyed that experience more than Heavensward. I also enjoyed Stormblood more. Stormblood had cooler zones and moments. I love the Ruby Sea and Azim Steppe. Best zones in the entire game. I stopped playing after I beat ARR within my first free month. Than I returned in may of this year because basically the game lived in my head rent free for 7 years and I meant to go back.

[@wheatwhisky9670]

A spoiler-filled rambling is down below; good time as any. A theme that I've often mused about after completed Shadowbringers MSQ is whether the same story could be told in a singleplayer-RPG; it probably could if it were following a kind of strict, narrative flow alike of the Mass Effect-trilogy, where we journey the same player avatar through multiple games, but FFXIV as a MMORPG differs from a collection of separate singleplayer-games in how the continuous development of the same format kinda molds a set of familiar intimacy and perspective to your Warrior of Light's role in the story. Something recurring that WoL and Ardbert for instance have is in regards of what legacies champions and heroes leave after, both to negative and positive effects, with the former being found in Ardbert and his friends becoming the Cardinal Virtues, and the latter in, well... you. Until the Trust-system was implemented, you pretty much have to force going through the obligatory group content with other players, and there is a large chance that you have through recurring leveling with the Duty Roulette-system helped other newcomers doing your completed duties for the first time, causing a chain-effects of veterans having helped in your journey, and you in turn helping others, regardless whether it is big or small way. A large part of the themes surrounding on being a hero that is reflected in you, Ardbert, Crystal Exarch and Emet-Selch (even if the latter absolutely despises such categorization, which makes sense given the Ascian's collective society-view.) is something I felt was quite identifiable over the long journey beforehand throughout A Realm Reborn, Heavensward and Stormblood, but more in a very retrospective and reflective manner with taking a look past at all the effort made by other people, other players that you have interacted with over the course of your journey. It is perhaps more emphasized in the final scene of the game before it switches to the credits, where a young boy (That bears a resemblance to Ardbert.), asks with star-eyed eagerness the WoL on where they came from, and how did they become so strong. You were once that boy. Now you've become a hero of your own. As always, thanks for the video, TNSP!

[@elvarght]

My favorite line that sums up shadowbringers' genius is one that emmet says: - "The victor shall write the tale, and the vanquished become its villain" It says SO MUCH about how the game is. Both side are morally grey and it supports everything you said. And the best part of it: Real life is the same way. Every war is told by the victors and pictured them as the good side no matter what. That extension is a masterpiece. I'm a RPG player and, in MY OPINION, it is the best story is video game history.

[@itsjustbri]

I can agree with this video on so many levels, I have played ff14 for years along with having a love for the series and playing all the games throughout the series since I was young but yet have felt conflicted with some of the directional choices the series has taken in previous titles. All of FF14 has felt like they have written it for the long term fans and new ones alike but I will say Shadowbringers has felt like the biggest love letter to the OG fans that grew up with these games. SO MANY easter eggs, connections to the previous games made and really just tying it all together in one amazing package. Shadowbringers story is a strong one and could easily be played as a standalone triple A game had Square written it to be, I have felt so revitalized in my love for this series since finishing the expansion and it leaves you wanting more.

[@Mighto]

Im Happy it is finally happening but its sad it took the community around 19 Years to finally recognise that the Final Fantasy MMOs have the best world building. Thinking of you... love of my life Final Fantasy XI

[@legionairesunny5507]

All the stuff with G'raha made my happy and sad, fulfilled and longing for more.

[@RaysofLight98]

Having the wandering minstrel create a synopsis of the events of your fight with Emet, and purposely reflect on Emet's choice to reveal his name in the context of the overarching culture of Rak'tika... It was bittersweet to essentially(?) have my suspicions confirmed. My guess: He wasn't willing to wager the world, so he decided to wager something far less precious to him. He wanted to make sure the world was taken care of - no matter who won. He provoked you into proving that you were strong enough to take care of his legacy.

[@PilgrimMinistry]

Me, still in the A Realm Reborn trial: “yes, tell me more Final Fantasy man.”

[@estefaniac.1011]

I recently made a new character to check what the msq changes for ARR were (yes, I could have just gone the NewGame+ way but I also wanted to see quest rewards and xp) and it's lots better than before. It doesn't really take that long to get to Heavensward and there's no need to grind levels either. And I still love HW to bits so I had lots of fun there afterwards 😁 So, to add my voice to the chorus, do your best to get through those ARR quests, you won't regret it ^^

[@Bozidar94]

Also it has nothing to do with the video but we have a release date for Tales of Arise its September 9th 2021 hype :)

[@TheNightSkyPrince]

I'm super excited!

[@Bozidar94]

@@TheNightSkyPrince Same my friend^^ also beautiful video 10/10

[@angryoaf]

Wow your opening words mirror my feeling about Final Fantasy EXACTLY. I was just telling my FC exactly that.

[@Aruuri]

Really enjoyed this video! I would love a video in which u talk about how great the game is without spoiling too much of the story because i have been trying to get my friends/family into it as well, but the MMO aspect of it turns them off

[@kataku8609]

00:01 That women needs a price! And a raise! And a hug, bless her hearth!

[@BHFFS]

If Ishikawa doesn't get the lead job writing the next mainline FF game after XVI WE RIOT. Also Tomorrow and Tomorrow is the single best track in the whole series fight me.

[@Telris86]

Emet Selch is another prime example for the key component that makes great villains. Regardless of the medium in any story the best villains are almost exclusively the ones that you can relate to. You understand their motives and feel for them, even though the path they chose is the "wrong" one and even that is often a blurred line if you look at it objectively.

[@commanderkitsune8524]

Good thing that Endwalker is being written by the same lead writer, eh? If anyone is going to surpass ShB in terms of writing and deliver a true climax of this decade long epic, it's her, before moving into FFXIV's second decade and next saga.

[@Mystica84]

Everything is wonderful in ff 14 there's no words to express how good this game is ! I just have a few hours on the game and I can't get enough of it its a total different experience of gaming like this universe is so unique and you can easily escape the real world and fly away into this final fantasy universe ! I'm so glad that I was able to discover this game ^^

[@Kserijaro]

Go play some good games, watch some good anime and read some good stories. This is boring ass trash.

[@Mystica84]

@@Kserijaro why everytime I'm commenting on a subject there's someone like yourself who is troling under my comments and talking nonsense. I never ask to comment on my post why are you doing it? Do you have anything else to do other then coming down here ? Is it a way for yourself to trash on a game that have easily more then 20 millions people worldwide playing this game on daily basis. So please explain me why this game is so ( Trash ) if it attract that much of daily users online?

[@Kserijaro]

@@Mystica84 A lot of people called twilight and 50 shades of gray good books. A lot of people liked Justin Bieber unironicaly. And many millions still believe in words of the bible. People tend to like trash if it gives them acceptance by other people that like trash. You see, as a person that was gaming and watching anime my whole life I cant begin to comprehend how tastes and expectations went down from 2000. I can write a long essay how Ff14 is not half as good as you white knights call it and you will still defend it. From ancient engine, to no world mehcanics, linear and boring story telling, tons of filler crapp that serves no purpose other than to waste your sub time, with very thin end game and no role customisation, FF14 is arguably very generic and bland. It has some cool moments, but these come too little and too late compared to ammount of shit clicking and watching mute inane cinematics. Bit again, you people are blind and immune to logical criticism. Bare in mind it is people like you that I hate.. I played ff14 for two months and it was the most boring experience to date and i regret spending money on it. It is a corporate tool to promote and auto-fellatio sqare enix' other games. And at the end of the day, i dont care about generic anime two year old boring game but i am triggered when army of idiots say "just endure 400h of shit clicking and afking to get to Shadowbringers....it gets way better then" Well a good game doesnt need 400h of shit and an army of white knights to defend it. There are too many systems in ff14 that need updating. Square Enix cares not that first time player experience is too long too tedious and boring.. The fact they want us to "enjoy" story speaks volumes with the fact that they monetize story skip and it costs around 60$ to SKIP the reason to play the game. But you are going to say next "yeah i like it and all of use love it and you can go fuck urself" because you gotta white knight this boring ass game.

[@Mystica84]

@@Kserijaro can i honestly say something? You really put your point a crossed with that statement. And I can truly see you pretty much had a bad time playing that game . But even though there's all those aspects that you mention it doesn't allowed you to judge if someone should play the game or not . It is up to the people to decide whether he wish spend hours , running around , doing side quests . Me honestly I am not so far in this game yet to complains right now I'm just enjoying the free trial whether I will decide to continue playing or not . But it is up to me to decide it I don't say you are wrong with what you are saying theses are things we need to considered but at the end of the day it's a live service . If you are not willing to invest in it. Its your choice and matter fact can still enjoy the main story and then leave the game. On my case I will probably just enjoy the free trial and leave it this way . Because I a lot of library of games that I haven't played yet . But honestly thanks for the feedback it was very interesting to say the least ^^

[@Kserijaro]

@@Mystica84 I understand. But I am trying to keep people's hopes more realistic because I belive this community oversells the game too much. I played too many good games, too many mmos and watched so many good and bad tv shows, anime and movies. I worked as a freelance reviewer and over the course of my life I also studied rules of objective criticism. I firmly belive if they REMOVED tons of trite click and stand around quests, the GOOD parts (dungeons and raid) would shine better. I am dissapointed. However, I am not unresonable. My rant does come across too emotional, simply because I played couple of FF games and found them FUN. I never wanted it to sound like I hate people that love FF14. I just wanted to warn about objective shortcomings and needless, unreal praise the game gets. But at the end of the day, that is my take. Everyone is free to do with their time and money as they see fit.

[@EloquentTroll]

I'm normally not a JRPG fan, but a spoonful of MMO helps the JRPG go down. And this one got me back in ARR, gripped me tight in Heavensward, and hasn't let go since. Starting Endwalker tonight.

[@watermelonslime2971]

Final fantasy is so exciting right now because it feels like while the old ff team are currently working on possibly the biggest game of their career with the 7 remake series 14 and 16 seem like a new team of devs are paving their own way for the series going forward sorta like the tourch is finally being passed

[@NikkoTanGoogle]

and for the better...nomura and toriyama visions of final fantasies have been so stale and boring. Creative Business Unit 3 gave FF a much needed turb back to authenticity

[@Juansetheunknown]

i have to be honest online games are not my thing never enjoyed them BUT man FFXIV deserve all the tries if you love Final Fantasy no matter wich one its your favorite, THIS right here is one of the best and at the end it will stand in your top 3 because it just have it all beautiful and epic soundtrack, one of the best main villains, and the story is unique.... also yeah the community of FFXIV is one of the best for the most part there is a lot of nice people.

[@JamieBarrington]

I'm just now nearing the end of Shadowbringers and wow, it was incredible

[@katiepersons6575]

They "cannon" job for the WoL in this expansion may be Dark Knight, but being a Warrior seems even more poetic in it's final moments.

[@chrisrounds1242]

I agree with you for ff14 expansion. To me, it felt more of the classic Final Fantasy RPG than a MMO game. I love that the Scions of the Seventh Dawn had more of pivotal role than being sidekicks on the Realm Reborm. Also, Heavensward and Stormblood were more character development and backstory for the Scions. I hope the next expansion after Endwalker becomes a backstory for our characters. All in all, Shadowbringers is my far the favorite because all the characters with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn were all, in my opinion, were the Warriors of Light including the Warriors of Darkness that were introduced after the events of Heavensward

[@lunamoona89]

I could listen to you simp for FF14 forever

[@TemLightKiBlade]

My god, I didn't realize it was an Isekai... that was such a 'last puzzle piece in place' kinda moment when you said it, felt like getting slapped in the face.

[@Venosyne]

ARR crawled so Shadowbringers can run a crossworld (hah!) marathon ❤️

[@zeehero7280]

I love Alphianaud's burn about the mirror. you can almost hear the soap opera audience going OOOOOOOF!

[@Coramelimane]

She also co-wrote Heavensward. Which is why it's story is also pretty tight.

[@Yuyu5001]

Small correction! Soken doesn't write the song texts - Michael Christopher Koji Fox does! They are a great team in that regard. I agree with the rest of your presentation of the story, though, this is an awesome story.

[@lyconxero457]

Another fantastic video about Final Fantasy 14!

[@gai.l4916]

I really love your analysis of Shadowbringers, it's such a brilliant story. Soken is simply my favorite musician right now. I wanna ask if I could have your permission to translate this video and upload it onto a Chinese video site, since Chinese viewers have no access to KZbin. I'll keep all your links and info if you agree! Please?😃 🙏