Death, rebirth, and standing tall amid the universe’s terrifying mathematical indifference towards our very existence — not the sort of musings one would expect from an MMORPG rife with catboys, yet that’s what Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker evokes.
It’s appropriate, given Final Fantasy 14 was sent out to die more than a decade ago. In 2010, it took everything in director Naoki Yoshida’s power to drag the game’s charred husk out of the limelight until it was, well, at least somewhat playable. Borderline insurmountable at the time, that. None could have known that Final Fantasy 14 would reemerge as arguably the best MMORPG there’s ever been.
How fitting that Endwalker expects similar herculean efforts from players to save its world of Etheirys from a grizzly fate, despite how heavily the deck leans toward nihilism’s favor. Crimson meteorites litter the skies as the visage of everyday folk twists into eldritch horrors, their only reprieve being your blade’s pointy end. Fear fuels this apocalypse, and dousing its flames becomes daunting fast, particularly for those of us that have roamed about Etheirys every year since A Realm Reborn came out in 2013. It’s like trying to use goldfish bowl water to put out a house fire, and Endwalker wants you to savor every last drop to keep hope alive. Not that any of this is relatable given the current state of our world, no siree bob.
That tone pervades every single solitary detail in Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker, from its lavish cutscenes that would make Hideo Kojima blush to combat encounters that’ll likely test your tear duct’s stopping power. Vanaspati dungeon is where mine failed. It comes not long after the game lures players into a false sense of security, tricking everyone into believing the tropical island nation of Thavnair is safe from impending doom. Then, in the blink of an eye, it all goes to hell. Villagers beg for a swift death before contorting into the very foes you must contend with to progress. It’s bleak while simultaneously containing some of the most exciting brawls Final Fantasy 14 has ever had. The terminus snatcher boss, for instance, continually peppers the arena with images of its nasty chattering teeth that act like roadside warning signs of sorts. It’s up to you to figure out if a menacing grin or gaping maw offers refuge before the beast unleashes heaps of explosive spells in every direction. Endwalker manages to be tragic, mechanically challenging, and deviously absurd all at once without stumbling into unintentionally funny territory.
That’s not to say Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker doesn’t yield a good belly laugh or two — not at all, it just does so of its own volition. A curious aspect of the expansion is how it reminds players of how important having a good laugh is, especially in times of great hardship. One of the best scenes involves Urianger, a pretentious git who speaks in ye olde tongues as he tries to instill some importance into the names of some adorable bunny creatures (Loporrits for the Final Fantasy IV fans out there). Imagine his surprise as one of them says their name is “Puddingway,” and Urianger goes off on a stammering, nervous, yet endearing speech about the virtue of pudding. Never has Final Fantasy 14 left players in stitches quite like that. It’s incredible how seamlessly Endwalker threads the needle between heavy subject matter with knee-slap-worthy comedy without one ever overpowering the other.
That tonal care extends to the score as well. Composer Masayoshi Soken always brings his A-game, yet Endwalker’s soundtrack raises the bar. From booming, infectious choir chants crescendoing with hopeful violin riffs in tracks like Endcaller to somber, quiet lore-rich ballads like Flow, this is an all-time great soundtrack. Soken’s music accentuates Endwalker’s most emotionally-charged moments to a ludicrous degree, leaving fans either breathless or jumping out of their seats in excitement.
Nothing highlights Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker’s success quite like how fans shower the expansion with praise, despite severe server congestion issues making logging on a pain. In some alternate reality where Endwalker is simply “fine,” it would likely receive a catastrophic backlash, not unlike New World did for precisely the same login woes. But once you’re in the game itself, technical frustrations melt away, and all that’s left is an MMORPG expansion that is universally beloved among critics and fans alike. Where Twitter threads about low-resolution fruit in Halo go viral, Endwalker’s angular grape textures were quickly elevated to endearing meme status.
Above all else, what makes this expansion extraordinary is how hope weaves into every panel of its tapestry. By the end, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s not slightly emotional over the journey they went through. Even when utterly terrifying forces above us deem our lives unworthy, we ultimately get to decide what powers guide us, be it fear, indifference, love, or well-earned laughs. That is why Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker is the best video game update of 2021.
Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.
