#FF14 truly shines when the story is truly original with smatterings of older game assets thrown in.
This is a feat so unique in MMO's because while every other game in the sector have their own stories, none truly put the player as the focus quite like ff14.
It's a shame then that the post MSQ (Main story questline) has broken both of these tenants. The story is almost a complete retelling of a much older game, and the player character is, well, just there.
It has been disappointing.
@lenaoflune There have been some story threads that ended frayed, all stories have this. But the story being told in the EW post msq is nearly beat for beat FF4 mashed into FF14.
I don't think I've ever seen such a blunt use of an older IP save perhaps the Nier raids, and people still complain about how out of place it felt in the ShB expansion. Though the glam is nice.
The normal and alliance raid's story have been the bright spots for me.
@SentinelOfTruth That's unfortunate. I love FF4 to bits and was hoping to see it get referenced and gently woven in (I look at the Crystal Tower alliance raids as the best example of an FF14 retelling of an older FF story), but... it's too bad to hear it's just getting smushed in there.
I agree that the NieR raids really felt like they didn't fit at all, much as I loved their aesthetic and mechanics.
@lenaoflune A little FF4 (or any other game): very cool.
The entirety of FF4 controlling the narrative smothering the FF14 story: not so much.
I get it's a game of giving players fan service, but here it's been just too much. Love the game to death, but this has been a letdown for me.
@SentinelOfTruth Between xpac MSQs have always been iffy in 14, IMO.
Remember the one where the Emperor shows up to "negotiate" for some reason and basically nothing comes of it? Or the Black Rose stuff that, while relevant to the Shadowbringers MSQ, is only tangentially mentioned in it?
Thankfully, these questionable storylines usually don't speak to the quality of the xpac writing :)