So part of why I’m embarking on this journey to try and “solve” the latter-day Final Fantasy series is because the vibes have just been off for a while, man. But that’s not really accurate; what I mean to say is that the vibes in the main franchise have been off for a while, but that wasn’t always the case.
I remember when I first read about the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy conceit a few years ago, I thought to myself how interesting it could be from certain philosophical perspectives. It specifically felt very absurdist to me: this idea that these crystals which have been at the center of just about every Final Fantasy story – usually in the context of saving them – could be the antagonists against which the party characters have to struggle.
I’ve been going back and forth with myself on whether I want to really dive deep into Fabula Nova Crystallis, considering its narrative frame has basically become the default mode for modern Final Fantasy. Same goes for the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, a game series which – at least from what I’ve played of Remake and Intergrade – seems to be critically engaging with FFXIII/Fabula Nova Crystallis from the other direction as FFXV and FFXVI. I made the assertion at the announcement of this project that I wouldn’t be doing anything resembling a dev history; part of the reason why is that I have to acknowledge my limitations and maintain boundaries: this project is volatile and likely to experience profound scope creep if I let it, and I don’t have the beans to reel it back in if it ever gets to that point.
So I’m kind of just in this place right now where I have to admit that we’re in a little bit of a vibe contest here. I got a vibe from FFXV and FFXVI that sits in opposition to what’s in the FFXIII games: despair instead of hope, ugliness instead of beauty, trenchant individualism instead of collective struggle. Nihilism instead of absurdism. It’s this philosophical reversal I’m chasing, and so I guess the question is: by comparison does FFVIIR keep going down the positive vibe lane? And if so, should it be included in this project specifically as a foil to the kinda shitty edginess of XV and XVI?
Anyway, I’m still converting stuff into PDFs for reading and processing. Another logistical nightmare I’m facing is that I’m probably going to have to watch and transcribe a bunch of shitty YouTube reviews before this is all over, and I can feel my soul leaking from my body.
Talk to you soon.
