#all over the place I'm feelin extra rambly

[fyx-ation]

A Meandering Ramble on FFXVI

Firstly, if you haven't played the game yet or haven't finished the game yet, I suggest scrolling on. If you want a recommendation to play it, the best I can give you is a 7/10. Worth playing. Not the best thing on the market in the same territory but refreshing (I might use that word a lot going forward) and holds interest very well. Like a page-turner of a book.

That said, the rest of my ramble will be behind the cut to spare spoiling others.

Huh. What a strange little game. I actually just finished it, though I do need to go finish the chronolith things at some point. But I wanted to strike while the iron is hot, so this might be all over the place. I usually try to provide some essay-like structure when I write about a game... But I'm not really feelin' it since I've been working 5am shifts for a while and my brain is fried.

I have not read or watched any other reviews or summaries or impressions of the game. I didn't want my opinion to be tainted by bias because some creator or another loved or hated it.

It is Very Pretty. But perhaps not in a PS5 sort-of rock your eyeballs way. It handles like the Witcher III and Final Fantasy had an off-putting love-child. By that, I mean just the walking around and interacting with things reminds me of Witcher. Casual conversations are overheard from NPCs, and occasionally one that will actually speak to you (Clive) even if they aren't offering a quest or incentive. Facial animations, weather/landscape animations. Very Pretty but maybe a smidge outdated? How is that possible? Everything is lovely! But a little stiff if it's not an important, scripted, you-can't control your character here, sort of scene. The ones that aren't separately rendered cutscenes but still have extra polish? Yeah, not those.

You know what else this game reminds me of? Mass Effect (or Dragon Age). There's no open world to explore. There are pocket maps that you can return to from your Normandy Hideaway, but usually you're just sent there to do a mission quest or hunt or something.

So, let's deconstruct that a little. I think and hope that the producers of this game looked at what has been working and what has landed with the fan-base like a sopping wet diaper. Open world fatigue? Absolutely real. Stamina bars? Fuck right off. Pacing the game out with enormous, unskippable BS like a car ride because the plot is paper thin? Nope!

Does it work for a Final Fantasy game, though? See, this is where the conversation gets choppy. (While I didn't interact with reviews, I did see some plumes of smoke on the horizon in the form of thumbnails and the like). Some people are ride or die "this ain't MY final fantasy." Worse, some are like "this isn't a JRPG q_q."

Personally, I let that ship sail years ago. I loved the old turn-based games, don't get me wrong. I lament there aren't that many on the market anymore. But I've moved on. 16 is probably the biggest departure so far from that. Excluding the online games, they've been moving away from that format since 12. 13 was the last to have party members who you can actually control. (I'm not counting the 7 remake here, either) 16 doesn't have a party system. You can't swap Thane Krios (my space boyfriend) in when you fast travel from your hideaway to the next story beat. It's just the protag and whatever side piece is relevant at the moment, and that side character just does their own thing.

Do I like it? Ehh.... yes and no. Clive doesn't talk to himself or them much, so I feel like a lot more banter was needed. I could see why they left it out on the battle maps ("Hey, Clive, remember when were playing checkers and mom kicked the board because oh hello Mr. Behemoth."). But in city hubs? More banter, please. Even more conversations like the newer God of War games have would be most welcome.

And controlling just Clive? It's fine. I am A-okay with it. Combat's really fun, even when I'm not playing at my best and half-dozing on the couch. It's better than holding down the circle button (15 shaming is my kink). It's all amazingly refreshing in comparison to SE's other departures from turn-based battles. It's the first one so far (again excluding ff7r) to actually succeed at doing something different.

But I would not recommend the game to anyone on that alone. If they were looking for a hack n' slash pew pew magic pew game, I'd suggest the newer God of Wars first.

This is where I'm on the fence about how to judge the game as a whole because it isn't SPECTACULAR. It's good. Combat's good. Story is decent. Side characters are interesting (though some are woefully under-cooked, including Jill, whom I often compared to a piece of cardboard while talking to friends). Pacing a HUGE improvement from previous installments, though the last few hours of the game are weirdly smooshed into sidequests which aren't really sidequests because they are invaluable to the story and the game expects you to do them.

However. The world-building, which is very nice, is padded with lore directories just to clarify shit to people who have no idea what the fuck is going on or who have maybe missed or forgotten details that flesh out the motivations of everyone on the two continents. Did you forget who was fighting who while Clive was was off kicking boxes? Boy, do we have the right solution for that: it's LORE DUMP MAN and his faithful sidekick MAP TIMELINE WOMAN. I'm not saying they are bad things... just... odd. Heavy-handed? I love it when games offer some sort of journal to keep me on track or remind me of things, and yet they feel like they were put in this game because things are a bit blurry for the first third. They throw a lot of names at you, a lot of factions, and a lot of talk of different battles that you don't even witness so the only way to clarify all that is to be given Baby's First Overview. I think that might be indicative of a small failing on the game's part. Lots of telling with little showing often leads to lore dumps in RPGs, because it's critical that you understand for the sake of the story. Weirdly, there actually aren't a lot of exposition dumps in the actual gameplay. I guess they couldn't find a happy medium.

It's late. Gotta get up at 4, so I'll bring this ramble to a close for now. I'll talk about tone and themes later, probably.

Is it worth $70 and satisfying? Mostly. If you like button mashing combat and fantasy, sure. If you're a die-hard FF person, sure, but bolster your expectations as it doesn't really fit that mold. Anyone else that's curious, I'd say wait for a sale or promotion.

TBC

[askme-polaris]

Bath time and the voices are back...

It was a somewhat normal day at the Hazbin Hotel. All of the staff was busy or at least one of them was before he went on his break. Husk had retreated to his room once he finished his shift where he found our little bundle of jitters scratching and itching up a storm. "Poli...what are ya doin on the floor? And why are you scratching so much... Stop before you end up breaking the skin." He interrogated the small fruit bat demon who had paused in her scratch fest and looked in the direction of the voice with her bright,purple eyes.

"I'm itchy, mr. Husk! Make it stop itching!" The bat whimpered, starting to scratch again while crying. She had been itching for a while but she didn't know why. It felt like something was biting her all over but she could never reach and so she was scratching in an attempt to make it go away and soothe the itch. Husk noticed her distress and scooped her up in his arms. "Guess it's bathtime then. Let's get you cleaned up so the itch goes away,yeah?" He suggested gently,softly petting her ears and giving her his kindest smile despite knowing she couldn't see it. Polaris nodded and let herself be carried in the bartender's arms to his bathroom. He ran the shower to the temperature she preferred and helped her undress before placing her in the tub and scrubbing her in the spots she had scratched feverishly with gentle scrubbing motions. This was like any other shower with Husk. She trusted him to help her get cleaned but couldn't help how sensitive her body got to his touches in certain spots. She'd freeze up and let out a squeak when his paws scrubbed on her chest and de-tangled the matted fur around that area, thoroughly scrubbing the shampoo and soap in well to ensure her cleanliness. He did this everyday so why was it different this time? His paw moved down and she jumped,squeaking again as he scrubbed between her legs. He knew she couldn't help it, women's bodies are sensitive. He figured she must have been extra sensitive since she couldn't see and had to trust Husk to assist her in tasks she couldn't do even if he guided her through the process. 'Why do i always get so sensitive with him during our showers? I trust him with all my being. So why...? Why does my body react this way?" She pondered to herself,listening to the pattern in the water coming from the shower overhead pattering on the porcelain floor below them. It reminded her of rainfall from the topside in the living realm. She loved the rain and would often fall asleep to it in class on instinct. She tried not to focus on his soft,gentle scrubbing on her body and think more about her past life and what she could remember well. She was however brought out of her nostalgia trip when she felt him scrubbing the skin connecting her wings and tail before moving on to the curves and dips of her back and legs. She flinched,feeling his claws run along the skin under her fur. She never knew why bathtime was always so sensual in her mind. She supposed it was because the demon she was so deeply enamored with was the one scrubbing her from head to toe with careful,precise touches and reaching the spots she couldn't but were very sensitive for her. These touches often result in her nearly crippling over from the stimulation and she felt herself getting warmer and often found her mind wandering with the water pouring down. She shook those thoughts from her mind when they would resurface again. Every damn time! Why do they have to come and ruin my peaceful bathtime with Mr. Husk!

He's not even mine...

She often yelled this at herself for letting her mind conjure such thoughts. She was always snapped out of her self-scolding by the feeling of the water pouring down on her and Husk. The soup and shampoo and de-tangling conditioner being thoroughly rinsed and washed out, leaving her fur soft and with a pretty shine to her coat. As always,Husk climbed out first wrapping a towel around his waist before gently scooping Polaris out after him in a towel and turning off the shower,letting the tub drain. Husk cleans himself after Polaris is clean. He always put her before himself. He wasn't selfish and cared for her deeply.

Husk dried off and dried off Polaris,blowing through her fur with a blow-dryer. He chuckled when she puffed up from the warm air,causing the said bat to blush and pout at him laughing at her predicament. He proceeded to apply her deodorant to her underarms and moisturized her fur and hair,knowing that she was susceptible to dryness as soon as they hopped out of the shower. He'd already brushed her teeth and was now brushing and combing out the kinks and tangles in her head of hair. He smoothed her fur down,kissing her forehead and dressed her in something comfy. A simple,backless sweater with sparkles paired with black shorts. He heard her stomach grumble accompanied by her sheepish giggle.

"Let's get you some grub. Must be a bit hungry after getting a nice scrub in the tub." He figured as he booped her nose,being rewarded with a smile and outstretched arms as his signal to pick her up. "Looks like you aren't itchy anymore so let's go eat. I'll cook up somethin for ya." He picked her up and carried the both of them to the dining room to get something to eat. He cooked up some meat for her and watched as she hungrily chowed down,wiping the juices from her mouth as she ate.

He saw the look on her face as she lowered her muzzle to the plate. "Don't you do it." He warned as he saw her tongue flick out between her lips. "Don't you dare. Poli,I'm warnin ya. Don't you lick that plate." He threatened half-heartedly,sighing as his warning fell on deaf ears as she proceeded to lick the juices that dripped from the meat from the plate. A pool of juices from the pork chop he cooked for her was now being lapped up by her pink bat tongue. Once she finished, she giggled and let Husk take her plate to wash. He washed hers and his and they walked back to his room together. Poli had gone quiet and looked noticeably upset about something. "Polaris,what's the matter? You feelin alright?" He expressed his worry,approaching the small bat as she twiddled her fingers and lightly grinded her teeth together. Minutes passed and she remained quiet. Just as Husk was about to call out to her, she finally opened her mouth to speak. "I feel dirty... Why was bathtime so much more different this time than all the other times you bathed me? I can still feel your paws ghosting over my body even though we already left the bath and these thoughts... They don't feel right...i feel so bad about it...why was i so s-sensitive afterwards?" Her voice cracked as she spoke and tears bubbled up in her starry eyes,sniffling. Husk looked at her with wide eyes and took a seat beside her. "Poli, you-" He was interrupted by her mini screech of guilt. "A-am i bad for having these thoughts?! I-is it wrong?! A-am i wrong for thinking that way?! I-i feel like m-mr.Angel! I-is that b-bad?!" She continued to ramble and spout until her words became a jumbled mess and he couldn't decipher anything she was saying. He gently grabbed her and pulled her into a hug as she sobbed. She was coming undone once again and all husk could do was wait. Wait for her to come back down and reach her calm again. It took a bit but he eventually pulled her to arms length and she looked up at him with watery pale blue eyes. "A-am i...gross for...imagining you and i...in that way?" She shakily asked,hoping he wouldn't be disgusted with her and kick her out of his room or even worse than that.

"Those thoughts aren't bad at all...they're normal...i don't know why you were so jumpy and maybe you were extremely sensitive this time cause i had my paws lingering too long in those spots... I got distracted and caught up in my own thoughts... For some reason, my dumb old brain hyper-fixated on the softness of your fur and how your life must have been when you were alive. Don't ever think you were bad for having those thoughts,Poli. I care about you so much." he hugged her to his chest,rubbing her back and rocking her gently like he always did when she had her moments. "Y-you don't think I'm gross...m-mr.h-husk?" She felt him shake his head and tell her no in a hushed tone. She sniffled,snuggling up in his embrace before they both lied down at the head of his bed. Husk put on some nice,calming music to fill the quiet void between them. They didn't need to talk after that so they gazed into the other's eyes while Sway by Michael bublé played in the background. Husk took this as a chance to intertwine his and Polaris' claws together and hold hands while laying on the sides facing each other. A somber smile finding its way to both their faces. For a moment,they saw the other's human self in place of their own. Polaris saw Husk's human incarnation. A man with scruffy facial hair, tired brown eyes that looked sick of everything,with short messy graying hair. The man wore a vest over a white button-up shirt with black slacks with bands around the middle of the long sleeves of the shirt. In Husk's eyes, he saw in place of Polaris, a fair skinned girl with purple hair fading into a purplish-pink at the ends. The girl had pretty magenta colored eyes that he wasn't sure if those were contacts or her real eyes. The girl wore a purple off-the-shoulder sweater over a violet zip-up crop top with dark purple jeans and dark grey boots with purple along the front. He noticed there was a necklace with a rubber ring hanging from her neck matching the one he found Polaris with when they first met. After what he'd been told, he guessed the ring was a stimming toy to help Polaris with her stimming. He subconsciously reached out to stroke her cheek,seeing the girl jump before leaning into his touch with a soft smile. They both blinked,seeing the other was back to their normal demon appearance. To Polaris, while others might not have found Husk's human parallel self attractive, she found the man to be very handsome and good looking. She began to wonder if they had met while they were still alive, would they have gotten along and been friends or perhaps something more like they do here in hell?

Maybe not... But it didn't hurt to imagine such a nice vision. Husk had gotten stuck in his thoughts again and imagined a world where he and Polaris were both still alive and they had crossed paths. He would react brashly before being awestruck at her beauty,apologizing for being so rude and the two would strike off a conversation,getting to know the other while walking side by side.

Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to love and hold in your arms?