man the thematic writing in this game is wholly underrated

To everyone who played FF in their childhood, who traveled to other worlds and loved their time there .. I just want to say that i see you, and im glad that we are comrades in this experience. We are very fortunate to enjoy this series in a way that wont be possible soon enough. Keep loving final fantasy ❤

@TheOneGreat

11 ай бұрын

I try but ever since XIII the series is on a serious decline for various reasons. XV was just bad but XVI is terrible in its own right.

@liamace1107

11 ай бұрын

​@@TheOneGreatI hated 15 but after 16 I've gone back and realised the world of 15 feels significantly more alive, lived in and "real". 16's endless hallways, lack of civilisation, lack of quests outside of fetch, hunt and "talk to the local people" made it feel like the fakest videogame world ever. Also the story literally forgets bearers exist halfway through... The main point of the fucking story itself is thrown out the window for a different focus out of nowhere

@Rithysak101

11 ай бұрын

​​@@liamace1107XV had only 2 towns the whole game tho. How does it feel more alive? Especially since all the NPC are all copy pasted with side quests only for you collect dog tags, ingredients, and catching frogs? Sorry I have to disagree with that one lol. And the bearers were forgotten about if you done the side quests.

@FahadGG1

11 ай бұрын

​@@liamace1107ofc it is alive XVI world is dying. 🤡🤡

@edmilsonjunior3916

11 ай бұрын

@@Rithysak101Dont listen to the xboners (like @liamace1107 ) that throw nonsnesical criticism at the game. They just hate for the sake of hating The game lives and dies on free will and the relation of powerhungry/dependant humanity with magic and slaves. Beares are the focus point of the game.

Make a part II on XVI. There’s so much esoteric topics woven in this game.

@AB-cr1cu

11 ай бұрын

i hope for a part II, i'm still suffering from the emotional damage because of the game ending 😭😭😭

@javierlopez3756

11 ай бұрын

@@AB-cr1cusame man, same.

@Butterandbacon

11 ай бұрын

@@AB-cr1cu emotional damage.

@rd6416

11 ай бұрын

I'm happy with how it ended. It's more powerful in ambiguity.

I got up to 3:15 and boy am I excited to watch the rest once I finally beat the game!

@VergieOfDeath

11 ай бұрын

You both mentioned the Shadow part, and I got hella interested. Hoping for your new parts of your FFXVI videos

This is why I'm beginning to truly like Japanese game design over western. Many modern western developers are afraid to implement complex concepts and symbolism into their games in fear of not reaching mass appeal, but Japanese devs understand that you can implement such things in your work and the people who have the knowledge will appreciate the concepts and symbolism, while others who might not catch them can still have a great experience regardless.

@eduardojosebedoyaconeo9353

11 ай бұрын

Totally agree, for me the only exception (sort of) is the God of War franchise

@crozraven

11 ай бұрын

as of now, atheism & wokenism are the only "messaging" that plaguing most western games & it's definitely lack of nuances, completely in your face & rather cringe.

@Sincleaver

11 ай бұрын

​@@crozraven It's so bad, I agree.

@CYI3ERPUNK

11 ай бұрын

its funny this was exactly the same situation around 30-40 years ago , cultures have this tendency to stay in ignorant patterns/cycles over and over again

@SaberRexZealot

11 ай бұрын

@@crozraven what the fuck does wokenism mean? And what’s wrong with atheism?

Also there's another thing that Max forgot to mention: Ultima means Last or Final; Mythos can mean also Fantasy; Final Fantasy

@lucas2mazini

11 ай бұрын

You're wrong, mythos doesnt mean fantasy lol

@nerostark4320

11 ай бұрын

​​@@lucas2maziniyes you re right and i was wrong. The thing is, that in my country we associate this word normally with fantasy in stories, thats why interpreted wrong. But the word ultima is a word from my country and it means last or final.

@darkitachi27

11 ай бұрын

Ultima means Final/Last in portuguese

@k4yser

10 ай бұрын

@@lucas2mazini a myth is associated with fantasy. no need to include that immature "lol" at the end, like a 14 yrs old bellend.

@xiiir838

10 ай бұрын

​@@lucas2mazini I'll give him the like anyway

Another thing is Mythos and Logos is the same translation for "word" and the way that the ancient Greeks saw mythos and logos, was that they were not complete opposites but two different ways to convey the truth, another thing I haven't seen anyone talk about is the image of Ifrit risen looks like Neon Genesis when Unit 01 has the wings, and the symbol that Ultima has, looks like a Sephirot

@ShellyYum

11 ай бұрын

Isn't it though?

@livingtoaster1358

11 ай бұрын

@@ShellyYum isn't it though what?

@pg5650

11 ай бұрын

Actually I'm Greek and that's inaccurate. Mythos means legend and logos means reason and speech

@copyninja8756

10 ай бұрын

​@@pg5650it also means word bro

Excellent video, I'd like to see you do more on XVI as I think there's a plethora of other narrative aspects to dive into. I feel like the ending really plays into the themes of breaking away from fate, free will, choice and living/dying on your own terms. We aren't shown the outcomes of the characters, as now their fates are their own; but there's a huge tapestry of facts, subtext, symbolism and themes to pull from that allows for the player to infer and write their own ending, or fantasy, so to speak.

Clive's voice opens the game, and his lines sounds very much like he's reading from a novel. The last line of the opening is, "And thus did our journey begin." The very last line of the game, also in Clive's voice, is, "Thus did our journey end." Like the last line of a novel. I believe Clive survives. We have lines from Jill shortly before the ending about the always dawn coming and Clive always coming for her. We have a line about not even the Phoenix being able to bring back the dead, mind, perhaps Ultima's spell could, given he's trying to cast raise. I don't think Clive casts Raise on Joshua though. I think that would take much more energy than he uses, and the energy seems to be fire-based, not Ultima's blue. I think he's just using Phoenix's power to make Joshua whole. All this to say, I believe Clive lives, and that we "play" the novel.

@JuliusCaesar103

11 ай бұрын

My take is that Clive survives the Ultima battle, we see this in him being still alive on the coast, but has sacrificed all his Eikonic powers to remove the Blight and Aether from the world I think, and his arm was consumed by the Curse, which means that he didn't have much time left, but it was more than likely enough to write a novel. Joshua surviving is pure speculation, we get zero evidence of that. Agree on the novel part.

@DarthPingu07

11 ай бұрын

​@@JuliusCaesar103my take is that Clive lives but his son writes the book and they called him Joshua. A tale of his parents fight for survival and love. Clive HAS to live for it to be a complete book. Nyssa Defile was Clive and Clive only. Phoenix Gate's sole survivor was Clive aswell. The only person to live the entire thing was Clive.

@harrenysk

11 ай бұрын

I wish clive had chimed in with some narration at every point in the story when you enter a new area, like heavensward. would've been so good man, i loved the intro narration from him.

The philosophy used in FFXVI, it's ending, and story are what many people misinterpret. The themes are what mecha anime like Evangelion and Gurren Lagann adapted, in addition to the Sephirot(Ultima's symbol). Jungism in video games and anime fascinates me to this day, but FFXVI is the deepest game that used Jung psychology to it's fullest. FFVII on the other hand handled Gnosticism sufficiently, and FFXVI shared similar elements and main struggle with FFIX: free will. The hopes of Ultima of resurrecting his fallen race and the citizens of Valistea handling the Mothercrystals, and Clive/Joshua as the epitomy of Mythos and Logos(the persona and it's shadow), or should we say 'the Savior'.

@ShellyYum

11 ай бұрын

Hello, Xenogears is here.

@metroidcypher

11 ай бұрын

"FFXVI is the deepest game that used Jung psychology to it's fullest" cough...cough.... Xenogears/the entire xeno franchise

@masterseal0418

11 ай бұрын

@@metroidcypher Agreed.

The end credits song when translated heavily implies that Clive survives

@diegeticfridge9167

11 ай бұрын

We all hope so 🥲

@fattiger6957

11 ай бұрын

@@diegeticfridge9167 Yeah. If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was Clive. His entire adult life, almost 20 years, he hasn't known peace. I was desperate for him to live happily ever after with Jill.

@tiamod

2 ай бұрын

Clive narrates the beginning and ending of the game, as if reading from a book Clive also has a sidequest where he and tomes talks about Clive writing down his adventures once his mission is complete. Clive’s mission was to honor the legacy and wishes of Cid, whose name he took to complete his wish. So he took Josh’s name after honoring Cid’s legacy, and wrote to book to honor Joshua’s legacy. And at the very end when the sun rises, Jill takes a deep sigh of relief and starts smiling, as if she’s seeing something that we don’t. Probably Clive. And also, as for Joshua being alive, consider that Clive healed his body with powers of the phoenix, which already stated in game the phoenix “can heal the flesh but not the spirit” And not only that, his body doesn’t move or breathe at all after being healed. And Ifrit and Phoenix needed to be merged in order to use Raise, the resurrection spell.

This games just keeps getting better Truly a masterpiece

I'd love to see a deep dive into the Legend of Heroes: Trails... series starting from the beginning, though I know that's asking a lot. They have some moments of great depth, though maybe not the deepest games ever. Once you get to Trails in the Sky the 3rd, there's some good meat to consider there, though. Really in Sky SC as well.

@Kyubeylovessouls

11 ай бұрын

I second this I just started cold steel 2 and Im loving it so far

@glorioustigereye

11 ай бұрын

Yeah, I'm still playing through the series. I love the idea and world building.

Yes I was hoping someone would touch on the symbolism in this game! Thank you so much!

Your videos are so informative, Max! I’m looking forward to playing 16 at some point, I also hope you make more videos about 16 too. I hope your hand heals soon too.

Love this game, hope you cover it even more! Great video.

Your videos are always some of the most interesting to see.

Great video, the themes tackled in the game resonated heavily with me and I’m glad I found this video to better understand some of the symbolism I might’ve missed,

I enjoy your take on the Christian symbolism, my read was slightly different. I think the Joshua=Jesus parallel is bang on, but I think the vast majority of the game actually occurs in between the period of Resurrection and Ascension. A period of transition after which man takes responsibility for carrying out the word of God, ultimately washing away the sins of the past (in this case Ultima's magic/curse). The way I see it, Joshua is "resurrected" after the events of Phoenix gate. Clive's return to the Phoenix Gate being analogous to the Empty Tomb. Joshua is preparing his followers (the Undying) and ultimately Clive for his ascension. There are some parallels here between Mary of Magdala and Jote. I think there may also be some intended analogs between Clive and Paul. At Origin he passes his spirit into Clive as his final act, then ultimately ascends to the heavens with the message and spirit remaining on earth, effectively passing the baton to humanity. Clive then carries on his Word in the form of a book written in his name (The Word of God). As an aside, if the team decides to release a XVI-2, I could see them carrying this thread through. The next installment covering a period of "spreading the word" to the rest of the unexplored world (the Continent, the Southern Lands, etc.) and the inevitable conflict that would arise in doing so.

@captjolly107

11 ай бұрын

Damn, that's really well thought out. Love it.

@smala017

8 ай бұрын

Wow, incredible the way such symbolism is subtly woven in. The world building and detail in this game is incredible. On the surface everything (besides the ending, I guess) is explained so explicitly and clearly, leaving no ambiguity, but then there's also all this implicit stuff going on under the surface. Also, for a game that, on the explicit surface, is so obsessed with killing God, there's a surprising amount of Christian undertones! lol

Amazing video! Feel like i could listen to these types of convos all day, how we interpret our existence through art truly has no bounds and when it’s done well it’s amazing to experience.

Been waiting for this video

Spectacular and great analysis of the new game!

Your videos are always so good!

Someone recommended u on ff16 sub reddit as i was posting myninsights on the game as a philosophy and psychology nerd. Man, i am not disappointed.

This was an amazing analysis, i’m glad that a lot if the things i noticed you did as well, which meand i was not overthinking it lmao. Great video!!! ❤

Your humour never fails to amuse, my friend. Thank you for your wise insights.

i love your channel so much ❤

I really hope this game gets the game of the year. I lean more and more toward Asian created games because when if they decide to make a game, they make a game that makes you brainstorm and think about what the game - creators wanted to tell behind their creation. What is the 'Ultima' meaning behind it? What's its purpose? What is it saying? and other questions. Games that make you question the existence and the meaning behind certain actions and symbolism comparing them to real-life facts are what truly amazes me and attract me to be a part of it. Nowadays, for example, western games tend to avoid deep philosophical, thought-provoking questions because they FEAR that the audience will be misunderstood, misinterpret and as a result will lynch the game for its negative story telling. After all, the user was so dumb that he couldn't read the signs and or under the lines what the game's storytelling is about. FFXVI is the game of the decade which went back to _the old roots_ of asking the user through symbolism, and actions some questions that we must answer. God, I love this game! I think it's been 10 to 20 years since we last seen a game with a deeper meaning. In my opinion, _'True Games'_ - are the games that are worth playing not just for fun but for making me look through a different lens and ask questions to myself and find the answer through the game. FFXVI is one of them. 🙏 Thank you, Max Derrat for reviewing this! I hope to see more videos about FFXVI because I believe there is more to say about this game _'Hidden Messages'._

can't watch since I haven't gotten through the game yet, but it's nice to see positive coverage for FFXVI amidst all the unhinged hate against this game, and from an actually great content creator no less 👏

@TheOneGreat

11 ай бұрын

Valid criticism isn't unhinged rage, tho.

@johncra8982

11 ай бұрын

@@TheOneGreat what even is the relevance of this reply lmao

droppin this here because I'm glad you made a vid on this game and I'm sure it' gonna be a good one, gonna hold on to watch it until after I get a chance to play the game for myself first. FF games are just on a special tier in my heart that I think having things spoiled for me might taint the experience for me, so because of this I wanted to leave you a note of encouragement even if I gotta withdraw my view for now. Will be revisting later and look forward to it!

I'm so glad I'm not the only one that felt like this. 16 is also in my top FF games along with 6 and 7 and type 0 and tactics mainly due to the story. Sub earned for sure

The ending being beautifuly ambigous is such a refreshing take. I simply believe joshua is resurrected by clive's newfound power as he followed his duty as first shield to the very end. I also like how FFXVI tackle religions in medieval times, and many depiction of man's departure against old values in the name of religion for political gains (bearers and dominants exploitation) that is not necessarily easy and straightforward thing to do as they are very dependent on magic, stunting man's development.

I think a lot of people didn’t like that ending as they wanted a definitive ending. Something they didn’t have to get all philosophical just to interpret. Unfortunately for them the Final Fantasy series has always tried to reach the philosophical. Even the very first game the heroes had to beat Garland/Chaos in order to break a time loop. That alone opens a whole can of debate that I think most players never read into! I personally like this about the series as each entry poses a different question, and I think they did it pretty well in 16! Speaking of fate and all that, I personally would love to hear about one of my favourite stories: live A Live! Definitely a game that’s ending is something all classic RPG players need to see!

@robTCGZ

11 ай бұрын

Interesting, from my perspective the ending was very definitive. Clive died, resurrecting Joshua in the process and changing the fundamentals of how the world functions. He removed magic from the equation. At least that's what I got from the ending. Then again, I'm terrible at noticing subtlety. My mind works with concrete, explicit information. That's why I watch channels like this one to help me appreciate games in a deeper manner

@Sorrowdusk

11 ай бұрын

Generally, any time you have an ambiguous ending -say in a film...the Ending isn't the point. You're supposed to struggle to figure out whether one thing or another happened, and THEN realize that's unimportant. It's not what the film is actually about.

Interesting and intriguing at the same time. After my 1st playthrough, the idea of fate and free will is came to my mind at another FF game but I could not remember clearly. However, you have reminded me it is similar as FFIX, and some other game. Knowing this made me more interest to finish the 2nd playthrough. Thanks for the video! 👍🏾

I will post this comment before I watch the video. Like you Max, my favorite Final Fantasy game was FF9, hey I even named my child after Adelbert. I finished FF16 last night and that was an incredible experience but you know what, FF16 story serve as the contrast of what FF9 takes on existentialism and determinism :)

Great video!!

This video demonstrates why some people thought XVI's narrative was weak. They clearly missed (or didn't understand) the symbolism.

This video makes me feel like I suddenly aged a decade. I feel like 15 just came out a bit ago, and I literally didn't even know 16 existed prior to seeing this...

Thoughtful analysis, thank you for sharing!

Love your videos man, the scene with bart cracked me up.

i congratulate you for this beautiful video! im late to this and finished the game a while ago so ill say what i remember. since Joshua was on origin i speculated that he might died despite the heal clive did on his chest. after that he see clive looking at the night sky with clear petrification signs on his hands. afflicted faster than usual. with torgal's sad howl at the moon, jill's and gav's crying in realization of clive's passing. at least that how i preserved it. as a tragic tale with a good ending!

i dont have the financial capability to play the latest FFs.... glad theres content like these.... keep it up man... ❤❤❤

I learn so much from these videos.

Beautiful video, love this game!!

All hail new video 🎉🎉🎉

Wonderful, thanks for such a beautiful insight 🥹

Excellent analysis sir 🔥🙏🏻

I was waiting for the Carl Joung mentioned at 6:50

What a beautiful breakdown. I adored the themes and characterisation of the game and its nice to see such an eloquent interpretation of it.

great video!

Amazing video

Amazing, video, man! This game is amazing

Thank you. Thank you for explaining this all better and more eloquently than my brain did.

Wooow I dont have words. Yiru explanation is incredible

You had me at "My favorite Final Fantasy game is Final Fantasy IX." It's also my favorite one. 🙃 Also, I love your amazing content.

I love this max thank you for taking the time to put this video together.out of curiosity have u seen EXO primal I have a theory that it was sum metaphysical meaning in it. im still working through the game but I haven't been proven wrong yet

I love this video you you fid an amazing job sir!

The fucking Simpsons bit killed me. Self awareness is important king. Great work as always

I came to the same conclusions as you did in this video. awesome stuff!

Great video have liked your other ones so was glad to see you tackled 16. Just beat it two days ago so catching up on 16 content because even if you watch spoiler free videos the KZread algorithm will start recommending other similar videos and jerks put huge spoilers in the thumbnail and titles. Fantastic game Creative Business Unit 3 has been on a roll.

I'd like to believe Clive survived. I'm in a bad enough place at the moment to think he died though, lol.

Great video!!!!! What song starts playing at 8:25?! 😮

Great video, also would like to add that Ultima wants to merge Mythos to achieve his ultimate goal. Another name for Ultima is Final, Mythos means Fantasy. Thus Ultima wanted to become a Final Fantasy in the end to achieve its dreams

I love this❤ very well told

Oh wow didn't expect you to cover ff16. Nice!

Great great video. This game's world is so rich, so dense. Ijust can't stop playing it (finishing ultimaniac now) EDIT: Loved Id's Theme from Xenogears! Another classic!

Coming back to this video after some days, i just realized how much i love the discurse of ff16 about god and free will. I think its a concept that many people didn't get at the end of the game.

The use of the Xenogears OST in this was so perfect

This is why Final Fantasy is the best video game series of all time.

You really opened up my mind with this fantastic video!! Can I ask which is the book that you used to reference when you were talking about christ? 11:37 You definitely got my subscription click! Looking forward to checking out more of your content.

Perfect way to start my day at the office 🤫

Very good video (like always) ; i have some precision to add about what Jung meant by Self (I read almost all off his work and work myself on it). The Self is the center of the psyche and can only be experience in some particular "attitude" of the psyche, it is not to be confuse as self wich can be attain throught the individuation process. The first is a center wich produce most than not "religious" experience, and the second is what we attain when we understand and differenciate what is in our own head (fonctions of the psyche notably). In most fiction the story that's been told is a reflection on the process by wich someone is actively or been forced to differenciate the world from himself, and in himself wich is what, and to what purpose ; In this game (that i have not do) the end purpose is to bring reason, that is the capacity to see wich is something and wich is an other thing with words and concepts. To better understand what Jung meant in his work it is important to read "types pscyhologique" wich is a very important book of his work ; it help to see how the psyche evolve in itself and with the world, and therefore what type of story it tells to explain and understand itself. I really love fiction in all of its form and if you want to discuss this subject i can bring some stone to the building !! Keep the good work going !! Sorry for my French (because i am one^^)

Awe ... Great video and excellent work, as always. Though I was hoping you'd have explored the symbolism of 'Magic' (in FFXVI's world context) more within this video. Magic ... it would seem, presented everyone that had it quite a burden. Not only Bearer's and Dominant's, but even the Fallen and Ultima. The more and more it was used, the more everything that _it used_ became cursed. Consider that Ultima is the 'God of humanity', the Creator ... he/they are not _the_ God though. God did not create humans here. What she created were the planets within her universe, and they are always very much considered *alive* in FF works. Made of Aether. That very same Aether that seems to be the fuel of spells. Historically ... Final Fantasy titles have often used magiteks to symbolism man's creation from and subjugation of _Nature_ . Their means to bend Reality to their will. But in XVI I believe Magic was used to represent this. Not only that ... but being that Aether = Magic and Aether = God's material to create ... in this story, Magic is very much the _will_ of the real God. So, where am I going with this ... Idolatry. Both humans and Ultima's race used magic and destroyed (or nearly) both of their worlds doing so. They both used the 'Will of God' to achieve a paradise that only God could create. But God 'shalt have no other gods before me'. Ultima's race destroying the Fallen, and almost doing so to humanity (again?) at the end of XVI had Ultima won. Clive destroying and taking the godlike eikons, before ultimately destroying Ultima. For anyone else using God's Will ... the only result will be Death, and in the case of Bearer's, they were turned to stone. Or if you think about it another way... Idols. Of false gods. Here's the punchline ... In order to break that chain, one must break free of that will of another. Magic ... had to be denounced and destroyed. That was the only way humanity or any being can break free of the true God's Will and create their own path. Ultima was not able to do so, constantly relying on magic and aether to do the things they thought to do. And as dark as slavery and subjugation of a person is, it had a silver lining. So to speak. Peoples' will evolved and developed over time to subconsciously realize that magic was not good to be doing. And what else resides within the subconscious, according to Jung? Dark emotions. That made manifest. And so... humanity suffered. And _will_ continue to suffer. Always. There is no spell to cast to fix your everyday problems. You have to fight. You have to endure God's true will. Just to survive ... because your consciousness itself makes you a God when you create your own story, and put it into a book. Just as God had done ... the Bible. EDIT: Ultima said at the end that the world was dead, a blackened husk. But when Clive destroyed, denounced, or rather _returned_ magic back to the source ... the planet was able to become 'whole' again. With God's Will restored as they intended ... the planet was able to recover and be that which God willed it to be. I'm not convinced the rebirth or resurrection is for either Clive or Joshua, but the planet herself. EDIT 2: Something else occurred to me. Could it be that Clive's choices were never his own...? Could it not be that Ultima was the foil of the one true God, and that is who went to battle? Ultima was destroying worlds, bending and breaking God's design or rather Will to do so. Clive is, after all, a vessel. That was his purpose. His design. Who is to say _what_ took hold of that ... Humanity's Will? Maybe the planet itself? Or maybe the one true God? To stop what Ultima was doing. Ultima was doing what they thought they had to do to break free of God's Will too, when you look at this way. More symbolism ... Clive's hand. The one he used to fling magic. The one he held up at the beginning and held a fireball, and at the end when that fireball faded away for his hand to become stone. The Hand of God..... And the cover art. Ifrit vs Phoenix. Is it really just to represent the first big fight of the story? Or the joining of the two at the end? Or might meant to mean Ifrit = Ultima, the destroyer of worlds and of God's Will ... With Phoenix = true God, to stop the collective of consciousness into one being and rebirth a world where individual consciousness is born from the ashes. The child that was born at the end to Edda ... is from Ash... Magic is still real though. In our Reality. Our Universe. You all may know it by another word ... *Manipulation* . Words can be woven into another's brain just right to produce a result you desire. People resent and hate this. They hate the _bearers_ of such a gift!

@fattiger6957

11 ай бұрын

Magic in FF16 is very much like mako in FF7. Makes life easier, but it is killing the world. If you want to see it as something different, it is possible. But the environmental messaging is pretty clear. I think it is punctuated by the scene after the credits with the boys and their mother living in a more simple world without magic.

@thatoneLerrydude

11 ай бұрын

To stoke the flames of your theory, there's mentions of Religious sects in the mainland of the game that worships the earth itself, the planet. Gaia.

@Umega101

11 ай бұрын

@@thatoneLerrydude Is this mentioned in the 'active lore' or with Tomes, or elsewhere? One thing I plan to do is talk to more NPCs during my new+ play through. The NPCs that don't have quests or anything to do with anything other than additional dialogue. There is likely good nuggets of lore info from a couple of them that otherwise would be missed entirely.

@smala017

8 ай бұрын

Crazy thought I just had. Now that the immediate relatives of the Phoenix-bearing bloodline are all dead, and an apparently magical child, from Ash, was just born right after Joshua's death... HMMMM it seems too convenient to be false. Edda's child is perhaps the new Dominant of the Phoenix. This fact would be in favor of determinism, as the child was already slated to be born before we knew Josh would die, therefore Josh's death was already written in fate...

This video is so fucking amazing. Thank you for this.

can you give us your take of the wyvern tail flower and what is symbolizes?

Thank you for another great analysis video about FF16!

9 has always been my favorite since its release. I still play it every year or two in full

The "it's Carl Jung" part was just *chef's kiss* 😂 I love it

Does this dude have book recomendations somewhere? Or articles? I’ve loved psychology and philosophy, but only learned it through videos, movies and games, would like to expand my mind on these topics.

Thanks for the shout-out Max! Excellent video! I hope fans googling for "FFXVI Ending Explained" will find solace from your video.

A lot of my thoughts mirror your points. What with Ultima being a composite being, I really think that the godlike status he has attained is why human weaknesses and the ability to overcome them are so alien to him. Because we CAN’T introspect without limits. That’s where our pain comes from, but also our ability to empathize with each other and connect. So we have the evolutionary advantage, and can memetically impart a legacy of resilience. A being like by Ultima would have no conception of that selfless connection, and probably couldn’t envision death as anything but unpleasant. With Logos as the order vs Ultima’s chaos, I think it’s safe to say that while Ultima portrays himself as omnipotent, he too fears the entropy he has created. I think the switch from referring to himself in the plural to the singular in his last moments reflects this fear. It’s the source of many promethean characters’ downfall (like Dr. Frankenstein). The conflation of pleasure (I.e. the absence of pain), with meaning. That’s the weakness of a cosmic horror type god. So far removed from humanity because they represent our own insecurities. But while Ultima believes we are doomed because he sees himself in humanity and while we can fall prey to vice, that same evolution that gives way to both reason and faith comes from picking ourselves back up and living for our own principles rather than mere self preservation. Ultima ironically gave humanity everything it needed to surpass him, and gain complete self awareness. In that way, we’re more than an imbalanced Anima, or a chaotic will to live. Due to the similarities between Clive and Ultima’s goals, I think Clive being the Logos is similar to one’s true divinity overcoming a demiurge that reflects their own limitations. Mythos to Logos.🙂

Gotta finish the game first before I get to enjoy this video, sir o7

Considering the themes you've touched upon here, I think you'll have a FIELD DAY exploring the story of FFXIV, which was the director/producer's "first" Final Fantasy game. In particular, the story arcs of Shadowbringer and Endwalker are pertinent to what you've covered in XVI :>

Surprised there was no mention of the tree of sephiroth analog from the fallen/ultima

Wow i didn't even realize what Ultima was until watching this video. This has been very educational

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This is such a fascinating video! Thank you so much for the upload! Just to add, another reason that Joshua is linked to Jesus is the fact that he wears red clothes! In biblical paintings you often see Jesus wearing red (which can mean a multitude of things in Christianity, but most likely references martyrdom/the blood of Jesus), so there's another reason the two are linked :)

Thank you

Great video bro. Your speaking cadence is so soothing on my ears and brain lol, idk if that’s because I’m baked as fuck rn

What a perfect video.

amazing video, never got the christian symbolism but it makes a lot of sense!

Masterful

I firgued this game was up your alley, Matt!

I liked this game a lot! The themes about redemption struck a chord with me, idk. I liked it.

I took the book to be a book someone else wrote. The title could be Joshua. I never took it as a resurrection until watching this.

@thatoneLerrydude

11 ай бұрын

The title is "Final Fantasy" the author is heavely implied to be Joshua, but it could be a subtitle, but I dont think so. It could also be an alias for Clive as Max mentioned, either way we can only wonder.

Incredible

What's your interpretation of the ending?

If i do the opposite of paranoia/sad is that still doing the shadow or not?

@6:45 😂 I'm extremely grateful I have the entire cross-section of knowledge required to get this joke in its full depth, because I haven't laughed like that since that episode premiered.

I thought FF16 was as straight foorward a story as it gets without much depth, but I'm glad I was proven wrong.