FFXIV Endwalker - Flow | Reacting To Video Game Music!
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- Опубліковано 11 чер 2024
- Thanks to Jester, xd, Scott, Kyle and Ryan for the request!
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To explain this song without explaining it at all: Remember Answers? If that song was a mother's "I am sorry" to her children, this is her "thank you".
Great. Now I'm tearing up again
its been 10 month after.....
This comment made me tear up
Thank you for making me cry, random youtube comment
Thanks for making me cry a year later
"I'm not going to cry this time. I am a grown man. I can do this"
5 minutes later "DAMN YOU SOKEN"
I already knew it would happen, so I took a tissue and just waited for it to happen. Oh boy it was fast.
The songs name is Flow. It’s a subtle nod to the fact that I’m a fucking mess right now
Every time. The first few bars. XD
5 minutes? as soon as the vocals hit, I was tearing up.
Same. Haven't had a song in years that can move me to tears before it even hits the crescendo.
I call this "Mom's song" because just...its basically our in-game mom welcoming us, proud of us, and sending us out on a new journey as she passes on.
This is essentially the simplest way to put it.
and we never see her again.. thats really really sad man..
the one last welcoming
@@chickenhat8773 of course we never see her again .
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.
.
.
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we fuckin killed her to fuel a spaceship
Trust me, there's always time to play FFXIV. I say that as someone who's so busy that I barely have any time to play games. There's no need to rush FFXIV story. Take & enjoy it at your own pace. If you can make time for any other game, you can sometimes use that time for FFXIV instead. It's easily the best story I ever experienced in gaming, that's why I think it'd be a shame if you didn't play it. Coming from someone who grew up on FFVII. FFXIV trumped it hard, and I never thought that was possible.
^^^ very much this.
It might take a while if you play an hour a week
I’m sure you’d probably get through stuff faster/easier than many people as well, cause community can help with queues and content
due to the label of the genre as a 'mmorpg', there lot of negative stigma following this game despite, none of it actually applied.
first impression of people toward ffxiv due to mmo label is:
-grind fest(almost no grind. player just focus doing story quest and gained exp pretty much like single player rpg like witcher 3, xenoblade and dragon quest)
-no time to play(related to above, people expect player need to grind exp for level on field 24 hours like korean mmo but NOPE. just play like how we play single player game every day)
-expensive, no money, no free to play(there is free trial unlimited time from lv1-60 that cover base game and first expansion for free, basically over 200 hours content for free. monthly sub is not that expensive and the game didnt designed for player to continuously sub. also good continues content is not free. f2p usually end up as a predator of microtransaction shop while for ffxiv, the shop is not mandatory at all.
ffxiv is different compared to other mmo. for storyline playthrough it just basically similliar experience to single player game. the time taken to complete each expansion also same. not to mention how the patch schedule with how the director Yoshi-P encourage player to stop sub for awhile and resume later wherever player feels right.
basically this game really respect player time especially for growing adult.
I did like few quest a day. since it's all there and no fomo like time based events like mobile games. When I want to do quest, I do quest, or just DR after each expansion for a week or two. Even busy people can clear 1 expansion per month.
That "I feel like nothing can go wrong right now" he felt the crystal mothers love through the song and he hasn't even played the game. Beautiful.
Screw you for ruining my attempt at hearing this song via a reaction video without crying :(
How to spot the FF14 player: Play this, look for the people who start crying.
For every player, this song will mean something different, but for me, this is the culmination of 10 years of my life. All the hours spent, the emotional ups and downs, both in game and out... the relationships found and lost, and countless myriad other moments like a sea of stars I get pulled through each time I hear it. It hits hard.
Jesse: I feel like nothing can go wrong right now
Me: *Gross sobbing*
What helps give this song power, is, yes, it's part of the final expansion of a long, overarching story, but early into the expansion, you hear a version of this melody, serenely played in the background of a peaceful town, & it follows you as the leitmotifs of this game often do. The piano instrumental plays later in a relatively grim segment, but it's rooted in hope & blossoming resolve of characters you've been w/ for a while & are liable to grow to love. The first time you hear the lyrics, it's in a pop rock rendition, & it's lovely, but you don't have long to dwell on it, due to it playing during a combat segment.
This, this version of Flow you just reacted to. It's near the end of Endwalker. & it's extremely powerful, because it's akin to a mother bird seeing you off on your journey as you leave the nest, w/ all the profound wishes that would entail.
I though this only played a couple times (the battle version, and this version near the end). Which town does it play in, "serenely?"
@@jacobteague635 Are you listening to the singing of Old Sharlayan?
@@Rixstarian Oh, lmao, I'm stupid 😂😂
Very well written and explained
@@jacobteague635 the Radz-at-Han theme is a version of Flow too
The fact this song made you feel "I want to know" actually make me feel very happy. When making the request I understood the song wouldn't have any emotional meaning, but having your unbiased opinion was still amazing.
EDIT: Should mention this song can be seen as a response or a continuation of "Answers"
And a continuation of "Tomorrow and Tomorrow." I consider them the Hydaelyn trilogy.
Especially considering the thematic context of the song and story.
“I want to hear your words. Feel you’re feelings. Know your thoughts.”
You gather little pieces of happiness, precious and fragile..... T-T
There's an argument that this man's whole channel and Patreon are people spending money to say "have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV...?"
It's called Flow because almost no one who has played through EndWalker can make it through the song without crying. Myself included.
Oh I ugly cry something crazy every time I hear Flow
Even without context you still got it right on the head.
This is the end, the end of a chapter in our story since we all started playing this game.
An end, but a hopeful beginning.
There's an interview with Amanda on this song, and what's amazing is how down to earth she is, and a bit goofy, which made me love her even more. Soken wrote this specifically for her, and told her to add embellishments as she saw fit. She's also a multi-genre performer so it seems like the two of them have quite a bit of synergy (she kinds simps for Soken a bit in the interview which was adorable)
As for the song itself, surprisingly I don't think you need a whole lot of context to understand it. The melody from this song is used as a leitmotif throughout Endwalker, and when you finally hear the vocal version, it''s at a very emotional scene, so it's more of just enhancing that emotion. I think interpreting as a Flow of emotions is spot on, I can't stay for sure if that was the intent but that makes sense to me. You are meant to feel a flow of emotions, and what you described feeling was perfect. I think I'd describe the scene as encompassing sadness, joy, hope, uncertainty, resolve. We've endured many hardships, felt loss, but also found joy and happiness in little moments. In between the moments of despair we find joy, and it gives us the strength to forge on. We are asked, has our journey been good? Has it been worthwhile? And I think the answer from the player base is a resounding "yes!" The beauty of this song is something I think you captured very well, is that it isn't one single emotion you're supposed to feel, but a tapestry representing our entire journey, because as cliche as it sounds, it's not about the destination, but the journey, and the friends we meet along the way.
charmingly he clearly kind of simps right back
I can’t walk through Sharlyan in the daytime without holding back some emotions after beating Endwalker.
I am in love with her.. I don't give a fuck what anyone says 😎
Flow is to Endwalker as Dragonsong is to Heavensward
@@DoggyDisk most endwalker zones make me emotional after Endwalker..l
This is definitely one of those songs that punches you in the feels. Endwalker has a few of them. Close in the Distance is probably the other big one, in context of the story of Endwalker.
I'm not very good at explaining emotions, but this song to me very much feels like a Mother singing about her love, hopes and dreams for her children. As the player it therefore feels very much like you are being sung to by your mother, because the character singing this song very much fills that kind of role.
Considering that that's how Venat feels about the world and it's people that's very appropriate
FEW?! Still fall in tears when hear "Our song of hope...", not to mention others
Oh, I hope he reacts to Close in the Distance. Would that be the first time he'd have reacted to a ZONE OST?
@@herpderp9108 That's another song where context is needed though
@@Malacite True, but fortunately, that context is quick and relatively easy to explain. I love the song's progression as you go through the zone, getting clearer and clearer until The Walk. The visuals, the lyrics, I don't know how in the world they made it all so soul destroying.
I want to see Jesse do "close in the distance" even more now, as beautiful as "Flow" is, that's the one that makes me cry consistently every time
I agree, wrote this song in comments in one of the earlier songs he heard.
Me too, brother/sister…
Agree, close in the distance is so touching that we the players couldn’t bear it and start shedding tears..
"Sure, I'm emotionally recuperated after beating this back in January!" - Me
Also Me, watching this video: *tears*
Dude I was just eating my lunch and tears began falling it ain’t fair
This will make me cry until the day I die.
I thought Dragonsong was my favorite expansion theme until we were called her 'Brave Little Spark'. The loving mother vibes are strong here and that tied with the closure of an almost decade spanning storyline means I am an adult man reduced to tears when I hear it in -that- scene.
The fact that you get hit by this song without any context speaks volume. We got hit hard by this. Even the vocal, Amanda, had to stop recording to cry...that is how emotional this song is
I've said it before, but Flow really is the most comforting, welcoming song about death I've ever heard--in the context of the story, it's from the point of view of Hydaelyn (the goddess of the world) welcoming a dead soul back into the elemental energy that forms souls, asking them to tell Her all about their triumphs and their despair and what made living beautiful. To greet and wish luck to the souls rising past them to the surface to be born, and the ultimate comfort that, someday, they'll rise again as well.
It's a song about finding beauty in death, and in a life well lived. And it makes me bawl like a fucking baby every time I hear it.
EDIT FOR SOME EXTRA CONTEXT, SPOILERS AHEAD: A long, long time ago, there was a seemingly perfect world. Complacence and hubris chipped cracks in the perfection until, with a single event, the entire planet was at risk of being destroyed. One woman--a kind, selfless, intelligent and powerful woman--was there to pick up the pieces, and to make sure that mankind would have the means to keep from sliding into that complacency again. In doing so, she took on the mantle of divinity, and for the next ten thousand years, existed in a state of constant physical torment and mental guilt for the hard decisions she had to and WOULD have to make. But she never lost that kindness, that faith in Her children. The song is from her point of view--people literally refer to her as 'Mother', and Endwalker showed just how much she had to go through to keep humanity's future safeguarded.
"for this journeys end is but one step forward to tomorrow"
I found this song really emotional, because it establishes a link between all the souls that go back to the sea, and then leave to live again. They greet each other, wish each other luck, and (as seen in the Ancient world) hope to meet each other again. Even if they lose (most of) their memories, their selves survive, and their bonds never truly disappear. They start over from the previous times, and learn from each lifetime.
It also seemed from a previous Yoshi-P's interview that souls have a choice to be reborn or not, which was supported by Asahi's words in the Aitiascope, so it's up to each one of them to see if they wanna give life a try again, or stay in the sea with their loved ones, their other beloved souls. Those who chose to do that must probably be the witnesses of so many rebirths then deaths, greeting the ones they know home every time they come back.
I feel like not enough people get that for this song.
“I feel like nothing can go wrong right now.”
Meanwhile the fan base: Uncontrollable sobbing “EVERYTHING went wrong.”
But also everything went right. The story is just...the best.
everything went wrong, but through the tears and sorrow we carried on
It's the warmth and safety of being told you did a good job after all the hardship and pain. The catharsis of being able to release all the anger, determination, tension, fear, doubt, loss, and pain that was keeping you alive. You finally have time to process everything and it just flows
Everything is going to be okay.
"I just wanna know what's going on." - Well, time for you to pick up FF14, then, and experience it for yourselves ;)
Joking aside, though, the game is honestly worth it just for the story, even if one is not a fan of the typical MMO grind besides it. It is definitely one of the best video game stories out there, period, especially when you look how the game started as a disaster.
Especially now that EW is out, FFXIV is a MMORPG (with heavy focus on the JRPG-part) that can be played almost completely solo. Even the dungeons can now be run with NPCs. I don't know if that is true for 8-man-Trials, but this means that even if you play a dps-job you can really just hop in for an hour or two whenever there is time and don't need to worry to be held back by dungeon-queue times for the story related dungeons. Except some VERY few exceptions (Coils of Bahamut for example), content in this game rarely becomes irrelevant. Even Raids and 24-man-raids are mostly story driven and because people are level-synched for content, even older content still holds up (although it gets a bit easier because of gear obviously). So if you're really interested in playing it, it's really worth a shot. Because I am with all the people who say you that the story of FFXIV is probably one of the best video game stories out there period and certainly the best MMORPG story by a country mile. It really is Final Fantasy first and MMO second.
@@jamesderbutler 8 man trials still have to be done with other players :) And if I remember correctly, the dungeons for Heavensward and Stormblood don't support NPCs yet, but with how the devs are going, it's just a matter of time until that changes, too.
@@SuperInu if I recall, their roadmap had them doing HW in 6.2 and SB in 6.3. So by the end of the year or beginning of next year it seems like? It was at least something like that.
No 6.2 is hw msq and 6.3 is hw patch msq
6.4 6.5 haven't been fully announced if it'd be the same but it'll probably be aka 6.4 sb msq 6.5 sb patch msq
Phone won't let me edit
6.2 also has the arr patch msq as well
It's like the warm feeling of a mother's lullaby, soothing you and affirming that everything will be ok, no matter your current struggle.
The confirmation that despite what you've lost or all the hardship you've endured, it was worth it in the end.
The song is beautiful by itself, and transcendental in context.
This is how I feel. I feel it's her lullaby to us.
It echoes to "answers", the finale, " in one fleeting moment, from the land doth life flow. " The birth, the suffering, and the living. In the end of this journey, u finally see how it flows.
This is the second version of this song, sort of. Amanda had recorded and sent it to Soken who finished the mixing, completing it. But she later asked him if she could sing it again after considering the melody and lyrics more. So they did it all over again into what we got in here the end. After finding this out it made this already wonderful music even more beautiful to me.
Flow is such a poignant and emotional point in FF14 that just even now I can't hear it without getting a little misty eyed. It comes at the end of Endwalker, a story that ramped up to cosmic levels, going to the very end of the universe and stopping the end of all things. All that tension, hopelessness, and nearly losing everything your character held dear multiple times and then it's just... over. It's that moment after the storm, that release that things may be different but it will still go on, life goes on, and the threat is passed, and all the emotions that had been pushed down by adrenaline just... all coming out all at once.
“Cosmic levels” hehe
Having such a strong connection to this game for years, I can't not tear up to this song. It's simply impossible. Your interpretation was actually great overall, especially without context. You definitely entered the Flow of the song and enjoyed it as much as you could!
Flow Together is an exceptional version of this song as well, highly recommended!
I think the “too many emotions, also no emotions; peaceful, sad, relieved, hopeful” word you’re looking for is catharsis.
And yeah. Yeah.
I typically don't like the softer, beautiful songs, but this song is actually probably one of (if not THE) best song in this expansion for me.
The vocals on this song are just insane, and grasps my attention, when often I focus less on vocals.
Also, this expansion had another big song that gives extremely conflicting feelings. Both this song and that one evoke a sense of dread and relief at the same time.
This expansion deals alot with grief, acceptance, and coming to terms with things ending, and this soundtrack captures that incredibly well.
Also there's a guitar version of flow and it's amazing.
You mean Flow Together
One day I'll be able to listen to this song without tearing up. That day was not today. I cannot help but feel all the emotions I had during my Endwalker journey and it all just comes rushing back to me.
The most amazing thing is how Jesse somehow gets some of the deeper meanings. I can only image that he and Soken have a dialog in a way that is far from what I understand. Amazing.
My personal interpretation of the song is like a love song of a mother to her beloved child. Singing of how much of a beautiful soul they are and how proud they are of them.
I started playing FFXIV last year when it blew up while never having play a FF game. And let me tell you, this game absolutely blew me away and stole my heart. This will forever be one of my favorite games EVER. The story is just unreal, the characters are so well written and the way its all executed and blended with the absolutely god tier music just makes this game one of a kind and a game everyone should play.
"I feel like nothing can go wrong right now"
The perfect emotion to get from this song. This song and a lot of the expansions themes are very "motherly". Like giving you a brief moment in which you regress into the safety of your mothers arms when you were a child.
I always get teary-eyed when I listen to this song, but I didn't actually cry until you started describing what you were feeling. Flow is a very powerful song in a lot of ways, and it was basically made to inflict emotional damage.
"I got it this time, I won't cry"
"Well come and well met"
*sobbing violently*
"I feel like... nothing can go wrong right now." This song is as close to literally being a mother's welcoming embrace as is possible in a song, so yeah pretty spot on.
"She sounds like an angel singing." She is representing the voice of our mother-goddess, so again spot on. You really don't miss with these observations bro!
"A forgiving, almost." Jeez dude are you sure you haven't played this yet? And yeah all those conflicted feelings are all EXACTLY what I felt. And hey, if you every do wanna start to dabble in FFXIV, you have all our wholehearted invitations and support.
"I know you guys are crying" Ok you didn't have to call me out bro.
I think that about sums it up. I really would like to have you in our world and see how well they USED the songs in addition to how good they actually are. But for those of us that know, you don't have to explain what you're feeling on this one. We know.
I love any song that let's Amanda flex as much as she wants! Just some piano and her singing is just so effective. She mentioned how she cried and I can feel it. She's singing in the point of view of a goddess and she fits that role perfectly.
This is currently my most favorite song of all FF.
The music conveys the message so clearly and you got all the pure feelings already. Even without any of the story context. But that cannot be told any other way besides playing it yourself.
For another side of context outside of the story, Soken made this song after he recovered from cancer and was welcomed back with the love of fans. Also align with all the dev teams messages to fans about the journey we were all separately made that can be up to a decade long if that is the player since the game first launched. All of those layers somehow resonate with you who just listen to the song and never touch the game.
Oh, BTW Amanda said she sing this song without the story context. Soken just let her be creative to interpret her own message. Maybe this is why the song touch those without the story context too. Just like Amanda herself.
Yeah. This song is just incredibly beautiful.
I was so thrilled when I found out they got Amanda back again to do this song.
She has the voice of an angel
Goosebumps, indeed. I am one of the multitudes who was begging for this piece, since its launch in December. This is (one of) the main themes for Endwalker, and plays during the ending. I won't get into specifics, but the lyrics of this song seem to come from a certain person who's very important to the story. It's part of the whole goal of Endwalker, wrapping up every major plot in each of the other expansions with a nice little bow.
i'm so glad you loved it. On the one hand I want to be *that person* and say "start ff14", but god I know it's a commitment. Do the research. See if it's for you. Give the free trial a shot. If you don't want to, that's fine too. Just know that should you choose to take this journey, countless of us would gladly walk with you, all the way to the end.
And if we can get a clip on Lulu's... imagine the audience boom.
Hey Jesse?
I know many have said similar things regarding this song and what it means.
I know I'm just one in 23k people who've watched this reaction so far. But let me tell you this.
I can't usually cry on emotional scenes. I'm not trying to be "har har I'm a tough guy" about it. I really can't. I always had a bunch of issues showing emotion growing up, and I got the "boys don't cry" mindset drilled into me from very early on. Those two things put together made it very hard for me to process and show emotion all my life.
But this song?
This song, with all the context and the realization of who is singing and what she's singing about, and the person she's singing to? ON TOP of the scene it's playing over?
Floodgates. Open.
It's a long road. A ten year long road. But... my god, I never regretted that first step. Just listening it with you brought those feelings back all over again.
If you want to experience it, if you want to Understand... feel free my dude. Take that first step. At times it might be slow, some might even call it, but the overall experience has made me feel and experience so many things that I think I owe Soken and Yoshida and Ishikawa and the rest of the team a lot.
Even if you don't stream it to us, I hope you at least get to live that experience for yourself.
I think the best way to describe what you are feeling is that bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to a friend who is moving on in their life to bigger and better things. You may not see them again, but you know that your life was better for having them in it for however long it was. A thankful sadness that you wouldn't trade the world for.
Yeeessssss!! I can't wait for the Endwalker songs. I remember way back in SB thinking "how can the music get better than this?" and two expansions later I'm still asking the same damn question.
Two?
@@unlimited971 SB -> ShB -> EW. That's two expansions.
@@copjing oh. Confused the two
This song just gets to you. It directly speaks to you, asks how you are doing, is everything okay, I've been doing good, I can help you too, let's be together, I'll support you, let's go, fantastic journey is ahead of us.
The part where you said '' The universe is speaking to me - if only you knew'' THIS is exactly what the players were also meant to go through without even realizing what they were going to face, even though we have been playing the game and following along.
But that's also where the impact of the song comes in, because after that long journey, of ALL the expansions up to this one, you are finally in that spot to let it all go and look back on it. You are at Journeys end, and you got the answer - The relevance to those you met in the game ( be it NPC's or real people) the emotions you experienced, the epic battles you had, the hardship you felt with the plot characters and dungeons, the fun, everything coming together.
Yet as your character awakens, with the melody carrying you along even though that heavy part ended, it's not over, and you are shown that there is so much more yet to come.
I think I can say that Soken is a master at what he does, because even to a non player like yourself, you are still able to receive the message, and I think that is incredibly amazing. Because he's able to show you a part of something you know nothing about, and still find meaning in it. Now Amanda is, gosh, there aren't any words to describe her. She is, as you said, an angle, and I can't imagine the song to be any different than with her voice guiding us.
I LOVE the fact that you don't pause every 5 seconds like most of the "reacting" channels does, and rather do your analysis after the vid is done! Subbed!
Oh man, if we have started on the Endwalker OS journey I hope someone on Patreon suggests Close in the Distance.
I was already hooked on it from its use in one of the trailers, and as I appoached the end I thought it had to be the end credits song - and then the last zone happened.
What a trip, what a song.
There’s two versions of this song that are basically arranged by different versions of the same character.
This version is arranged by a goddess who was once a woman, who’s love for humanity caused her to make some difficult choices. But her love for the mortal beings she is patron to is reflected in the arrangement. It’s so soft and warm and comforting. It’s like a hug from your mom.
The other version is arranged by the woman will become a goddess, it’s more upbeat and guitar driven. It has a thirst for adventure and hearing about the lives and adventures of others. It has that same warmth, but with an edge of challenge to go further, love harder, see everything you can and fill your life with stories and people you can call comrades. This version is called ‘Flow Together.’ because it’s addressing you, the player, as a friend and peer that she’s adventuring alongside with rather than looking at from afar.
Probably one of many that hopes you get to "In the Balance" ,amazing new song from the new raid that is just catchy as heck.
For someone who doesn't know the fine details of the story you sure pick up the mood of these songs with uncanny accuracy. A combination of your highly trained ear and Soken's skill as a composer.
Endwalker is one of the greatest stories I have ever experienced. Same for the music. Can’t really explain what I feel when thinking back where I was playing it for the first time.
I remember you saying a few times in other songs, it sounds like a game character is singing to you. This is one and it's actually the same one as Answers
JESSE! There's a "different version" of this called Flow Together. It's Flow, but over more of a Rock track, rather than orchestra. I think it's even BETTER, and I think you'd like it too.
I agree. Flow is pretty good but Flow Together is a masterpiece.
i think to myself this time i won't cry but no i bawled like a baby 🥲 thank you for the video uncle jesse
Flow is about the end, that "brave little spark" is someone's soul and she's welcoming them back to "the flow" which is the cycle of rebirth. She's singing about how she's observed their life and found joy in it, but it's time for them to be reborn and asks to greet the new souls who are about to be born. Basically you got it right: she's singing as an angel-like entity welcoming a newly passed away soul back to the lifestream.
It's really amazing how much music can communicate... your description of the song is so perfectly on point even including what you know you're missing there, just wow
I'm full on ugly sobbing to this song. I hear those first notes and I just get so completely overwhelmed with emotion.
i pass this song and close in the distance to folks that never heard of 14, as songs of hope and they feel it. That is the lightness you feel, the things will always get better. Just when 14 players hear it, it plays after a cost of some sort, enough to cause tears of various types.
you are right... it's flow of emotions.. when you say of like the voice of an angel, well, it fits the context.. i can tell you as FFXIV player, this is like a mother soothing her children to tell about their journeys, the feelings that we, as her children, feel throughout our journey. that even in darkest time, hope is there. this is indeed phenomenal, just like you said.. even i have mixed emotions when i first hear it, sadness, happiness, joy, and all kind of emotions become one, flowing....
flow i think is my favorite ffxiv song. brings tears to my eyes every time i hear it
If this wasn't already requested I would have requested this. I am very happy someone did. (even when I am not at the end of the reaction right now while commenting).
Much thanks to the requester!
Piano is my favorite instrument, glad you mentioned it here
Don't say "I feel left out" too much or the requests of you playing 14 will come in a big wave again x'D But yes, while this song is no favorite of mine, whenever it plays, it certainly evokes some emotion again! Not to go too much into spoiler territory for those who don't know yet (even though they shouldn't be watching), but this song is from the perspective of one of the characters you've known of a long time in the game and finally meeting them and having that first stance of "Well come and well met, my brave little spark" is still one of my most favorite quotes ever now ♥
This song will always be entrenched in my soul now. I always cry when I hear it because of the scenes it's in, the piano (piano always gets me) and the fact that it's a great piece of art and music. When I first heard this in the game, with the lyrics, it was an incredibly emotional scene and I sobbed. And from then til the end of the expansion, I was crying on and off. At the end of the expansion though, I felt empty, for a few days tbh, because everything had been felt during the end of the it, the end was beautiful, a near perfect conclusion to the first arc of a story that I love. I don't know if I will ever feel like that again. If I could experience it for the first time again, I would do it in a heartbeat, but in a way, this song, when I hear it, brings all of the emotions from playing this story back and I cant help but cry. I fucking love this song, story and game.
I took over one year, I finished Endwalker about two weeks ago. I'm a casual, story-focussed player, mainly in for the story.
And what a story that is. The emotional impact is very heavy to me. The events in Endwalker kind of build from the beginning and especially when you are at the end of that journey you took yourself. This song is playing in too very impactful scenes, near the end and in the end. And I love it so, so much!
So while it is played in two scenes it is not easy to tell the context.
Obvious spoiker warning. I would recommend playing through the story 10.000 times more than just seeing this. But...
First... It is the person who was introduced as "the goddess, will of the planet", entrusting all her trust and her will and her power, the fate of the planet. This trust, this hope is big. She entrusts you the faite of the planet she loves so much. Next time... the person who is the enemy of the game... she went to thousands of planets to find the answer, the sense of life. She only found death and despair. So she gave in. And used her abilities to bring all life to an end and stop it from ever spreading. She thinks of that as a mercy. You, the player go to her and show her... all your adventure, your hope, the love you experienced and feel for the world and life... And she.... finally sees, there was no single answer to the question... There is so much more... And in this... she uses her abilities to make life spring once more where it was already ended. Btw this reads shitty reading it a second time. Well, it is difficult to explain
This song ends up being kind of a bittersweet sent off; a blanket of emotions as you part with an part of the story that you have been with since the beginning and as you head off towards the unknown. So honestly, the mix of emotions that you feel without the context feels very appropriate, haha
I'll echo what some other people are saying and say that it's never too late to play if it's something that interests you! Unlike a lot of MMOs there's no penalty for putting it down and taking time off whenever you want/need to. It's also a story that benefits from going slow and letting events sit in your mind vs rushing through it all. But even if you don't play, I don't think you're missing out on anything. The emotions you went through are extremely similar to what I feel having all the context. It's just damn good music :)
I've listened to this song so many times I don't even need the lyrics in front of me anymore to sing along. This song never fails to make me tear up at the very least especially when you know the meaning behind it. I hope I speak for the FF player base when I say we all miss her already.
The one part about halfway through the song where the piano becomes a bit more uplifting, the lyrics: sinking deeper and deeper always gives me chills. I don't know how to describe it but it honestly makes me feel like I could handle anything in that moment. It's not quite happiness, but a sense of peace. Endwalker really helped me through the end of the fall semester when I was going through some things.
The ending words when you finish the main story, "Yet stand tall my friend, our journey will never end" was one of the most motivating moments. This game has truly had an impact on my character and I thank the XIV team very much for what they've managed to create.
"Answers" is a welcome and "I,m sorry". "Flow" more like a goodbye and "thank you"
The technique for playing the strings at the end is called "pizzicato" which basically just means plucked.
I know this was uploaded quite a while ago, but if you ever do find the time and inclination to play the game it's worth it - especially if you can latch onto a certain aspect of it because it's designed in a way where everything comes back to be relevant. And that's not only true for the story but also the musical motifs because of what they represent to certain characters or events. They've even made it far more easy to do the game solo with only a handful of mandatory dungeons between ARR and Endwalker that you'd have to queue with strangers to do (and they have a roadmap where those dungeons will be filled in, likely in the next patches before a major update). It's probably the only MMO I'd ever feel comfortable with playing because it really does respect your time in just about every aspect of its design. But that's enough of my blabbering - thanks for reacting to awesome music!
This is definitely a song that was set to the culmination of a journey and a call to memories both happy and sad. It's meant to put a capstone on everything you've done so far and prepare you for the endless journeys ahead and a return to 'simplicity' as an adventurer rather than someone who is fighting to save reality. It's such a beautiful song and one that can really break people down back to when they first started adventuring in this game. Absolutely loved it.
Discovered your channel today and spent several hours going through loads of your vids, especially FF. I know from watching that YT comments aren't as high priority but I wanted to add my voice to what I'm sure is an already colossal list of FF14 songs to react to - Amatsu Kaze (Byakko's theme), Sunrise (Suzaku's theme) and Close in the Distance (a dynamic track for the Ultima Thule area in Endwalker that evolves as you progress through the story in that zone, with the final version having full lyrics). Editing to add one more - The Final Day (which is the name of the boss fight but I think the track is the same name, it's a 2 phase fight with the 2nd part being super hype that still gets me emotional every time I hear it)
You're so right when you say that context is super important for this song in particular. It just made me cry again listening to your reaction.
This is honestly the best story i've played ever, and if you can manage your time around playing the game, just do it at your own pace. And if you dont want to partake In the MMO aspect of the game, you can totally just do the story one bit at a time and not do anything else than that, the game will give you enough experience points that you dont need to do anything else.
Love from France.
Ps: my Mother always told me "I don't have time doesn't exist, you manage your time, if you find something important for you, you'll manage some time for it, it's all about priorization".
Man you are fantastic for listening to all our requests. This song right here IS an impact all its own. Like coming home as a child after being hurt by the world. And mom is there to help pick you back up.
And don’t beat yourself up about the whole “Never able to experience FFXIV”. This game has time. It’s unique in the way that everything is STILL experienced even if you come late. Nothing is truly FOMO with 14 cause at no point are you left behind with the game. It’s even recommended by the developer to “take your time” and “take breaks” cause he WANTS you to really experience the world as your own. No pressure. No rush to complete.
And you know what, all of us fans will be there to watch you, GUIDE you and ready to experience it ALL with you. My man the best part of this story. This experience is that we all want to see someone go experience it themselves. Ff14 players LOVE to help others through the story. So leave your preconceived worry’s at the door. And welcome yourself to Eorzea. We’ll be waiting and watching ;)
This song is sad and mournful, but it is really wonderful music that feels hope and beauty at the same time.
I hear the piano intro for Flow, and the emotions of playing through Endwalker comes rushing back and tears well up.
I totally get it, it’s good music but without the context you can feel kind of disconnected from what’s going on, and that will lead you to experience the music differently. You won’t feel it with as much of a punch as the rest of us even if nominally the music is good, and you enjoy it, and because it is a good track!
Dude, HOW have you not heard Flow Together yet, get on it man you'll love it!
Man i think i can safely speak for all of us here that we would lose our minds if you were to play FFXIV. Such an amazing story and the music gains an even crazier punch when you live it. Just great
Its now you start playing the game uncle jesse you are gonna love it, thank you for your content o/
Here’s a follow up suggestion: in the balance from ffxiv. It’s probably my favourite track from the game
Amanda Achen sat and got interviewed over on Marcomeatball's Channel. He does a similar thing to you with Music Reactions, but he comes at it from the perspective of a Former Opera Singer. You guys would get along. But she was very charming and had some interesting things to say about Flow.
Also, I cannot listen to Flow without crying... I am overcome with emotion every time for a number of reasons, but I cried even listening to it this time through. And I will cry the next time I hear it.
And it's really hard to explain the full power and context of the track... We can explain situations, but to TRULY understand the experience, you have to play through A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker. All of the game builds toward a few specific moments in Endwalker, though every major story line has exceptional moments with incredibly gravity.
the scene was so emotional
even a little bit of the melody makes me whimper..
I cried so hard when i heared this song. This Lyrics, The Voice and the Memories that my 10 Year long Journey is now......over.
Answers is - "I'm sorry."
Flow is - "Thank you."
In a way this is a companion song to Answers ... I seen it described and I agree with it that Answers is Sorry and Flow is a Thank you as well as welcome home form a pivotal character in the game
Only a few songs in my history of playing video games have made me straight up cry, and this is one of those... Answers is another. And yes the context is very much important. The fact that you felt something but couldn't understand it proves just how much emotion is in this song. There's another version of this called "Flow Together" which is a remix of this and it has a slightly different feel but still the same overall sound.
Mama crystal always makes us warm inside and teary eyed on the outside.
Mortals in FFXIV have soul ancestors from the ancient world that their souls were born from.
Your soul ancestor's teacher, predecessor, and inspiration, who became your guardian, your guide, your strength, is asking how you've been and if you're ready for what's to come.
iirc Amanda mentioned she cried the first time she tried to record the song. she also did a different take before she re-recorded, but it DID get remixed into a "battle" theme, it's a more major key, and real fun to listen to that they renamed to "Flow Together".
Now let’s go with Close In the Distance!
New to channel and watching the FFXIV content on binge before work.
The word Flow carries such weight and many definitions. It speaks to flows of emotions, yes, but also to the flow of time with 2 timelines converging at this moment in the game. It references the first major sacrifices that didn’t end up being so as the spell Flow is cast, which is the first presentation that people will die for us to continue on. It also can denote the flow of the lifestream itself, the death and rebirth cycle within the game mythos, and how the primary antagonist is looking to halt this cycle. It’s a great culmination of the journey to when we obtain the final answers to a decade-long journey.
Aaaaaaand I'm sobbing... The song is so gorgeously done and the ending image with everyone in the Aether Sea fills my heart with happiness.. I can't help it. 😭
As a long time player (original beta) I can say there's never a bad time to begin your journey in the game. Equally there's no requirement to play solidly nor dedicate large amounts of time in one go.
I spent several years maybe playing 2-3hrs in a week and even some where i didnt play at all during new content cycles.
The beauty of FFXIV is that it values your time and respects the idea that you have other commitments.
Either way its entirely worth it for the story.
FFXIV is an RPG story first, MMO second and was designed that way.
Cant wait to see you delve in, however occasional it maybe. May you ever walk in the light, Jesse
its rly super interesting u felt that reaction, bc i feel like that reflects the nature and context of when this song plays. ur confused, hopeful conflicted, and feel like theres an question u want answered, and this song might feel like a clarity or conclusion and u arent sure why or how. I think thats rly awesome
謝謝！
I’m going to make Answers and Flow into lullabies for my children next time. Next time when they grow up they will understand how much i love them.
This isn't fair... I literally just finished crying from cutting onions and now I'm watching this! I can only cry so much in one day!
answer was the start of it all, it was the question and apology for all suffering in the world, flow is the answer and thanks for overcoming the suffering, its why it hits so hard even to peoplelt hat dont play the game, you get the sense of emotion from the words