Compare Alexandria in FF14 to FF9 - FFXIV Lore
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- Опубліковано 17 жов 2024
- Lets explore some similarities between both worlds from the viewpoint of the Kingdom of Alexandria!
Final Fantasy IX is one of my favourite in the series, must have cleared it fully at least a dozen times.
I was so happy to see it recreated in FFXIV and in such detail we have never seen any other FF series title receive in FFXIV.
Thank you so much for watching this video.
My channel is focused on player perspective content, gameplay, theory's and importantly game lore for Final Fantasy XIV.
As this channel has grown, my goals have evolved, but ever do they remain the same.
That is the creation of videos that mean to bring a smile to a viewer's face or provide them with even one piece of useful information.
I mean to live up to these goals and the time you have taken to watch my content.
#ffxiv #finalfantasy14 #wyrmlimion
I didn't even notice that Living Memory is kind of shaped like Gaia's map in FF9. That is so cool! Alexandria is even placed at the same location!
Theres so many little references to FFIX. Black Mages, the Houses, The Ticket Booths.
Love this crossover due to its detail.
Im surprised you did not mention the 4 elemental themed place in living memory have a correlation with the 4 element guardian that guard the path to terra.
@@WyrmLimion Where was the black ages references? I must have missed that
@@JackDaloots The Lively Lass gives us a riddle about Pointy Hats, a name used by the Dwarves to describe Black Mages. It was not Mages she was referring to however, rather buildings in Yesterland that have roofs like Pointy Hats XD
@@WyrmLimion ah ok, I was lost in her talking about the buildings I didn't think about the mages! Thank you!
Me in Stormblood and Omega raids: alright time to play FF5
Me in Shadowbringers: Okay time to play FF3
Me in Endwalker: Okay time to play FF4
Me in Dawntrail: Okay time to play FF9
alright time to play every Final Fantasy games
The Neverending Story!
I'm playing FFXI right now due to the new 24 man being based on it
FF8 is where the Eden raids give homage to!
Don't forget the FF7 reference from ShB with the weapon boss fights
Better do the Ivalice raids after playing FFT, Vagrant Story, and 12!
Sphene is an alternate name of Titanite which in itself is also a type of gemstone, like Garnet so while Sphene is probably not a 1:1 reference to Garnet/Dagger, she clearly references her name in this matter.
They flip the character from the other game on its head again as Sphene is essentially Garland. A construct made to bring out the fusion of the two worlds to save the people of a dying world above all else.
I got the same impression and scripted as much during the longer version.
FF9 fits so well in FFXIV
I mainly saw it as a part of the naming convention the people of Alexandria used.
That's a really nice catch!
If you mean 1:1 as in carbon copy, then yes.
If not, Sphene is clearly a Garnet stand in. Both are reluctant beings with astonishing power put into their roles, both acting as if they were someone else even though they don't want to. Both find a way to escape their roles with the help of the protag. It's even more similar since FF9 wants you to be the audience, not "Zidane," the same way Wuk is the protag and we, the WoL, are just bystanders. We probably will have a "dramatic" moment to reunite with her again through her rebirth/revival (probably with Alexander involved), the same way Garnet really embraced her new persona of Dagger, symbolized in the last scene where she cuts her hair.
Sphene also shares some parts with Brahne and Kuja, which Zoraal Ja inherited most of.
On a side note, it is also speculated that" Sphene" was chosen out of the gems since its also in the silicate mineral family along with Garnet and is the symbolic of "Permanence and Purity."
This time around its not homages because they literally shoved FF9 into FF14 by reskinning and tweaking it a little. They boasted about it in the promo streams, like when they explained that's the reason why the collector's edition bonus are what they are and that there were rumors of Yoshi-P remaking FF9. This is why all of these appearances are either its split into the total denial or total acceptance camps. Denial camp is strong this time since FF9's theme itself was to return to the older FF that didn't have all the sci-fi things... which this expansion did, so naturally purists are mad. The acceptance camp generally seems to be those who aren't in love with FF9 or don't remember it well... Wyrm definitely being an interesting case.
My personal impression about it all was that Alexandria in ff14 was a bad ending future to ff9. (The ending and events of the game itself would be unchanged, just that the future is a bad ending, though I suppose that it could have taken place instead of or before.)
Other subtle hints to note.
The name Solution 9 comes from Zidane's Trance Dyne moves, the penultimate one I think.
The portal to Living memory from the lv99 trial is spatially positioned under Everkeep. Just as the portal to Memoria was placed under the Iifa Tree.
The robotic Sentries have the Black Mage eyes while sharing the body shape of Alexandrian soldiers.
Otis is seeing Steiner but without the bumbling moments. Instead we see in Otis that same dedication to kingdom and respect to children, just as Steiner was dedicated to Garnet and respectful of Vivi.
In Yesterland, that car on the rails is actually a Lindblum Air Taxi, the body shape and propellers being the very same.
And finally in the Alexandria dungeon, the shape of the new Everkeep does bring to mind FF9 Alexander defending the Castle
I think they missed a great nostalgia opportunity with Otis by not making his last name Steiner. When I first saw him, before he revealed his name, I was like "oh this is totally Steiner."
In one of the sidequests there (or maybe it's the MSQ with Cahcuia?) they literally say the words Iifa Tree and some sort of memorial thing as well, I don't remember exactly
@@jacobteague635 Yeah the wind terminal thing is designed after the Iifa Tree. I think it was during the MSQ because I didn't do any of the side quests and I remember it.
@@xxJing That's it then, thanks
I interpreted Otis as a fusion/son of Steiner and Beatrice, what with the lack of bumbling and brunette hair
The 3 kids with rope jumping game (one of the girls also said let's jump 1000 times), the boys who were on a marathon race, and the drink shop (which referred to the ticket booth at the start of IX with Vivi. The sword duel between Wuk Lmao and WoL also referred to the minigame between Zidane and Blank before the show.
Thanks for that, I missed the jump rope!
and Otis himself! The way he laughs is just as Steiner's. Not to mention he is a loyal Knight that wants to protect the Princess/Queen
@@teysa.k he is Steiner i can't unsee this xD since i saw that
YES!!! theys also have the same lines in both game !!!
@@teysa.k don't forget his noisy clanking armor sound too, and his rusty appearance when we first met him.
I'd like to mention that the concept of powering oneself up using souls is very akin the the FF9 concept of Trance. Even though in FF9 it is described as ones own soul surging with power due to heavy emotions. Zoraal Ja however did basically the very same thing as Kuja did, overloading himself with multiple souls of others to transform into a stronger version of himself.
Thats a very good comparison!
Nice one!
@@askel6498 Did you notice the Viper has a blue trance. Even though, Zidane is pink in color, yet when Eiko and Garnet Summons Alexander. Garnet’s eyes become blue.
@@chrisrounds1242 Yeah, Vipers burstphase reminded me of Trance as well. Although the color scheme is different. I was a bit disappointed though, that Viper didn't get a lot connections to Zidane, unlike Gunbreaker did with Sqall and Cifer =/
@@askel6498 I agree. They really did not have ZIdane stance, as well. However, I do like the Ark mount with the Battle theme from Final Fantasy 9. I would like the Invincible airship if they decide to put it as a mount.
"Surging with power due to heavy emotions"
Isn't that the exact definition of how dynamis works in FF14?
as soon as i met sphene & realized it was alexandria i was so overjoyed. 9 is honestly my favorite ff game. i kinda figured there would be references to it because of the pre-order & collectors edition minions but i was not expecting That Much haha
I was pretty take aback as well, my reactions in my journey video show that XD
Getting such a detailed crossover was amazing!
Another similarity between Sphene and Garnet is that they are both fake versions of the originals made to hide their deaths, at least Sphene didn't have her Summoner's horn cut off...
Well, if we consider some theories and the fact a millennium has passed.... :)
But you are right, they so share that in common with regards to being replacements for those born into that name.
i knew something was missing
we need eiko reference in 14
they missed the opportunity to make DT's SMN gear a direct reference to eiko
oh and please give fork-shaped wand to BLU :D
@@SaihamaruDragoons have fork as a weapon (it drops from Good King Moggle Mog )
I think the Everkeep looks quite a bit like a more technological looking Iifa Tree and in a broad sense even serves a similar function, being partially in each world to funnel souls stolen from one to the other.
Plus the whole thing about using stolen souls to power machines of war, which in FF9 was the mist-powered airship fleet of Lindblum and of course the black mages, and in FF14 is the regulators, among other things.
That's a very good way to put it. Indeed these function in a similar way!
Not to mention that the Everkeep having a purple-ish portal above it that leads to Living Memory is pretty on the nose.
Wonder if Everkeep is on the same spot Cleyra was. Cuz the lightning storm could be the equivalent of the sand storms.
@@Selcryn If you look in the Alexandria dungeon, Everkeep is constructed on top of Castle Alexandria. You see the electrope walls literally getting built around it.
Thank you for pointing out all the references. For someone like me who hasn't played 9 since completing it on the original release, who maybe is getting a bit older and can't remember everything about it (weep for my fleeting youth) it's almost like experiencing it all over again. Oh, the 'member-berries! LOL. Great video.
Its been a long time since I played it as well.
I think I remember most due to clearing it so many times in a span of a few years lol.
I kinda want to again :)
Glad you enjoyed it gdoggo \o/
Just a couple extras.
The cutscene at the start of zoraljas fight is thematically reference to the "you are not alone" scene in FF9.
The way sphene stands is very similar to yuna from ffx in the way she is drawn in concept/promotional art.
The first boss in the first dungeon is a monster in FF9 called abaddon
As well as all of the musical references
Thanks for the video! This just solidifies that this is my favorite expansion.
Forgot these with my first coment but in solution 9 there is also signs for shops that use the gimmie cat, mu and yan monster from 9
I forgot to include them, silly me :)
Grats on this vid's success! Proof you doing good work when one of your vids catches the algorithm, keep at it
Thanks Umega, that means alot. Been having a great time answering everyone's comments and learning even more.
Living Memory was a lot like Twilight Town from Kingdom Hearts too. Also Endless...Heartless.
I didn't even consider that, but it makes alot of sense!
Guess its just been so long since I played KH1
With the music I got twilight town vibes with heavy ff9 overlaying themes
Same, I got heavy twilight town vibes, from the colour scheme to the general feel of the zone.
I'm glad someone else mentioned the Twilight Town vibes that Living Memory was giving off!
A few things I didn't even saw! Insane video, thanks.
A few ref. missing but I guess one could make an hour video and still not have spoken about every detail :)
I love FF9 and I'm eager to see your next video about it !!
Thanks Wermos!
The script was actually more than double the length until I cut it down.
I realised many would not have played FF9 so I stayed close to FFXIV so everyone could enjoy.
Nest video incoming, a theory this time!
I really appreciate you putting this all together, IX is my favorite game in the series and I was so disappointed with how it was handled in XIV that I honestly had to fight from being completely checked out, so I’m sure I missed stuff as I powered through Living memory. That said, I did find most things you did, so I wasn’t doing too bad in there 😅
Not a bother.
I am hoping for even more, or for this to be a new trend in future :)
Looking forward to your theories! There were quite a few things I didn't remember that you caught, great video!
Thanks, Shizukan!
Gonna finish scripting it today and get to work. \o/
Assuming there wasn't sidequests or MSQ details I missed, I'm hoping the post-msq explains how Living Memory has a day/night cycle since the reflection was supposed to have been claimed by another lightning calamity- and also what the barrier around Everkeep is since it's different to the Electrope barrier we see surrounding it throughout the dungeon and into Everkeep's construction (Assuming they then didn't drop the barrier after it's completion to meet the higher energy demands of Everkeep hence the lightning rods we see outside, or if the fusion merged the lightning and dome into the barrier when being brought into the source.)
I'll also definitely come back to this video again when i've finished FF9 since Dawntrail and this video motivated me to finally try another FF game that isn't XIV. Also it was nice to meet you in-game ^^.
I have an upcoming Theory video or two that will be going over these, mainly cause I cant keep them to myself and need to vent :)
Enjoy the rest of FFIX, its such a special game with a place in my heart.
The lightning calamity we observe via the Storm Surge is not a "Calamity" as we know on the Source, as such events can only take place on the Source, being used by Ascians to Rejoin worlds to the Source. When Sphene mentions the calamity that came about from the Lindblum bomb, she also notes that there is still land (albeit scoured) beyond Alexandria, which would not be the case were the world Rejoined and pulled into the Source's aetherial sea. We can also observe that the world's denizens are still alive and their structures still exist.
What happened to Alexandria is likely more akin to a Flood, though perhaps less devastating due to being of an elemental aspect. Such events are likely what G'raha meant back in Shadowbringers when he described a Rejoining as requiring an element achieve supremacy on a reflection. Whether that indicates it was being primed for a later Rejoining (after the Eighth Umbral Calamity) or simply overflowed of its own accord is unclear. It's also plausible, given what we've seen in the Dead Ends, that their calamity had no outside influence.
@@RommyRayneThe second calamity that happened on the source was that of lighting. Unless I'm just misremembering I think they want to rejoin every different aspect so the 6 elements plus darkness and light. There would be no purpose for a second lightning calamity. Whatever happened on this reflection was not influenced by Ascian hand (unless we have another one who doesn't care like Fandaniel). I think we will find the answers in post patches when we will dig more into Preservation and the history of Alexanderia. The last cutscene would suggest we are not done yet.
@@KaranaiaPlaysGames Parts of Zodiark existed on all reflections so Ascians were planning to rejoin all shards eventually and then presumably do something with the Thirteenth since they would be needing that last part of Zodiark
16, 10 and 15 are some of my personal favs which I always reccomend people to play
I am PRAYING we get a full FF7 reference expansion, or at least an arc like the Golbez arc. Closest thing we’ve gotten is The Weapons arc in ShB
Really excellent video! There was simultaneously a lot of stuff not mentioned and some stuff that I didn’t even catch. IX was my first FF game and one of my favorite games of all time, and I was extremely pleasantly surprised with how the XIV team adapted IX’s themes, settings, and characters. Even though I’ve never made a video before, I want to do a very thorough breakdown about all
of the references and parallels because this stuff has been on my mind for weeks
Go for it, there are many I didn't include in the video and a great many more that you and others have found!
And Dawntrail is full of potential subjects.
This was an incredibly well put together video! I may have missed it, but I do also want to mention a very, VERY minor detail that I thought was cool with Sphene! If you look closely at her necklace, she's wearing what looks to be a green gem that could be assumed to be a peridot. The peridot is the gem needed to learn the summon Ramuh, the eidolon of thunder. I think thematically, given the *lightning* Calamity, this was a nice nod (Or at least this was my interpretation), as was the literal Iifa tree ref the second you get to Heritage Found. Purple orb and all haha.
Thats amazing! You caught that so well. Faery you know your FFIX!
I love this!
@@WyrmLimion Thank you for that kind compliment, this was my FAVORITE game of the series and everything was just so great. I had a few more observations (Like the Desert Palace and Oeilvert mash up in the one area of Living Memory - Color Scheme of Desert Palace + the design of Oeilvert) and was absolutely losing every 5 minutes from Heritage Found on XD.
8:00 I'm pretty sure the tree does exists in FFXIV as well but in the source, even if it goes by a different name, it is outright stated that the Lalas from Alexandria come from another world and Krile's soul being as dense as the people in the source's pretty much confirms that's where they come from, it is also stated that before moving to Alexandria they lived in some islands, ran away during the ice calamity and left a statue of their leader or prophet or whichever word they used I don't remember back in their place of origin before leaving, all of that means the Lalas from Alexandria lived in Alo alo island
Not only the islands are known to have been inhabited by Lalas, but they also just disappeared one day, one of the routes is literally climbing a giant ass tree and the secret boss at the end of normal is a giant statue of a Lalafell
So yeah, I'd be willing to say the lifa tree is actually the tree in Alo alo or at least our reflection's version of it
Thats very interesting!
Trees with special significant are frequent in number in FFXIV but I overlooked Alo Alo.
Thats a fine catch you made there my good Hank!
@@WyrmLimion Building on this: Ice and Lightning are opposite of each other on the FFXIV elemental wheel. It's possible that the Calamity of Ice in the Source and the Flood of Lightning in Alexandria are therefore directly related.
@@EinherjarLucian The museum in the final zone explains it. The Milala are originally inhabitants of the Source, who used the Keystone to escape the Fifth Umbral Calamity (of Ice) to escape to the Sixth shard. They brought their knowledge of runes with them, which allowed them to use electrope ore (native to the Sixth) to its full potential. Being a limited resource that was vital to the societies overexploiting it, it resulted in wars, global devastation and run-away lightning-aspected aether conversion. The Keystone was then used by Alexandria, triggering the Sixth's Rejoining, causing the Second Umbral Calamity (of Lightning) on the Source, and their shields allowed them to ride the flow of aether to the Source. Though being 'heavier', they ended up in the tail end and not quite made it all the way...
Oh, and in case it wasn't clear enough, all this was orchestrated by the Ascians, and it goes WAY deeper... the Keystone that was used by the Milala? That is a handheld Crystal Tower, created by copying the tech developed to travel from the Source to the First shard to undo the Eighth Umbral Calamity (of Light). One of the researchers in Alexandria was a sundered Ascian, and the AI in Living Memory is using his soul as a base, with the memories of Queen Sphene as a personality overlay. The intended use of the system was to trigger Rejoinings by tunneling through the Void to connect the shards to the Source directly, but the AI was corrupted when part of Alexandria got ripped off during the Void travel, and it no longer knew the Source was NOT a shard that could be harvested, instead harvesting ALL of it. I suspect it would also have been used to gather the aether that is floating in the Void, after the failed Rejoining of the Thirteenth shard.
@@SeedlingNL These are some interesting insights, but I'm curious about where you got some of this information. Firstly, just some things to point out/potentially correct - the Fifth Umbral Calamity resulted in the Sixth shard being rejoined, so I don't think Alexandria is from the Sixth shard. The wiki suggests the Calamity of Lightning rejoined the Twelfth to the Source, but I'm not sure where it gets that information from either. As far as I know, we have no clue which shard Alexandria is from. It could even be from a Shard that is yet-rejoined.
Now, for my questions - I'm wondering where you found the information for the following:
- The Keystone being a handheld Crystal Tower created from copying the tech used to send the Crystal Tower to the First. (the presence of Azem's symbol suggests it may even be older than the Sundering and I think its creation hasn't yet been explained.)
- A sundered Ascian's soul being the "base" of an AI with Queen Sphene as a personality overlay, and this AI being corrupted when a part of Alexandria was ripped off during void travel. (As far as I know, Sphene was "reborn" as we see her - an AI whose precepts determined that the best hope for the survival of her people (in Living Memory and Everkeep) is by rejoining other worlds and consuming their aether.
I do agree that ascians were most likely responsible for the fate of the Unlost World but it feels like a lot of what you said is just speculation and theory-crafting.
Now, I'm not saying you're wrong about any of this, I just want to verify it for myself. I'm more than happy to be proven wrong.
Keep in mind, Alexandria's reflection likely had its own Lalas, just like the first did.
The Conde Petie lali ho people definitely sound like natives.
The refugees from the source were south sea islanders from Aloalo.
So I don't think the lifa tree the milala mentioned was the Source one.
idk why but the spoiler warning combined with the title is kinda funny in an ironic way
I played through this expansion in my Garnet glamour, felt so nostalgic. Also felt like I was there to clean up the act of a Grandchild or something haha.
Also there is a quest in Heritage Found called Kwok Away, involving Oglops and how they're a menace, but the person who gives you the quest thinks they're cute(some people in FF9 liked them too).
At the end of the 99 trial, we see a red portal open up in the sky and Sphene disappear into it. This red portal is very reminiscent of the "Eye" on the Airship Invincible.
The resistance group "Oblivion" is very similar to "Tantalus" in meaning and of course the lo-fi version of the Tantalus Theme played in Oblivion's hideouts.
Otis was very much how Steiner would have been after the events of FF9 as well, still the loyal knight but much more lighthearted as Otis was.
I was really hoping for mention of the Eidolon Alexander from someone at some point in the story, but guess it was not to be.
We still don't know which reflection Alexandria is from, 9th would be fitting of course but we don't know yet. More to come in the patch content I suppose.
Very good points, and you picked the right glamour to progress with!
Even though ultimate plan from Sphene and Garland also feels so similar to me, I relate the "soul" concept from FFX Zanakand the most in the first glance. Probably my bias since FFX is my fav one.
In a way I can see where your coming from, especially with regards to what Zanarkand and the dream really are.
I kinda agree. It's almost like they mixed 9 and 10. Even Wuk Lumat mirrors Yuna a little with you guarding a leader on their journey.
One interesting thing I haven’t seen many people bring up is how similar Wuk Lamat and Zoraal Ja are to Zidane and Kuja. There are a lot of parallels between them
I actually never made that connection, but I am thinking about it now :)
A sibling that spurns the other out of jealousy and pride, wishing to be seen at the superior child.
Nice idea!
@@WyrmLimionalso we know that an attempt on Wuk Lamat was made as a toddler and that's why she was sent to Tuliyollal.
I feel so sad for people who didn't played IX. I think they didn't felt the emotion and nostalgia as we did :')
I fully agree. The older series games on PS1 and PS2 have a special place in my heart. They made my childhood along with Pokemon.
As someone who didn't play FF9 and didn't even know this was a reference to an older game until this video, I kind of disagree. Yes, we didn't feel the nostalgia, but I certainly felt the love and emotions in that part of the game... contrary to the shitty 6 levels before we got to Sphene.
@@anrikurisuto4432 I didn't said you felt something, I just said you didn't felt the hype the same way as we did when we catched the references and saw what happened to the world we knew. We felt happy and sad, but our reasons were not the same at all.
@@WyrmLimion the old games have a charm, sometimes in their simplicity, Pokemon is a great example of that. FFVII is great too and it's short and simple compared to Remake. We were happy with that~
agreed. which means i need to convince my friend to play 9 before he gets to dawntrail lol. hes going through endwalker right now & the only other ff games hes played is 6 & 10
🎉 Thank you for the contrast and comparison!! I was in speculation when I arrived to solution nine. But when I finished the game I had no idea how on point certain references were in FF14! I was going to mention Queen Sphene’s dress has also some similarities! Thank you once again! Great job!
You are very welcome.
Did you see anything regarding Sphenes dress?
We got her name from it at the very least.
Oof, spoiled in the thumbnail. I never had a chance 😅
Well something to look forward to, my friend said I'd really like it, and now I really want to get there soon
I wonder what they’ll do with this zone post main story. Once everything is off you can see the sky is real and it even rains. If you look down you see a lot of mist too. Seems like the shard withstood the lightning calamity and I’m sure others survived. Especially lindblum. I’m curious bout this weapon they used to start the calamity to begin with. I for sure thought it’d be the final boss of the expansion at first.
I have some theories in the works so I wont spoil just yet :)
I think the weapon in question might be the large lightning disturbance in Heritage Found, kind of gives that vibe. It might be an aftereffect of it.
But yes, its very interesting to me that the Lighting has subsided and look forward to sharing my crazy theory :)
The second umbral calamity was lightning aspected. The 12th shard was rejoined to the source. Which begs the question: if living memory is located in the 12th, how did it survive the rejoining? Or better yet what if it is not the 12th, but another world like the First where it was at the brink of a rejoining but hasn’t completely happened yet?
@@strontium9041 theres 13 shards, likely two of each element, and with one additional shard that is closer to the source. One of the two lightning shards being light-leaning and one dark-leaning. I believe this is literally the 9th shard, and while that cannon was devastating, it was a failed rejoining. I think one of everkeeps functions was correcting things. Its unclear how, butAlexandria seemed to undergo a renaissance following its destruction, where Electrope was no longer scarce. This is shown in the dungeon. This was probably a blessing the ascians didnt expect?
@@cottontailsifyperhaps the calamity uncovered or created large deposits of Electrope, seeing how tied the mineral seems to be with Lightning in general. I hope that the patches focus on this Shard and the consequences of what happened in it, either that or the next expansion.
"Alexandria's world" being the 12th reflection doesn't really stand because of the timeline: lalas escaping the Fifth calamity in the Source into the shard before the Second rejoining? Personally I think the shard not the being the 12th is a much more sound theory than time-traveling lalas. Besides the planet itself in Living Memory post MSQ seems largely intact with clouds and rain and the sky and the sun, certainly not like a piece floating in the Rift. After all there were much more shards than elements so lightning doesn't necessarily point to 12th right away. Ninth reflection on the other hand wasn't rejoined at all. I think Ascians tried to mess with it but couldn't rejoin it thus triggering the Flood of Lightning. Which seemingly was subsequently either stopped or delayed somehow
ff14 is an omage to all FFs every expansion takes inspiration of a previous game, it is a love song to its previous titles and maybe even future titles if we keep it going for that long.
Incidentally, Final Fantasy IX was tied into Shadowbringers a bit as well. Queen Brahne seems to have been a bit of a basis for Vauthry, especially since he has two jesters themed around Zorn and Thorn working for him. Ran'jit is a vaguely more sinister interpretation of Beatrix. And the final boss is a battle against Hades that takes place in a memory constructed location underwater, much like the fight against Hades in IX. Hades was also originally meant to be IX's final boss.
I would love to see these reimaginings via MSQ from previous games in future expansions. It's a clever call back while also building on FFXIV's own story.
The developers did it right to be sure. Heres to many old worlds made new
It's been many years since i played 9, but I was SO happy seeing what i do remember of 9 be brought to life in FF14.
I appreciate this video, b/c it filled in what I had forgotten over the years. Maybe I should replay one of my fav FF games now.
Honestly, i'd go as far as to say that Solution 9 / the whole tower, is just the full concept of the Iifa Tree ?
A giant bulb shape, some sort of gateway to another place, the souls.
While the tree is somewhat represented in Living Memory, Heritage Found's structure seems to relate to it even more.
Many agree with your idea about Everkeep.
I have a feeling we are gonna be exploring it alot more.
I only realised during the making of this Video, but they built Everkeep around Castle Alexandria.
I hope its still there!
One of my favourite FFIX nods I found was in Living Memory- the mascot FATE that spawns in the bottom right corner of the map plays the battle music from FFIX when you come across the Ragtime mouse or the friendly enemies 😊
I really need to find this as im super curious now!
Die Hard Ff fans noticed this. And ah, if you been playing ff14 as long as I have. You notice Yoshi-P follows this trend. Along with having Clouds iconic black jump suit in ff14, some ff8 gear in ff14 as well. Happy Gaming.
Subscribed lol. Keep making these videos. You'll go far.
Thanks Gary!
Its been the trend as you said for many years, and I hope this latest crossover marks even more to come.
I know many FFXIV layers would like more 8 in FFXIV, for the Gardens at least XD
Honestly, with all those references to IX, I am surprised we did not see any Oglops. Not even a Grafitti in Solution 9, or did I overlook them?
They are mentioned in a sidequest in that city outside everkeep.
Good ole Oglop, its like a cross of all the insects that disturb your sleep in the dead of summer.
Correction! “Haven’t seen Oglops…so far!”
There is a side quest in heritage found that mention them
Giant oglop mount incoming
Such a great video, well put together, paced and editted. It really shines how much you love IX and XIV. That being said, I hate to break it but, IX's Alexandria is not XIV's. What we have in DT is a heavily inspired take on IX as one of the reflections of the Source. If you look at EW and 4, the echoes are there, clearly. But it isn't the same world as the original game. So while there possibly was a Zidane and group, and they may have even gone through something incredibly similar to what we experienced in IX, but this reflection is not the same world. Still loved the video and subbed though.
hehe Thanks :)
It was and still largely is a theory im playing with, that's why I brought it up.
And yes I do love them very much, alone with the other series titles and shaped my childhood
@@WyrmLimion Oh 100%! Believe me, when a certain quest chain in ShB hit, I was in FF8 heaven. I love how the entire game is just this long love letter to various FF titles.
Its nostalgic, to say the least. I replayed FFIX a few months before I played FFXIV. I got the hint from Zidane minion, so I was searching specifically for all FFIX references when when I reached Alexandria.
As a ff9 veteran, the 2nd half of this expansion was bittersweet, the nostalgia, the references...that scene where you go over that ridge in heritage found and see alexandria in ruins was mind blowing, i stood on that cliff for 20 minutes just staring (even took screenshots lol) The steiner reference was appreciated as well....this reignited my hype for a ff9 remake and yes i know its wishful thinking but, yoshi-p and the dev team did a amazing job here
Haha we are of the same mind, the moment the ruins came into view my jaw dropped, as seen in my journey video. Great story!
I am happy referring to the reflection Alexandria and Living Memory hail from as the Ninth.
You are in a large crowd that feel the same. I have a theory video coming up that might be of interest as well!
@@WyrmLimionMy next question: When we look up at the night sky in "the Ninth Shard," do we see two moons, one of them red? That would be something. 🤔
"gets triggered hearing Zih Dane as his name when it's Zih Dahn as pronounced" Awesome vid I loved all the Alexandria lore and how they related. We need an FF7 reflection, called the 7th perhaps? Though we don't know the actual number Alexandria is, solution 9 could make us believe it's the 9th
At least I didn't say Lifa lol
The 7th reflection is sadly gone, rejoined during the Battle of Carteneau.
I got so excited when Sphene first introduced herself w FF9 music playing as the bgm.
Also, I immediately notice Castle Alexandria motif on the back of her dress.
I was a kid again when I hear the music play.
In fact everything a new FF9 track played I was transported back in time.
Thank you for this. I've never been interested in playing 9 for some reason but recognize the soundtrack and some names of course so I could tell most things in DT. However, after going through DT and of course this video, I will say that I'm now super excited to play it someday hopefully with the supposed remake in the making. What a story can do to you man, loved DT.
I made sure not to spoil too much in that TL;DR.
Its well worth it!
I also hope for more FFIX love in future.
All the music had me grinning ear to ear, specifically the onentha tpkays in the hideout in FFXIV, it being a new rendition of thr Tatalus theme.
Oh, not sure if you missed it, but the play you do with Wuk Lamat being a refrence to the fight scene play with Blank in the begining of IX
The moment Sphene showed up and the music started, I was 14 again!
I do recall thinking that when I first saw it, but it slipped my mind for the video lol.
One of the things you notice in the Alexandra dungeon (in addition to the thing most players miss that you're doing mostly the same path over and over again to get to each of the three bosses, just at different points in time) is that Alexandria Castle is getting rebuilt into Everkeep. This is why in Heritage Found, there are no ruins of Alexandria Castle. Though I'm not certain why the castle in Heritage Found is so far away from Archeo Alexandria when before we clearly saw it within the city
Whats your take on Sphene's ink? She's got some lettering on armor, and 2 sets of ink. I can make out the largest set |Service Eternal, Many Souls, One Heart, Alexandria| but the other ones are tough because of graphics.
The primary one on the front is her name, Queen Sphene Alexandros XIV
The garnet is a dark red gem, while the sphene is green. Also, the gimme cat and some of the friendly monsters are used as decorations in Solution 9 (which is the name of one of Zidane's trance attacks). The viper class takes inspiration from Zidane's fighting style with 2 blades / dual blade weapons.
Also, I think Otis has been heavily inspired by Steiner.
Not sure why I forgot to include the most obvious comparison which was the first one we learned in fact!
Guess I was just focused on everything else lol
And I agree, Otis is what I picture Steiner to be.
the kids also said Otis didn't take the jokes well, which basically tells me it's Steiner since his sense of humor is below the ground.
@@WyrmLimion There are so many details and parallels that's hard to keep track of them all! FFIX is my favorite one and I love Freya. The fact that Burmecia is not mentioned at all makes me hope in a Burmecian area or dungeon in the future... And may I dare hope in her minion andmor glamour too?
@@FrancescoBianchiTaliesin The name's from one of the "moogle tips" about one of Zidane's weapons. If you bring it up with the Rune tooth selected it says that "its also called the viper". I liked the Lindblum taxi airships flying around in some places too.
Another fun fact is that in the beginning of The living memory area you go down along these "death rides" towards Canal town, Yesterland, Asyle volcane and Windspath garden and they are a direct reference towards the four elemental shrines in FFIX. Canal town being: Water, Yesterland being: Earth, Asyle volcane being: Fire and the Windspath Garden being: Wind
Indeed this was something I missed, well spotted!
I've been sitting pretty 4 and 9 are two of my all time favs and to have Endwalker and Dawntrail give them such loving attention with new twists and amazing fights is fantastic. I just wish we had a mini game when we did the play. I need another chance to impress the crowd. I spent hours trying to get it perfect, likely my first true grind in FF.
Also so nice to see a calm Dawntrail vid with no copy paste negativity.
I'm honestly kind of disappointed didn't see any rumors about the castle floating around that it could turn into some kind of mech. Like the OG being the sleeping eidolon, Alexander.
Likely cause the Alexander of FFXIV was inspired by FF9 as well.
It would have been really nice though, but I expect we will be seeing the actual castle within Everkeep later this expansion.
Now that many completed the Dawntrail MSQ, the Oeilvert connection really make sense - considering that the Milala of Alexandria's shard are refugees from the Source, which the Ascians have been working to rejoin the shards with - as Garland tried to fuse Terra with Gaia in FF9.
Thank you for making these, I've never played another FF game, so i love seeing those connections.
Glad you enjoyed it, Tremere!
They still hold up, highly recommend playing one if you ever find the time. FFX is always a great place to start for those new to the series titles.
I havent play ff9 in decades it was nice seeing and hearing so much from one of my favorite games, i completely lost it when your warrior of light and wuk lamat played sword fighters in the play near the end of the expansion, i played that mini game so much when i first played ff9 i cant forget it if i wanted to so it was nice to see them reference that
I reset that fight so...so many times but I could never get 100/100 XD
I haven't played 9 in so many years now that I remember next to nothing about it so this was a really cool video to see all the similarities between the two.
I think, Sphene being Garnet (with ofc elements from Garland and others) and Wuk Lamat being Zidane. It's something as Garnet met Zidane way too late and continued in her path.
I like this idea, her being a Garland like character which you and many others have stated.
I'm surprised I never made the connection between them until you pointed it out!
@@WyrmLimion Its a fun thought! I love Wuk Lamat and Sphene, honestly all of the Dawntrail MSQ I adored. I'm not much of a FF9 person but I adore FF11 so I find similarities there. Wuk Lamat and Sphene mirroring each other makes me weep for what relationship they could have had if it weren't circumstances made out of their grasps.
You can add Otis to the list. When we 1st meet him, his nickname is Rusty, which is Steiner’s nickname. One thing I notice to with the play I WANT TO BE YOUR CANARY. There is a mention of both Zidane and Garnet falling in love. The BPC says commoner and royal princess.
I guess you can see it like that as well :)
The play itself focuses on the love between commoner Marcus and Princess Cornelia.
@@WyrmLimion it can probably go both ways. I know at the end of the game Zidane is playing as Marcus pronouncing is love for Dagger, which in many ways. She becomes Lady Cornelia. I might be stretching it, but after Conde Petie. They were married throughout the entire game. Anyways, there was many references to other Final Fantasy games that merge together to form a continuous story. For me personally, I felt it was another love letter just like Final Fantasy 9.
While I never got to play FF9, I watched my cousin play it and instantly recognized all the similarities
You have a great memory then, cause I only remember all of it after clearing it a dozen times as a teen :)
in Yesterland the airship going round and round is a lot like Lindblum's mode of transport with the little airship on the tracks. and there were little kids playing skipping rope along the streets there too! a shoutout back to Vivi's side mini game. Oglops were mentioned in Everkeep (around the farms i think?) and the sword fight between WOL and Wuk Lamat is like Zidane and Blank's!
Thank you for the video, very enlightening. Just to be certain: Alexandria's world didn't rejoin with the Source despite their "calamity", right?
So far as we are aware, only part of their world fused back to the source, all within the dome thanks to The Key.
Their reflection is likely still out there as we did travel to Living Memory.
A Rejoining requires a significant event on The Source to happen at the same time as it does on the Reflection to cause a Rejoining.
Burmecia being the realm of eternal rain felt hinted to me when the backstory of the aetheric balance shifting towards lightning began with extended rainy seasons
Also this being the biggest crossover in FFXIV cements that FFIX truly was the devs' favorite single-player Final Fantasy
That's an interesting way of thinking about it.
I'm surprised we got zero references to it, far as I could find anyway.
But this expansion is young!
The first thing I actually noticed is the outside of Everkeep is shaped like the Iifa tree, and even has a portal to another world at the top just like in FFIX
My working theory is that 14's version of Gaia/Terra are one in which terra DID end up merging and beginning to absorb Gaia way back in the day. That being the calamity they refer to. That also would explain why electrope just suddenly appeared out of nowhere, why everkeep looks like terran structures, and also where the technology for dimensional merging probably came from.
Ohhhhhh thats really interesting.
It keeps them from having to say yes they are the same world, instead offering us an alternate reality, which they have done before!
You are not gonna allow me to sleep tonight now that im thinking about this!
it was all but confirmed this was the shard that sufferd the lighting calamity but a small bit of it ended up being proetcted in a pocket dimension from its endless program.
I loved seeing that Everkeep was very much a giant mechanical Iifa Tree, deals with cycling and processing of souls, the centre point for planetary fusion, and it even looks someone like the tree but made of metal and ore
Now that you and others have pointed this out I love it, was right in front of my face!
I also love the fact that Everkeep seems to have been built around Castle Alexandria, so maybe its still there at the base, waiting to be explored!
Its not just this but the themes of 9 were also everywhere in the second half. The whole plot about worldfusion to prolong ones own world, the question if artificial beings can be called real, the whole Souls and in extension the Fog as a Ressource thing that permeated 9 was also there.
I really like the idea of the different reflections being based or entire is on the other final fantasy's.
Same here. It has many people speculating about the other series games and the reflections that have not been explored yet.
Ill elaborate on some of that in my theory video, which I really need to finish scripting. I keep poking at it lol.
It's funny because I think people were speculating that this might have been the case all the way back in Heavensward before Shadowbringers disproved it. Then I started getting the feeling that they were actually doing this after all when they (spoilers for Endwalker's post patches) started showing us that that the 13th reflection was the world of FF4. I think the FF11 Alliance Raid coming up in 7.1 is also going to take place on a reflection, and I think unlike the other reflections, it's actually going to be the on the reflection that equates to which numbered game it is, the 11th.
Thanks for sharing. I never played other FFs, but this was nice to know.
Glad to help Paul.
If you ever find the time I highly recommend playing 9, or 8 even!
It's also cool how Sphene is the name of a stone, just like Garnet. And many of the people in Solution Nine have stone based name [Geode, Shale, etc]
I loved that about them, and you see a few more knocking about as I recall.
@@WyrmLimion Oh yeah I think everyone in Oblivion is named after a stone of some kind. Those were just off the top of my head.
And the soul transference in this game is similar to the genome factory and other soul things in IX. Tons of great inspirations!
I got a strong feeling before we move on to the next expansion we're gonna be teased with the Burmecia race.
I would not say no to that at all!
Wont be playable but id love to see them ingame.
Great video! I do want to mention, the Alexandria in XIV is almost definitely not meant to be the literal same place as the one in FF9, as the XIV team stated in relation to the upcoming AR series that they don't want to consign another game in the series to simply having been a shard of the Source (at that time in reference to 11, but i dont think that viewpoint would change for 9)
Also, mist engines aren't Steam engines. I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure they used the magical properties of mist to function, hence why once you get rid of it Cid having an airship that functions without mist becomes an important factor.
I used Steam engines as an example for those why didn't play FF9, since Mist Engine might not jump out of the imagination as easily.
I guess Ceruleum would have been a better example :)
Do you have a source for when the dev team stated such, I dont recall it.
@@WyrmLimion It seems like I may have been remembering a fan consensus rather than a direct quote. Obviously I agree with said consensus, though, there have been tons of references to things that ARE from prior FF game while also being very clearly not literally the same place.
Perfect example: Endwalker Patches. We meet Golbez, we go to Troia and Baron, we fight the Four Fiends amongst other bosses from FF4, but the thirteenth is obviously not the place where FF4 took place because nothing else about it lines up.
Also, we know that the shards also have very similar geography to the Source, the Alexandrians say as much about the surrounding area after they fuse into Yyasulani, and Norvrandt's map is nigh identical to Eorzea, so FF9's map just wouldn't fit in at all.
My working theory is that FF9-the-game happened and existed in relative future to us in FFXIV. But lalas arriving from Aloalo to FF9-the-world in their relative past long before the events of FF9 could happen, diverged their timeline enough to create a whole new alternate reality. Without them the Storm Surge would not have happened, Sphene Alexandros XIV would've lived and had a granddaughter who'd then become Brahne Alexandros XVI
@@pixiesnakes4293 only issue with that (aside from the afforementioned developer intent) is that that isn't how numbers following names work. the XIV means that she is the Fourteenth Queen Sphene in the royal Alexandrian line, not that she's the fourteenth ruler of Alexandria
@@bakubread9308 i too had some small issue with this but it kinda seems a bit too farfetched there were like 14 Spheens or 17 Garnets
Loved all the references and my inner child was hyping when I was told I got to duel with Wuk in the play. When swords of fury started playing and the narrator came up, it felt like being 12 again. References aside, I really hope we get to know more about Alexandria, that world's civilization and how it develops.
I was on the verge of jumping up and down :)
I really hope the tribal quests added later restore final area.
Honestly so do I.
But should you wish to see it again, use New Game+ for the last Endwalker Chapter and it will be back as it was.
Thank god for it, my research would have been alot harder without it lol
When I first read the MSQ datamines I thought of Zanardkand. A sleeping/dead world filled with souls of the dead and the one person who doesn't realize he's dead. After actually doing DT the parallels between 9 and 14 are abundant. More so with the Genesis (I forget what zidanes race is) made to house souls so the ancients can come back to life after death. Idr the 9 story exactly, but it deals with souls like 9 does, a lot. We just need Zidane, not Wuk Lamat.
Yggdrasil Tree from Tales of Symphonia remind me of Iifa tree.
10 seems to have alot of similarities with the MSQ of DT. Many people likely yourself made the same connection.
Zidane's race are gnome as Genomes
I love your lore videos! Thank you for maling this, I might try out FF9 because of this!
I wanted to mention Otis Jenkins could be a reference to Adelbert Steiner from Final Fantasy IX. A Royal Knight who has an unyielding loyalty to his Queen/Princess
Both characters having over the top dramatizations and swordsmanship that is unrivaled.
You are right Nova, most of us instantly made that comparison as you did.
It was part of my original script until I refocused the video to be FFXIV friendly since many have not played FF9.
But in my book, Otis is Steiner incarnate, and next time I play FF9 thats the voice I will hear in my mind!
so Otis Jenkins is the epic fusion of the 2 dumbos most dumbos ever, Leeroy Jenkins and Adelbert Steiner!!!
Would it not make more sense that Sphene is supposed to represent Garnet and Zidane's daughter, instead of Garnet?
After finishing Dawntrail, I was actually surprised that everyone was saying that Sphene is representing Garnet.
It's even mentioned that Sphene is the daughter of the King and Queen of Alexandria, and that they were both beloved rulers of the kingdom. Queen Brahne was ruling without a King, and was not really beloved by her ppl.
This also fits in with Otis (Steiner) timeline. As he was more a guardian of the queen than the princess. And it would make sense that Garnet and Zidane put him in charge of the princesses' protection. Since, at that point, he would be the most trustworthy and capable of that assignment. 🤔
I could be mistaken but, are the first few notes of Solution 9s theme a part of melodies of life?
It kinda does now that you mention it, just gave it a listen.
I need to relistening to Melodies of Life again.
Wait a min you just gave me an idea we might be going to terra in cosmic exploration
Now that would be a nice surprise. I would love some more Terra references!
I'm sure Kuja and/or Necron will appear before DT is over.
Many drew similarities between Sphenes final form and Necron. It honestly never crossed my mind but I can see it.
But id like a full on Necron!
@@WyrmLimion Hopefully someday she comes back in an Ultimate and gains an additional Golden-Sphene final form lol.
I hope so. Necron most likely gonna be locked behind savage tho. I can see grand cross as some difficult mechanic. Hope to hear his boss theme too
Minor one I'm sure everyone has gotten, but Sphene's name is similar to Garnet's in that they are both types of precious stones. Though Sphene is now more commonly known as Titanite...
A few people made the same connection you did, and its a really nice catch!
TBH with you I didn't like the DLC until we hit Living Memory, Maybe I felt that FF9 love, but I've never played another FF game besides XIV, This makes me feel a all new appreciation for the story, and actually makes me enjoy it a lot more (besides the Wuk parts...) Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the video.
You should try some of the series games if you ever find time, they still hold up :)
🎶 If I should leave this lonely world behind
🎶 Your voice will still remember our melody
🎶 Now I know we'll carry on
🎶 Melodies of life
🎶 Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts
🎶 As long as we remember 💔
Also, Wuk Lamat was Zidane in this story.
The song is as effective now as it was then
@@WyrmLimion It is. The song basically started playing in my head after the final Dawntrail boss battle.
both Otis and Steiner are also Captain of the knights.
Otis's pose (after his life expired) also similar with Steiner's victory pose. Otis raised a shield on his hand while Steiner's his sword.
One hint that we had before dawntrail came out was that one of the preorder bonuses for dawntrail is a zidane minion. Seeing all the stuff in game just made that more clear that it was a hint
Thinking back, did the previous minions foreshadow elements of a series game being in an expansion?
I know we got alot of series minions over the years.
Zoraal ja was like Kuja combined with Queen Brahne too with how he treated his son , while Sareel Ja played the Kuja & Garland part in term of brainwashing & enabling Zoraal ja's behavior.
I’m not hugely familiar with ff9 outside of some basic stuff so I appreciate this look. It’s also worth noting both sphene and garnet are named after precious gems. But garnet is red and sphene is yellow.
Indeed, many have come to the same conclusion as you did.
I wanna point out a comparison:
Kuja and Sphene share a goal that’s ultimately stopped at the end of the game, while Garland and Zarool Ja manipulated that goal for their own ends but were thwarted first when both sides begin to betray them. While their personalities could in fact mirror a twisted version of Zidaine and Garnet who went down wrong paths, I feel it’s important to see that we also get this parallel with them too.
Another fun part was that the first time you meet Otis, Royal Captain of the Kingdom of Alexandria, is when is he is introduced as a knight in ‘rusty’ armor. This of course being a clear reference to Steiner. From being the captain of the Knights of Pluto, to being constantly called “Rusty” by Zidane. Even some citizens of Lindblum comment on how rusty his armor is looking.
How did I miss that! I loved when Zidane used to call him that.
"Zidane: Damn it Rusty why don't you just shut up!"
Correction for @5:03 The Mist engines and Steam engines are not the same, as they are two completely different sources. The Mist was a residual element from souls not returning to the planet and caused monsters to spawn. Lindblum did harness this, but Cid also wanted to move away from relying on the mist for travel as it was so dangerous. They discovered Steam power as a safer alternative and started the first prototypes to transition to it.
I loved the reference the tournament that used to be held in the streets of Lindbulm. Where champions would hunt beasts released into the streets, like Zidane faced in FFIX. Hell even the Viper class switching between twin blades and a double bladed sword is a reference to Zidane and the style of weapons he could get in FFIX.
Festival of the Hunt. Good times
I can't wait to see how the patches expand and conclude this story cause there's so much room for potential directions it could go with Everkeep/Alexandria
Also I just love the era of 7/8/9's music and how they feel I can never get enough listening to them
I agree, adding more series music is a big plus for me.
I get the feeling we will be exploring more of Everkeep, as it seems it was built around Castle Alexandria, so many the old castle is still there.
It’s like what they did with the void being connected to ff4 and zero being the new character. In a way it’s a continuation of ff4 in a sense so that’s just awesome. I do like how we can explore more. We can’t keep exploring the void anymore since it’s healed sorta but I believe it’s coming.
With three reflections (ff4 - the void ) and (ff9 - unlost world / living memory) and (ff8 - the first) we have have other worlds we can explore if they ever open it up, since the first was reintroducing new life into the empty, doubtful we will get much new content from their for a while. The void being sorta healed has high potential, and the unlost world was struck with a calamity so that’s doubtful too. But who knows where the story will go from here I’m just happy to be able to experience this type of game having grown up with ff games. ❤
Reflection exploration seems to be the main theme upcoming, not to mention the main places on Etheirys we have yet to see, main one being Meracydia.
And Endwalker opened up the universe to us, lots of Aliens and UFO's.
Gonna be some good times :)
Im surprised you did not mention the 4 elemental themed place in living memory have a correlation with the 4 element guardian that guard the path to terra.
......
Ill do better, and great catch, I totally missed that! :)
@@WyrmLimion yeah the position of Daguereo on the south western part of the map also caught me off guard that i didn't realize that.
if you stroll around Living memory like the Gondola that you put in the video (Alexandria water transport), the public airship in lindblum are also there !
Have yet to play FF9 but absolutely loved this video. Can't wait to play it now!
You will not regret it, that game helped shape my teenage years!
Glad you enjoyed the video!
FF13 onwards are the only final fantasy games I played lol, the others are too old. I finally understand FF7 now because of the remake.
Most references go completely over me. I appreciate videos like these explaining references to ppl who haven't played. I would love it if both games were actually connected!
Happy to help!
I hope this is a trend that will continue.
Given this technological leap, it opens the door for other worlds as well, such as 13.
I don't think this crossover was bigger than the one we allready had in Shadowbringers with FFI. The entire map of Novrand reassambles the world of FFIs map if you engulf 90% of it in light.
Just to clarify at 8:35ish where you say it's likely set after FF9 and the adoption of Electrope. FF9 isn't directly tied to FF14 story wise, nor are the other titles but are instead just FFXIV specific adaptions and is more of a thematic and nostalgic call back - so like other references we've had to previous games think of it more like a unique independent reimagining for the FF14 story opposed to Alexandria or FF9 actually being in the past of the 12th Shard (the one alexandria and living memory resided in).
Whilst it's quite similar, it is its own independent iteration of Alexandria and other references from Gaia, but within the FF14 world.
Except for 12, which literally lifts the entire plot and world and puts it into XIV.
Something that was "missed" here was the clear reference of Odis being Steiner.
It was part of my original script, which was over twice as long lol
I decided to refocus the video to be more FFXIV friendly since many didnt play FF9.
But I agree fully, Otis is Steiner incarnate, and the next time I play FF9, thats the voice I will hear :)
Now that I think about it, both Wuk Lamat and Zidane have a tail and were also adopted (Gulool Ja Ja, Baku). Wuk Lamat's hair and fur are also similar shade of color with Zidane's hair, although idk if that is intentional or not.
Made a slight edit to the thumbnail, still the same video.
Keep the comments coming, been having a great time talking with you about this subject!