So FFXI is a lot like Eureka and Bozja but with much more depth? I kind of regret not getting into it back in the day though my backlog of games is already immense.

As for story related gripes...I can only feel indifference towards Dawntrail. If I do end up buying and playing it, I'll likely just become a cutscene skipper. I don't care about the Scions and there isn't even an attempt to throw a meaningful bone to anyone who didn't want the Ancients/Ascians, Garleans and the Void to all be pushed into a state of irrelevance.

I'd point to the Fall Guys crossover as an excellent representation of the game's current state - it legitimately felt like playing through a fever dream. I guess if nothing else it shows how important it is to not only maintain consistency when building a world in terms of its story but in regards to tone and aesthetics.

To counter the 'u just h8 fun m8' rhetoric, I'd point out that my second favourite game in the franchise is FFIX. That game had a pretty cutesy art style and plenty of comic relief but it knew when to play it straight and when to have the 'moments of levity' that FFXIV increasingly insists on pushing with greater frequency.