The Definitive Dawntrail Review (Heavy Spoilers) & Main Scenario Retrospective

[MarotSatil]

- Wuk Lamat's voice actor, likely hired through nepotism by a lady with neon-coloured hair and a history of pushing for DEI related garbage

I actually left this out of the OP intentionally.

While the observation that the English Localization Lead Kathryn/Kate Cwynar's personal beliefs, ideological slant, and politically charged lambasts on Twitter/X absolutely do line up with those of consulting firms like Sweet Baby Inc., I've not seen any concrete evidence concluding beyond a reasonable doubt that things happened exactly as you have suggested.

This is not to say your suggestion couldn't have happened, and I find the possibility very likely myself, but I'm not a fan of witch hunts or harassment. Doubly so when it's potentially undue.

I'm more or less in agreement with you on the rest, though.

I think you forgot the part where you speak with Wuk Lamat.

Good catch! I'll do better in my future review of Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail patch 7.1: Voice of Lamat when it rolls around.

Spot on except I still haven't heard anyone give a good explanation as to why the jazz fits for Tuliyollal. Nothing about this primitive South America inspired city implies jazz, absolutely nothing at all.

I can sort've rationalize it if I speculate hard enough. The supposed inspiration for this expansion and for Tural at large is that of South, Central, and to the least extent North America.

Big band/jazz orchestra music is generally accepted to have its origins in the United States circa the early 20th century, typically in locales like New Orleans.

In less words, that is to say it's plenty possible with Tuliyollal's status as the capitol and cultural hub for all of Tural, that the music is a popular import from somewhere on Xak Tural. But until we see it explained as such I think there's reason to question it.

In that same vein is the concern of where all the ceruleum being dredged up in Shaaloani is going (outside of fuel for a handful of trains) given the nation's extremely shallow costal waters which would impede mass-export.

Or for that matter why (we of course know the reason as far as game-mechanics go) travel to or from Xak Tural seems to require a permit from the head of state even after the new Dawnservants were appointed.

[Zaniel]

I am still struggling to decide which of these was the dumbest parts of the MSQ:
- Plot twist: local Xbr'aal man knowingly and intentionally withholds information which could have resolved the Hanu's starvation issue. The deaths of at least one but probably many Hanu lies on his entire existence as a plot-device to move Wuk Lamat's journey along.
- Dead baby storage™ is actually the location of The Golden City.
- Until there's a Black Gospel and High School Musical crossover music jumpscare completely ruining the mood of the scene???

Honorable mention to the 30 year time dilation (literally x10,000 differential) being mentioned once then ignored for the rest of the plot.

Actually, who am I kidding, there's a least two dozen plot items as dumb as these ...

[MarianneviBrittania]

Can a review truly be called 'Definitive' when made by a singular player on a forum board? Surely there's like.... credentials or something involved, I dunno.

[MarotSatil]

Honorable mention to the 30 year time dilation (literally x10,000 differential) being mentioned once then ignored for the rest of the plot.

I thought the time dialation itself was handled relatively fine given the involvement of another reflection. Time dialation is already well-established relative to the other reflections.

The real trouble is the rapid integration of the Turali peoples; 30 years is still a relatively short period of time for them to nearly completely abandon their own cultural identities and beliefs (outside of traditional farming, the only notable example we're shown) while not having even their own resistance group(s) of sorts.

Obviously it was established that some joined up with Oblivion, but Oblivion itself is a decidedly Alexandrian faction rather than a Turali one. This isn't really normal behavior relative to the game's previous writing or the behavior of people in the real-world, even when factoring in first/second generation Turali descendants raised in Alexandria.

Can a review truly be called 'Definitive' when made by a singular player on a forum board? Surely there's like.... credentials or something involved, I dunno.

You must pick one, but are permitted to pick as many additional answers as you see fit:

• There are other reviews that look like this.
• Game journalists and reviewers get paid something like $2.50 per commissioned article. This arrangement does not lend itself to their personal integrity or professionalism, and therefore certainly not their credentials. There is more to this subject than just that, but I'd rather not derail the thread too far.
• If you like my review, it will contribute to improving the writing quality of Final Fantasy XIV in the same way that shouting into a great chasm with nobody around to hear would.
• It is a long-standing in-game tradition to politely ignore the opinions of Brynhildr players, and I think we could start doing it out-of-game as well.
• I'm the best.
• Having come to know the forum culture here over these last few days, I am obliged to accuse your mother of having been a hamster and your father smelling of elderberries, which makes your opinion(s) irrelevant.

[ROOTFayth]

to me the voice actors with south american accents made the experience worse for sure, it's not completely horrible but definitely a downgrade compared to what we had previously

story was a snooze fest, 2nd part was okay-ish but still not particularly good

I just finished MSQ and instantly unsubbed

I really hope they won't bring back wuk lamat, shelf the character like they did with Lyse hopefully

disappointment of the year so far from me video games wise, last year was Diablo 4

[TheMightyMollusk]

On one hand, people keep bringing up not meeting Galool Ja's mother as if not meeting the parent who isn't relevant to the story is anything new (even in Dawntrail, we don't see Wuk Lamat's mother, Zoraal Ja's mother, Erenville's father, etc., although at least the last one is justified by Viera culture). On the other hand, to my memory, we don't see a single other Mamool Ja besides the two of them at all in Heritage Found or Solution 9. So I guess it just seems more specific than necessary.

[Wolferey]

On one hand, people keep bringing up not meeting Galool Ja's mother as if not meeting the parent who isn't relevant to the story is anything new (even in Dawntrail, we don't see Wuk Lamat's mother, Zoraal Ja's mother, Erenville's father, etc., although at least the last one is justified by Viera culture). On the other hand, to my memory, we don't see a single other Mamool Ja besides the two of them at all in Heritage Found or Solution 9. So I guess it just seems more specific than necessary.

I mean, yes the fact that Zoraal Ja is the only one going into the portal to living memory begs the question how he even managed to have a kid at all in an entirely different reflection than the source that has 0 of his people, but we already know how near impossible 2-headed Mamool Ja are to birth from earlier, Zoraal Ja is a literal impossibility himself as the son of a 2-headed Mamool Ja, but that doesn't seem to have had any effect at all either? /shrug

[TheMightyMollusk]

I mean, yes the fact that Zoraal Ja is the only one going into the portal to living memory begs the question how he even managed to have a kid at all in an entirely different reflection than the source that has 0 of his people, but we already know how near impossible 2-headed Mamool Ja are to birth from earlier, Zoraal Ja is a literal impossibility himself as the son of a 2-headed Mamool Ja, but that doesn't seem to have had any effect at all either? /shrug

I mean, if other Mamool Ja had been trapped, we could've just said he found a wife while there, and she's just another parent we never see in the game. Not seeing any others at all just makes the question weirder.

We also don't know for sure if the other reflection ever had a Mamool Ja equivalent, like the alternate races on the First; but since we never see them around, either they don't exist or they didn't survive the lightning surge, like the First's version of the namazu not surviving the Flood of Light. Either way, though, none are anywhere we could see them, so the point is rather moot.

[OgruMogru]

I mean, if other Mamool Ja had been trapped, we could've just said he found a wife while there, and she's just another parent we never see in the game. Not seeing any others at all just makes the question weirder.

We also don't know for sure if the other reflection ever had a Mamool Ja equivalent, like the alternate races on the First; but since we never see them around, either they don't exist or they didn't survive the lightning surge, like the First's version of the namazu not surviving the Flood of Light. Either way, though, none are anywhere we could see them, so the point is rather moot.

Considering the writer for DT msq also worked on the Pandemonium storyline I am fully expecting a reveal at some point that this "kid" is actually all of Zoral Ja's positive traits and affection for his family extracted out into a separate entity like Lahabrea did.

[CuteBucket]

RE: OP on Xak Tural and Shaaloani

I actually liked this section alright (I also live in a similar area to the one represented here and thus have some sentimentality to the zone) but there was a part in here I'm surprised you didn't mention, as it took me straight out of the story it was so out of place. Like an almost comical record scratch/screeching tires noise played in my head at this part:

During the conclusion of the busting the corrupt cop arc to get the stolen bracelet back, our young plucky lad we've been helping gets the duel he wanted with the corrupt cop/bandit ringleader. But then someone in the crowd (might have been the sheriff?) makes sure to mention, out loud with is voice, that this duel is using rubber bullets. HUH?! I could feel the hand of some neo-lib corpo swooping in there to make sure we know that this is a safe, non-lethal duel they're having out here in Fantasy Wild West, lest any fictional characters be at risk of gunshot wounds and death from the consequences of their actions.

Never mind that this is a game where the Warrior of Light has killed countless enemy combatants and various antagonists with their own hands for over a decade of this game's history, and that we have a class called Machinist that uses magic aether guns to kill things. Or that we've seen multiple characters get run through with a sword or spear of some sort and die on screen. Never mind all this is happening in a world with healing magic that can keep wounds from getting infected in the way they would IRL so people can take a lot more of a beating and walk away and live to tell the tale. We need to make sure the Wild West gunslingers are using nonlethal rubber bullets so they'll be fine. That was such a weird, eye-roll inducing moment for me, and I don't even like guns or American gun culture. Just let the cowboys shoot each other ffs!