Revolutions Hype Thread

[TinyRedLeaf]

First things first: I loved the song!

A quick glance at the reddit thread, however, confirmed what I expected to see: a number of people commenting that Revolutions didn't grab them the way Answers and Dragonsong did.

There's no accounting for taste, and I readily concede that whether or not one likes or dislikes a song is always a matter of subjective opinion not worth arguing about.

So, I'll just explain why this is easily my favourite of the three main themes we've had for the game so far: The lyrics to Revolutions have a certain poignancy that makes the song that much more grounded and personal.

Don't get me wrong; Answers and Dragonsong are amazing themes. Both songs evoked high drama with sweeping scores and operatic delivery and, as such, delivered an instant impact that few can ignore. Revolution, on the other hand, is quietly deliberate, and gives a listener the time and space to better absorb its message.

On one hand, it's a call to war. On the other, it's a heartfelt warning to 'ware the wages of war. It's the latter that stops the tune from developing into a full-blown march, and that is indeed the intent. It echoes the mood at the end of Patch 3.56, especially that of Yugiri; an awareness of a bloody battle on the horizon that has been long in coming, but dreaded in equal measure all the same.

No one should ever celebrate war. Not even if it's in the name of justice and liberty.

That's the message of Revolutions, which I hope to see play out in Stormblood.

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It's worth remembering that for the conquered peoples of Othard and Ilsabard, their defining moment in recent history has not been the Calamity, but rather the arrival of Empire.

We're not just travelling to new lands, but also lands that are not as touched by aether as Eorzea; lands where the suffering of Eorzeans in the past five years (*yes, yes, I know, but I'm keeping with the canonical time bubble) pale in comparison to the social upheaval experienced by entire nations over the past 50 or so years.

Hence the timely warning: Rally the troops; believe in the cause, for it is just; but never be so self-righteous as to think that everyone would see us as saviours, for justice is a sword that cuts both ways.

In this sense, it builds on the most important lesson we learnt from Heavensward/Dragonsong: It's easy to preach balance, but quite another to put it to practice.

One kingdom's fall is another kingdom's freedom

One sovereign's war is another sovereign's peace

One mother's pride is another mother's sorrow

Their tears both soak the land that they love