The Azim Steppe is a beloved location for many reasons, for one it stands out as one of the few Stormblood zones that actually have a bit of color in them. A wide open sky, us meeting Hien, getting to know the people of the Steppe in ways more meaningful than helping them sell fish, all good stuff. There was very little in the way of preaching about morals or ethics there that I can remember, aside from Gosetsu having an outburst about not believing in reincarnation but overall there was not much of what made Gyr Abania so insufferable.

Garlemald has value to high fantasy lovers as well as steampunk/futuristic lovers because for one you have people that remember the iconic vista of FFVI's Vector or FFXV's Insomnia, and the general appeal of a region whose culture draws upon the more militaristic era of Eastern Europe as well as Rome. Though by the time we arrive there is no visible imperial palace to visit, we got to ascend the Tower of Babil which was an ominous and impressive landmark in its own right. It is a shame we only got one Garlean zone as opposed to a Garlemald expansion, which could have easily drawn from various aspects of FFVI and mixed steampunk and high fantasy together in a way that is palatable to the Final Fantasy audience.

Apart from drawing from European countries, the next up on the list that has a wide enough appeal are countries from Asia like China and Japan. Naturally, Japan has a more dominant presence in this game but it is unlikely we will return to the far east for more adventures until we are an expansion or two deep into Season 2. It is safe to say that an expansion set solely in Hingashi would appeal to most FF players, given the real world cultural relevance and influence of Japan.