What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[CrownySuccubus]

Another friend and I were just discussing this yesterday, but she brought up what I thought was a really insightful point: the writers' perspective probably identified, correctly, that there would be a disconnect between the players and their worldview, and the Ancients' worldview. However, the assumption would be that the players' instinct would be to defend their world in the face of this gap and this discomfort, rather than confront the discomfort, consider it, and come to the conclusion: hey, you know what? The Ancients make sense. Their way is better. I'd rather live in this world than my own. So basically, we were, uh, less xenophobic than they anticipated?

This is actually a pretty interesting take. But, unfortunately, it seems that the writers were mostly correct.

"Okay sure, our history may have done those X people dirty, but doing justice for them would hurt us, soooo....sucks to be them but I got mine." is definitely the default audience reaction. Far more people are praising Endwalker's story and accepting its morality at face value, even if they loved and felt bad for the Ancients, than those with incendiary hot takes like those in this thread.

The "we went wrong" decision for me wasn't refusing to make the Ancients Very Very Bad, but refusing to adjust their conception of Hydaelyn As Good as would fit the story in a more organic way as it played out.

Again, I am so sick to death of that cliche that I'm admittedly biased enough to be glad they didn't use it. I mean, yeah, Hydaelyn is still pretty heinous when you analyze the story, but I'm ironically glad that wasn't the theme.

EDITING for below:

Was it meant to be a Chrono series reference, though? Dare I hope we may take on Lavos and/or Schala after all.

Please don't give me false hope like that.

I'm a Chrono Trigger fan that has been waiting 27 years for a proper sequel. (No, not that one. I said a proper sequel.)

[Brinne]

This is actually a pretty interesting take. But, unfortunately, it seems that the writers were mostly correct.

"Okay sure, our history may have done those X people dirty, but doing justice for them would hurt us, soooo....sucks to be them but I got mine." is definitely the default audience reaction. Far more people are praising Endwalker's story and accepting its morality at face value, even if they loved and felt bad for the Ancients, than those with incendiary hot takes like those in this thread.

I think people can simultaneously be vulnerable to (speaking of SCORCHING HOT TAKES) emotion-fueled apologism propaganda, the basic desire to want to enjoy the story and just enjoy the ride, alongside an instinctual "hey, these Ancients seem like good people and their society is neat." Most people were happily accepting of Venat and EW's take on her, yes, but most people also liked the Ancients and thought they were "good people," as Yoshida acknowledged himself. I think for a lot of people, it either doesn't occur to them, or they flat out don't think it's worth the trouble, to cross those streams in their minds.

EDIT WARS:

Again, I am so sick to death of that cliche that I'm admittedly biased enough to be glad they didn't use it. I mean, yeah, Hydaelyn is still pretty heinous when you analyze the story, but I'm ironically glad that wasn't the theme.

I get that, but personally, I was way too psyched about the way Shadowbringers seemed to reject an equally tired cliche (oh no, the advanced Ancient society was doomed and fell to their own hubris and brought on their own destruction!) in favor of humanization that I would take that one, over destroying Shadowbringers, in a heartbeat. In my ideal world, Hydaelyn at least wouldn't be mustache-twirling evil, just a deeply ruthless figure approximately equal to Emet-Selch - if we can't directly oppose her, I think there are artistic ways to handle a "lack of catharsis" in that regard, if it's at least acknowledged and explored.

I'm a Chrono Trigger fan that has been waiting 27 years for a proper sequel. (No, not that one. I said a proper sequel.)

Oh, god, I feel your pain, hard. I think "that one" had some interesting and even promising concepts behind its premise, but in execution, I... oh boy. Well. Maybe a talk for another topic, someday!

[Lauront]

I'm a Chrono Trigger fan that has been waiting 27 years for a proper sequel. (No, not that one. I said a proper sequel.)

I almost played Chrono Cross but my PS3 decided it didn't like the disc for some reason, so I had to just give up early on. With that said, I also read up on CT's story (spoilered myself intentionally, but I still intend to play the Steam version), and it did get me pretty pumped to see something based off Lavos at the root of the Final Days.