In the first episode of my massive Let’s Play Gameplay Playthrough of Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers, it’s time to begin my favorite expansion (so far), and one of the best Final Fantasy stories to date!
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TITLE: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
DEVELOPER: Square Enix
PLATFORM: PC (Steam)
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is the third expansion pack to Final Fantasy XIV, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and PlayStation 4. It was released on July 2, 2019, two years after Stormblood, the previous expansion. Like its predecessors, Naoki Yoshida served as director and producer and Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack. The expansion pack was released as a standalone product for current players; for new players, the “Complete Edition” that originally launched with Heavensward was updated to include all expansions including Shadowbringers.
Shadowbringers takes place on the First, a parallel dimension that has succumbed to apocalyptic collapse. Players are transported to this world and embark on a quest to restore vitality to the ruined land. They are joined by old comrades who have been trapped on the First, as well as Emet-Selch, an immortal villain who aims to harness the First’s desolation to trigger a mirrored calamity on the player’s home world. Emet-Selch accompanies the player, confident in the success of his plan regardless of the player’s meddling. In addition to adding new areas, the expansion pack increases the level cap, debuts two character classes and two playable races, and introduces the ability to explore dungeons with non-playable “Trust” companions.
Shadowbringers was well received upon release and earned nominations for “Expansion of the Year”. Critics praised the story as well as the game’s accessibility to new players, both of which were focuses during development. In December 2019, Square Enix announced that the title had reached a cumulative total of 18 million player accounts. As with its predecessors, major content patches were scheduled for every three months. These updates expanded the main story, added new features, and premiered secondary storylines including a crossover written by Yoko Taro that features characters and elements from Nier: Automata and the Restoration of Ishgard, a long term campaign to rebuild the embattled nation in the aftermath of the Dragonsong War. The third major content patch had its release delayed by two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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We're finally here!
Bonus! Here's the official lyrics to the main theme:
For whom weeps the storm,
Her tears on our skin
The days of our years gone,
Our souls soaked in sin
These memories ache with the weight of tomorrow
Who fights?
Who flies?
Who falls?
One brings shadow, one brings light
Two-toned echoes tumbling through time
Threescore wasted, ten cast aside
Four-fold knowing, no end in sight
One brings shadow, one brings light
One dark future no one survives
On their shadows, away we fly
The road that we walk
Is lost in the flood
Here proud angels bathe in
Their wages of blood
At this, the world's end, do we cast off tomorrow
One brings shadow, one brings light
To this riddle all souls are tied
Brief our moments, brazen and bright
Forged in fury, tempered in ice
Hindmost devils, early to rise
Sing come twilight, sleep when they die
Heaven's banquet leavened with lies
Sating honor, envy, and pride
One brings shadow, one brings light
Run from the light
Authors of our fates
Orchestrate our fall from grace
Poorest players on the stage
Our defiance drives us straight to the edge
A reflection in the glass
Recollections of our past
Swift as darkness, cold as ash
Far beyond this dream of paradise lost
Home
Riding home
Dying hope
Hold onto hope… Ohhh…
Home
Riding home
Home, riding home
Hope, finding hope… Ohhh…
One brings shadow, one brings light
One more chapter we've yet to write
Want for nothing, nothing denied
Wand'ring ended, futures aligned
One brings shadow, one brings light
One brings shadow, one brings light
You are the light
We fall
We fall
We fall
We fall unto the end
One world's end
Our world's end
Our end
We won't end
I am shadow, I am the light
Well this is already getting me hyped for the story. That Title screen and cinematic opening were enough, but by all means keep building the hype. The new song is already my new favourite of the openings, thanks for the lyrics by the way. My theory as to what “The First” was referring to in Stormblood was spot on it would seem. No wonder we couldn’t find the Scions souls, they were dragged literally across dimensions. And where they’ve ended up….is half way been beautiful and nightmarish not going to lie. It appears based on the ending of Stormblood and what I’ve seen here that the aspect of Light will take on a surprisingly negative connotation, which is definitely a new one for me. New and old characters abound and……one whom I could have sworn we’ve met before. I’ve got my eye on you Mr Crystal Exarch, you haven’t convinced me yet. Finally, seems the WOL is being haunted, so I guess Ardbert is our cynical spectral companion while we tour his home. Or what left of it. Seriously, I’d thought the calamities on the source were bad but with the 1st it’s practically all gone. Does make one wonder, who’s going to be our overarching Antagonist? With Heavenward and Stormblood, the villains were fairly clearly defined. Here it’s more like the World itself is the enemy. Nevertheless, i can’t wait to see what’s to come.
Missed you. So hyped for this 🥰
I love this series of yours 🙂 Keep it up. I hope you'll be doing these vids of Endwalker as well. <3
Oh. HELL. YES.
I am so so hyped to see this run-through. I ended up losing track of your videos somewhere around the start of Stormblood. Thanks, YouTube algorithm.
Agreed that this OP cinematic is just amazing, even after years. I love the EW one, but ShB just hits different.
the viera have Icelandic accents. <3