Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood
Stormblood is the latest expansion released for the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, and it’s an absolute blast. The Warriors of Light finally take the fight eastward, where they seek to free the lands of Ala Mhigo and Doma.
The picturesque beauty of Kugane and the eastern aesthetics of Stormblood aside, the story being told here is seriously gripping stuff. Things are not as simple as just going to a new land, rallying civilians to stand behind you, and then storming the fortresses of the Garlean Empire. Stormblood tells a tale of a war-torn country, filled with citizens and ex-soldiers who have been beaten over and over again, to the point where they no longer possess a will to fight. Trying to oppose the Empire as the Warrior of Light is one thing, but actually getting the Empire’s enemies to support you is whole other matter altogether.
The stories in this expansion get pretty dark, even by Final Fantasy standards, and it’s arguably the best story arc we’ve seen in FFXIV yet.
