During last night’s Retro-spective stream, my cohosts Dorrinal and Catholic Lancer mentioned how much of a storytelling triumph Final Fantasy IV is.
It’s said of many classic works in counterculture circles, but FFIV is the kind of game you couldn’t get made today. The plot features multiple redemption arcs, public prayer, and–most anathema of all to younger audiences–mysteries with answers.
People like to complain about JJ Abrams style mystery box plots. For those not in the know, that’s the type of dodge favored by unscrupulous writers who present a mystery and promise a solution to said mystery, only to welsh in the end.
Abrams and his imitators have lucrative careers, so there must be an audience for mystery box plays. That audience largely consists of Millennials who don’t want the author to show them what’s in the box any more than they want aspirational characters whose virtues they might fall short of. The contemporary narcissistic dopamine addict wants to open the box and find himself inside. Generation “We are who we’ve been waiting for!” insists that all plots revolve around a jack-in-the-box with his face plastered on its bobbing head.
If you haven’t caught our Final Fantasy IV let’s play series yet, be sure to give it a watch.
Tonight’s episode goes live at 10 PM Central, 11 PM Eastern, 8 PM Pacific. Come for the game. Stay for the sparkling conversation.
