Final Fantasy 14: Paradox of the Balance

*This Story Map was created as a demo example for ENGL 286: Rhetoric of Video Games.   For additional information, visit the library guide for this course . *

**This may contain spoilers for the Final Fantasy 14 storyline - specifically for Shadowbringers and Endwalker. Any abbreviations that are mentioned will be defined in context and also included in the sources section at the end of the Story Map. **

Two opposing, completely opposite, forces of power with equal importance exist in a dualistic relationship. This is a reoccurring concept that presents in multiple religions and schools of philosophical thought around the world. One of the most well known examples is Taoism and the nature of yin and yang.

"The union of yin and yang illustrates an endless life circle. It shows that all is in harmony in nature, and nothing exists by itself."

In order for the relationship to be seen as dualistic, the integral element is that neither force should be stronger and cannot exist without the other. Life is typically viewed as a combination of dualistic forces that exist together, rather than good always being triumphant over evil. Two entities represent good and evil and act in balance - mostly as a unit that both work together and as opposites (Torhovets 2022). These entities can represent the struggles and experiences of daily life, aspects of of human nature, or serve as an archetype in a story.

Pompas and Luzzatto (2019) use the term chromatic archetypes to explain the literary symbolism of color and the role it plays in socio-cultural imagery. Colors can have different meanings in literature, but the way archetypes are understood and defined can vary in different cultures, religions, and philosophies. In literature, a dual meaning of colors can be used to invoke symbolism in relation to a character or particular plot point in a story. Han and Lee (2018), discuss the role of the color white in Moby Dick. White is used to represent both an absence of meaning and emptiness, while also serving as the starting point for all colors, implying that it is the starting point for all colors and represents all meaning (Han and Lee 2018).

Taoism illustrates the combination of yin and yang (dark and light) as opposites that are tied together, but create a balance for the rest of the universe (Torhovets 2022). Reoccurring themes relating to black and white can be seen across culture, religions, and philosophy:

• Black as good: Elegance, power, rebirth and wealth
• Black as evil: Gloom, death and destruction
• White as good: Creation, innocence and clarity
• White as evil: Death, funerals and the absence of meaning

Combining the concept of dualism and chromatic archetypes, we can see a representation of this in Final Fantasy with the relationship of Hydaelyn and Zodiark throughout the series. Each figure in the story represent light (Hydaelyn) and dark (Zodiark) and conflict is balance within the universe due to the existence of both forces. While they initially function in the traditional sense of good and evil, these two roles clearly work together and create conflict if the balance becomes distorted. This balance also protects the realm from greater forces beyond.

Applying the idea of dualistic chromatic archetypes - we can compare Hydaelyn and Zodiark and the role that they play in the story:

• Hydaelyn: The main deity of the protagonist in the story - she is the main driving force for the storyline of the Warrior of Light (WoL) ¹ , who is seen as her champion and the main playable character in the Final Fantasy 14 storyline. Hydaelyn offers advice and protection to the WoL and associates throughout the series. She was summoned by the Ascians as a way to balance the force of Zodiark.
• Zodiark: Worshipped by the Ascians who are seen as the main antagonists in the Final Fantasy 14 storyline. It was eventually discovered that Zodiark was summoned by the Ascians as a way to try an prevent a greater force causing cataclysm to their world. The main driving force of Zodiark is power and control.

The Primals are powerful beings in Final Fantasy 14 that are seen as deities by various cultures. These beings are typically self-serving and working towards to achieving one primary goal or role in the Final Fantasy world. It is eventually revealed that both Zodiark and Hydaelyn are both Primals - introducing the concept that Hydaelyn may be using the Warrior of Light and other characters in the series for her own purposes.

At the beginning of the Final Fantasy 14 storyline, Hydaelyn is seen as a guiding voice to the Warrior of Light (WoL) and associates - frequently speaking directly to others and protecting them in various situations. Beyond protecting and assisting the heroes of the story, Hydaelyn's motives are mostly unknown at the beginning of the story. The Ascians are introduced at the main antagonists, who worship Zodiark. Zodiark serves as the main deity that is seen as an opposing force and counterbalance to Hydaelyn. At this point, Hydaelyn is a benevolent being that protects the Warrior of Light against Zodiark and the Ascians.

Hydaelyn is able to communicate and influence the Warrior of light using a telepathic power called the Echo. The Echo allows the Warrior of Light to periodically see the memories and thoughts of others, whether this is past, present or future. Only a select few individuals have the Echo ability, and it frequently causes a heaving physical and mental burden on the user. They do not have control when the power activates.

Minfilia Warde - who also has the power of the Echo - is eventually possessed by Hydaelyn and forced to act as an intermediary. Not communicating the entirety of her motivations, Hydaelyn transports Minfilia to another realm as part of a larger foreshadowing for events in the story. While Hydaelyn continues to assist the Warrior of Light, it is incredibly limited in comparison to the beginning of the Realm Reborn storyline.

Towards the end of the Stormblood story, Arbert Hylfyst is introduced as a visitor from another realm  ²  . Aided by the Ascians, Ardbert and his followers travel from his world (referred to as the First) to The Source, which is the main realm that the Warrior of Light and companions reside ( referred to as Etheirys in Endwalker ²  ). Upon arriving in The Source, Ardbert fights the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn - but is eventually defeated and returns to his homeworld on the First. At this point in the story, Ardbert is referred to as the Warrior of Darkness.

In Shadowbringers, the representations of light and dark are flipped in meaning. As the Flood of Light has overtaken the world of the First, only a fraction of the population remains and is subjected to never-ending sunlight. This light has cause the mutation of some individuals into angel-like beings referred to as Sin Eaters - Sin Eaters attack the remaining population. There is also a type of pollution resulting from the never-ending light that causes individuals to turn into Sin Eaters.

Ardbert reappears in the story, only visible and able to communicate with the Warrior of Light. It is later revealed that Ardbert was tricked by the Ascians, triggering the Flood of Light over the First. The Flood of Light wipes out the majority of life on the First, and only stopped due to interference of Minfilia - who had been sent to the First by Hydaelyn. Stopping the Flood of Light results in the death of Minfilia, but before her death she seals Ardbert into a ghost form - causing him to wander the new landscape of the First that has been destroyed by the Flood of Light, unable to interact with anyone else. His companions are also forced to wander the planet as wraith-like beings.

At the end of the Shadowbringers, it is first introduced that Hydaelyn is a being that solely exists to maintain balance with Zodiark. This is seen by having a primary goal of battling and destroying darkness in an form, and will willing carry out this task at the cost of her own followers. This implies that while Hydaelyn is seen as benevolent at the beginning of the story, at the core she is a Primal.

In order to advert the apocalypse that was impacting their home world, the Ascians summoned Zodiark in order to combat the forces that were threatening to destroy them. However, this was not enough to stop the events that were occurring, so in order to maintain balance and stop the end times - Hyadelyn was summoned. While the balance was restored, this was not enough to save the Ascian homeworld and the planet was ripped into 13 different reincarnations (ie. planes of existence, mirror versions). While the majority of the Ascian population was lost, there was a small group that survived.

During the events of Endwalker, The Source is under threat of the same events that caused the destruction of the Ascian homeworld - referred to as the Final Days. The balance between Zodiark and Hydaelyn had weakened, and precursors to the Final Days begin to afflict The Source. A rogue Ascian summons Zodiark - but is defeated by the Warrior of Light. Because Zodiark is ultimately destroyed, this majorly disrupts the balances between the two forces causing The Source to be completely impacts by the Final Days. Calamity begins to descend on The Source and it is determined that the Warrior of Light must defeat Hydaelyn in order to be able to prevent the planet from being destroyed.

After defeating Hydaelyn and Zodiark, the forced balanced that was protecting The Source triggers the apocalyptic events of the Final Days. While the Warrior of Light and companions no longer have to battle the Ascians and Zodiark, they are forced to face greater forces head-on in order to protect the rest of the universe from destruction.

Here is a recommended workflow for recording your game clips and adding them to StoryMaps. This is only one way to do this, please use the process that works the best for you. Resources that you will need for this:

• OBS
• The game you want to record! On Windows or Mac
• Adobe Premiere - ONLY if you want to edit clips

•  Download OBS 
  • I'm going to show the process for Windows, however, this program is also available for Mac. Some resources may say that is it compatible with mobile devices, but OBS will most likely not function on a mobile device.
  • If you need access to OBS, this is available on computers in the DiSCO.
• Record your game!
  •  Record the video file to a designated folder  on your compute or in Google Drive
  • If using the DiSCO computers, do not store videos directly on the computer. Make sure to save these to your Google Drive or portable drive.
• Keep the clip as-is or edit it in Adobe Premiere!
  • Adobe Premiere is available on the Mac and Windows computers in the DiSCO. If you want to clip your videos to specific pieces, you can easily do this and export it as an MP4.
• Upload or embed the video in StoryMaps
  • StoryMaps has a limit of 10mb for files. If you are unable to upload the file due to the size, store the video file in Google Drive and embed this into StoryMaps
  • All embeds must be marked as "public" for sharing, otherwise it will show up as a broken video link
  • In the examples, I am using YouTube - you CAN use YouTube, however,  make sure to check copyright guidelines for posting gaming content . Most companies will allow this as long as the video is not spliced into individual parts, but do not post to any public streaming platform without checking guidelines first.