Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, netflix, Square Enix

A Gamer's Review Of 'Final Fantasy XIV: Dad Of Light'

As someone who has played Final Fanatasy XIV for fun for years now (I occasionally look up my logged play hours when I need to remind myself that I'm a giant nerd) I cannot recommend this show enough for a number of reasons. But most of them have little to do with the sort of things you only pick up if you've played a ton of FFXIV.

I was surprised to find the show to be easily approachable for a show about a video game. Because at the heart of Dad of Light is a touching tale of a son trying to get in touch with his father. And it was approached with a very subtle hand, which is a credit to both the creative team and the real-life story the show was based on.

Because it is based off a true story, the premise – which is a little ridiculous – seems even more so. But because of the show's heart, you can mostly forget just how absurd the circumstances are. Because in context, they aren't actually that absurd. Japanese culture is often a strange thing to witness for Westerners, because it doesn't conform to our very narrow definitions of "normal" or even "reasonable." However, it very much is normal and reasonable in Japan. Which is what matters.

So despite the occasional hiccup, the show does incredibly well for a series intended for a Japanese audience.

Sure, there are some bits in that took even me a minute to suspend sidbelief about, but that happens with any work when translated to a completely different culture. I mean, my knee-jerk reaction to Akio's plan to befriend his father in-game as a mysteriously helpful female miqo'te player character was to expect some sitcom-worthy shenanigans. But instead, the awkward accidental incest plot never appears. Dad of Light certainly has some sitcom worthy beats, but instead the plot is simply… earnest. Much like Akio himself.

Of course, there are countless moments in every episode where references are made to Final Fantasy XIV through use of the game score, in-enginr footage of actual in-game battles and emotes, and the plot of A Realm Reborn. By far, my favorite tiny detail of well-crafted storytelling was the final scene of the last episode. The way we move from a loving soliloquy about how Akio views his father as the real Warrior of Light, the show cuts to Akio playing FFXIV. Specifically, with his character flying on the Twintania mount. Which indicated the passing of time (flying was only introduced with the release of the Heavensward expansion in 2015) and referenced Akio achieving his ultimate goal: reconnecting with his father. Twintania was the most difficult boss encounter of A Realm Reborn – and defeating her was Akio's in-game goal for his father. But the Twintania mount is actually obtained by having a friend join FFXIV and then continue playing for a pretty substantial chunk of time.

So while my own obsession with FFXIV facilitated a deeper understanding of all the little in-moments in the show, they didn't make Dad of Light an enjoyable experience. No, that was all down to just how sweet the story was, and how well the cast managed to carry that throughout each episode.

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