Jimi

It wasn’t just “pacing” that was the issue. The characterizations of the cast were thin and internally inconsistent. Wuk Lamat is a completely different character from 6.55 to 7.0–I think new players who move immediately through the story will feel that more starkly. Bakool Ja Ja’s cartoonishly evil nature being for the express purpose of creating a sympathetic villain in the FFXIV style felt like an obligation. Zoraal Ja’s motivations didn’t read well on screen. Even the Rite of Succession itself felt like a farce—it’s a monarchic power struggle reduced to a scavenger hunt. The peoples of Tural are caricatures without autonomy who rely on generational problems to be solved by Wuk Lamat in an afternoon in order to serve the story. Not to mention the vocal performances. Wuk Lamat’s performer completely failed at every level and should be recast, but the supporting cast was also difficult to listen to (with the exception of characters like Koana, Gulool Ja Ja, Otis, and Sphene, among a few others). I wish Yoshi-P would acknowledge the full extent of Dawntrail’s narrative problems.