Firstly, let's consider what we actually see in the game itself upon exiting the Crystarium aetheryte plaza. You get a view like this.
Because we all saw the trailer before playing the game, though, we forget that the view in the trailer looked... slightly different.
Or like this.
Or even still like this.
And let's not forget this.
Ultimately leading to this bird's-eye view that allows us to compare to the in-game Exedra (as the courtyard is named).
These scenes are notable for a few reasons:
This all leads me to believe that, if nothing else, a path for travel is going to be established between the Source and the First. Trade will be established next, and the far-too-empty Exedra is going to be later filled with travelers and traders from the Source, and this will in turn allow the people of the First to likewise visit the Source.
And while we're bound to figure out a way to restore the Scions to their souls, which would send them back to the Source, this would indicate that we'll be able to send people bodily as well, which means Ryne will be able to come to the Source to help fight for it, and will be able to stick with adoptive gundad Thancred and the rest of the Scions.
It also means the Exarch and Crystarium will be able to join in an even-broader Alliance against the powers trying to rejoin the worlds—every Calamity on the Source means the destruction of a Reflection, after all, so the fate of the Source is tied to every Reflection, and the state of every Reflection affects the Source. It's a mutually-beneficial arrangement if the other worlds can join the Source in fighting against the Ascian agenda, and Zodiark Himself.
submitted by /u/TheBlackWindHowls
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Continue reading...
Because we all saw the trailer before playing the game, though, we forget that the view in the trailer looked... slightly different.
Or like this.
Or even still like this.
And let's not forget this.
Ultimately leading to this bird's-eye view that allows us to compare to the in-game Exedra (as the courtyard is named).
These scenes are notable for a few reasons:
- Lyna in full dancer attire, rather than her usual captain-of-the-guard outfit. Maybe Lyna was designed after the trailer was created, but given the amount of animation and voicework that had to be provided for her, seems unlikely that the trailer's viera was designed before Lyna herself was. If this is indeed Lyna, then it implies it's a time later than the Shadowbringers MSQ, when there's less of a "Light's gonna eat the world" threat and more time to relax and show off in public displays of dancing prowess.
- There are Crystarium guards, but also a load of unaffiliated armored individuals that do not appear to be part of the Crystarium guard. Throughout the Crystarium in-game, there are not a lot of armored individuals outside of the few story-important Sin-hunters, and even they don't wear this kind of armor.
- There are chocobos. This seems big, considering that chocobos are mentioned off-hand in Shadowbringers, but you barely see them throughout the Shadowbringers MSQ. And as far as I've found in the Crystarium itself, there's only two chocobos stabled alongside seven amaro. Hell, the chickens (four of them) outnumber the chocobos. And yet they're given a prominent appearance here, in greater numbers.
- It appears to be an impromptu bazaar, full of canopied stalls and tents, people doing trade and hawking wares. There are people wearing heavy packs, as if from a long trek or distant places, who do not look like they're from Eulmore, which is only recently established as a trade partner with the Crystarium through the MSQ.
- There are Limsan cannons, pointed at each other, in the middle of all this. The Crystarium doesn't have cannons like these—it has giant Allagan-tech artillery which you can see near the Exedra. Why would there be Limsan-style cannons in the middle of the Exedra except for trade to other parts of the First, like the smaller towns, airships, or seabound vessels? [I've hunted all around Eulmore and can't find any examples of Eulmore-style cannons, if they have any, but it's probably safe to assume they'd be a lot more gilt than the rustic designs you see in the trailer.]
- Most importantly of all, the Exedra is actually packed to the gills with people and stalls and trees that we simply do not see in-game. It could be cinematic fluff, but if they wanted to show activity, there are already bustling areas in the rest of the Crystarium, which has clearly been modeled in the trailer as we can see the familiar rooftops of areas further out. They could've shown the Musica Universalis markets, for instance, or the Crystalline Mean. But instead, they filled specifically the Exedra with this bazaar full of armored adventurer-looking characters, pack-wearing traders/travelers, chocobos, and anachronistic sights compared to what we've seen in-game.
This all leads me to believe that, if nothing else, a path for travel is going to be established between the Source and the First. Trade will be established next, and the far-too-empty Exedra is going to be later filled with travelers and traders from the Source, and this will in turn allow the people of the First to likewise visit the Source.
And while we're bound to figure out a way to restore the Scions to their souls, which would send them back to the Source, this would indicate that we'll be able to send people bodily as well, which means Ryne will be able to come to the Source to help fight for it, and will be able to stick with adoptive gundad Thancred and the rest of the Scions.
It also means the Exarch and Crystarium will be able to join in an even-broader Alliance against the powers trying to rejoin the worlds—every Calamity on the Source means the destruction of a Reflection, after all, so the fate of the Source is tied to every Reflection, and the state of every Reflection affects the Source. It's a mutually-beneficial arrangement if the other worlds can join the Source in fighting against the Ascian agenda, and Zodiark Himself.
submitted by /u/TheBlackWindHowls
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...