World Analysis-Final Fantasy 8

On my last post, I looked at the world of Final Fantasy 7- a nightmare of unchecked, unstoppable capitalism. But today, I'd like to take a look at a world that is somewhat similar, and at the same time, entirely different. Today I look at the world of Final Fantasy 8.

The world of Final Fantasy 8 is never named, so I shall refer to it as 'the world'. The world is technologically advanced, slightly ahead of our own. Television is high definition, computers are flat screen and use touch pads for keyboards. The nation of Galbadia possesses long range, intercontinental missile technology, jet packs, and militarized robotics. In Trabia, the Shumi race has managed to construct an entire village underground. And that's not even getting into the nation of Esthar, which is pretty much like something out of Star Trek or Star Ocean.

And yet, technology is slightly schizophrenic. Automobiles utilize gasoline, which makes them unreliable compared to electric transportation. And the best way to traverse between continents and nations is not by way of airships, but by train. (Though the trains are fast, to the world's credit.)

The world's trade currency is called the gil. Like every previous Final Fantasy, it is global, and can be used in every nation, even among the Shumi. This can be forgiven as a gameplay thing, but I think that this is something that requires at least a little questioning. Let's get back to that in a while, shall we?

Unlike the Planet of Final Fantasy 7, the world is divided into several nations. First off, there's Balamb, an island nation situated between the East and West continents. 

In the West Continent, there are three nations. The first is the Dukedom of Dollet, a city state that possesses the world's last fully functioning satellite. Dollet is a seaside city, possessing a marina. The city itself is full of cobbled, narrow streets. All buildings are made of stone, possessing neon lights. A ways north west of Dollet is Galbadia, the most powerful nation in the Western continent, and one of the world's strongest military powers. As I mentioned, Galbadia possesses long range missiles, but it also possesses a prison system that can dig itself into the desert sands, a missile base that can self destruct, and the world's finest public transportation system. (Those buses are free, punctual and reliable!) South of Galbadia is Timber, currently under Galbadian occupation. Timber is a nation in a crossroads, a central hub of not just the printed and broadcast media, but also the Central Station for the Western Continent's trains. Every train that passes through the Western Continent comes out of Timber, which may explain Galbadia's interest in occupying this nation.

Running between both continents is a railroad. Yes, a rail system that travels the ocean. Imagine that. Anyway, in the middle of this rail system lays the independent, and artificial, nation of Fisherman's Horizon. This entire nation, which is actually just one big city, is built in the middle of the ocean, atop many platforms and iron towers. There are very few plants, but there is a giant field of solar panels that provide the town with free, clean energy. The town is made of the descendants of several engineers that deserted the nation of Esthar when it was under the rule of the sorceress. Fisherman's Horizon's culture is based on pacifism, engineering, and fishing.

The Eastern Continent possesses two nations: Esthar and Trabia. Trabia is a small, barely populated nation comprised mostly of the Shumi and the occupants of the Trabia Garden. More on the Garden later. Esthar...

Wait, when did I start playing Star Ocean?

West of this place, the best piece of technology is flat screen computers, highly accurate long range missiles, robot spiders with machine guns, and a satellite dish. Here, people have developed force fields, space travel, hovercrafts, cryogenic freezing, etc.

No more needs to be said about Esthar. There is, however, one last location in need of discussion: the southern continent of Centra. There is no one living there. No one. No villages, no towns, no nations. Nothing. Why? Because of a natural disaster that occured fifty years prior to the game: the Lunar Cry.

Every hundred years, monsters from the Moon fall down to the world, causing untold amounts of death and destruction. These monsters fall into one spot on the world, seldom the same place. The nation of Centra, once a technological superpower, was completely destroyed by the Lunar Cry.

The world is one where magic is scarce, but present. Special beings, known as Guardian Forces, possess extraordinary abilities far beyond human capability. When paired up with a human, via the process of junction, they allow the human a limited use of magic. However, there is one human, always female, that possesses unlimited magic: the sorceress. This person possesses unequaled magic, and can transfer her power to another person upon dying. A future blog entry will delve more into this.

The world is highly divided, with every nation possessing a unique look, feel, and tone. An observant gamer may be able to observe hints of each nation's culture. For example, people from Dollet have an appreciation for arts, while citizens of Galbadia have more appreciation for consumer culture. The capital of Galbadia, Deling City, is sleek, modern, with several modern amenities like a shopping arcade located within walking distance of a giant architectural wonder: an arch like the Arc de Triumphe. Timber is very centered on every day life technology, while at the same time maintaining a sort of reverence to the woodlands that surround the city.

Alright, let's ask the burning question. If the world is so divided, if every nation is so different, and if there's a severe tension between Galbadia and everyone else, then WHY DOES THE ENTIRE WORLD USE THE SAME CURRENCY? Why is gil used and accepted pretty much everywhere? What is this, the European Union? Esthar itself is pretty much disconnected from the rest of the world, yet it uses gil? Fisherman's Horizon is located in the middle of the ocean, with the only way of reaching it is via either a boat or by walking on the railroad track, yet they use gil? What? You can make the argument that this is just a video game thing, that it requires suspension of disbelief. No. It works for Final Fantasy 7, because there are no nations and the Planet is under the direct control of a single company anyway. It works for Final Fantasy 10 because the world does not have any nations either and everyone is pretty much united under the church of Yu Yevon anyway, except the Al Bhed. But in 8? It makes no sense! You can make the argument that gil is a special currency that's accepted everywhere because it's special money that is rewarded to the main characters, but that doesn't make a lick of sense! And you can just as easily claim that gil is a special international bond that can be used as a substitute for real money, but that raises more questions than it answers! What organization makes gil? Which organization decides how much it exchanges for? Why does everything cost the same everywhere? It makes NO SENSE! But, as many of you may be telling me: it's a video game mechanic, and I should get over it.

The world of Final Fantasy 8 is a fantasy based on reality. And yes, I am aware that such a thing is currently, as of this writing's, the caption for Final Fantasy 15. Yet we need to remember that Final Fantasy 8 did it first, and did it during a time when the technology did not allow for little more than polygons on pre rendered graphics. It is a world that blends our reality with fantasy, in more ways than one. Of all the Final Fantasies, this one, to me at least, feels both the most real and the most fantastical. A future blog will be dedicated to analyzing the way Final Fantasy 8 blends reality and fantasy to create an experience like no other, and why it deserves a remake. But for now, I will end this entry here.

On the fall of the Scarlet Moon Empire- A tale of the death of a nation.

Suikoden 1, one of the greatest Role Playing Games ever, is more than the story of a ragtag bunch of misfits overthrowing a corrupt empire. It's a fable, a warning to all nations, to all heads of states and to all citizens. Here's why.

Suikoden 1 takes place in the Scarlet Moon Empire, a country located in the nameless world of the Suikoden series. It completely surrounds a lake called Toran, a lake so large it is almost an inland sea. The empire is located south of the City-States of Jowston, which is officially an enemy nation; east of an as yet unnamed country, and north of what was once known as Kooluk, a nation which was also hostile towards Scarlet Moon due to border disputes.

Map of the Scarlet Moon Empire, not to scale. 

The Scarlet Moon Empire was founded well over two hundred years before Suikoden 1 takes place, in the year 230 of the in game calendar. Founded by Kranach Rugner, nicknamed the Knight of the Scarlet Moon, this region used to be a part of a much larger nation known as Harmonia, a nation that still exists during the time of Suikoden 1. Seventy years after its founding, the new empire began to have several border disputes with its southern neighbor, the Kooluk Empire. During the time where Scarlet Moon gained the upper hand, many of its nobles would ride unto the villages south of the Scarlet Moon-Kooluk border, where they would engage in what would cruelly be called "Human hunts", a fancy name for pillaging, murdering and probably raping the defenseless Kooluk citizens. These "human hunts", through a turn of events far too extensive to discuss at this moment, eventually led to the dissolution of Kooluk. With Kooluk destroyed, Scarlet Moon found itself facing a new enemy: their northern neighbor, the newly founded City-States of Jowston. To counter the threat, the Empire built a new prison, named Soniere, and a slew of new castles, including Scarleticia and Moravia. With its borders protected, it appeared that no outside force could ever defeat the Empire.

And it was true, no outside threat could topple such a well defended empire. But inner threats can topple any nation, no matter how powerful.

In the year 446, a mere forty years after the completion of Moravia Castle, Scarlet Moon entered a civil war. The emperor, Michelan Rugner, had passed away, and it seemed his son, Barbarossa Rugner, would inherit the throne. However, there was a problem, for Michelan's elder brother, Geil Rugner, wanted the throne for himself after his birthright as the first born was denied by his father. Having convinced, and blackmailed, the nobles of Scarlet Moon, Barbarossa's right to the throne was denied, and Geil himself was crowned. However, Barbarossa knew that it was he, and not his uncle, who was the rightful heir to the throne, and thus he amassed his own forces to reclaim what was rightfully his.

Barbarossa Rugner, last emperor of Scarlet Moon, armed with his trusted sword, Prakk

After many months of fighting, Geil's forces were defeated, and the pretender to the throne was thus executed by the rightful Emperor. But the war was not without sacrifice. Aside from the deaths of soldiers and citizens, the Empress Consort, Claudia, was assassinated by Geil's forces. It was a loss from which Barbarossa would never recover.

Emperor Barbarossa was a kind man, warm and wise, he was nicknamed the Golden Emperor. Under such a man, any kingdom or empire should flourish. But, Barbarossa was a person, first and foremost. And if there is one thing that's certain about people, is that we are flawed, and make mistakes.

A mere months after the civil war ended, the forces of Jowston invaded Scarlet Moon. The people of the empire, tired of war, were not happy that so many resources were being spent on the war effort. Barbarossa asked his supervisors for a way to rid Scarlet Moon of Jowston's armies. The chief strategist, Leon Silverberg, came up with a simple, yet horrifying idea: take the occupied town of Kalekka, drive off the occupying force, massacre the citizens leaving behind no witnesses or survivors, and blame the whole thing on Jowston. It worked, a pro war, anti Jowston sentiment arose across the empire. But, at a price: a great many soldiers, generals, and government officials that had known the truth of the incident defected from the Empire. With such a loss of talent, the Empire began to fill these roles with people that were far from deserving, such as the monstrous and corrupt Kraze Miles, who was made Captain of the Imperial Guard.

Pictured: Kraze Miles. Not Pictured: a decent human being.

Anti Imperial sentiment spread across the Empire like a flame in the night. Perhaps one of the most famous dissidents was a woman named Odessa Silverberg, niece to Leon Silverberg, and leader, as well as possible founder, of the Liberation Army, an armed force dedicated to toppling Imperial rule.

Pictured: Odessa Silverberg, one of the most awesome female characters in video games. Anita Sarkeesian has probably never heard of her.

Unfortunately, Odessa loses her life, sacrificing herself to save the life of a child. (On my next entry, I will discuss why Odessa is one of the best female characters in gaming, even after death.) She passes on leadership of the Liberation Army to Tir McDohl, son of the undefeated Imperial General Teo McDohl, and the main hero of Suikoden 1. Under Tir's leadership, the Liberation Army overthrows Scarlet Moon, to be replaced by a new, more representative government, the Toran Republic.

Tax theft, corruption, brutality, starvation, piracy. These are all problems that had plagued the Scarlet Moon during its waning years. And where was the Emperor during all this? Why didn't he do anything?

Emperor Barbarossa lost all motivation upon the loss of his wife, Claudia. During his ten year reign, he went from being a beloved ruler of the people, to a despot that did nothing as his empire crumbled. His Court Magician, Windy, used her strong semblance to Claudia, and the emperor's love for her, to fulfill her own dark ambitions. The emperor allowed his emotions to cloud him, disconnect him from the empire he had fought so hard for. His hands stained by the blood of innocents, it was the Golden Emperor, a man so loved by the people at first, a man who, when you remove the crown from his head proved time and again to be a good person, who brought down the end of the empire. Barbarossa's rule could have been the start of a Golden Age for Scarlet Moon, but was instead its downfall. But why? Why did it happen?

Because, at the end of the day, Barbarossa was a man. He had his strengths, and he had his weaknesses. But Barbarossa was not given the position of just any man, he was Emperor. He was a ruler, a leader. And when you're a leader, there is no room for flaws, no room for weaknesses. Barbarossa's weakness was that he never got past the death of his wife, Claudia. And therein lays an interesting question. What of the people who died for him? Did he mourn them as he did his wife? Did the people that died for Geil deserved to be mourned as well? Did Geil deserve someone to mourn him as Claudia did? If you will mourn someone who died in war, why not mourn everyone that has died? How many names of the people that died for him did Barbarossa memorize? And what would they say if they found out what they died for? Barbarossa didn't just destroy his empire, he sullied the sacrifices that were made in HIS name. In the end, power was placed in the hands of a weak man, a man who, when it came down to it, had no business being an emperor. The system that placed him in power had fallen into decay, allowing the cruel, the brutal, and the corrupt to assume positions of undue power. And when a system like this fails the people, it is the people themselves who rise up and destroy the system, replacing it with a new, better one.

And this happens in real life. When corruption is law, the lawless become heroes. When rulers show themselves to be inept, the followers look elsewhere for a leader. The governments that try to rule by fear, end up facing a population that is unafraid. Such is the spirit of revolution.

A warning to all governments, to all heads of state: You exist because of the will of the people. When you attempt to bamboozle your citizens, they will rise up and overthrow you. And if you need to use deadly force to quell dissent, then you have already lost. For power comes not from the threat of force, but from the consent of the governed.