Yoshi-P Talks Representing Central and South America in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail

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Yoshi-P Talks Representing Central and South America in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail

As a seasoned gamer with a penchant for exploring virtual worlds that mirror our own, I can’t help but express my delight at the latest addition to the gaming landscape – Final Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail expansion. Hailing from South America myself, it’s heartening to see my continent finally getting the recognition it deserves in the gaming world.

Many games are set within South America, yet its stunning scenery and rich history spanning centuries have not been fully represented in video games. One notable exception to this is the latest expansion of Final Fantasy 14 titled Dawntrail, which brings to life environments and cultures inspired by South America.

In a recent conversation, we at Game Rant had the opportunity to chat with Naoki Yoshida, popularly known as Yoshi-P, the producer of Final Fantasy 14. We delved into the rationale behind seeking South America for Dawntrail and how the game aims to encapsulate a continent rich in history and culture.

The Road to Tuliyollal

The concept for the post-“Endwalker” expansion wasn’t sparked by “Dawntrail”, the 2000 film “Road to El Dorado”, or the 2009 anime “El Cazador de la Bruja”. Rather, these were not the starting point nor the final destination of the idea, as stated by Yoshi-P. Instead, the players themselves were the catalyst for setting the expansion in Tural, a South American equivalent created by Etheirys, which served as the inspiration.

In the global gaming community, Final Fantasy 14 boasts a significant player base. Among its various settings within the game, you might recognize cities like the three states of Eorzea – such as Ul’dah, Gridania, and Limsa Lominsa – which draw inspiration from real-world locations. Due to popular demand, we wanted to pay tribute to Central and South America in our game design, considering the many players eagerly anticipating this kind of homage.

There were a lot of options for where to go, from unexplored areas of the world like Meracydia to other reflections–parallel versions of Etheirys created by a great Sundering in ancient times. Tural, however, had already been portrayed as “the New World,” and through some in-game items and the Blue Mage questline, had clear indigenous American influences. There was a place already prepared to meet the desire of fans looking for a Central and South America feeling. It made sense, then, to go for that.

Additionally, the team catered to a frequent fan demand by embarking on a trip to Tural’s primary country, Tuliyollal. The players were craving tacos.

Additionally, we took into account various suggestions made by our community, and surprisingly, many players have been requesting tacos! Could we possibly incorporate tacos into the game soon? Given this demand, we decided it would be a great idea to address these requests simultaneously. So, let’s bring both changes together!

Considering all factors, there was no room for debate about the aesthetic for the new Final Fantasy 14 locale. The challenge then became figuring out the right approach to design it with dignity and reverence.

Condensing Thousand of Years into One Expansion

Of course, crafting a Latin American-inspired world for Final Fantasy 14 wasn’t a simple task. It wouldn’t be fair or realistic to just transplant an entire Earth continent. The team faced the challenge of trying to capture the essence of an entire continent in a single expansion. Aware of the hurdles they had set themselves, as stated by Yoshi-P.

Approaching Latin America as if it’s a unified whole is an oversimplification. Its history stretches back thousands of years, and its culture is richly complex. Recognizing this complexity was a challenge for us, but the positive feedback we received from players in Central and South America suggested that our efforts were well-received. I believe, given this understanding, our endeavors ultimately proved successful.

The team’s approach in creating Tuliyollal was heavily influenced by extensive research on Latin America. This included visits to museums, delving into literature about Central and South American history, and studying the ancient cultures of the region. They then endeavored to incorporate all this knowledge into the game Final Fantasy 14.

In the world of Final Fantasy 14, no culture is an exact duplicate of its real-world counterpart. For instance, Limsa Lomisna, which draws inspiration from pirate cultures like Libertalia, carries elements of colonialism reminiscent of Great Britain. Similarly, the nation of Garlemald, with its Roman-like structure, exhibits Russian influences, particularly in Endwalker. The game frequently blends cultures in this manner to keep in-game societies distinct and unfamiliar, a common practice in the Final Fantasy franchise. This distinction often arises due to the significantly different histories of Eorzea (the world in Final Fantasy 14) and Earth.

In Tural’s artwork, the impact of diverse South American regions and cultures can be clearly seen, yet expressed uniquely. To blend aspects from both pre-colonial and post-colonial Latin America without European influence calls for an alternative history, leading to distinct cultural developments. This is evident in the initial segments of Dawntrail’s main narrative, as the tale of Tuliyollal’s establishment unfolds. Tuliyollal emerged as a civilization resembling a melting pot, adopting pieces from the various autonomous cultures that merged to create it and put an end to centuries of conflict across the continent.

Primarily, this endeavor aims to fashion something distinctively Latin American yet undeniably unique to Final Fantasy 14. The narrative explores the concept that each unique culture within Tuliyollal – although not directly mirroring real-world cultures, acting as their equivalents in Etheirys – must be valued individually to foster a cohesive nation. This theme is emphasized prominently, with the expansion’s main character Wuk Lamat and her father, Gulool Ja Ja, who established Tuliyollal, serving as its emblematic figures.

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2024-08-29 23:03