Spoiler warning for Final Fantasy 16
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy 16 doesn’t hate women, but after finishing the game I’ve struggled to work out whether it respects them. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Square Enix’s latest RPG blockbuster has only a few female characters in the main cast, and many of them are either killed off in the early hours in service of a male companion’s revenge, or seen aℱs a dangling carrot of romance ready to part with their souls if it means saving the world. They are always framed as weaker and less capable than the men surrounding them, which hinders an otherwise progressive and bold new beginning for a series that prides itself on its strong women.
Benedikta Harman is the first major casualty, and one that fans who played the demo will already be aware of. As the Dominant of Garuda working on behalf of the Dhalmekian Republ꧑ic, she is a sexy, stern, and ruthless woman who is fully aware of the power she wields. A large part of Final Fantasy 16’s opening act follows Clive and Cid as they infiltrate a castle under siege by the cigarette wielding mistress, and after a handful of boss battles she perishes, never t🌜o return. Her death feels like a waste when we barely know a thing about her character, only that she was in love with Hugo Kupka and seemed determined to prove she could embody an Eikon as powerful as Garuda. She wasn’t, I guess, given we bested her with little trouble.
I’ll delve deeper into her character arc in a separate piece, but the long and short of it is that Benedikta was once a Bearer on the verge of death who was taken off the streets and cared for by Cidolfus Telamon during his time as Commanding Officer of the Dhalmekian army. He saw she was in need of help and wanted t🔜o do anything in his power to protect her. The two fell in love, but the promising power of a Dominant and the allure of prestige held by using her natural abilities proved too great, and thus Benedikta was corrupted beyond repair.
The tension expressed between the two is palpable, although it’s discouraging to hear that Final Fantasy 16 believes the only way to show a powerful woman’s redemption is to have her killed with almost no additional development. Better yet, her fate becomes a tool of revenge meant to drive Hugo Kupka to madness. Benedikta has more screen time while dead than alive, so often a nude, speechless form guiding strong men from shadows with her seductive form. I would have loved to see her achieve redemption while still breathing, or at least delve deeper into her past with Cid and the troubling dynamic she shares with Hugo Kupka. Otherwise, it feels wasted, and borderline misogynistic in how her gende♐red role is seen as less valuable.
Jill Warrick is yet another excellent character, although much of her worth is drawn from an inevitably romantic relationship with Clive Rosfield. Her motivation derives from seeing him succeed and eventually falling in love with him. Originally serving as Princess in the Northern territories, Jill was rﷺaised alongside Clive and Joshua in Rosaria until tragedy unfolds at Phoenix Gate. Years later, she is taken hostage by the Iron Kingdom and forced into the role of Defender as the Dominant of Shiva. She is made to kill millions or the lives of those too weak to fight back will be taken in her stead, a bitter punishment that is enforced until Clive saves her on the battlefield and takes her back to the Hidea🍌way.
Later moments across the narrative have her take revenge on former captors, and this is the only piece of her character that doesn’t revolve around a thirst for her childhood friend. The rest of the time, Jill is either sat waiting for Clive to return, or wishing for his safety, often asked to stay behind in fear she’ll get hurt, or is better served as a docile protector instead oﷺf taking control of her own destiny.
One later scene takes the cake. Clive and Jill sit naked on a beach after an encouꦇnter with Barnabas Tharmr leaves them injured and vulnerable. They light a fire and seek shelter in one another’s arms as an entire game’s worth of romantic tension washes over them. As a hopeless romantic who wants to see them smooch and fall in love I was delighted, but as an empowered woman I was disgusted.
Clive is capable of absorbing the powers of Dominants to make them his own,🌳 something that thus far has been taken from his sworn enemies. Jill is an ally though, and much more than that after this cut♍scene unfolds. With her consent, he places a hand on Jill’s chest and literally sucks the power out of her being. It’s an intimate, beautiful moment, but also represents a woman giving up all her power to a man because she isn’t capable of protecting herself, so would rather give up everything she has to his benefit.
Jill is suddenly without power and can now on🤪ly spend the rest of the game on the sidelines as her male companions save the world. Her agency is ripped away in service of a maಌn, and, aside from a handful of side quests, there is never an opportunity to earn it back.
Square Enix takes ample inspiration from Game of Thrones with Final Fantasy 16, but it seemingly fails to acknowledge🦂 that women in this universe are far more capable, and we see characters such as Jill and Benedikta fall victim to tropes they would be far better without. The game is eager to depict a medieval society where women are known to serve their hu♊sbands and communities over the battlefield, which is fine, but such a presence should be questioned through world building instead of being reinforced by romantic clichés again and again.
But with every shortcoming across its female cast there’s an equal amount of bright sparks. Charon is an elderly merchant with a chequered history of making morally dubious deals in the midst of war, while Dorys is a powerful Cursebreaker living withꦓ the burden of ensuring the soldiers under her command don’t succumb to the world’s ills.
Jote is Joshua’s charge during his journey across Valisthea in search of Ultima’s true origins, and could have been so much more if her entire existence wasn’t once again chained to a man’s every whim. It comes with narrative justification, but who's to say that can’t be subverted or explored in a new way. As it stands, it falls short far more than it breaks new ground.
Final Fantasy 16 has a number of excellent female cha🐽racters, it’s just a shame most revolve around the wishes and whims of men who hold power over them. Ch💦oices both political and emotional are made by characters like Jill and Benedikta depending on how they will affect the men in their lives instead of striving to make empowered and logical decisions for themselves. Square Enix has moved the series forward in so many ways with this entry, so it’s unfortunate its attitudes towards women remain firmly stuck in the past.