Would you call X a "dystopian" world? (Spoilers)
- Thread starter texico11
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I've never heard of a 'stylistic dystopia' but I think on paper FFX's world is the darkest of any FF. It's like starting the game in the World of Ruin. As you said, civilization remains crippled by the continued threat of Sin. Cities are decimated on a semi-regular basis. The only government in place is made up of the shambling undead. The world is in the hot grip of a religion based on lies and oppressive customs. Your loved ones will probably turn into monsters after they die. And the only sport that exists is Blitzball. I can't imagine a more horrifying vision of the future.
However (and this is one of my problems with FFX) nobody acts like they live in the world I just described. Because the game has themes of enduring hope and sacrifice, everybody is peachy keen. Realistically, yeah, if you were born into it, you would deal. Life goes on. But the cheeriness of the game -- the bright colours, the peppy music, everything about it, doesn't make me think that these people are having a hard time at all. The concept is divorced from the execution.
So I don't know what to say. Stylistically? It's one of the brightest settings in the series. Conceptually? One of the darkest. Some would say that the contrast is what makes FFX brilliant. I just found that the setting cancelled itself out, and left two impressions on me that equated to nothing at all.
tl;dr - I dunno.
However (and this is one of my problems with FFX) nobody acts like they live in the world I just described. Because the game has themes of enduring hope and sacrifice, everybody is peachy keen. Realistically, yeah, if you were born into it, you would deal. Life goes on. But the cheeriness of the game -- the bright colours, the peppy music, everything about it, doesn't make me think that these people are having a hard time at all. The concept is divorced from the execution.
So I don't know what to say. Stylistically? It's one of the brightest settings in the series. Conceptually? One of the darkest. Some would say that the contrast is what makes FFX brilliant. I just found that the setting cancelled itself out, and left two impressions on me that equated to nothing at all.
tl;dr - I dunno.
Maybe that's part of the art. You see everything so beautiful and bright but there's this dark despair looming over everyone and everything.
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- Tim, Ryu
It's a "Happy Cheerful World!" Dystopia, yes.
Remember, If it seems like a Utopia and is ruled by fanatical asshats, it's still a dystopia.
Remember, If it seems like a Utopia and is ruled by fanatical asshats, it's still a dystopia.
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- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
I'm sure by the time X-2 rolls in, it's no longer one. But Spira during X is indeed a dystopian world ruled by an evil ass religion and a big whale that nobody can kill apparently. sigh... should've called Ahab.
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- The Man, V
I think FFX could be considered a pretty good example of a (warning, TV Tropes link) Crapsaccharine World.
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- Jesse McCree. I feel like a New Man
Well deployed, Steve. It's both happy world, mixed with a very nice ambience and added with a dark and terrible secret.
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The approach to FFX was very very different to that of FF7 as we all know, so going by that basis, you have to think that in X, these people have learned to COPE with Sin, they have no choice,they must live their rotten lives as they wish, but Sin will always be looming over them. Some may decide to be scared, but most in FFX chose to live their lives like normal cos..hell, they can't do a dam thing about it.
And also to keep things short, I found when playing the game, all the spirits and shit,they were pretty sad tbh, so many dead.
And also to keep things short, I found when playing the game, all the spirits and shit,they were pretty sad tbh, so many dead.
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- The Man, V
Brave New World seems cheerful and happy at the surface too. Doesn't make it any less sinister when you look underneath.
And it's not just that the religion is oppressive, it's that the entire religion is built on a gigantic lie. Performing the Final Summoning to destroy Sin doesn't get rid of the threat and never will, because the Final Aeon, after destroying the previous incarnation of Sin, inevitably creates a new one. It requires the sacrifice of a summoner and a person he or she cares deeply about and simply results in the cycle of destruction starting anew. This is a pretty strong case of what TVTropes might term Fridge Horror, since Yu Yevon and Yunalesca themselves are the ones that started it. The religion itself is directly responsible for the horrors being visited on Spira.
Furthermore, ever notice how none of the towns are particularly large? There's a reason for that, namely that Sin invariably attacks where too many humans are gathered.
So yeah, it's a more subtle dystopia than some of the others, but it's still a dystopia.
And it's not just that the religion is oppressive, it's that the entire religion is built on a gigantic lie. Performing the Final Summoning to destroy Sin doesn't get rid of the threat and never will, because the Final Aeon, after destroying the previous incarnation of Sin, inevitably creates a new one. It requires the sacrifice of a summoner and a person he or she cares deeply about and simply results in the cycle of destruction starting anew. This is a pretty strong case of what TVTropes might term Fridge Horror, since Yu Yevon and Yunalesca themselves are the ones that started it. The religion itself is directly responsible for the horrors being visited on Spira.
Furthermore, ever notice how none of the towns are particularly large? There's a reason for that, namely that Sin invariably attacks where too many humans are gathered.
So yeah, it's a more subtle dystopia than some of the others, but it's still a dystopia.
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Splintered
unsavory tart
I never got the dystopian feeling from X. I mean, it was ruled by an evil empire, but so was a lot of games. Although VI/IV/VIII the misery was apparent, and VII- I dunno, the oppressiveness and misery along with the naive better standard of living was pretty much living side by side.
I always felt that Yevon wasn't in power in the daily lives of people (until you get into the bigger cities) so much as it was the fear of Sin. Then again, they did control all information, culture, ecetera, and perpetuated a death cycle. I could go either way on the dystopian thing.
Unpopular opinion, but I felt if anything, XIII fit the bill better, though I would question that as well because that "added layer of misery" wasn't created until they found Pulse straggling in its waters. But one doesn't necessarily exclude the other, they could both be dystopian governments if you really sit down and break it apart to look at it.
I always felt that Yevon wasn't in power in the daily lives of people (until you get into the bigger cities) so much as it was the fear of Sin. Then again, they did control all information, culture, ecetera, and perpetuated a death cycle. I could go either way on the dystopian thing.
Unpopular opinion, but I felt if anything, XIII fit the bill better, though I would question that as well because that "added layer of misery" wasn't created until they found Pulse straggling in its waters. But one doesn't necessarily exclude the other, they could both be dystopian governments if you really sit down and break it apart to look at it.
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- The Man, V
I've added a spoiler warning to the title of this thrad because it's pretty inevitable that explaining why FFX is a dystopia is going to involve spoilers. And indeed, it already has, several of which weren't marked, including some of my own. I didn't even think to check whether this thread had a spoiler warning until after my post.
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- The Man, V
Dacon made a good point on MSN the other day: realistically, it's pretty much inevitable that a world overrun with nature would be full of bright colours. Nature is usually full of bright colours, especially in the tropical settings that dominate so much of Spira. So really, the type of dystopia in FFX actually pretty much mandates that it be coloured brightly, at least, if it's anything approaching realistic. As stated before, people can't build anything much larger than a village, and really, even if they did, the religion dominating most of the world prohibits the use of machinery (although the people who run it don't obey their own rules). So it's pretty much inevitable that FFX would end up looking the way it does.
Yes it is. There is a gigantic monster that is invulnerable to modern artillery and blows up every city that grows too big. Also terrorises smaller cities randomly. Everything that isn't destroyed by Sin is ruled by an evil pseudo-religious group much similar to catholic church from Dark Ages.
I can see FFIX being even more dystopian to be honest though.
I can see FFIX being even more dystopian to be honest though.
