THE ENDGAME: Final Dungeons of the Final Fantasy Series Part V

Final Fantasy V: The Interdimensional Rift

Welcome to the planar existence that presumably connects all the Final Fantasy worlds (and perhaps others), the Rift. This is FFV’s rug under which the people swept any problem the couldn’t figure out how to solve. That gives an unfair impression of it, admittedly, but that essentially what it is. It is where Enuo and his powers of the Void were sealed 1000 years ago and where Exdeath was banished to 30 years ago by the Warriors of Dawn. And now its up to the last group of Warriors of Light to take him out again.

With that in mind, going there also has a pretty cool air about it. It’s not quite like Hell in II where we already have ideas about it, but it gets pretty built up over the course of FFV and you also see numerous locales sucked into it, giving it a definite sense of foreboding to follow them.

Speaking of foreboding, that’s exactly what the music is here. I said before that I prefer my final dungeon music to be rousing, but this does fit the Rift very well, for reasons I’ll get to in a second. The final area has different music, which is more triumphant, but its a bit sad too, which fits a certain event that happens there to a favorite character of mine.

The amalgamation of environments and areas that make up your approach to Exdeath has a really cool effect. The next final dungeon in the series has a similar approach but it doesn’t seem to resonate quite like this one. You’re moving through new areas as well as areas you have seen devoured by the void during the game. The ambiguous passage of time in the rift makes you wonder how long these places have been here. (In fact, if you leave right before fighting Exdeath, the towns that were banished are actually back, implying that time had traveled backwards since you entered.) Neat little effects such as entering the library from a door in the ruins to find only books and exit to a completely different area really add to the sense of disjointedness. I remember wondering while I played how the characters had any idea they were going the right direction.

Revisting the Phantom Village was also really spooky and cool. When it emerged when Exdeath merged the worlds, the inhabitants were unaware that any time had passed, and now you can see why. The entire town is frozen as you maneuver around the frozen townspeople, thankful that you are, for some reason, not frozen with them.

Krile: “If you want me to take your pants off, don’t say anything.”

The dungeon is not as difficult as IV’s, but its another long one with a wide variety of enemies. Many of them are mysteriously susceptible to instant-death. (What happens to you when you die in the Rift, anyway? – Apparently go to the only place worse to exist: Final Fantasy VIII) There also two pretty brutal optional bosses, Omega, and Shinryu. Both are a bit unique for optional bosses in that they actually exist as part of the Rift as real creatures, rather than just “the superboss” that sits somewhere waiting for adventurers to eat. You also have your boss gauntlet. These consist of the creatures of the Rift that Exdeath has persuaded to join him with promises of a new world for them. Many have innocuous appearances and trick the characters, which is a fun little twist on this now-tradition (the final one involving the aforementioned memorable scene). Speaking of developing traditions, what do you suppose the final area is?

Why crystalline of course! Take it in though, this is actually the last crystalline final dungeon we’ll see for a little while.

Which is, honestly, a bit disappointing. After how mind bending the rest of the trip was, you kind of expect a bizarre mishmash of dimensional worlds, and instead its just another place made out of crystal. But damn do the enemies dish out AP in this last area. Any jobs you wanna master before taking on Exdeath, here’s where you want to do it. Thanks almost entirely to the atmosphere, and helped by the game’s excellent system, this is definitely high on my list of favorite final dungeons. Not to mention it is my favorite location in Dissidia. So go on and prepare to never look at trees the same way again.

KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

Next up, that crazy clown’s high-rise.