FFXIV - Answers | Reacting To Video Game Music!
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Answers (From "Final Fantasy XIV") · Nobuo Uematsu
℗ 2015 AWR Records
![Final Fantasy XIV - Answers (Epic Metal Cover) | [feat @KristinStarkey and @Myuu ]](/img/n.gif)
>Doesn't play the game
>NAILS the interpretation
Legend.
The thing is that the song was originally composed for the initial release version of the game and we don't know what it was originally meant to be used for in the game. That version was woefully incomplete, and the song was just in the files, not present anywhere in play. Whatever the original intent for it, all we know is that it was for something very different, because rebooting the game was certainly not in that original plan.
So it's *really weird* that he nailed what it's used for without that being what it was composed for.
@@autumndidact6148 and after endwalker the song has a whole new meaning
@@autumndidact6148 More like, they nailed writing Endwalker story around Answers xD
@@Shadowzdota Both for arr and endwalker the same. Perfect in both ways.
proof of how great the song, arrangement, story and video go together
"Hopefully I saved the best for last"
Bold of you to assume the FFXIV community isn't going to want you opinion on every track in the game.
Anyways, if you want a song that came close to there being a lawsuit over, look up Fiend or "Sephirot Theme Phase 2" and try to guess what band got their spaghetti upsetti at it. You're not in for an emotional rollercoaster with it, just a boss theme.
@@EmpyreanRagnarok I didn't hear this story.
What's the context?
@@Lrbearclaw It sounds very very similar to When Worlds Collide by Powerman 5000.
Accurate. So today his reaction to Smileton showed up as recommended and I immediately went to see if he reacted to any other FFXIV tracks lol
The impact is suddenly even higher for this after Endwalker. I don't think I can hear this song without getting misty eyed anymore lol
I tho the same as Jesse all those years, Answer seem to have something to do with renewal, but now... BUT NOW it a whole new song, we can even say the music spoiled us all these years.
The best compliment I can give endwalker is that it made all previous expansions better than they already were. This song in particular has attained a new meaning. Whether or not it was planned eight years ago, it doesn't matter. The team made it work in a miraculous way. I've cried more during endwalker msq than during the decade combined and I still get emotional sometimes when I think about it.
Yeah I fricking cried
Considering I absolutely loved Answers to begin with, Endwalkers made me love the song even more, I didn't even think that was possible
This video and song hits so much harder now after Endwalker.... gives me chills and chokes me up every time...
lmao he basically said it sounded like a calamity and a realm reborn without ever playing the game
Them music people can just transfer messages through music
well he does watch a video
So the reason this song is so important to FFXIV is exactly what you interpreted from it. The original version of the game was poorly received and a failure, and that song was used for the cinematic to obliterate the game and remake it into the one that people play today. Answers itself is a legacy setting the former game's flaws ablaze and turning it into "A Realm Reborn", and all of its success and love comes from everything that happens after. A final goodbye and a new beginning, as it were.
And now here all are still enjoying what the game has to offer years later. Truly impactful.
You better remember that they once lived... the sundering must not be forgotten
The full actual meaning is finally revealed during Endwalker when you start to figure out who the voices in this song represent and why the words as they are, are being said. Its basically God telling man that a life of luxury is wrong and everyone MUST suffer for people to be truly happy with what they have.
I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Susan Calloway perform this live and I don't think I've ever seen so many grown adults openly weeping. This song is just so powerful, especially in the cutscene. The lyrics trade off between the people of the world begging Hydaelyn for the reason for their suffering (The Calamity) and Hydaelyn herself giving her own cryptic assurances that everything will be okay. When they ask why they suffer, she says to feel. But they don't understand her lessons, so they're left feeling hopeless and abandoned ("Feel what? Learn what?")
It embodies the helplessness and anger we feel towards our own gods (whatever or whoever you believe in) when tragedy strikes us. ("Tell us why, given life, we are meant to die, helpless in our cries?")
So she gives us our Answer, even if it's not the one we want.
Thy Life is a riddle, to bear rapture and sorrow
To listen, to suffer, to entrust unto tomorrow
In one fleeting moment, from the Land doth life flow
Yet in one fleeting moment, for anew it doth grow
In the same fleeting moment
Thou must live
Die
And know
Doesn't matter how many times I hear this song, it still reduces me to tears every time.
Thanks for this! Saved me the trouble of typing it (and you worded it perfectly too). I'd like to add one more note about how the chorus and the lead singer sang in unison at the end, which was a nice touch.
Every time. Indeed. Great explanation of the song, too.
Especially after Endwalker, this song is just seeped in so much meaning. Love it.
It's one of those amazing arrangements that just grips you, makes you reflect on your emotions and squeezes every bit of them to the surface. I'm tearing up every time and it's great :)
Got to see the world premiere in Chicago at Distant Worlds. It’s amazing live.
To add to what others have said, Answers is basically a prayer from people that are facing their inevitable ending asking their creator why, the female is the voice of the goddess answering and basically easing them into their fate. It's very emotional for players since it captures the main motif of the game and even more to the 1.0 players that are canonically survivors of the calamity. You pretty much nailed the emotion in it.
"something was ending and was starting over"
Totally nailed it there, Jesse!
The song was played in the cinematic to the end of original FFXIV 1.0. Right before they shut down the servers they played that..which pretty much meant the end to the original FFXIV and to mark the beginning to A Realm Reborn.
Also all these reactions are great. Keep it up my dude!
That is so eerie honestly.. but great!
Right? When Jesse said that, I was like holy crap....that is EXACTLY when this video was first shown. The end of one world, and from the ashes another world began. Great work, @Jesse's Auditorium!
@@JessesAuditorium @Tackleberry61
There's also a point in the three parts noclip documentary (great documentary by the way!) about FFXIV where Koji Fox, the main translator of the game and singer of the Primals, which performs lots of the game's songs, describes how they felt when they first saw the Visual Works sequence when Bahamut destroys the old world and the cataclysm happens and everyone gets transported to the new Realm Reborn. That's the cutscene where Answers plays:
czcams.com/video/ONT6fxiu9cw/video.html (timestamp is in the link)
@@JessesAuditorium to add to it, the vocals are supposed to be from the perspective of the goddess whose patronage the character receives at the start of the game. The world is named after her, and she resides inside of it.
Huh, I guess music is language. Who would've thought? xD
"Tell us why, given Life, we are meant to die, helpless in our cries?" THIS ALWAYS HITS ME TOO HARD!
It's also insane how relevant that line is for Endwalker
@@aiellamori it’s more relevant than to just endwalker my friend…..that is the human condition put into words …..that’s art that very much has to do with contemporary society
“Our souls have been torn, and our bodies forsaken”
"Life sucks, and you only sold two fish."
@@Puddingskin01 don't remind me of my pain
Before EW: its a song about people suffering and crying help to a helpless godness.
After EW: its a song about a godness suffering even more, yet still willing to believe, to love, and to entrust to the future. that mankinds would be strong enough to find their answers to the question of life.
My mind is blowing. the story, the song, the meaning, all so beautiful.
For real. This song hits differently after that bit in the story.
It's like a mix of regret and conviction. I hate that I had to do this but this has to be the right path
The insane part is that I don’t even think they had that in mind when they launched a realm reborn. Or maybe they did
@@flipierfatalbina4757 I can say with a 99.99% certainty that they did not. Final Fantasy is good at having a story compound upon itself to increase its realism and depth from simple roots. EW picked up what 14 left behind, found ties and weaved it into what it is, as the previous expansions did. That's what Square does EXTREMELY well.
@@flipierfatalbina4757 I think they may not have known when launching 1.0, but I think they had at least a vague idea of the Ascians and Ancients history in mind at least while writing ARR.
“No more shall men have wings to bear him to paradise, henceforth, HE shall walk!”
Just got to this part, WHEW* CHILLLSSSSS
She says as she butchers and murders all of her own people for not finding the right way to deal with the Final Days which she kept her mouth shut about and forced them all to wander blindly. Also forcing us all to suffer and die.
@@imaran1303 Because in doing that she forced her people to harden their emotions for the final battle. they were all too content on hiding behind their shield of aether
@@MrGears740 Yeah, cause someone neglected to tell them that it wasn't the weakening of aether that was causing the final days, but a entity beyond their star. No one knew of Meteion except for that one dumb broad who deigns herself superior to the people she kept in the dark and then decided to punish for her own stupid decision to keep her dumb mouth shut.
@@imaran1303 you are missing something very important...
if she started trying to claim that some other being far far away was attacking them. a being she has no proof of. A being that its creator would deny, due to his lack of memory of it. she would look INSANE and would probably be dragged away.
she goes over this in the msq.
I like how you're apologizing for not having much to say about it when in actuality your stunned silence says more about this than words ever could. This is a hugely meaningful song to FFXIV players and even without the context the game gives to it, it still elicited a powerful reaction from you for reasons that were your own. This song's ability to do that is simply wonderful.
Can't hear the final "thou must live die and know" without getting chills
Upon reading the comments, I'm absolutely floored that I somehow caught the emotion of the song when my mind was completely adrift.
Thank you for the insights, comments, subs, likes... it's all kinda overwhelming to me.
Thanks for sharing this with me
You absolutely caught the intended emotion of death and rebirth. In more ways than one that is precisely what this song is meant to convey. If you're not familiar with the real world history of Final Fantasy XIV Online, it's worth a look. To be brief, it was released with much anticipation in 2010, but it absolutely tanked. It was raked over the coals by critics and fans alike. Subscription fees were suspended and a new director was brought in. Over the course of 2 years they began fixing the game within the limits of the engine, while secretly designing a new game from scratch to replace the original 1.0 release. After 2 years, at the end of 2012, 1.0 ended with a major in-game battle in which it seemed the world was absolutely devastated. Then, the next year, in August 2013, Final Fantasy XIV 2.0: A Realm Reborn was released and it has steadily grown and gained players since then. You would be hard-pressed to find a better Phoenix metaphor in gaming as the rebirth of FFXIV.
But more than just rebuilding the game, they incorporated that destruction and revival as a part of the story. As someone who pre-ordered 1.0 and felt the immense disappointment when I first played it, there is real emotion invested in this song and it hits me every time. The fact that you could sense it, without even knowing the in-game context nor the real world context speaks volumes.
Shame that you watched the unsynched version. The quality of the song is better, it's the full song and you get the lyrics, but the visuals of the trailer are created around the structure of the song.
It's one of the best edited mix of visuals and music. It's a jaw dropping experience.
Oh and Answers was not created by Soken the current composer of Final Fantasy 14, but by Nobuo Uematsu the original FF composer. He is just as talented as Soken with a long and impressive career.
@@trifontrifonov4297 Unfortunately not being unfamiliar with FFXIV, I have to choose what I think is the best link and hope for the best to keep the reaction authentic. Thanks for the insight though.
They are emotion in this song like this is the main theme of ARR and the theme from the last fight in the raid serie. The song was building up this fight an did make it epic in my opinion and not a lot of ppl did clear the fight back then in 2.X and if you was one of them (like me) its just nice to hear it and keep remeber the emotion back there :D
@@JessesAuditorium This makes sense for a reaction, but for your own sake you deserve to look up the trailer (synched) version. Because the visuals and music perfectly fits each each other and somehow manages to make it a whole other level of epic.
Aw no worries dude, I think we were all left speechless on our first listen. If you'd like a bit of non-spoilery context, this song marked the death of the ORIGINAL FFXIV, 1.0. A new director, our beloved Yoshida-san was brought onto the project to try and fix the dying MMO and he said "Just burn it. We'll make a better one." Thus, a huge meteor (shown in the trailer) was dropped on the servers and players watched as their world collapsed, ending with the "A Realm Reborn" cutscene, featuring Answers. Many, many tears were shed that day. Glad you've enjoyed our recommendations thus far!
If I might add in. This song also got additional context in The Final Coil - Turn 4 where it was used as the boss theme for Bahamut. Listening to the lyrics, they also fit into the lore of what we learned of Bahamut and Meracydia.
Some people: "I don't feel anything when I listen to music."
Answers: "Excuse me, allow me to introduce myself."
I don't trust anyone who doesn't feel with music
@@BlazeBuds They haven't heard the right music. Guaranteed you wont feel anything listening to "My Hump" or "My milkshake".
You may not play ffxiv, but you are now one of us. You've heard, you've witnessed, you've felt what we have. We're glad you got to experience this!
This... so much this...
I want to experience the game's soooo badly after hearing this. Where to start?
@@readingchameleon FFXIV has a free trial! I'd start there, since you'll have unlimited play time and be able to try out every class on one character if you want to :) A Realm Reborn is a bit slow and clunky since it was released in 2013, but it gets better as you go through!
'Answers' is one of my favourite songs. Not just from FFXIV, or gaming, but in general. There's just so much emotion and meaning in the song, and having played through the entire MSQ, it just keeps getting better.
This song hits different after Endwalker
I know! Endwalker version wasn’t as good in my opinion
I wanted to write the same and no its not about the version its about the meaning wich was revealed to us without spoiling to much
I couldn't believe it whilst it was happening right in front of me.
No joke, after finishing Endwalker MSQ, I was emotionally destroyed for like a week.
@@Slop_Dog I finished it two months ago... It destroyed me so completely that I had to bloody replay ShB and Endwalker just to feel again.. only for it to destroy me all over again (I'm at the start of 88 quests after THAT cut scene).
I don't think I ever heard it on endwalker, although I don't think I quiet finished it tbh.
Hard to stay hooked without a good group to play with
The last three lines of this song always make me cry if I think about them too hard.
In one fleeting moment from the land doth life flow.
In the same fleeting moment for anew it doth grow.
In the same fleeting moment thou must live, die, and know.
Like, life is so very brief in the cosmic scale of things, and in that fleeting moment we experience life and death and an awareness of this infinitely huge universe that we are a part of. We love and hate and /feel/.
Wow, thanks for that
And with endwalker those line has so much more meaning.
"I close my eyes."
Jesse- I sleep
"Now open your eyes!"
Jesse- REAL SHIT
In another vein, this song is effectively the PTSD song when it plays in-game at any point
It played as a version called Hymn of Dalamud in the skies just before 1.0 (update 1.23b) went offline for good, and has since returned as Answers - Reprise as numerous huge story beats and sometimes the area music for the annual Rising event to commemorate the players sticking with the devs all these years
They actually brought back the Hymn of Dalamud version during the post-dungeon cutscene in 3.5
Every time this song plays, it is a prelude to things going downhill VERY fast. It's very chilling.
This song will now hit very differently after THAT quest in Endwalker.
I can't even imagine what it was like for the players, you know the game has problems then you log in and WHY IS THERE THAT THING IN THE SKY
I've listened to this song hundreds of times and I still get chills and choked up about it. Like a lot of others have said, they played this cinematic (up to the point where the old guy fades to white) at the moment the servers shut down for the 1.0 version of the game. Something that's really powerful about this, at least to me, is that in the leadup to the servers going down, that moon was hovering low in the sky and you could hear parts of the vocals of the song rippling throughout the landscape in-game. The planet itself was crying out as these events were happening.
The closing part of the song is the best part for me, gives me shivers every time I hear it. I used to sit in my fc house and set answers to repeat for hours while I did something else my favorite song in this game by far
And hey... FFXIV kind of teaches us... "it's okay to cry, that's what makes us human". You feel emotions and it's healthy to feel those things. Some many new players I've followed have had to just let go and live in the moment. Hear. Feel. Think. The song holds tons of emotion. Hell I've heard it thousands of times and it still makes me sniffle and few tears just... escape even though I know that it's just my mind being caught up in nostalgia and when it plays in the game.
A new teaching from endwalker, to live is to suffer, but in suffering we find purpose.
i dont remember how many times i have come back to see this guy react to this song and video, its so wholesome and inspiring
What's interesting is that like Dragonsong, these lyrics are also telling a story. One with layers and ramifications that aren't fully apparent until you get certain plot revelations in the Shadowbringers expansion. This song ended the original game and opened the Reborn game, but has significance that is still being revealed.
I don’t think you realize how right you are.
We thought this song hits hard. Little did we know it hadn't even started hitting yet.
12:35 Over the course of playing the game this song had never lost its impact and they only seen to build on it. It's really amazing.
Every time this song plays my fiancé cries. In FF you can actually have a jukebox in your house (or in room) and collect music. It is on every playlist he's ever made.
The ending to a beginning - this song played as they destroyed the old game and started a new one. They destroyed the old game and built a new one and this was the first song of it. A lot of the lyrics are tied to the songs and themes of the other expansions after it. The words the Goddess of the Land says to each hero when they begin is "Hear...Feel...Think." These words echo through every part of the game and it's a not terrible way to think about life.
This is the power of music my dude. Enjoy the ride.
Few are the houses in FFXIV that don't have Answers on their playlists...... ;-;
"Answers" is so beautiful and you picked up the themes of the song so easily. It really is a song I have to immerse myself in when I hear it and the finale brings tears to my eyes every time. I don't think any of us mind that you were letting yourself feel it through your first listen.
I'm sorry to hear you went through tough times recently. The downs of life can be really awful and I'm glad you are on an upswing. I'm definitely enjoying your reactions to the music! Best wishes to you.
Thank you, I'm doing ok now after what seemed like forever. I appreciate it!
@@JessesAuditorium I’m thankful you’re here!
Here's what's great about the message of this song. It's not about the game. You don't have to play. You don't have to experience it firsthand because, honest to God, the song is a bit fourth wall breaking in that it's speaking to you, not your character, not just within the context of the narrative. The story. The literal overarching story of the whole damn game, is, "What is companionship? What is life? Why do we exist? What is strength of will? What is truly right? How do we determine when someone is wrong? Why do we live at all, is it only to suffer? Or is it to make happiness in suffering?"
That's...not an oversell. The writers...They're asking you a question. Throughout the entire narrative...slowly at first, and then more and more as the story builds...They're asking you what gives your life purpose and meaning. And asking you to find the strength to carry on, even when all hope seems lost. This song can move you, because genuinely it's not just directed at the narrative, but the concept of what it means to live in this world. If you think that sounds too grandiose for a game, just ask my fellow players here. This game's story is so poignant at moments, that It's genuinely helped people I know process depression.
"It's like something coming to an end and starting over."
...well, I guess they absolutely nailed the message. 💯👍
I just had to add in here - you were apologizing for being speechless, for not being able to come up with something to say… THAT is a real reaction, man. Watching your face the entire time, you could tell how hard it was hitting you in feels. I think this has been my favorite reaction video, ever, from all channels, because of how speechless it made you. I mean, we ask for reaction videos because we think the songs are great and powerful, and this is the kind of reaction that is the best to see because it shows that you agree. This reaction gets 20/10.
I have come back to this reaction so many times, and I tear up EVERY. TIME. This song taps into something primal... something primordial that exists in all of us. You're reactions are so great because you truly listen and even better you *understand*
One guitar guy to another, FFXIV's The Black Wolf Stalks Again is silky smooth.
Very soon!
@@JessesAuditorium This is a great choice, because unlike a lot of these other songs, this one is played ONLY in optional content that takes a bit of investment to reach. The fact that they tailored this specific song to this encounter shows just how much music is a key part to the FF14 experience in the minds of the devs.
Black wolf stalks again or hand that gives the rose. Both are absolute bangers
This might be the most silent reaction you've done to an FFXIV OST, but the emotions that move through your face in those fleeting seconds tell us a story that you resonated with a tale not known to you. It is profound and transient, those emotions of a lifetime not lived encapsulated into time bound by a single second.
I love how he was completely speechless during the whole song. When you listen to that song, you're just...in the moment, thinking about nothing else, and it makes you teary. Very honest reaction, i can see you were properly listening to it. That's what the song does, it gives you feelings, and leaves you speechless, you need a moment to recover. Glad to see you have the exact same reaction as me when i listen to it. You really captured the essence of the song.
After EW, i feel that this needed to be said. "Answers cant keep getting away with it" *cries*
no kidding. The second during that cutscene I just said "oh that's not fair"
@@KMCA779 Basically every time Answers, Flow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow plays, "it's not fair". I'm conditioned to shed tears to themes themselves at this point.
Ending and starting over?
Exactly correct actually. This was sung by Hydealyn, the goddess of light. The will of the star incarnate.
In ages of eld, we were all one race, powerful enough to wield magics of creation. Immortal and full of wisdom. Our world new aught of sorrow and was a utopia through and through.
A calamity fell, threatening to unravel the very aether of the world, seeing to the death of all who inhabits it,. Having exhausted all other methods, mankind chose to sacrifice half the populace to summon a god: ZODIARK.
Zodiark balanced the Aether of the world and halted the end days, but this wasn't enough. A world free of sorrow now has experienced loss. Unable to cope, they sought to sacrifice more lives to bring back those who were originally sacrificed.
In disagreement with this, and in fear of the power Zodiark held, a splinter group sacrificed themselves to create Hydealyn, the Light to Zodiark's Darkness.
They fought, but Zodiark being comprised of half the population was too strong. The only recourse Hydealyn had was to sunder him. Fracturing him into 14 pieces. But in doing so also fractured the world into 14 shards, 13 reflections of the source. And sundered the souls of man, a piece of their soul existing on each shard.
The power man once wielded now gone, their soul torn, their bodies forsaken. Bearing sins of the past their future was taken. No longer does man have wings to fly to paradise, he must walk. Know pain, sorrow, suffering. Listen, Learn, Wander, Hope.
Their unsundered forefathers were unable to solve the riddle of life, giving up when first met with sorrow. Moving on we must find that answers ourselves, the answer to the question: "Why, given life, are we meant to die?"
This song serves as the main theme for the Hydealyn/Zodiark ark of the game, and plays whenever she is speaking. It's lyrics and meaning wrapped into the plot, not making much sense until the later expansions.
That was a bit long, but if you actually read it, thank you. And I hope it helps.
Dude love what u wrote there, it’s actually not long at all for everything u put in there, just amazing explanation. it got me emotional even tho i played the whole game already and know all of these stuff
Some players posit that The Gregorian chant at the beginning is actually the player base crying out and that the female singer is Hydaelyn the mother crystal ( top goddess and literal manifestation of the land of Eorzea) responding to the questions. And the subsequent back and forth is again the player base and Hydaelyn in the parentheses. They are also the things she says when you get pulled into her world just before she talks to you properly. Hear...Think....Feel... is actually the most common one.
Hydaelyn is the Mother Crystal, yes, but shes named after the planet(which she created). Eorzea is the continent the games first 2 expansions takes place on.
@@AutoKill97 actually no she's not this is a shadowbringers spoiler but Hydaelyn is older than the planet so is zodiarc. There were thirteen world's that fragmented from the source (which is not Hydaelyn but what became Hydaelyn) but the original complete source summoned the primals the evil destructive zodiarc and the good protector Hydaelyn their epic battle shattered the source and Hydaelyn sealed a piece of zodiarc in each world. Every time there is an umbral calamity is a piece of the source(where we play initially) returning to its rightful place.
I've never played FF14 in my life but I can't listen to this song without getting emotional. It portrays such an intense feeling without any need for context at all
I still remember when I watched the trailer (not the lyric video) for the first time before getting into the game, was completely confused. "Why am I crying? I don’t even play this game, I don't know who these characters are, I don’t even know what's going on but... Why does the song hit me so hard?" And, yes, it is indeed a rollercoaster.
Like I said on the stream, Answers is the most beloved and dreaded song but mostly of the emotional impact it has. Also, you were on spot with the ending and a new beginning point because it showed the end of FFXIV 1.0 (which only exists as lore now) and the beginning of A Realm Reborn (2.0).
I could also recommend listening to:
-Thunder Rolls (Ramuh's Theme)(FFXIV)
-Ultima (FFXIV)
-eScape (FFXIV)
-Equilibrium (FFXIV)
-I Am The One (Dragon Age Inquisition)
-Dark Solas (Dragon Age Inquisition)
-Blu-bird (NieR)
Have fun, Jesse.
Let me put it like this as a long time final fantasy fan.
This song is meant to make you speechless. you understand what the song is about, legit the best reaction ive seen to it.
Thank you!
Now i think you have heard music from what i think is the 3 greatest video composers currently, Uematsu who composed this is absolutely legendary, Soken who composed most of FFXIV music and Okabe from NieR. The fact that people know their names by heart is a testament to this. Yeah there's other amazing composers, but these are at the top of all the 10/10.
Uematsu nailed this song. The end of an era, and the beginning of a new one. Pain, regret, fear, and hope all rolled into one song.
I can’t count how many times I had to hold back tears. I could tell he was holding back some tears too.
Returning to this after Endwalker and just...holy fuck. I never expected Answers to be an even BETTER song than I thought it to be. Not gonna spoil shit, but for anyone with the ability to, please play FFXIV.
Henceforth he shall walk
Endwalker is out now and holy crap they really recontexualized this song from about a decade ago. I'm torn because it's so unlikely that they had so much planned out a decade ago, but it's also so unlikely that they could make it work so perfectly and beautifully without meticulous planning back then. I guess I can add this song to the list of songs that can just break me whenever they feel like it now.
Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to properly explain the significance of how this song's meaning expanded to encompass more than what we originally thought without making a thesis in the youtube comments, and I don't think it can even be properly conveyed in words alone.
Ive heard that the roadmap for arr to endwalker was planned ten years in advance
Far as I know it’s all been planned from the very beginning and you can really see it throughout the story development during the expansions. Trust me you can’t have such a good story if you just keep adding and retcon everything so you can fit in new arcs. I mean WoW is pretty much the best example lol
You nailed it. Answers, after all these years, is still one of my favorite trailer songs in the entire franchise. Maybe ever in any game.
The song is just SO powerful, and I'm rendered to tears or near tears every time I listen to it.
What is more, it is amazing to listen to 1.0 veterans talk about what the game was, before it was reborn into what it is now. Into what it became.
I'm glad you're in a better place now. I found your channel only yesterday. You seem very chill and down to earth. You've proven you have a great ear. Looking forward to more.
Thank you, I am better now. Slowly but surely coming into my own. I appreciate it!
@@JessesAuditorium I'm really happy to hear that. I know your jam is music, but maybe one day you can give the game a try...? I know games aren't for everyone, but if you like them... quite a few people have been able to quit their day jobs streaming the game. Just a thought, take it with a grain of salt. :)
I felt like you exactly, but with a lot of tissues and tears for just the emotions that song evokes within myself. I'm a completely new player to both the FFIV mmo game and the Final Fantasy universe in general and came to this song passing though "Answers - Reprise" from a tastefully decorated plaza I randomly passed by and was instantly captivated by that song. Shortly after I found the whole song and then your reaction to it, so I thought I'd watch it for the first time with you.
I really enjoyed your reaction because I can tell that you were feeling a lot inside yourself, and for me it's rare to find somebody that really seems to focus on what he is feeling. It felt genuine and that made this first time even better.
So thank you for making the vid and sharing it, and maybe I'll be seeing you another time :) o/
I don't think I've ever seen a more telling reaction to this song than the silence, the quiet hum of the fan and the singular click of the mouse.
This song applies to real life in a way that's... haunting. We always wonder why misfortune finds us, why we have to suffer, we even look to higher powers such as gods to explain to ourselves what we did to deserve the bad things happening to us, individually or as the whole of mankind... and the _Answer,_ in the end, is as honest as it is ruthless: To live is to suffer. To die is inevitable. We only last for fleeting moments... yet to be alive is to thrive in spite of it.
To live is to suffer. And amidst that suffering, find meaning and joy.
It’s the opening for ARR which means a realm reborn and you nailed the empathy to a nail. You are such a nice genuine guy. Thanks for you being you.
In Germany we say..."Verliebt" im in FFXIV since 2 Years..after Endwalker..i can say..i cant hear this song without tears..the story..catch me..everytime..i love every moment..of it..
"In the same fleeting moment, thou must live, die, and know."
You don't even have to know the story at all to know that last line is poignant as fuck. Always gives me chills and makes me choke up lol
What you described about the song pulling emotions that seem “unrelated” (you know, your LIFE!) dude. That’s what FFXIV songs and stories do so well.
I’m telling you: if you play FFXIV and make it through endwalker, you will change your major perspective on life and how to deal with sadness and loss and how to carry on after… I’m so confident in saying this because: read the comments from the ending of Endwalker “the walk” and you will see so many people saying the same thing. How this game lifted them from depression, how suicidal people have hope. It’s strange to even type this, (I’m a huge skeptic) but I can’t state it enough. This story makes you reflect on the oldest questions of time, “what does this (existence) all mean?” and experience so many answers to that question. It’s beautiful. Truly. I hope and pray everyone reading this gets to experience this amazing journey, not just the game, of FFXIV.
“No more shall man have wings to fly to heaven. Henceforth, *epic sword swing down*, He shall walk!”
Probably my favorite line from endwalker
Can't agree more - she literally slapped down and said- you will learn to live!
Oh man! I'm glad that you just...floated with it. The written lyrics for these cornerstone pieces that become motifs over the musical score of the expansions they sing for are so deliciously layered. Masayoshi Soken, the composer, has done an amazing job, and he's worked on every single expansion. I'm sure this has already been mentioned in the comments, but while he was working on Shadowbringers, he was diagnosed with cancer. He only told two other people on his team about it, and composed through his treatment. He created some of his finest work during that time, and I'm so grateful that he never lost his spark to want to create. If you can, I would highly suggest you check out the Shadowbringers OST. Especially the title track, because it's like this one, but ramped up to 11. How it plays out in the game is during the final battle between you and the (or should I say, a) Big Bad, and you find help from a familiar face to get up and fight one more time. Like, if you show us players a screencap of that battle, we can hear it because of the title track and how it's expertly weaved within the cutscene.
I know that the FF14 community at large can get picked on for how much we enjoy the game, and how much we love the devs behind it, but we really do. There is love crafted into every aspect of A Realm Reborn and beyond. Yes, it was initially to recoup any losses during the first iteration of FF14. That was certainly a goal that the Execs set forth, but the care and transparency the lead team has had about this game just really places it into another level for a vast majority of us. It's told by people who are storytellers, and are so good at what they do. I'm not saying to buy it or try it out if it's not your thing, it is an MMORPG (though I would argue that it's more of an RPGMMO) after all. HOWEVER, I'm sure there's lots of videos of streamers playing through the game from the very start of Version 2.0 (A Realm Reborn) to the current expansion if you do want to know what's going on more thoroughly.
E: I was browsing through some of the clickable links on the right, and you have, in fact, reacted to Shadowbringers, so never mind my 'highly recommend', I see that many have already recommended it.
The look on Jesse's face and the quiet "wooow" says it all.
The singers name is Susan Calloway. She's got a really powerful voice. I love her. When I first heard this song I didn't know much about FFXIV. After learning about the characters, it really started to hit home.
So i shall sunder us from that temptation, never more shall man have wings to bare him to paradise, hence forth he shall walk!
This is my personal favorite out of all the themes, I was there at the end and for the relaunch. Hearing it brings back that just feeling of being hopeless to stop what's going to happen, but filled with hope about what comes after it. It's unfortunate that the full impact of this song can't be experienced by anyone who wasn't actually there, you can get the feeling from it, but the weight of it really happening just, it's hard to convey that to people who only see it after.
You did an amazing job understanding the song's source. This plays years before the first few seconds of the game in its current state. It is the theme of FFXIV A realm Reborn and for those that played the original version of the game, this played during the literal ending of the world. You can say it is the moment the original FFXIV died and gave birth to a Realm Reborn.
It makes me cry everytime
I've never actually known the lyrics to Answers until now, and it makes so much sense after Endwalker
Even after all this time, Answers hits HARD.
It’s beautiful when music resonates so perfectly with us. Thank you for sharing your experience of this song with us.
Hey dude. I played the game hard core. This song is in my bones. Your reaction was perfect because I didn't know what to say either. And I'm still searching it today.
Good honest review I'm subbed and here's my comment.
Just found your channel (thanks CZcams recommendations) and I love that you can feel the emotion in the songs without ever playing the game. The composers and singers for this game are phenomenal in every expansion. There are so many aspects to Answers that pull tears from my eyes, even without game context. ("Walk free... walk free... walk free.. believe...") The ebb and flow of vocal strength and power really lend to the rollercoaster of emotions while listening to this. This song plays during the final fight of the last raid (Final Coil of Bahamut) in the initial Realm Reborn game and they time it based on where in the fight you are and I cannot begin to explain how powerful that is. I'm glad you got the chance to listen to this and thank you for your reactions! ♥
So great that you got the root of the song that easily, good composers to convey a message and good ears to understand it. Looking forward to more!
That legit blew my mind when the chat was telling me. Kinda shivered a bit.
@@JessesAuditorium Ooh chat was there, have they forced you to watch the trailer in sync yet? :D
@@OddNumber1524 Yea I premiered it live with a chat. No they haven't, wasn't aware?
Damn I just found another gem from CZcams it’s been a while so happy
@@JessesAuditorium I think they're saying theres another video that matches the song up with the events on the video, the lyric video is a fan edit over a longer version and it's not synced to escape copyright strikes possibly.
Hi! Just want to say you were spot on with feeling this song as an end, moving onto a fresh start. This is the song and video sequence that played after the initial failure of Final Fantasy XIV's first launch (1.0) In game they destroyed the world and started anew in A Realm Reborn. This song and video were shown, right before they shutdown the servers. It was a huge impact and many of us FFXIV players still cry every time we hear it, me included. It makes me happy that even non-players can really feel and appreciate some of the fantastic music of Final Fantasy games especially FFXIV. Thanks for your reactions! ^_^ /
Thank you so much. I guess the music seeped into my subconscious thoughts as I was listening to it. The odds of that is truly crazy to me.
you said nothing yet said EVERYTHING. i can barely read faces but the pure emotional journey was written on your face, this is one of my favorite songs of all time, and im so glad you could experience its breadth
This song has so much meaning to the FFXIV community for some like me it’s the first song they heard stepping out of a cart in Ul’dah or wherever you end up as you began in 1.0.
For some it’s the theme of watching a world die as Bahamut razed the land we previously adventured through
Granting both a sudden end and a new beginning to the world we walked through
Those in endwalker have a new meaning for it but to everyone it’s absolutely the end and beginning of something.
Well picked up on kudos to you
Many find their emotions on this song because it was the end of 1.0 as you've been told but this song kills me for an entirely different reason.
This song is basically humanity struggling and asking their god why are they doing all this why is life pain and suffering. And the response is that such a question's answer is one we find collectively by seeing, feeling and thinking, hell, by living. Your purpose is one you can only find yourself with help of those around you.
Hence "Answer together"
As soon as she starts "To all of my children" I already have a runny nose and a wet face. Her voice is so powerful. You are right, you are only experiencing 20% of what is going on. I always saw the entire video and song as an in-game explanation of what was also happening in real life. The game failed, the servers were deleted symbolized by bahamut destroying the world by fire. Nobody was able to survive. All the characters and NPCs can do is just stop their massive battle and just watch as everything is destroyed around them. but at the last moment louisoix (louie-swah) sacrifices himself to teleport everyone to safety while the calamity takes place, then smiles as he dies a savior. Which I equate to (Yoshi-P) saying hold on, everything is going to be ok. And it only become more striking when ARR came out and completely changed XIV to be one of the best MMOs ever created. You will never find a producer that cares more about their game than Naoki Yoshida!
I had forgotten how powerful the full version of this song was. I've listened to it a bunch and yet still I was right there with you feeling very similarly throughout. Amazing.
It hits much harder if you have the full narrative context that surrounds it in-game, and the cutscenes that actually go with it.
FINAL FANTASY XIV: Scions & Sinners - A Long Fall Music Video (THE PRIMALS) is Sokens band. Glad to see someone loving the FF14 music as much as the fanbase much love brother.
I’m not sure how many hundreds of times I’ve listened to this song and watched the accompanying cinematic over the last nearly decade. I do know that the song, the imagery, the story behind it all, and Susan Calloway’s amazing vocals bring at least a few tears to my eyes every single time. It is a masterpiece of a song, I am so thankful that the FFXIV community have such amazing talent working to provide this content.
Thanks David 🙂
At the start of the video when you said you hope to end the night on a brighter note, I was like "Hohoh boi, not with this song, it makes you feel things and think things." First time I heard this without knowing or playing the game 6 or so years ago, I just teared up. Have a good evening though o3o/
Seriously... all i could think when i heard him say that was "oof, you are not prepared." (though none of us were back then, and still never are even today.....)
Song: starts
Me: immediately crying
Something ending and starting over, that's pretty spot on for this song
Answers is both beautiful and sinister in many ways, depending on how you view Venat and her choices, her “Answer” might not have been ours. But the song still has so much power to me, its actually the scene in this trailer with the Scions in prayer, watching Y’shtola and Thancred in particular always brings tears to my eyes. The eldest of them, knowing that there isn’t any time left, hoping for deliverance. Truly a masterpiece by Nobuo Uematsu.
"I'm kind of... speechless"
Speak.
I love the reaction to this. His reaction was so pure, you could see the emotion in his eyes during the vid. No words needed, his love and passion for music, shows.
Sometimes the best reaction is just stunned silence because it's just that powerful.
Thanks for the awesome reaction. Definitely check out the full trailer to see the video that plays alongside the music. The timing of the song along with the visuals hits hard. Whether you react on the channel or just watch it for yourself, I think it's very much a worthwhile experience. It's called, fittingly, "End of an Era".
Appreciate the ongoing support. I'll definitely check it on my own time, this was a definite favorite
The extended version of this song . Adds extra emotional feels to the score. If I remember it’s called “flames of truth”
I still can't believe how hard you've hit that nail on the head. Your insight was spot on, holy cow.
Fantastic channel, love your humble and authentic vibe brother. Never thought any game will match The Witcher 3's music, but FFXIV took my breath away. It's music and story is world class. TW3 has it all and will always be one of my favorite games but the link between music and story in XIV is what pulls it ahead of any game I played. Been gaming for 25 years more or less.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm actually reacting to a few TW3 tunes here very soon!
@@JessesAuditorium You are more than welcome good sir, appreciate the reply. Your channel is going to be one of those where I just come back one day and boom you have 1M subs and will get so much love that you can't reply to comments anymore haha so I'm happy to be here before then. Will def keep an eye out for those Witcher 3 videos!
like many others have said, I've watched this a million and one times. I love the fights and the cinematics that have this song in it. but seeing your reaction to it, someone that doesn't know the story behind it (at the time of making the video that is), can have such a huge impact and reaction to it made me emotional just watching haha. so thank YOU jesse for your reaction videos!
Thank you for your reactions! As an emotional person I really need to see emotions of others and seeing how they react on FFXIV makes this even warmer =) Also it's nice to see that I was right to thing that music is a universal language that anyone can understand even without context attached =)
Answers was one of the first songs I heard from FFXIV before I even started to play it. It felt for me like a goddess or the planet itself lamenting the fate of all human beings. Even that times I cried every time I heard it but now, after Endwalker it hits a bit different and much much harder. I still remember how I felt on final Elpis cutscene... It was powerful enough itself but with Answers on the backround I felt that it completely killed me in a good way. That moment when you realise who's voice you've heard all the time, what meaning that words had and that the answer always was before your eyes... I couldn't touch story quests for 3 days after that. Never in my life I felt such emotions because of a game. And also I'm absolutely amazed how this song captured the essence of our living too. We stumble, we wander, we entrust unto tomorrow
absolutely understandable how you were left speechless, I don't know how often I've listened to this song only to be left on the brink of tears and feeling a need to cry along with the lyrics. others have already said it much better than I have regarding the context of it but I absolutely am looking forward to seeing you react to other FFXIV songs! theres just so many that I adore listening to on my own time and I'd love to see how you react to all of the gems within the game!
So happy to see you enjoyed Answers. It’s personally my favorite track from FFXIV. I can’t even chalk it up just to nostalgia because it’s so well crafted, emotional, and impactful. 11 years later and it still hits home for me every time. It’s ultimately XIV’s main theme song and it’s so deserving.
I feel what you're going through. This song the first time is like a frying pan to the head. Just makes you stop and take it in for a second!
You are such a sweet soul. This is definitely all about death and renewal. Or an end and a beginning. And how we're all in it together. It's such a beautiful song, and I loved your reaction =)
Here I am back to watch your reaction of this for the 100th time... i absolutely love that it leaves you speechless. When you hear this in the new expansion during a cutscene it is easily the most powerful gut check that just leaves you broken but you have to keep pushing forward.
Through this channel, im discovering a whole new appreciation for music within video games. Thank you for sharing a reaction to a lot of these songs from a musical perspective! Truly unique of this channel!
So for context about spcifically the lyrics, we in XIV are champion to Hydaelyn's--the goddess here represented by the female vocalist--will. Embroiled in war and calamity, the chorus (or the people who worship her) begin to doubt their role in her design and lose purpose. She spends the first half of the song attempting to persuade them to "walk free" that their tribulations and victories be their own, which is met with mild conviction.
It's in the second half that the roles are reversed; Hydaelyn now speaks and acts through chosen mortals, i.e. the player and the few others who can communicate with her directly. These people are active in the conflict of Hydaelyn's subjects and experience the same suffering. It's only in response to this mutual experience that the people propagate Hydaelyn's teachings, and, finally singing in unison, Hydaelyn and her people reach their answer together.
The intent of this song is sort of analogous to the situation at Square Enix surrounding XIV. 1.0 launched in the sorry state it did because the devs thought they understood the player experience without regard for precedent or external input. 2.0 was successful because Yoshi-P, who understood the MMO experience having grown up playing them, forged a line of communication between the dev team and the players, which has only grown stronger through the years and is absolutely what's allowed the game to flourish.
The fact that you literally figured out the start of FFXIV’s start just based on the music goes to show the music in this game is absolutely amazing
Been listening this song for over ten years.
Really enjoyed your reaction and interpretation.
This song played when FFXIV version 1.0 was shut down being a dismal failure. It would later be released as FFXIV 2.0. Next month ten years of story will wrap up.
This is one of the most powerful songs.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and To the Edge would also recommend. As would the video about Spoken and To the Edge's composition.
Thank you for your insight! Tomorrow and Tomorrow is coming soon and I did To The Edge last week :)
This song never fails to overwhelm me 6 years later since I first played the game. I can never listen to this song without crying.
I remember hearing this in the final days of FFXIV 1.0. The sadness of seeing the game go down and change completely, knowing the world I loved was destroyed. Knowing the goddess herself sung it to the people... Every time I hear this I remember watching Dalamud fall, standing outside the Gates of Judgement in Coerthas. Not knowing that would be the last time I saw a beautiful green Coerthas - its lakes and rivers.