What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Final Fantasy 16
260Final Fantasy XVI's approach to NPC storytelling is minimalist -- but extremely effective. Almost every single unnamed character has some kind of narrative arc that carries across the game. They might not have routines or move around much in any given moment, but when you revisit different towns at different points, you'll see something new each time. Hear a new snippet of dialogue. See a relationship progress.
This is the longest episode of the NPC photography series yet, mainly because I sought out as many interesting examples as I could (and I genuinely still left out some). It's not necessarily meant to be viewed in a single sitting, and you can get the jist of things by watching till the chapters on The Hideaway / Lostwing. While the other towns have small distinctions and takeaways, they are mostly comprised of examples and FF16-specific commentary.
I hope, however, this more comprehensive overview will be useful for further commentary on FF16's world and politics. Speaking of which: Lots of smart writing on the game out there! I've linked my works cited below.
Intro: 0:00 - 0:40
Overview and Premise: 0:40 - 12:42
Rosalith Castle: 12:43 - 19:43
The Hideaway: 19:44 - 40:03
Lostwing: 40:04 - 49:34
Martha's Rest (feat. Eastpool): 49:35 - 1:01:10
Northreach (feat. Moore, Amber and Mikkelburg): 1:01:11 - 1:13:00
Dalimil: 1:13:01 - 1:20:54
The Boklad Markets (feat. Dravozd and Tabor): 1:20:55 - 1:31:20
Haven: 1:31:21 - 1:43:40
Conclusion: 1:43:41 - 1:48:41
Outro: 1:48:42 - 1:49:44
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Recommended Videos:
-- What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Final Fantasy VII Remake: • What I Learned Photographing NPCs in ...
-- What I Learned Photographing NPCs for a Year (Volume 1): • What I Learned Photographing NPCs for...
Selected References / Works Cited:
-- "Creating the Look of Final Fantasy 16" by Wesley LeBlanc: http://web.archive.org/web/20231009195403/https://www.gameinformer.com/exclusive-feature/2023/06/06/creating-the-look-of-final-fantasy-16
-- "Final Fantasy XVI Suffers From Its Superficial Handling Of Slavery" by Phillip Russell: https://kotaku.com/final-fantasy-xvi-clive-slavery-ffxvi-ff16-ps5-square-1850779976
-- "Final Fantasy XVI has a medieval approach to diversity" by Ash Parrish: https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/1/23620217/final-fantasy-xvi-diversity-naoki-yoshida-interview
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BEHIND THE SCENES:
-- Exporting this video has been almost as challenging as writing or editing it. All footage captured for this was in 1080p, so it is not a true UHD experience. However, I exported it in UHD because my usual render settings severely affected the FF16 image quality (especially in shots with shallow focus). I tried multiple variations. The final rendering process took 26+ hours, with my computer not running anything else.
-- I included a lot of NPC-voiced lines to illustrate my points. That definitely contributed to the length. I do think this was a bit of a special case due to my specific points about FF16, but it's already affected how I'm curating the next one. I'd love to hear any feedback re: length and density!
-- As I'm uploading this, GameInformer just got shut down by its parent company Gamestop. So much of my research on FF16 would have been impossible without the brilliant work of Wesley LeBlanc, whose interview with Minagawa I bring up several times throughout this. I've linked his article via the Wayback Machine. Please go read it and follow the staff of GI! Some of the industry's best damn artists and reporters: https://twitter.com/LeBlancWes