APOCALYPSE THEN

Stormblood is set after the cataclysmic events that almost saw the world of Eorzea laid to waste. That apocalypse isn’t just backstory, but an actual in-game event that players lived through. When Final Fantasy XIV first launched back in 2010, it was in such a disastrous state that Square Enix decided to rebuild it entirely. Weaving the game’s troubled development together with its in-game narrative, players fought one last epic battle against the Garlean empire before the ancient god Bahamut broke free from his prison and ravaged the world. At the same time, FFXIV was closed for renovations. In 2013, it relaunched as A Realm Reborn, with sweeping changes to the core design and to critical acclaim. FFXIV was finally a game worthy of the series’ considerable legacy.