Shiva is the most well-designed part of Final Fantasy XIV: Part One, Music
This is part one of what will (eventually) become a series of analysis posts about why Shiva, the primal of ice, is the best, most well-designed and well-written character/boss/entity within all of Final Fantasy XIV. And in today's episode, we focus on the first element that stood out to me- the very thing, in fact, that sold me on the game altogether: the music of Shiva!
(Disclaimer: I have no formal musical education, I'm just a completely average layperson. I may use terms inaccurately, and this analysis may be rather simplistic in the eyes of someone more musically knowledgeable than me. Don't take my word as gospel, because I am Just Some Guy!)
Starting off, of course, with Shiva's first appearance: The trial fight of Akh Afah Ampitheatre. When entering the fight and for the first two phases of combat, the song that plays is Footsteps in the Snow, a primarily orchestral song with choral singing and chanting vocals in Dravanian, similar to Dragonsong- these Dravanian vocals serve to beautifully illustrate the intrinsic connection that Shiva has to the dragons, and her importance to the culture of the Dravanian heretics, as well as emphasizing that Ysayle, herself the vessel for Shiva, is herself the leader of the Dravanian heretics- and just as with the primal Shiva herself, the song (And its counterpart) is just as much Ysayle's theme as it is Shiva's, as the two are, in fact, one and the same.
Musically, Footsteps in the Snow heavily features piano and string instruments, with the tempo primarily being held by the drums and cymbals; the heavy presence of the strings lends a grandiose and climactic tone to the song, while the steady percussion, evocative of a march, convey the intensity of the circumstance; this is both a major religious event for the Dravanians, due to the invocation and manifestation of Saint Shiva's image, as well as a military action- the heretics have specifically organized to strike against Ishgard, and the song is, in essence, their battle march. (In fact, it may be performed by the Dravanian heretics assembled by Lady Iceheart! This music could be entirely diegetic within the context of the fight, at least in Akh Afah- less so for its later reappearance.)
The song's construction is very deliberate: The song opens with what is almost an inhale, immediately followed by very light, ethereal chanting, which pair with the icy visuals of the fight arena to convey the image of a cold, biting winter wind. In all sections of the song, the elements progressively rise and build (And retain the distinct "wintery" feel), creating tension and anticipation; there are, of course, sections where the song drops, but never for long- and in these sections, the tension does not dissipate, but merely settles. The tension may not be building during these lulls, but it is not fading or dropping- merely sitting. The highest moments of the song also feature horns, heightening the tension at these highest moments, and there is even a notable interpolation of Hydaelyn's crystal motif with the rising harp arpeggio towards the end. Additionally, during the main body of the song (I'm sure there's a term for the segment in question that I don't know), the piano plays the same notes as the chorus of Oblivion, as well as the bridge of Return to Oblivion. These leitmotifs, present throughout the whole song, beautifully facilitate the transition into the respective later-phase songs, as well as tying the two songs together fundamentally, as they both build from the same root. Ultimately, Footsteps in the Snow serves to perfectly set up the tension of the song that comes next.
In Shiva's phase 3 within Akh Afah Ampitheatre, when she begins to cast her signature Diamond Dust attack to transition the phase, Footsteps in the Snow fades out, as the party is frozen in ice. When Shiva reappears and shatters the ice by stepping on either the first player to attack her or the player with the highest enmity (I'm not actually sure which of these it is; if you know, please tell me! I'm actually super curious), the ice will shatter, and immediately, the raucous rock anthem Oblivion will start with an opening drum kick and roaring guitar solo. I would like to take a second to highlight the utter genius of using a rock ballad for the theme of an ice boss; while historically, rock has often been associated with fire and lightning elements, it's thematically a perfect fit with the element of ice, as the harsh and unrelenting cold, sharp and deceptively sturdy form, and intrinsic association with winter, danger, pain, and even death align flawlessly with the rough intensity and power of a rock ballad like Oblivion, especially in conjunction with the raw and fierce voices of Ayumi Murata (as main vocals) and Akane Ikeya (as secondary/supporting vocals). The power, intensity, and ferocity in the women's voices also perfectly convey the tone of both the lyrics and the fight itself, beautifully demonstrating the fervent belief Ysayle has in her own righteousness, as well as her adamant and undying will to fight against the injustice and lies she sees within Ishgardian society; I firmly believe that Ysayle's characterization would be dramatically lessened without the strength of both this vocal performance and the lyrics of this song, and I think it's easy to overlook the importance of Oblivion to Ysayle Dangoulain as a character.
To highlight this importance, let's look at the lyrics of Oblivion, and how they convey Ysayle's entire backstory:
The first verse illustrates the impetus, the catalyst moment, of Ysayle's story- after her home village of Falcon's Nest was destroyed in the Seventh Umbral Calamity, Ysayle and her people attempted to flee to safety in Ishgard, only to be caught in an avalanche, with Ysayle as the only survivor. After this loss, she ultimately resorted to attempting suicide, choosing to stay in the snow and await death- "Staring at death, I take a breath, there's nothing left; now close my eyes, for one last time, and say goodbye; lying naked while the snow falls all around me, drifting closer to the edge but she won't have me." The "she" in that final lyric is Hydaelyn, who gifted Ysayle with the Echo, which in turn granted Ysayle a vision as she lay dying, and the great dragon Hraesvelgr flew overhead- a vision of Saint Shiva, the historical figure who ended the first conflict between Ishgardians and dragons with the love she shared with Hraesvelgr. Ysayle, not fully understanding the nature of this vision, interpreted it as memories of a past life, and that she herself is Shiva, reborn. "Wake up in sweat, full of regret, try to forget; these memories, lurking beneath, lost in a dream." In the wake of this vision, Ysayle becomes disillusioned with Ishgardian society, knowing the truth of the lies of the Holy See firsthand, and has lost the meaning of her life, believing it to be only pain moving forward. "Unchosen paths, a broken past, forespoken wrath; this pain won't cease, I'll find no peace, no sweet release." This line, and the following- one of my favorite song lyrics ever, by the way- illustrates Ysayle's mindset in the wake of the events that befell her. "Fragile creatures, we all learn to fear the Reaper; ever running, we are dead before we meet Her." Once again, the "her" in question is Hydaelyn- and equating Hydaelyn with the image of the grim reaper, the bringer of death, serves to illustrate Ysayle's perception of and relationship with Hydaelyn in this moment. In Ysayle's mind, Hydaelyn is "the reaper," is "death"- and death has rejected her.
The first chorus further illustrates the newfound purpose and drive Ysayle finds, and the intensity and ferocity with which she pursues this purpose: "These voices telling me let it go, (Let it all go,) I try and try but I can't say no, (Try and say no,) This endless nightmare has just begun, (Nowhere to run,) My heart is dragging me down into oblivion." Despite her efforts to let go of the trauma, the visions of the past, and the anger they instill at the injustice faced by her, the dragons, and all of Ishgard, she can't- they've consumed her completely, and are all that is left. She knows, now, that the "endless nightmare" of the Dragonsong War, and the misery of her life, have only just begun.
The bridge (Second verse?) illustrates how Ysayle found the drive and purpose to become the leader of the heretics, how she became the Lady Iceheart: "The endless lies, I've cast aside, locked them in ice; Steeled is my soul, my blood grown cold, I've gained control." Ysayle has discarded the lies of the Holy See and the history she thought she knew, "locked them in ice"- instead, she has found a purpose, and strength, in her knowledge of the truth. She's amassed her strength, her will, her conviction, to stand against the Holy See and the lies that they spread and perpetuate, and fight for what she sees as right- the truth that was revealed to her through the Echo. Additionally, her relationship with/perception of Hydaelyn has changed, and her understanding of life and death with it, illustrated with the next line: "Fearless creatures, we all learn to fight the Reaper; can't defeat her, so instead I'll have to be her." No longer is she insinuating that humanity is weak and runs from the inevitable death, pain, and suffering of life; instead, she believes that all who live learn to fight against the seeming inevitability of strife, even though it is a fight they cannot win- and because she cannot win that fight, she cannot beat the Reaper, the only way to "win" is to be the reaper, to inflict strife and death of her own, and in so doing, affect change that otherwise would never come to be.
And in the final chorus, the lyrics are notably different than the first: "These voices screaming to let it go, (Never let go,) This time I'm screaming back no, no, no (Go on, say no) My mind's made up, yeah, my fear is gone (Where have you gone?) Open my eyes, now, here I come, oblivion." In spite of the hostility, the resistance, and the voices shouting and screaming that she and her fellows are wrong, Ysayle is still fighting, holding to her convictions, and refusing to back down- screaming back, no, no, no. She has no doubt in her mind, anymore, and knows her purpose, knows what she lives for- and not only is she willing to lay down her life for it, she is unafraid to do so, having faced death already, looked Her in the eye, and found a kindred spirit, issuing a challenge- that she now matches, and issues herself. Her mind is made up, her fear is gone- she charges toward her death, toward the end, knowing full well what she faces, and she does so without hesitation. "Open my eyes, now, here I come, Oblivion."
And finally, the outro- "For the last time, (I won't say goodbye,) For the last time, (I won't say goodbye,) For the last time, (I won't say goodbye,) For the last time." This repeated declaration serves as a final, ultimate statement of Ysayle's conviction- with every step, every charge, every action, she takes, it could be her last, and she knows this. She does not stand down, she does not look back, and she does not say goodbye- there is nothing behind her worth her while. Everything she values, everything she cares for, is before her, and she has yet to see it. She has nothing to say farewell to, nothing to wish well, nothing which she mourns to part with- and so, she faces the better, brighter future she sees, and yearns to bring about, and she walks free, unburdened, on toward the dawn, in the light of the crystal.
Oblivion is an absolute masterwork of a song, and it perfectly and beautifully conveys not only the backstory of Ysayle Dangoulain- in my humble opinion, the best character in all of Final Fantasy XIV- but also perfectly outlines her entire future character trajectory, by defining her purpose and the reason she fights, and showing that there is nothing that will stop her in its pursuit- casting her perfectly as the main character and hero of Heavensward. But, of course, that isn't all- there's more that can be said about Oblivion, and its parallels with the wider, overarching story of Final Fantasy XIV. But first, let's move on to the next song.
Return to Oblivion serves as the boss theme for Shiva as she appears in Eden's Verse: Refulgence. This version of Shiva is markedly different from the one summoned by Ysayle Dangoulain, instead being invoked by Ryne Waters, after hearing the story of Ysayle and Shiva from the Warrior of Light. Much like the original fight in Akh Afah Ampitheatre, Footsteps in the Snow plays during the first phase of the fight, with Return to Oblivion playing during the final phase of the fight. (A Sundering of Light plays during the transitional second phase.) The song also builds beautifully from Footsteps in the Snow, being primarily constructed from the motifs and elements of that song which Oblivion does not utilize, and as such, the three songs fit together like pieces of a puzzle. However, it is very markedly different from Oblivion in many ways, musically.
Return to Oblivion opens with vocals by Reven (Mary Kate Jiménez-Wall), rather than opening on an instrumental, like Oblivion. Additionally, where Oblivion's instrumentation was extremely heavy on the strings, Return to Oblivion puts much greater emphasis on percussion and the bassline, while also having a harsher electronic sound overall through its use of electric guitar and (I believe) synthesizers. Oblivion has the tone of a fierce battle anthem, while Return to Oblivion is much more tonally desolate, infused with a frantic, desperate energy far more fitting to the fight's context.
Where the earlier incarnation of Shiva was fought as an introduction to the story arc of Heavensward and the Dragonsong War, the version of Shiva fought in Eden's Verse: Refulgence is instead fought in the Eden storyline of Shadowbringers, in which the Warrior of Light, alongside Ryne, Thancred, Urianger, and Gaia, the new charater introduced in this storyline, attempt to restore life to the barren, aetherically stagnant environment of The Empty, by enlivening its aether through the invocation and defeat of beings made up of the pure energies of the elements. Shiva is the final primal fought in this manner, and her defeat serves as the projected final step of the process of restoring The Empty. As such, the frantic, desperate energy of Return to Oblivion is entirely in line with the tone of the story and the purpose of the fight. Let's take a look at the lyrics:
The first verse seems, at first, to align with the first verse of Oblivion, and tell the same story- "Wanting I lie, too weary to die, too lost to the ice for saving, my sins claim me, untame me; Eyes wet with tears, her song in my ears, Broken, faded- how long have I waited, To open my wings?"
However, this is not the case- but, to illustrate why, I'm going to continue on through the chorus and post-chorus. "Turn the light on, And let her in, won't you, Turn the light on (Turn the light on!) Turn the light on, You'll never win 'less you, Turn the light on (Turn the light on!) Turn the light on, The pain won't end 'till you, Turn the light on (Turn the light on!) The soul longs for oblivion, oblivion.
Falling too far for the fear to embrace me, A voice from the past screaming there is no end (No), A slave to my fate, ever doomed to repeat this, Again and again and again and again (Yeah I'm) Falling too fast, no it won't overtake me, A voice from the past echoes loud like a drum (Oh, yes) No more goodbyes, though my heart is still aching, Now open my eyes, one more time, here I come."
These lyrics instead tell the story of Ryne Waters, the Oracle of Light, a girl born with the spirit and powers of the first Oracle of Light, Minfilia Warde, who saved Norvrandt from the Flood of Light which would have consumed the world of The First entirely- and, in fact, The Empty, which the Eden storyline centers around, is the ~90% of the world that was consumed by the Flood. The "Light" and the "Her" that the lyrics refer to both mean the same thing- the same two things. The first is Minfilia, the first Oracle of Light. Earlier in the main story of Shadowbringers, Ryne had to make the decision to fully awaken her powers as the Oracle of Light, which would either result in the spirit of Minfilia subsuming her completely, or in the opposite- Ryne taking the power of the Oracle of Light for herself, consuming what remains of Minfilia in the process. The cyclical repetition that the chorus and post-chorus illustrate reference the cyclical rebirth of the Oracle of Light in young girls throughout Norvrandt, and the fate they all share, of fighting against the encroaching light that threatens to destroy the world- and dying in the process, to pass the power and curse of the Oracle of Light onto the next unlucky girl. The second meaning is Hydaelyn, the Goddess of Light, from whom the powers of the Oracle of Light stem, and who, much like the spirit of the Oracle, was forced to subsume Minfilia almost entirely to grant her the power needed to save the First.
The lyrics can be read multiple different ways- they can be read from the perspective of Ryne, talking about the power of the Oracle and her longing to be freed from her legacy, they can be read from the perspective of the spirit of the Oracle, talking about how Ryne had not fully awakened the power of the Oracle, or they can be read from the perspective of the original Minfilia, and how ultimately powerless she was and felt she was through her whole life, despite her fervent desire to help people and better the world. However, by the end of the post-chorus, it becomes very clearly the voice of Ryne, having transcended the Oracle and broken the cycle of consumption and rebirth- until, that is, she invoked the power of Shiva, channeling it within herself, and almost being consumed by it.
It must be stated- though I will make another, separate post later delving deeper into this point- that Shiva, in a great many ways, bears extreme similarity to Hydaelyn herself. Again, I'll dive more into how both incarnations of Shiva and her fight parallel amazingly with Hydaelyn, but this also informs the songs to an immense degree, and that cannot be understated.
The song finishes with the bridge (Second verse? Again I don't know) which goes: "Reason resigned, Dark seasons' design, Spring's promise of sun is honored, When winter's weighed down on us; Visions in white, Raw fury in flight, Clear as diamond, yet fragile as ice, My heart is racing." This then leads into the second chorus, an exact repetition of the first, and the second post-chorus, which goes: "Falling too far for the fear to embrace me, A voice from the past screaming there is no end (No), a slave to my fate, ever doomed to repeat this, again and again and again and again (Yeah I'm), Falling too fast, but the fall will not break me, A voice from the past echoes loud like a drum (Oh yes), No more goodbyes, I am tired of waiting, Now open my eyes, one last time, here I come."
Once again, this final verse and post-chorus tell of how Ryne overcame the cycle of rebirth and consumption that was being the Oracle of Light. However... this song is not just about Ryne. It is also about Gaia. Gaia is the Oracle of Darkness- a parallel role to Ryne as the Oracle of Light. She was first encountered as an enemy fought in the first wing of the Eden raid, in which she fought near-mindlessly with the powers of darkness as Ryne and company attempted to gain control of Eden. Later, she awakened with no memory of this, or of how she got to The Empty in the first place- and in fact, having no memory at all. She later pieced together that her name was Gaia and she was from Eulmore, though no one in Eulmore had any knowledge of her, and she stayed with the group working toward the restoration of the Empty, becoming friends with Ryne over the course of this process. However, she remained fixated on her forgotten past, feeling as though something was missing- as though a voice from her past was calling to her. And that was because it was.
After completing Eden's Verse, the second segment of the Eden storyline, the third segment of Eden's Promise occurs after Thancred and Urianger (And the rest of the Warrior of Light's companions from their home world) return to their home in the Source, and Ryne and Gaia continue working toward the restoration of the Empty on their own. After returning to join them, the Warrior of Light accompanies the pair to Eden, and on the way, the three are confronted with a newfound problem- Gaia is losing her memories of their time together. She struggles to remember who Thancred and Urianger are, needing to be reminded, and is continually and increasingly fixated on her forgotten past, and the voice she hears calling to her about it. As the Eden's Promise segment of the story unfolds, it is revealed that this voice Gaia has been hearing is, in fact, entirely real, and the voice of the Ascian Mitron- and that Gaia herself is the reincarnation of the Ascian Loghrif. In their prior incarnations, Gaia, as Logrif, and Mitron, originally a woman whose true name was Artemis, but whose current incarnation was a man, were lovers who worked toward the Rejoining together, orchestrating the Flood of Light that consumed The First, before being confronted by Ardbert and his companions, the Warriors of Light of the first. In this confrontation, Loghrif was destroyed, and Mitron was almost destroyed as well, ultimately mutating into the first Sin Eater- light-corrupted beings spawned from the aetheric corruption of the Flood- which was, in fact, Eden itself. Though the Ascian Loghrif was destroyed, a part of her soul that had been split during the Sundering still remained on the First, and was reborn as the Gaia we know- however, due to her Ascian nature, as well as the orchestrations of Mitron, she was reborn as the "Oracle of Darkness," with no memories, identity, or history on the First- only traces of Loghrif, which Mitron was able to implant within her mind, and build further upon as she worked with Ryne and company on the Eden project. At the end of Eden's Promise, as Gaia struggles against Mitron's influence, wanting to hold on to her newfound (sapphic) life with Ryne, the Warrior of Light and Ryne work together to defeat Mitron and free Gaia from his influence, and the two Oracles went on together. Sapphically.
The lyrics of Return to Oblivion are just as applicable to Gaia's story as they are to Ryne's- just as Ryne overcame the legacy of the Oracle of Light, Gaia overcame the legacy of Loghrif, taking control and agency over their lives by force and facing the future with their eyes open. In fact, it's even Gaia who saves Ryne from losing herself to Shiva's overflowing power- even the Warrior of Light and their party would have been overcome by the eternal ice age that Shiva, having lost control, was attempting to bring about, were it not for Gaia's intercession, freeing the Warrior's party from the ice they were trapped in and using her magic to slow Shiva's spellcast. The fight is Gaia's story in microcosm, just as much as it is Ryne's.
(One final note that I simply must mention, though I don't want to dive too much into it, since it doesn't tie into my previous points very much- the names Oblivion and Return to Oblivion also have immense parallels to Meteion and the Endsinger, and that's a whole other can of worms that I might eventually also make a post about. But holy shit, there's so much here, y'all, and I hope I've made you appreciate it as much as I do!)
Oblivion perfectly conveys Ysayle's entire character trajectory within its lyrics and musicality, and Return to Oblivion follows beautifully in its footsteps and does the same thing, not just for Ryne, but for Gaia as well- telling the parallel stories of two characters at the same time! The next post I make in this series will delve into the parallels within the gameplay and fight design of both instances of Shiva, and how they achieve a very similar effect, but truly, I cannot state it enough- the music of these fights is absolutely masterful in every way, and are extremely large factors as to why I will forever believe and argue that Shiva, primal of ice, is the best, most well-designed character in all of Final Fantasy XIV.