"Leviathan. Our most profaned fragment. Its divinity defiled by the hand of man. Its spirit shackled by his hubris." Ultima
The tragedy of Leviathan the Lost, or Waljas, the child Dominant of Leviathan, is presented via his frozen state. Waljas showcases the absolute terror a Dominant can be as a child. The tragedy of Waljas of his own people attempted to use him as a source of crystals rather than treat him as a human being. It's even more disgusting given how Waljas is a baby and they attempted to use him, not recognizing his innocence, save for his mother.
Notably, Leviathan's theme is from the very first trailer of Final Fantasy XVI. The trailer theme was amazing, and Soken turned it into an actual theme. In that way, the theme serves as a perfect musical bookend and conclusion, with Leviathan being the final Dominant boss fight of the game.
Safe Haven reflects the promise of a society free of prejudice and where all are equal. It's a peaceful and wistful take on Waljas' theme as it remarks the ideal society, albeit one built on the ultimate sin. The acoustic guitar, piano, and flute emphasize the simple yet fulfilling life the Motes of Water live compared to the other societies of Valisthea.
O Call Back Yesterday is more somber and even mournful. As we explore the Timeless Stones, time being stopped by the spell is definitely felt. Never to Break is a harsher take on O Call Back yesterday, as Waljas is freed, and therefore his rage is once again loose on Mysidia.
Unforgiven reflects a scared child as Clive takes a part of Waljas' power, however, the lyrics and music's more hopeful tone reflect Clive calming the baby. Black and Gold embodies the hope of Waljas's incoming freedom, as you can feel everything will be alright.
A Most Profaned Fragment, High Tide, and Cascade make up all three (out of four) phases of his boss fight, with the obligatory To Sail Forbidden Sails as the first phase of music. It captures the intensity and high stakes of the fight, not just to save Mysida but Waljas. The wistful music sections remind us of the Dominant being a baby who has no proper idea of what was going on around him, other than the pain he felt all this time.
Immersion's piano take of the theme finally brings the tragic tale of Waljas to a close, with Waljas now free and able to experience a life denied to him.
Final Fantasy IV was the first Final Fantasy game to give each region (as well as Baron's Red Wings unit) its own personal coat of arms/crest (left). These appeared in supplementary materials, such as the Japanese manual for the Famicom version.
When Final Fantasy IV was remade for the Nintendo DS, all of the regions had their CoAs/crests redesigned. Unlike in the original, these were incorporated into the regions themselves, usually in their castles.
Just before they begin to express doubts about the orders that are given to them, there is a very similar part, where Cecil and Beatrix are ordered to steal a pacifist people's cristal. Cecil steals Mysidia's Water Crystal in the Tower of Prayers and Beatrix steals Cleyra's " desert star" in the cathedral of Cleyra, a magical stone set in a harp used for ceremonies.
They are not really concious about the fact that taking the cristal from a city can condemn its existence. The player knows the crystals are important for the world to stay balanced, but Cecil and Beatrix don't really know about this. They know the power of the crystals are important for their kingdom, but they are troubled by the fact that they had to plunder a city (in Cleyra case, Beatrix regrets actually that her Queen destroyed the city, just as Cecil will be later horrified that his king wanted to exterminate the summoner village).
Actually, it is possible that stealing the crystal from mysidians wizards can compromise the future of their city, since crystals are the source of magic in ff4, and for sure, the city of Cleyra is dependant on the magic stone to create the tempest around the giant tree on which it is built, tempest that both protects the pacifist inhabitants (they are all priests and priestesses of the moon, stars and flowers, etc ...) and brings water supplies up thanks to windmills !
Is it a coincidence that the stealing of the magic stone has something to do is each case with water, a vital element for life ? Anyway, to steal these magical stones, Beatrix and Cecil turn their swords against innocents, and I would even say priests, which reinforces for the viewer the impression that they are committing sacrilege.
They steal the crystals from sacred places after all : the Cleyra Cathedral ... and the Tower of Prayers of Mysidia, which is the place where ironically, the last hope of the Blue Earth can be summoned in the end !
okay ffiv has obvious themes like brotherhood and forgiveness but so so so many separate parts of ffiv suddenly snap together beautifully if you take the theme of parents and in loco parentis: adoption, guardianship, teachers. people taking responsibility for those younger or weaker. not fully as parents necessarily but what they need in that moment. and how they and the protectee address it when they fail at that duty.
the king, cecil, and kain. cecil remembering the bodies of pacifist mysidians and realizing that's not why he became a dark knight. cid has his own daughter but finds time to check in on cecil, unmoored from his royal foster dad. kain wanting to feel closer to his birth father. rydia's existence. tellah and anna. cecil and rydia, who have lost everything they can protect except rosa, not knowing how to help edward make this realization in his own grief, only how to hurt or belittle him. rosa mentoring rydia to learn fire is honestly rosa's strongest characterization moment outside of kain and cecil drama hours. yang looking over the bodies of the junior monks he was teaching. yang jumping in after rydia without hesitating. leviathan we learn later taking in rydia. cecil returning to mysidia. cecil looking down at palom and porom saying i'm sorry you want literal children to climb the holycursed zombie mountain?
i kinda like to think that was the first test and cecil didn't even realize. if he hadn't spoken up about how weird it seems sending kids well maybe he's just faking being contrite and following his own moral compass now because if you don't know palom and porom can nuke half the mountain on their own that would be extremely weird. ah yes, the elder says, moving his hand under the desk from the 'eject' button. don't worry about these two they'll be fine. :) cecil quickly realizing the two brats are all but carrying him up the mountain he thought he needed to protect them from.
that is all just the first act
except for kain's whole thing boiling over under the "brotherhood/jealousy" theme, moments that fall outside "guardianship" are i think generally less memorable, or if not set up well feel forced to me, like plain readings of the love triangle, yang and cid's sacrifices (versus palom and porom's, ouch), cecil not explaining adequately why rosa and rydia need to stay behind aside from not wanting the girlies on his implied suicide run. i'm sure i'm also forcing this interpretation a bit
That one part in Final Fantasy 4 where Cecil ends up back in Mysidia and that one merchant tells him he must’ve had a long journey and offers him a drink only for it to be poison 💀
"So armed with both the knowledge of the ancients, and the secrets of time...our ancestors settled upon an ambitious plan. They would create a new Mothercrystal, and enchant it that it might endure for all eternity. Thus would our people's wandering—our suffering—finally end, and prosperity visit us once more. And all it would require was the sacrifice of a single child. A small price to pay...or so they believed." Shula
The Rising Tide DLC introduces the Motes of Water, the tribe of the Eikon Leviathan. A people who lost their homeworld on southern Ash's coasts were persecuted by the Holy Empire of Sanbreque for not converting to the Greagorian church. Fleeing to the realm of Mysidia in the decaying Northern Territories, the Motes of Water devised a plan to restore their tribe to glory...at the cost of committing the gravest sin: sacrificing their child Dominant Waljas. Their sin results in the tribe's near destruction and is the source of Shula's, the Tributary of Mysidia, and her generation's desire to atone for their ancestors' sins. In the end, with the help of Clive, Shula and her people atone for the sins of their ancestors.
Mysidia's theme is one of the most beautiful, mesmerizing themes I've ever heard, especially Wist in Water. It reflects the isolated yet seemingly idyllic paradise where non-bearers and bearers live in harmony, compared to Valisthea's policy of enslaving and dehumanizing bearers. However, said paradise is underlined in the tragedy of sin that the Motes of Water had committed.
Our Mother's Sky introduces us to the pretty, blue skies of Mysidia, the last remnant of the Northern Territories unaffected by the Blight, and the title of the DLC. The short track's use of the piano and the orchestra helps set the tone of the DLC.
From Spire to Sea showcases the land of Mysidia, the Aires of Hours, and Waljas' prison with the giant frozen wave of water. Similar to Our Mother's Sky, it helps set up the pleasant vibes of Mysidia.
The Ceaseless Rill plays as the party ascends towards Mysidia. It is a great prelude to Wist in Water. The piano conveys the feeling of loneliness yet anticipation of Mysidia's beauty, and the guitar adds a great layer of musical charm to the piano.
Wist in Water is simply beyond beautiful. I regard the track as one of the masterpiece tracks of Soken and his team. It is also one of the best video game tracks I've heard. Pianos are the best way to immerse someone in a story and environment. Pianos stand out and they bring an elegant and highly adaptable soundscape. The pianos reflect the joy and wonder of exploring Mysidia. The way the piano ascends and descends over and over, along with the orchestra, reflects the joy of Mysidia in contrast to the rest of Valisthea.
Bid Time Return, the Aires of Hours theme, reflects the Northern Territories' pride with the undertones of the tragedy of the Motes of Water. The horn instruments really stand out in this track as it reflects the Northern Territories' former glory before their downfall. The orchestra reflects the modern state of the Aire of Hours, now a testament to the Motes of Water's ultimate sin. The orchestra, flutes, and drums kick in when the battle variant of the theme plays as we combat the FF staple creature, Tonberries, and other creatures who made the Aires of Hours their hunting grounds.
