Revenant Wings – Feolthanos Exultant (The Final Battle)
-The game’s not messing around. It straight up tells us this is the final battle.
-We got a GIANT Feolthanos right here. He looks a lot like Braska’s Final Aeon, the final boss in FFX.
-The enemies are all “Wing Wraiths,” a new melee type. Interesting that they’re not flying. Normally I’d just counter with all flying, but I don’t know what attack type Feolthanos is. I go with a balanced party.
-Like most final bosses, I’m mentally preparing to die, learn what I can, and adjust.
-The camera zooms in dramatically to Feolthanos’s left hand, body, and right hand. Must be one of those multi-part bosses, like Exdeath.
-His left and right hands periodically do things. His left hand does a smash for area damage around it, making me very glad I have ranged espers. The right hand casts a spell that halves everyone’s HP.
Smash and zap.
-I take out the left hand first. No more smashing.
-RIGHT HAND DOWN COME ONNNN! As I go, Wing Wraiths keep spawning.
-I’m wary of the body. It hasn’t done anything yet – unless its ability is spamming these Wing Wraiths at me.
-GOT THE BODY!! …wait, no, I just pushed it into a new phase. He summons Bahamut.
-Bahamut’s just a regular rank 3 flyer. Tough, but not Mydia-tough. Took it down with my ranged army.
-Ahhhh crap. I lost. Feolthanos started blasting rays of light from his chest. My whole party was packed right in front of him.
-Let’s try that again. This time, spread my party out. Once Bahamut dies, send only a limited party there.
-It takes a while. This becomes a battle of attrition, as I take out Wing Wraiths while sending in limited mixed parties beat on the chest. I can get some healing in from outside the chest laser range, but no damage.
-GOT HIM HAHAHAHAHAHA YESSSSS
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I Look Like a Waiter
-We flash back to Feolthanos’ memory. He explains to his attendant why he’s leaving his anima here.
“This anima is the key that will give my family wings. One day they will spread those wings and find their way home to me.”
He started out from a good place. He led his people away from the manipulative Occuria, and left a plan for reunion with his descendants on Ivalice.
“Someday they will come. Until then, I must wait. Even if I wait for all eternity.”
-The memory ends. Vaan wakes up alone in Feolthanos’ throne room.
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Throne Room
Feolthanos appears in his normal-size original form. He approaches Vaan.
“Take up your sword. Face me in my glory.” NOOOOOO PLEASE NOT ANOTHER PHASE! I haven’t been leveling Vaan. Pleeeease let this be like the fight at the end of FF7 where you’re basically scripted to win.
-They clash swords briefly. Feolthanos is shocked at how weak Vaan’s anima is.
-They clash again. Feolthanos wrecks Vaan, forcing him to the ground.
-Then Kytes and Filo appear to help! Filo is fast and all, but Kytes has become such a powerhouse.
-And then Llyud. This is my favorite part of all, given all the crap the aegyl have endured.
HAHAHA LLYUD LEAPS INTO THE AIR AND SMASHES DOWN ON HIS GOD
-Ashe joins, and teleports us out of Feolthanos’ blast.
-He charges at our group when BASCH appears and takes the hit. Then Fran and Balthier join.
All this time, Feolthanos strenuously argues that his way is the only way. The aegyl must give themselves up to him for any hope. We’re arguing for something more democratic as our strength.
FEOLTHANOS: “We each face death alone. Those you have known and trusted… they cannot help you then.”
Then, Penelo. Who has helped us constantly as we faced death.
The heroine appears.
PENELO: “The people we’ve known shape who we are. They become a part of us that can never be taken away. Anything that important… even if you lost it, it wouldn’t be long before it turned up again.”
-I love how this scene incorporates game mechanics into the action. Feolthanos keeps buffing himself with haste, protect, shell, etc. Penelo drops in here and heals the group.
We fight once more. I only control Vaan – the rest are AI controlled. Pretty sure I can’t lose.
He falls.
-Feolthanos has accepted his end now. He urges Llyud to guide the aegyl.
FEOLTHANOS: “Our dream of the sky must never die.”
-He casts some kind of magick on Llyud. Hopefully he just gave back his anima.
-He’s surprisingly grateful for us defeating him! It frees him, broke him out of his endless, repeating, toxic goals. This mirrors the end of the Creator fight in FFIV: The After Years. Mydia was right. We saved Feolthanos.
-He takes wing, flies upwards, and fades away. FINAL BATTLE COMPLETE!
The game also shows me my final completion percentage. I think I did pretty well! I wasn’t trying for crafting completion, and probably didn’t update my weapons as often as I should have.
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Farewells
-The Keep of Forgotten Time is collapsing. We’re running when Yarhi suddenly appear.
[Later edit: These are the specific espers I picked for the final battle! What a cool touch.]
AWW! They’re just saying goodbye. With the aegyl anima free, the Yarhi will fade.
[Non-rhetorical question: what were the rank 3 Yarhi anyway? My best guess is that those like Zalera or Ultima are really just powerful recreations of the actual Zalera/Ultima, like how the FFXIV primals are strong copies of the actual creatures.]
-We say our goodbyes to each other. Balthier and Fran will await us on the Strahl. Ashe and Basch need transport back to Ivalice.
-The Yarhi puff out. They bow and wave to us as they disappear.
-Lemures itself will break apart without the auraliths to keep it up here. Llyud will lead the aegyl.
LLYUD: “The sky is broad, and the horizon wide. We will find our new home.”
-The classic Final Fantasy theme begins. Penelo dances on the top screen while we the bottom shows the ship’s log, with Penelo and Vaan reflecting on the group’s growth.
-A cinematic starts of Lemures breaking apart and the party watching from the Strahl. I hope it falls somewhere harmless. A continent falling from the sky seems likely to have a huge death toll.
I mean, probably not since this is supposed to be a fairly happy ending, but still.
-The Strahl and Galbana fly away. I wonder where the Galbana is off to. Maybe it’ll serve the aegyl.
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Credits
-The credits roll with colored sketched in the background. I think it mostly shows what the party’s up to later.
-Llyud’s on a floating island somewhere.
-Balthier and Fran are at a grave. Balthier lays flowers and smiles.
Whose grave is that? It’s probably obvious, but I forgot a lot of details from FFXII.
-Ashe, Basch, and Larsa spend time together.
-Aw, this may be my favorite series of panels. Filo is kicking ass in some kind of competition as people cheer.
Could be Ivalician quidditch for all I know. Tomaj and Cu Sith hang out, and Kytes is doing something with some rank 1 espers. (Aren’t they gone?)
-NEVER MIND THESE LAST SKETCHES OF VAAN AND PENELO ARE MY FAVORITE
Shopping together and being adorable.
The end.
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Next time: Final thoughts on Revenant Wings.
