Endwalker was released on the 19th of November 2021 as the finale to the Hydaelyn and Zodiark arc of the storyline. This is my review of the game after playing it from the start of A Realm Reborn.

Warning! This review contains spoilers from the Shadowbringers and Endwalker expansions used for context.

Storyline/Lore

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker end the era of Zodiark and Hydaelyn which was built up ever since the beginning of the game. After playing through Shadowbringers and being completely taken back by the amount of fascinating lore and character development, I was convinced that Endwalker was going to meet my expectation. Low and behold, it far exceeded them.

My initial impressions were that our most famous Warrior of Light would travel to wherever we needed to go in order to stop Zodiark from being set free. Let's just say, it was more than that. Endwalker has the WoL face the truth of the star of Etheirys.

Gameplay

Endwalker introduced a couple of new mechanics which add to the immersion of the plot. This built upon the already fantastic roleplay system back in Shadowbringers when Alphinaud had crash landed due to the Royal Garlean force's attempt to eradicate them. Apart from simply fighting as other characters and experiencing a taste of their class, the game now incorporates fun, exhilarating mechanics to make the player feel as if they are more engaged with the moment. Take the moment where we invade Garlemald, the heart of the imperial capital. We are transitioned between the other characters of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and one moment which I really enjoyed was the part I get to play as Thancred.

Instead of just a simple fighting match between me and other enemies, the game incorporates the usage of a battle plan to get the character to carry out their duties, planting bombs, disabling security systems and becoming a literal assassin by knocking out the tempered soldiers or smoke bombing guard dogs.

In addition to Thancred's moment, there was another that really resented me. During the time where Fandaniel warps us out into another part of Garlemald, we meet Zenos and subsequently are used as the Telophoroi's test subject. Zenos had switched bodies and it was a race against the clock to get back my allies before he does. Since I had been switched into an unknown imperial soldier, I was severely hindered. This moment felt horrible as I had basically assumed a new identity, weak and helpless under Fandaniel's watch. This is a great example of gameplay and storytelling working together to make the player connect with the world.

Overall, Endwalker really refined the moments which made Shadowbringers an extraordinary experience and brought it up to the next level.

Soundtrack

Final Fantasy XIV from the start has had a very strong and complementing soundtrack that fits well with the environment and the plot. It was probably one of the best experiences I've had playing any game. Masayoshi Soken has done an excellent job in this expansion, really summing up the whole experience as a rollercoaster full of emotions. There were so many high and low moments and to this day I still listen to the majority of the soundtracks throughout all the expansions.

World

Whilst in my opinion not as vast as Shadowbringers, Endwalker's environment design has helped complement the development of the story well and shaped how I perceive Final Fantasy XIV as a whole. My favourite locations probably have to be Old Sharlyan and Ultima Thule for their amazing architecture and eerie theme respectively. It provides such a great contrast and helps to build up to that final moment.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed Endwalker for one of the most thrilling story arcs I have ever experienced and the thought put into the characters for all these years. To conclude, I rate this expansion a 5/5 in my books.

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