There are a few things I noticed in the Final Fantasy XV Duscae demo that have made me a bit concerned for the highly anticipated upcoming addition to the Final Fantasy series. The automatic camera angles are jarring and have a nasty habit of changing right when you’re trying to lock on a target, making it incredibly difficult to land any solid attacks on an enemy or to even see where you’re going. You can only level up while resting at a campsite which, while an interesting idea in theory, prevents you from really being able to level up as you go. It’s nearly impossible to parry when you’re being attacked by multiple enemies all at once, which is often the situation you find yourself in. But, for the most part, these are all gameplay-related problems that can probably be fixed between now and the release of the full game. My bigger concern is just how rooted the game seems to be in “bro culture” or, more specifically, the effect this male-dominated and driven perspective has on female representation in the game.
Most of the articles I’ve read that have discussed the Final Fantasy XV Duscae demo and its cast of male friends have discussed this “bromance” aspect with a distinctly positive perspective and, to an extent, I do agree with some some of their points. With the exception of their physical designs, these characters do feel different from most Final Fantasy characters we’ve seen before. Though this could be because the demo presents us with only a small portion of the overall game and is definitely missing some context, these characters don’t feel so much like the typical Final Fantasy protagonists who radiate heroism. Sure, the main character is a prince of some kind, but the whole mission basically just revolves around a group of guys doing some odd jobs in order to raise enough money to fix their car while using the opportunity to camp out and spend time with each other. They’re immature, they’re rowdy, they get distracted; it seems less like a band of heroes trying to save the world and more like a group of male friends on a road trip with a magical backdrop.
Final Fantasy XV may well be the portrait of genuine, intimate male friendship that people are hoping it becomes. I certainly can’t argue that a game that highlights a positive, non-condescending portrayal of a group of male friends who are comfortable with sharing actual emotion with each other and outwardly expressing platonic love wouldn’t be beneficial to the community. But, given that all we’ve seen is a short demo, I feel uncomfortable with claiming that Final Fantasy XV‘s lack of playable (or not playable too, as there seems like there will be few women in this game even as supporting characters) female characters is excusable because of the way it portrays the relationships between its male ones, as so many writers seem to be concluding. Sure we definitely get signs of Noctis and his friends’ closeness through the demo – the fist bumps, the playful taunting, their willingness to support and help one another both in combat situations and outside of them. But is this particularly revolutionary? No, not really; we don’t get any real instances of the guys opening up with each other, sharing any insecurities, or the like. When we do get close – like one character expressing their fear of monsters in caves or another commenting on how weary the travel has made them – they tend to get mocked by another one of the characters. Now, does this mean the taunting derives from genuine insult? No, it’s more than likely just a case of friends playfully teasing each other, but the characters admitting things that might make them seem like “less of a man” in the eyes of societal gender ideals getting mocked for expressing these very things feels very counter-intuitive to the idea of genuine male intimacy in the game.
Most reviews and discussions of Duscae openly admit to the “bro” atmosphere and culture the game creates and presents. But that “bro” label also comes with a great deal of negative connotation and perhaps even unintended consequence, particularly when it comes time for these men to interact with women. The “bro” culture seems to have invaded the very way the player is meant to experience the game. You only really need to examine any scene with Cidney, the game’s female interpretation of the reoccurring mechanic character Cid, to see the effect this lens has on the game. When I, and a few of my NYMG staff watching my livestream of the demo, first came across Cidney, we all simultaneously laughed and groaned at how ridiculous she was. Here was an unbelievably objectified female character for our bros to ogle and flirt with. While I wouldn’t call the group’s interaction with her particularly offensive (outside of a few attempts to flirt with her), her very design and presentation is bad enough. Incredibly revealing and impractical clothing aside, the camera often lingers over her back end (made even worse with the shot of her thong as she bends down to tend to Noctis’ car), she seems to almost constantly be in a position that makes her look like she’s posing for a provocative photo, and her very “girl next door” mixed with “Daisy Duke” character (complete with aggrandized Southern accent in the English version) seems to be something straight out of a male fantasy. It’s hard to even find her rebuffs to their advances redeeming to her character when it once again just employs a sexist trope, this time one of the paternal figure who patrols their daughter’s sexuality. She is truly one trope-y, objectified mess of a character that makes the male-geared lens of the game all too apparent.
When presented with concerns over Final Fantasy XV‘s “bro” focus, director Hajime Tabata had the following to say:
“Speaking honestly, an all-male party feels almost more approachable for players. Even the presence of one female in the group will change their behaviour, so that they’ll act differently. So to give the most natural feeling, to make them feel sincere and honest, having them all the same gender made sense in that way.
The world might be ready to see the curtain lifted on what boys do when girls aren’t around, when they come out of the tent all prim and proper. That’s kind of the idea behind it… we think, male or female player, that everyone will feel a certain connection and bond with the four characters.”
Would have adding a female playable character to the gang have dampered exposition of Noctis and his friends’ relationship? Perhaps. Do I think that, even without prominent or playable female characters, I will still be able to connect and relate to these characters? More than likely, particularly if the game does provide more intimate glimpses into male friendships so many are hoping for. But to call the game “more approachable” because of its all male party when what we’ve seen so far is so imbued with “bro” culture that the only depiction of a female character is an animated male ideal and little else feels like a slap in the face to me as a female Final Fantasy fan. For years Final Fantasy has delivered compelling games with a fairly even cast of male and female characters (some even having more women than men) and for years I’ve gotten to play as some great female characters. I see what Square Enix is trying to achieve by having their latest Final Fantasy installment be a tale of male bonding, but the demo at least leaves something to be desired.
