ITT we talk about the Final Boss (Lots 'o' Spoilers)
I finished the main storyline today, so I wanted to post some thoughts about the final boss, and the storyline in general, so here it is. I am just going to put this whole baby in spoiler tags just to avoid ticking people off, but I wanted you to know what was in there.
(SPOILER)So, we finally reach the last set of boss battles, what we have been working for all this time, and who do we find...
Not Dr. Cid, who was the main mover behind the whole Nethacite deal (and it doesn't matter that he turned to vapor at Pharos, Gabranth made it out alive, and he didn't have a godling watching over him.)
Not Gabranth, who killed Ashe's father, Vaan's brother, and planned to have his twin brother imprisoned for years.
Not even Larsa, because that would have been unexpected and cool.
No, we get Vayne....
?
You know, the guy who made a couple of cameo appearences in cut scenes, and whose big crime up to this point had been killing the evil emperor of Arcadia.
Kind of a letdown :(.
It is not that I don't appreciate his potential to be evil, what with his long hair and all, but the writers never really bothered developing him into anything worth getting worked up about. That is the big problem, no one was ever really built up as the big bad, not like Sephi or Sin, anyway. Dr. Cid would have been a good choice, but I actually liked the way his story was wrapped up. Larsa would have been fine too, but again, it is hard to have a plot twist when there isn't really much of a plot.
Which brings us to the only guy who would have really made an acceptable final boss: Gabranth.
I squealed at joy when he showed up at the Pharos, because it was the first time since the Ozmone Plains that Vaan acknowledged why he was on the quest in the first place. Gabranth was best setup as the main advisary of Ashe, Vaan, and Basch, and I don't think it would have been that hard for him to do something horrible to Fran or Basch (Panelo is there because of Vaan). Maybe he could have been the one who got Fran's sister possesed, and instead of living in the Henne Mines, she dies. You get the point.
How cool would it have been to fight Vayne first on the Bahamut, then have Gabby jump down to kill him and wound Larsa, then you fight Gabby regular once, and in a super form once, and call it a day? Maybe he could have conjured up an awesome Esper or something if you want a three part battle. Then, at the end, he reverts to normal and Larsa kills him, that would be it. So much better than Vayne, who I almost forgot was even in the story until one of those last FMV's.
Like I said, FF XIII spent so little time on characterization, it would have been really hard for anyone to be a good villian, but Gabranth in his Vader outfit would have been the best choice. Other than Cid, he was the only one of the final bosses who really got to me, plus his screaming at Basch throughout the whole battle was awesome (btw, I love how they gave the bosses lines to say during the fight, it makes everything more real.)
A bit on the rest of the ending: I was ok with most of it, but it was a little too fairy tale in places. The whole Ashe/Balthier thing was kind of cool, but again, since they never developed the relationship during the game, it makes it hard for them to pay it off on at the end. I didn't like Penelo's new look, but it was nice to see they put in a little effort. I also didn't like how she narrated the ending, I guess I would have liked to hear people like Basch and Fran tell their story, but I guess they didn't really matter much.
Don't give me wrong, I loved the game, but the whole 'we don't have a real story or characters thing' really came home to roost in the end, especially when Mr. Unknown Vayne turns into a....robo-chicken?
Ugh.
