The Party

[Fynn]

Which is why XII is darker.

Sonething that is closer to life will always be darker than some space whale creating tsunamis by farting on the ocean. This is the very essence of the Adult Fear trope.

To elaborate, using Raist's GoT example - Game of Thrones isn't dark because a lot of people die. Yes, many do, and it's shocking, but it's not the fact that they die that makes them dark, but that they die regardless of their endeavors. All of their hopes are crushed because the world is cold and unfeeling and everyone is a terrible person underneath. And you can see parallels with real people and real life events, and you start to question how good people are innately. That's dark.

In FFXII, similarly, it's not about the power struggle. It's about Vayne being well intentioned, and Ashe being just as well intentioned, and Basch being fiercely loyal - even if those good intentions lead them to genocide. Granted, Ashe did not decide on mass genocide because she opened up to others, but Vayne almost did in the name of freedom. That's why it's dark - good intentions are not enough, and can often have horrifying results, just as in real life.