For the record, I don't dislike Stormblood. I think it's the best in terms of story so far. For me, though, the reason I love the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole is because it typically does a great job at creating complicated antagonists both major and minor. My two favourite games out of the numbered titles are IX and XII for precisely that reason. At no point does either game try to shove modern day concepts of morality down the player's throats nor do they take the approach of '
A, B and C have to be punished at all costs because they're the bad guys'.
Many of the antagonists involved in IX, for instance, were tied to attempted and actual genocide but the game and developers didn't make a point of trying to lecture players. In fact, the game was written in such a way as to
encourage players to sympathise with the antagonists just as often as with the protagonists. XII was very politically driven and dismantled the tiresome 'Evil Empire' trope by making things very nuanced and complicated as well.
Garlemald deserves the same treatment. Which is precisely what I'm hoping for. I don't want to dismantle the Garlean Empire. I don't want to see the likes of Varis, Gaius and Regula killed for the sake of glory by the self righteous protagonists who have convenient plot devices at their disposal and never have to truly worry about having to resort to desperate, dubious measures for the sake of their own survival. I
The antagonists, too, have their own reasons for fighting - and so it's very worrying for me that Yoshi-P doesn't want people to sympathise with Garlemald. I'm hoping that's just a translation issue - because that isn't 'Final Fantasy' to me. Or many other people, I'd wager. I'm just hoping that we start seeing the better elements of Garlemald soon and the cost of war is reflected on both sides of the conflict rather than just one.
Fordola and Yotsuyu being left alive is promising, though - but I'll be disappointed if they just end up being redeemed in such a way as to have them turn against Garlemald completely and loathe themselves for what they did. From their perspective, after all, they had their own reasons to fight for Garlemald. Whether or not they were misguided is another matter entirely.
I'm hoping the Garlean Consulate in Kugane is used as a staging ground for attempted diplomacy with the more reasonable elements of Garlemald as it's pretty disgusting that Regula sacrificed his life for the Scions and there's not a hint of acknowledgement or pause when it comes to killing Garleans on the part of the Warrior of Light and Scions.
I just want them to commit to the shades of grey they've established. There's a side quest that involves dealing with a Garlean commander in Gyr Abania who is beloved by the Ala Mhigans he was leading. They threaten to kick out the Eorzean Alliance and Resistance if they intend to lay a finger on that same commander. I thought that was pretty great.
...yet it's tucked away in a side quest, much like Regula's heroic sacrifice and demise. It needs to be more central and tied to the MSQ's to make things less one sided. To force the protagonists to acknowledge such nuances.
I'll admit, I'm hopeful that things with Garlemald will be suitably exciting and nuanced. I'm just wary after WoW screwed me over repeatedly where blood elves and their justifications for their actions were concerned. I'm also a role-player, so naturally I'm pretty heavily invested in the game's lore.