After a Final Fantasy 14 voice actor passed away, his friend spent 194 hours in the MMO just to hear his voice again
After British actor Stephen Critchlow passed away last year, one of his friends took a 194-hour journey through Final Fantasy 14 just to hear his voice again.
That friend would be Robert Harper, a fellow actor who first met Critchlow in the mid-90s. "We both got a contract to be part of the BBC's Radio Drama company for a year," Harper tells GamesRadar+, sharing that the pair would go on to record a "huge amount of radio together" over that time.
The duo would collaborate with various famous actors of the time, working hard recording throughout the day and then gathering together for a drink out of hours. "Stephen certainly held his own on those occasions, both in the drinking and ability to tell stories," Harper shares.
"There was never a day I spent with Stephen that didn't include much laughter," the actor continues. "He could bring a room to tears with laughter at the drop of a hat."
On September 19, 2021, Stephen Critchlow passed away, aged 54. Known as the voice of Count Edmont de Fortemps in Final Fantasy 14's Heavensward expansion, players from across the globe came together to pay tribute to Critchlow, holding a mass vigil on Fortemps manor in Ishgard.
Harper explains that he's been an "avid gamer for over 40 years," though he couldn't get into Final Fantasy 14 as the overwhelming number of players in places like Limsa Lominsa put him off. Earlier this year, though, something changed Harper's approach to the grandiose MMO entirely.
"As the anniversary of Stephen's [passing] was looming, I started to think about him, our time together in the 90s, and I remember how fondly the Final Fantasy 14 community thought of him," Harper explains. "I was reminded of the vigils in the game in September of last year when
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