Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Review (PS5) | Push Square

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Final Fantasy 14 is in a transitional period. The 2021 expansion Endwalker was effectively the finale to a story that began with 2013's A Realm Reborn way back on PlayStation 3. It was a sort of Final Fantasy meets Avengers Endgame; a story that capped off eight years, four expansions, and over 200 hours of story content in a spectacular emotional rollercoaster of a climax with the fate of the universe in the balance.

But where do you go from there? What do you do once you've crossed most of the t's and dotted most of the i's, once you've battled a foe of unfathomable power hell-bent on wiping out literally everything? How do you top a story as big as Endwalker, itself just the final chapter of an already massive tale? Dawntrail is the next chapter in the Final Fantasy 14 story and it answers that question with a shrug. You don't top it. And what's more, you don't even try to — at least, not right away.

It's a bold move. Dawntrail dials everything back to zero. This is a story that starts out not with low stakes, but no stakes. You're hired by a Hrothgar (basically, a lion lady) called Wuk Lamat, who is the adopted daughter of the ruler of Tural, a continent largely unknown to the people of Eorzea. She's one of four competitors in a contest to find the fabled city of gold and determine who will take over from the aging Dawnservant when he relinquishes the throne.

And so with little left to do in Eorzea following the events of Endwalker and in dire need of a little bit of fun in the sun, you and a few of your comrades follow Wuk Lamat to Tural to act as her entourage in the succession contest. What follows is a mostly light-hearted adventure in the astonishingly beautiful Tural, helping the endlessly optimistic and likeable Wuk Lamat as she visits the different regions of the continent and takes part in everything from cooking a local delicacy to catching and riding an alpaca.

The opening hours of Dawntrail are charming, and funny, but they're not exactly riveting.