Final Fantasy XIV is apparently trying something a little different with its newest ad campaign: live action wholesomeness. The MMORPG’s new series of campfire stories tries to condense the totality of the game’s experience, with an adventure-hungry Dragoon, a Warrior who likes to mix it up, a community-focused White Mage, and a crafter all gushing about their experiences in Eorzea.
The results are… interesting, as the series of videos somehow manage to toe the line between wide-eyed warmth and ’90s-era TV show cheese, while reception to the ads from players on Twitter has been pretty mixed between cringing inwards into a black hole or feeling their hearts warmed.
The first of the videos lies below along with a behind-the-scenes vignette that showcases how these ads were created. It’s definitely no animated advertisement, but the effort and time put into the whole affair is pretty earnest, especially considering the obvious desire to dance around spoiler territory.
