Mychael

While I enjoyed Exp33, I think comparing the deaths within it to those in Final Fantasy games (especially the older ones) is a stretch. In Exp33, pretty much the whole story is about the deaths due to the Gommage, and preventing it by slaying the paintress. Literally the entire premise of the game (at least at the start) is steeped heavily in the whole death trope. Final Fantasy isn't that way at all, in the vast majority of games the major theme isn't skewed towards death, and I'm glad it isn't. In a game series which has been running for so long and has so many successful games, the subject of returning from death or avoiding death isn't a bad thing, it is playing to it's strengths. As you correctly pointed out, there have been deaths which are permanent in Final Fantasy games, and conspicuous by its absence (unsure why you avoided it, perhaps because it heavily goes against the point you are making?) Is FFXIV, which has many many character deaths which are permanent. A character death should be poignant, it should make a big impact and while FFXIV achieves it excellently, I'd argue Gustave's death was majorly dulled in terms of impact by Verso, there should have been a period of time without him there. That would have had a bigger impact than "Gustave is dead, but here's his replacement instantly."