Galvanizer said:
The fact you don't regard Vaan having any important relevance to the story of FFXII, even up to the part you stopped playing, is a testament to how well written FFXII is. It's a very complex script with a lot of depth and ramifications.
The thing is, the story wasn't even told poorly. Far from it, actulally. FFXII probably has the most well writen script to ever appear in a video game, yet alone a FF game. |
The script is the story, not how it was told, but I dare say the script would have been a lot better if Basch and Balthier were the main POV characters, or Ashe who is actually pivotal to the main plot. Everything seems to be told through Vaan, but that diminishes the important events that occur because Vaan is so far removed from most of the plot.
Vaan is easily the most uninspiring character in the game and was blatantly added in the game to be a typical androgynous male protagonist. A character for Japanese teens to relate to because that's what SE marketing found the demographic preffered. Vaan doesn't develop much as a character either over the course of the game. In fact, his actual influence and importance diminishes as the game goes on.
The use of Vaan as the token main character also meant that the other characters didn't get as much development time as they deserved with minimal interaction between party members (I actually can't remember Basch ever mentioning or talking to Fran). As it's his POV, nearly all the character development is seen through his eyes which is a shame because as I said above, he's too far removed from the plot for me to care.
I acknowledge the depth and complxity of the story, but it was told poorly. Having Vaan as the main character in FFXII was like adding Justin Bieber as the lead in Shawshank Redemption. Great story, but seen through the eyes of an uninspiring character far removed from the actual events.