Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a gorgeously accessible and flexible MMO (review)

I told myself I’ve had enough with massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Not because I had some sort of addiction, but I was just tired of it all; the hotbars filled with spells and attacks, the constant quests from nagging villagers, and the mass murder of woodland creatures. After playing years of stuff like World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, The Lord of the Rings Online, and more, I thought I had had my fill.

But you know which MMO I didn’t play? 2010’s Final Fantasy XIV. As much as I love the Final Fantasy series (I’ve beaten every main-numbered, single-player entry), I had heard nothing but terrible things about FFXIV. Critics called it a boring, confusing mess.