Ben Starr, the voice actor behind Final Fantasy XVI’s protagonist Clive, has revealed that his work on the new RPG game has helped him process the loss of his father.
Talking on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, Starr was asked if there were any “outside influences” for his work as the RPG protagonist.
The voice actor revealed that his father sadly passed away during the development of Final Fantasy XVI. As he was working on the project, his work as Clive allowed him to heal and process his grief.
“Let’s get real… this game means a lot to me,” Starr said. “My dad died during the making of this game, and there's a lot of loss that Clive goes through, and I'm sorry to get heavy but it's true. It is amazing how much this game allowed me to process that loss into something good and creative."
Starr revealed that he channeled his grief into his work as Clive. During some of the game’s most dour moments, his pain was able to used to portray Clive’s as well, resulting in some of his best work.
“The team were incredibly good at allowing me to be as expressive as I possibly could. So yeah, when you're hearing some of that stuff, that's kind of real,” he explained.
"That loss was devastating, it destroyed me. I'm trying to vocalize it and get it out there as much as possible because I want him to be remembered, and he's so much a part of this game and a part of the fabric of who Clive is... A lot of the stuff, as it goes on it feels raw. It's that, and it's him, and he's in this game as much as I am," the actor concludes.
Starr revealed that his relationship with the Final Fantasy franchise started with his dad, and working on the new game helped to save him from his grief.
"Clive saved my life,” Starr explained. “This game saved my life. The last time I ever spoke to my dad was on the way to recording this game. He was the guy who first brought me Final Fantasy 8. He was the guy who supported me.”
Final Fantasy XVI is a bold new direction for the iconic JRPG franchise. Continuing the series’ abandonment of the turn-based structure to create a vast open-world action game set in an expansive fantasy world.
While the game did originally have its detractors, the recent FF XVI demo has turned some of its naysayers around. The demo has been so successful that many have asked for a demo of other PlayStation exclusive games, including Spider-Man 2.
Final Fantasy XVI launches on PlayStation 5 consoles on June 22nd. However, the massive RPG has already broken street date, meaning many are already posting spoilers online. If you’re excited for the new game, you better watch out.
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