It looks like Baldur’s Gate 3 is the latest in an increasingly long line of games to refer to everyone’s favorite critically acclaimed MMO Final Fantasy 14.
Over the weekend, oodles of fans took to social media to share a screenshot of a certain quest. To some, "Folk Hero: A Smile Better Suits" is a fairly standard name for a mission, though not to Final Fantasy 14 fans.
"There's no running from the critically acclaimed MMORPG is there?" One warrior of light says. Another adds, "Final Fantasy 14 reference in my Baldur’s Gate – everywhere I look there is no escape".
You get the idea.
For the benefit of my editor – and maybe you! – there’s a scene in Final Fantasy 14 Heavensward expansion that consistently nails fans in the feels when they come across it. In it, a character called Haurchefant takes a fatal blow in your spread, telling you not to despair as, yes, a "smile better suits a hero." It happened around eight years ago, and I’m still sad about it.
Given that Baldur’s Gate 3 has peaked at 814,666 concurrent players on Steam alone, it was only a matter of time until someone from Final Fantasy 14’s orbit saw it. As an aside, you can check out our Baldur's Gate 3 review in progress at the link.
The Haurchefant reference is far from the first time we’ve seen the critically acclaimed MMO appear in another game, either. The Sims 4 is currently leading the charge on that front, with various nods appearing differing expansion. There’s even a reference to Final Fantasy 14’s constantly mentioned "return to waking sands" text in World of Warcraft’s Dragonflight expansion, which is quite wholesome as FF14’s Naoki Yoshida is seldom shy to share his admiration of Blizzard.
If you're interested, Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail kicks off the MMO's next 10-year adventure in 2024.
