In the English version of Final Fantasy 14, Critchlow voiced Count Edmont de Fortemps–a major character in the Heavensward expansion and its narrator besides. After his death, the Final Fantasy 14 community held vigils of remembrance outside the Fortemps manor in Ishgard and sent love and support to Critchlow’s friends and family. Robert Harper, one such friend of the late voice actor, saw this support and decided to pick up Final Fantasy 14 to hear Critchlow’s voice one last time.

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Harper, also known as anOldVideoGamer on Reddit and thePoetPlays on Twitter and Twitch, was hooked immediately–he spent 194 hours in Final Fantasy 14’s free trial meandering through the critically-acclaimed MMORPG, leveling his crafting and gathering classes. As the one-year anniversary of Critchlow’s death neared, Harper put his nose to the grindstone so he could reach Heavensward before the date–a feat he has just recently succeeded on.

Critchlow and Harper first met doing work for the BBC’s Radio Drama company, where they became fast friends. Harper himself has been a long-time gamer, but he never got into Final Fantasy 14 due to its daunting size and popularity. However, after Critchlow’s death, he decided to give the game another try, in no small part due to the warmth of the Final Fantasy 14 community last September. Needless to say, Harper was glad he did.

Harper’s fellow Final Fantasy 14 fans were moved by his heartfelt journey through the game. Within 24 hours of reporting his first steps into Ishgard, hundreds of Final Fantasy 14 players showered Harper with affection, love, and remembrance for Critchlow in his depiction of Count Fortemps. Harper thanked his fellow fans for the gestures and for keeping Critchlow’s memory alive, even going so far as to record a short voice message for the community.

As the anniversary of Critchlow’s death approaches, Harper plans to hold another vigil in Ishgard for his old friend. Harper plays on the Phantom server of the Chaos Data Center, meaning EU characters can join him in person with Final Fantasy 14’s new Data Center Travel system. Those on other Physical Data Centers can instead hold vigils on their own home servers.

Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.

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Source: Gamesradar