The Luce thing kinda makes me start to believe that there is a strain of western iconoclasm unique to Protestantism and that it is, in a way I cannot really describe, linked to modern progressive ideology very deeply.
If your "conservatism" is revolutionary...
It took John Calvin's Geneva only about a century to produce Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Yes yes I am also recognizing that without Protestantism you don't get the industrial revolution and that a lot of commies are catholic and that jews are progressive as well I know, it's just an observation
The story recognizes that there are strange Gods controlling humanity behind the scenes, but the villain is a luciferian figure that is trying to raise Humanity to rule in their stead, by any means
Even if the game is rigged, act honorably?
The game and story are all well written, but ultimately are very cold. The lack of interpersonal relationships, romance, even characters trying to justify their passions...
All are less important than duty and honor and doing "the right thing" which amounts to:
Know your place
Again, I consider it the best written mainline Final Fantasy of the last 20 years
It is Anime Game of Thrones, only without the edge
However it never quite seems to achieve its vision