10 Hidden Secrets In Final Fantasy 16
Whistle Through Time
Chocobos have long been a staple of the Final Fantasy series and in Final Fantasy 16, Clive’s beloved Chocobo Ambrosia plays a more important role than ever before. Even if her side quest to join him is entirely missable. However, simply having Chocobos in 16 isn’t the only callback to the series’ history. While in the open world, Clive can whistle for Ambrosia to join him and explore the world from the back of the beautiful bird, but it’s specifically his whistle we want to focus on here. For long time fans, and we do mean LONG time fans, Clive’s whistle is the exact same whistle that Tidus teaches to Yuna all the way back in Final Fantasy 10. It’s a wonderful callback not only to the series history but also its usage, in which Tidus tells Yuna “just whistle and I’ll come running”.
Cinematic Inspirations
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Final Fantasy 16 is by far the most cinematic entry in the franchise so far with its absolutely bombastic and over the top clashes between kaiju sized Eikons, but some eagle-eyed fans may have noticed some more obvious shoutouts to other popular franchises. In particular, we’d be hard pressed to ignore the obvious design inspiration for Final Fantasy 16’s interpretation of Titan, who was already a long-standing icon of the series. Fans of the anime Attack on Titan will see clear similarities between Titan and the horrifying namesake monsters from the beloved anime. The second is far more obvious for fans of Middle Earth as the opening battle between the Phoenix and Ifrit is a near one-to-one recreation of the battle between Gandalf and the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Come to think of it, Ifrit’s design looks pretty familiar too.
Fantastical Weapons
The Final Fantasy series has some of the most iconic weaponry in all of gaming and Final Fantasy 16 pays homage to fan-favorites, but also some specific to some of the mainline titles. While you won’t find the likes of Cloud’s Buster Sword or Squall’s Gunblade -fingers crossed for DLC- you will find the familiar Masamune and if you were lucky enough or rich enough to snag the collector’s edition of the game you can unlock the Blood Sword, and just for preordering the game at all, the Warrior of Light’s sword Braveheart from the very first Final Fantasy title. Sadly, neither of these are upgradable so they won’t be able to stick with you for your entire journey through Valisthea.
Aiming High
Cid is one of the only characters to appear in nearly every entry in the Final Fantasy series and in most appearances, he’s the pilot of one of the series iconic airships. However, in Final Fantasy 16, while airships are routinely referenced, there’s none available to pilot but that doesn’t stop Cid’s daughter Mid from coming very close to creating her own. Using her father’s designs in a side mission called “Aiming High”, Clive can assist Mid in her dream to take to the skies using her model airship as a prototype. Longtime fans will instantly recognize her model as Cid’s famous airship The Invincible from Final Fantasy 3. While Mid’s dreams never quite take flight, anyone familiar with Cid’s lineage through the series knows it's only a matter of time before she’s airworthy.
Tactical Cid
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As previously mentioned, Cid is a long-standing staple of the franchise and while every version stands on their own, 16’s version of Cid shares a bit more in common with a Cid fans might already be familiar with. While the other games only refer to him as “Cid”, 16 uses his full name “Cidolfus” which will be almost instantly recognizable for anyone who has played Final Fantasy Tactics. Within Final Fantasy Tactics, Cidolfus is not only one of the strongest characters players can have in their party but within the game is also referred to as the “Thunder God”. In Final Fantasy 16, Cid is the dominant of the Eikon Ramuh who wields his mighty lighting rod, making Cid the de facto “Thunder God” in the realm of Valisthea.
Iconic Dragoon
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Final Fantasy 16 shares an awful lot of DNA with the fourth entry in the franchise with its warring kingdoms and a disgraced knight on the road to redemption but the similarities don’t end there. Dragoons have long been one of the many classes available to players within the franchise and even one of the best classes in Yoshi P’s other blockbuster Final Fantasy, A Realm Reborn. With the dragoons being one of the leading militant forces of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, their “Dragoon Pose” is instantly recognizable to even the most casual of fans. However, in 16, players get a much more direct callback to 4 with the Knight of Blinding Dawn’s entrance during the events of Phoenix Gate. Perched on top of the castle, his pose is nearly identical to that of Final Fantasy 4’s logo as well as the dragoon character art for both 4 and 14. Wait…why does that voice sound so familiar?
A Familiar Black Mage
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Much like the Dragoons, Mages have long been a go to character class for magic users whether they were healers or on the frontlines. Final Fantasy 9 took this beloved class and gave it a bit more character as players followed Vivi and his search for his place during the events of Final Fantasy 9. While exploring the fields north of Martha’s Rest, fans of the little black mage can find a nearly impossible to overlook Easter Egg guarding the crops of the small town eerily reminiscent of the Black Mage village Vivi discovers in 9. Upon closer inspection, there’s no mistaking the scarecrows are near carbon copies of everyone’s favorite little black mage from 9 right down to his little yellow eyes and iconic hat and coat. Final Fantasy 9 remake when?
You Spoony Bard!
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Another callback to Final Fantasy 4, this one is by far one of the easiest to overlook if you’re not familiar with its legacy. The now famous line was spoken by Tellah during a fight with who he presumes is a humble bard but is actually a prince in disguise, and in his surprise proclaims “You spoony bard!” as one is known to do in this type of situation. The line took on a life of its own and has become one of the most memorable moments from an already unforgettable game. While exploring the games’ hideout, you can find a man strumming away on a lute singing tales of the land and given his profession, of course his name is the “Spoony Bard”.
Echoes From the Past
Final Fantasy 16 has often been referenced as a celebration of the franchise by its developers, and fans will find no shortage of not only Easter Eggs but callbacks to some of the series most beloved entries. From remixes to direct homages of iconic pieces of music -seriously the music is so, so good, damn you Soken you beautiful maestro, - to job classes like the white mage Tarja as the game’s healer, and even the Hideout’s restaurant The Fat Chocobo, lifelong fans will find a lot to get nostalgic about. Even some character names such as Tiamat are direct shoutouts to the series’ origins as the character was one of the four heroes from the very first Final Fantasy game.
