Square Enix have revealed more information about Final Fantasy XVI, revealing more about the game’s characters and the world.
The information comes via the game’s new official website, showing off some new artwork and the tagline “The legacy of the crystals has shaped our history for long enough.” The official website also has pages dedicated to the game’s world and characters; along with artwork for each.
In summation, the land of Valisthea is dotted with Mothercrystals- giant crystals that grant the world aether. This allows the people to cast magicks, and make their lives easier. While civilizations have built up around these crystals, the spreading Blight threatens the “uneasy peace” between the prospering nations.
The world also has individuals called Dominants, a person who can call upon Eikons; mighty creatures that have been summons in past Final Fantasy games. Some Dominants are treated as royalty, others are held captive for fear of their abilities, and some are forced to be weapons of war. “Those who are born as Dominants cannot escape their fate, however cruel it may be.”
The “realms” of the land were also listed. You can find the rundown (along concept art and flags) from the World section of the website below.
The Grand Duchy of Rosaria
Long ago, a group of small independent provinces in western Valisthea found strength in unity, and formed the Grand Duchy of Rosaria. After years of relative prosperity, the duchy now finds itself threatened by the spread of the Blight—a threat that, left unchecked, would doubtless usher the realm to ruin. Rosaria draws its aether from Drake’s Breath, a Mothercrystal situated on a volcanic island off the coast. The Dominant of the Phoenix, Eikon of Fire, is enthroned as Archduke when they come of age.
The Holy Empire of Sanbreque
Sanbreque is the largest theocratic force in Valisthea. The Empire’s holy capital Oriflamme is built around Drake’s Head, the Mothercrystal that blesses the surrounding provinces with abundant aether. The people happily take advantage of this, living in comfort and security under the watchful gaze of the Holy Emperor, whom they worship as the living incarnation of the one true deity. The Dominant of [redacted] serves as the empire’s champion, taking to the field in times of war to rout its enemies.
The Kingdom of Waloed
Waloed claims the entirety of Ash, the eastern half of Valisthea, as its dominion. The kingdom’s control of the continent has oft been tested by the orcs and other beastmen who make their home there, but the current ruler of the realm—Dominant of [redacted]—has succeeded in quelling their rebellions. Using the power of the kingdom’s Mothercrystal, Drake’s Spine, this new king has built up a mighty army, with which he now seeks to test the borders of his neighbors.
The Dhalmekian Republic
The Dhalmekian Republic is made up of five states, from which the members of its ruling parliament are drawn. Its Mothercrystal, Drake’s Fang, is half-hidden in the heart of a mountain range—the republic’s control over it, and its aether, securing the obedience of the large part of southern Valisthea. The Dominant of Titan, Eikon of Earth, is installed as a special advisor to parliament and has a significant say in its decision-making.
The Iron Kingdom
A small group of islands off the coast of Storm, the western half of Valisthea’s twin realms. Here the Crystalline Orthodox, an extreme faith that worships crystals, reigns supreme. The Iron Kingdom controls Drake’s Breath, the Mothercrystal that sits at the heart of one of their islands—long a source of contention with neighboring Rosaria. Isolated and aloof from the mainland nations, the Ironblood speak their own language. Orthodox doctrine judges Dominants to be unholy abominations, and any unlucky enough to be born on the islands are executed.
The Crystalline Dominion
The Crystalline Dominion sits at the heart of Valisthea, built around the tallest of all the Mothercrystals, Drake’s Tail. Many bloody battles were fought for control of this small plot of land due to its strategic importance, till the warring realms finally agreed to an armistice. As part of the peace treaty, the islands around Drake’s Tail became an autonomous dominion led by a council of representatives from the surrounding nations—each realm enjoying equal claim to the Mothercrystal’s blessing. No Dominant makes their home there.
Three of the game’s major characters were also explained in more depth. Clive Rosfield is the first son of the Archduke of Rosaria. While he was expected to inherit the power of the Phoenix Dominant, it instead went to his younger brother Joshua. Clive then began to search for a new purpose, learning how to use a sword.
At 15 he won the ducal tournament and was dubbed the First Shield of Rosaria, tasked with guarding Phoenix (and Joshua) along with using some of its fire. Clive’s new purpose was cut short by the dark Eikon Ifrit, “setting him on a dangerous road to revenge.”
Joshua Rosfield, the aforementioned second son of Rosaria’s Archduke and Dominant of Phoenix, is only five years younger than his brother. His powers awoke soon after his birth, and despite his status he treated all his father’s subjects with kindness.
He admires Clive, lamenting he is bookish, frail, and cowardly (“While Clive will gladly throw himself into any danger, Joshua quails at the sight of a carrot on his dinner plate”). He feels Clive would have been the better Dominant. Nonetheless, he is drawn into the events that change Clive’s life and fate.
The last of the characters shown is Jill Warrick; noted as being born in the fallen Northern Territories, and became a ward of Rosaria at a “tender age.” This secured peace between the nations, and the Archduke insisted she was raised along with her sons. Now 12 years old, she is “kind, gracious, and unassuming;” along with being a confidant of the brothers and a firm part of the family.
You can find artwork for all three characters below.
Finally, a message from producer Naoki Yoshida was shared via the game’s website. This “message from the developers” explains the game’s reveal trailer (featuring battles and cutscenes) featured footage that was running in real time.
While that was produced with a “handful of core members” the development team has only grown since then, to a “full-fledged unit that continues to polish and build upon what they have created so far, all to provide players an experience unmatched in terms of story and gameplay.”
The next major pieces of information will be revealed in 2021. You can find the full message below.
FINAL FANTASY XVI producer (that’s right, just producer) Naoki Yoshida here. How did you enjoy the trailer? The exclusive footage, comprised of both battles and cutscenes running in real time, represents but a fraction of what our team has accomplished since the start of development on this, an all-new FINAL FANTASY game. In that span, the team’s size has grown from a handful of core members to a full-fledged unit that continues to polish and build upon what they have created so far, all to provide players an experience unmatched in terms of story and gameplay.
Our next big information reveal is scheduled for 2021, so in the meantime, I expect everyone to have fun speculating, as we have a lot in store—not only for the newest entry in the series, FINAL FANTASY XVI, but for FINAL FANTASY XIV, too. Needless to say, I’ll be working hard on both!
Final Fantasy XVI is currently in development for PlayStation 5.
Image: Twitter
