The release of Square Enix's Final Fantasy 16 is now mere months away, and many will be eager to get their hands on the newest installment of arguably the biggest JRPG franchise in the world. For a long time after its initial reveal trailer, details regarding Final Fantasy 16 were scarce, but now, as marketing and hype for the game begins to reach a crescendo, fans have a much better understanding of many details surrounding the game's plot, characters, world and combat system. There is still much that is not known though, and the blight which seems to be corrupting FF16's world of Valisthea is one of the remaining mysteries yet to be uncovered.
Final Fantasy 16 will put players into the shoes of protagonist Clive Rosfield, a complex individual who looks set to embark on an epic journey that will push him to his limits. Clive's brother, Joshua, is a Dominant, a person born with the ability to host an Eikon- powerful beings that long-standing fans of Final Fantasy will know as Summons. These Dominants, who can also summon their Eikon's power when needed, are highly revered and even considered royalty by certain citizens of Valisthea. It's apparent from the outset that a terrible blight has descended on the land, corrupting everything in its path and threatening to destroy the entire world unless it is stopped. However, other aspects of the blight remain shrouded in mystery.
Final Fantasy 16's Blight Has Not Yet Been Explained
The nature of this blight, and how exactly it threatens Final Fantasy 16's world of Valisthea, is not fully understood yet. There are a couple of logical explanations though, and each would have different consequences for the overarching narrative. The first possibility to consider is that the blight itself could well be a man-made thing. It's entirely plausible that someone in Valisthea has created it, and is using it to further their own ambitions, whatever they may be.
Despite Final Fantasy 16 introducing several characters so far, if it has a primary antagonist, their identity hasn't been revealed yet. If the villain, whoever it may be, has created this blight themselves, it would be a great way to immediately alert the player as to just how big of a threat they are. That being said, the impact that the blight is having on the land, poisoning and withering everything it touches, could also indicate it's a natural disaster of sorts, perhaps caused by the MotherCrystals that loom over the land themselves beginning to wane. This would explain the urgency around Clive halting the blight in its tracks, as the trailers indicate that he and the others are in a race against time to stop it.
Final Fantasy 16's many Eikons, and their nature, have also been the subject of much speculation by fans. There is a feeling that perhaps the blight can even corrupt Eikons themselves, turning them into much darker, more sinister entities. Irrespective of its origin or what exactly it's capable of, the concept of a blight sweeping over the land is not an entirely new one for Final Fantasy, with several previous installments, including FF9, FF12, and FF14, all experimenting with this idea in different ways.
Final Fantasy 16's shift towards a more combat-orientated, real-time action game is a bold move that aims to introduce the series to a brand-new audience while appeasing its older fans at the same time, which is an incredibly difficult balancing act. If successful though, this could be a huge year for Square Enix's blockbuster franchise, with the second installment in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, titled Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, also expected to arrive before the year is over.
Final Fantasy 16 releases on June 22 for PS5.
