Final Fantasy 16 is shaping up to be a very different entry in the franchise, and this has been pretty clear since day one. Final Fantasy 16 is billed as a darker, more mature story, tackling more serious motifs and plot points than past games. Its inspirations alone, such as Game of Thrones and The Witcher 3, make this very clear. That's not to say that Final Fantasy hasn't told serious narratives in the past, but these are often masked to some degree. Final Fantasy 6's end of the world is painted behind pixels, Final Fantasy 10's cycle of sin is packaged behind a story of love, and the deaths of characters like Zack Fair are made more personal, not mature.
With this in mind, it's clear just how deeply Final Fantasy 16 breaks from the franchise. Its darkest moments are not hidden by pixelated art but pushed with the full power of the PS5, the story may have love but a war for control of the Crystals and an all-consuming Blight are at the forefront, and seemingly a death—long-speculated to be Clive's brother Joshua—sees Clive pursue revenge. Not justice, a quest for vengeance that consumes Clive's entire life in Final Fantasy 16. And that's just the tone and what's known right now. More "tradition breaks" are likely to be seen at release, but from design and development to in-game and real-world approaches, Final Fantasy 16 IS a break from tradition.
Final Fantasy 16: A Break From Tradition
It may not seem like much, but one major way Final Fantasy 16 breaks from tradition is its voice lines, facial capture, and mocap. Traditionally, Square Enix does everything in Japan first (for obvious reasons) and later dubs the English over the characters. However, early in the game's news cycle, it was revealed that it was recording English first, specifically British English. This may not seem like a big deal, but it shows the dedication to making the setting of Valisthea seem deeply rooted in its medieval fantasy theme. This tradition break may go a long way in making sure the setting sells its vibe, instead of seeming like a "specific" setting made for any Final Fantasy game.
Furthermore, while crystals have always been important in the franchise and are important in Final Fantasy 16, they are thematically going in reverse. They are traditionally a symbol of good, life, magic, and righteous power in the world, with them guiding it usually toward salvation. Their corruption tends to go the other way. It's unclear what their exact story role is yet, though Final Fantasy 16 does seem to feature a war over the crystals and Eikons, but one of the earliest marketing points for Final Fantasy 16 was this line: "The legacy of the crystals have shaped our history for long enough." If their role is antagonized more than normal, then it is a massive break from tradition.
On the more speculative end, this and Clive's background may signal his character as a massive break from tradition. Clive does seem to be a "chosen one," but not in a heroic manner. As the Dominant of the Dark Eikon Ifrit, Clive already has some degree of innate evil. Perhaps he'll fight it, perhaps it'll be more nuanced than good vs. evil, but ultimately he appears to be a Warrior of Darkness in Final Fantasy 16. While the earlier games were clear that players were Warriors of the Light often opposed to the Warriors of Darkness, some of the later games moved away from calling it this on the nose, but those remained underlying themes—themes the game seems to breaking away from.
To a lesser degree, companions and the party system in Final Fantasy 16 are treated differently. Each game does this differently to some degree, sure, but Noctis had his bros along for the adventure, Lightning's partners remained consistent, Vaan and his group stayed strong, and so on and so forth. It has been confirmed that Final Fantasy 16 has a party system, including the wolf companion Torgal, but they have not been marketed like others. In fact, the wording around it suggests they come and go and are, oftentimes, groups made of convenience than made for a reason. As a result, the companion and party system seems to thematically move away from past games too.
Final Fantasy 16 also explores three eras of Clive's life, with the game encompassing roughly thirty years in total. Not only is that one of the largest time frames to be covered by a complete game (not just a single time skip), but it ends with Clive being the oldest character in the franchise at 33. This beckons back to the more mature approach to storytelling, especially when characters are generally in their young 20s. Few have ever crossed the thirty mark, but one notable is Jack Garland who is 32. Jack Garland has some darker and more mature story elements to him, so that says something about the direction of Clive.
All in all, it's clear just how big of a break from tradition Final Fantasy 16 is, and it's definitely possible there are more breaks discovered ahead of its release in June. Not to mention, when Final Fantasy 16's release date does come around, there's likely to be plenty more to discover too.
Final Fantasy 16 launches on June 22 for PS5.
