Summary
Since its release,Final Fantasy 16has generally been received well thanks to its fun combat and gripping story set in the politically strained Valisthea. It is able to balance several threads incredibly well for much of its runtime, but several ofFinal Fantasy 16’s plot points end up unresolvedor left open to interpretation.
Several of these have to do with the game’s Eikons, which is surprising given their importance to the plot. Despite gaining many answers behind their purpose,Final Fantasy 16also lacks an explanation for things like Leviathan’s location and a specific power that stands out as incredibly odd.
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What’s the Deal with Sleipnir Being Created by Odin’s Magic?
Sleipnir Harbard mostly doesn’t stand out amongFinal Fantasy 16’s large cast because he spends most of his time simply serving his role as King Barnabas' right-hand man, but at times is shown to be an imposing foe due to his raw strength when his appearance suggests otherwise. Despite lacking Eikonic abilities, he still can put up a fight against Clive during their fight, and his seemingly inhuman power is later found out to be because he is not human at all.
Instead, Sleipnir is revealed to be a figure created byFinal Fantasy 16’s incredibly powerful version of Odinwith magic when droves of copies attack Clive and his friends. After this revelation, this plot point is seemingly dropped despite raising more questions than it answers. Not only does it call into question how the original Sleipnir was so powerful, but it offhandedly reveals that Eikons can create people before being disregarded.
Perhaps the biggest mystery this sprouts is if this power is unique to Odin or if all Eikons can create people as nothing in the game suggests Clive, Jill, or Joshua can make sentient beings with magic. Withabilities like Zanketsuken, Odinis shown to be incredibly powerful, with that specific move being one ofFinal Fantasy 16’s most powerful attacks once unlocked, but nothing to suggest creating life. Beyond his physical feats, the Eikon of Darkness seemingly has the most varied abilities even when discounting this ability.
Upon arriving in the Kingdom of Waloed, Odin traps Clive and Gav in a force field that extends from the abandoned town of Eistla to the massive tower Clive ascends before fighting Barnabas. This power is only used in that specific instance but is somewhat easier to explain because it appears to draw from the Darkness element in some way.
It still does not account for Sleipnir’s creation, but a possible explanation is that despite him being a creation of Odin, it was drawn with Ultima’s power.Barnabas got the short end of the stickforFinal Fantasy 16’s villains due to being overshadowed by Ultima, but considering he gave himself completely to the god-like figure, it would make sense if he was allowed to draw some power to further their goals.
One ofFinal Fantasy 16’s biggest twists is that Ultima created humanitywith his people as a vassal race to make Valisthea more habitable for them. This means it would make some sense if Barnabas drew on his power to create another person, but there is another line of reasoning that can explain how Sleipnir could have been made without Ultima’s help.
This could be chalked up to the Eikons gaining some abilities from Ultima as they take power from the Mothercrystals housing the offshoots of himself. Eikons are also likely related to Ultima as his final battle shows him drawing from every element, meaning the inverse would imply that they can use some extraordinary powers beyond their elemental ones. Many details aboutFinal Fantasy 16’s world are open to interpretation, but Sleipnir’s creation can make sense depending on how certain events are interpreted. It would be interesting if a definitive answer did come out, but it could also be one of those facts that are more fun to speculate on.
