Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Final Fantasy 16. Proceed at your own risk.
InFinal Fantasy 16, nothing is quite as it seems. While the title features a story and setting steeped in the series' legacy,Final Fantasy 16breaks tradition in a number of ways. The title is much darker and more mature than past entries in the franchise, perceiving the series' lore as a tale of war, slavery, and traumatic loss.Final Fantasy 16’s endgame features a slew of surprising twists, with its biggest reveal shedding new light on the nature of its world and the true purpose of its protagonist, Clive Rosfield. However, one recurring detail fromFinal Fantasy 16’s narrative sets up the endgame twist, hidden within the plot’s most explosive moments.
Final Fantasy 16follows Clive as he seeks to free all of humanity from the influence of the Mothercrystals, immense crystalline deposits that infuse the world of Valisthea with magic. Due to this magic, certain individuals, called Dominants, share an intimate connection with powerful Eikons,Final Fantasy 16’s version of summons. This process slowly destroys the dominants, except for Clive, who can absorb and wield the abilities of any Eikon without repercussion. Clive and his brother Joshua set out to destroy the crystals in an effort to destroy magic and foil the supposed plot of Ultima, a god-like being who wishes to make Clive his vessel.
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Final Fantasy 16’s Ultima is More Than Meets the Eye
From the moment he first appears in the story, Ultima appears to share a deep connection withFinal Fantasy 16’s Eikons. He is shown to test Clive through the Eikon Typhon, before a portion of Ultima’s essence is trapped within Joshua. The latter portion ofFinal Fantasy 16’s narrative sees the figure appear at the heart of each Mothercrystal, following their destruction.
When Clive and Joshua reach the Fortress of Stonehyrr, near the final Mothercrystal, Drake’s Spine, Ultima transports the brothers to the Interdimensional Rift. It is here thatFinal Fantasy 16’s biggest twists, including the true nature of Valisthea’s magic, begin to manifest.
Within the Interdimensional Rift, Ultima walksFinal Fantasy 16’s Clive and Joshuathrough the history of Valisthea. In a shocking twist, Ultima reveals that he, himself, is the creator of Humanity, Eikons, and the Crystals. Ultima’s body had become corrupted by the Blight centuries ago, leading him to separate his soul from his flesh and flee to Valisthea. He then reveals that the Crystals are not the source of Valisthea’s magic, but rather a means of harnessing it to create a new world.
Harnessing the amount of aether necessary to create this new world requires a worldly vessel capable of wielding it. Clive is that vessel, or Mythos, and Ultima reveals that he created all of humanity and its Dominants to feed Mythos’s power. Upon acquiring every Eikon, Mythos will become equal in power to Ultima, making for the perfect new body.
The Mothercrystals Signal Final Fantasy 16’s Endgame Twists
Final Fantasy 16’s Clivejourneys through Valisthea to destroy the Mothercrystals, thinking magic will be destroyed alongside them. However, attentive fans will likely realize that something is amiss. As the heart of each Mothercrystal is destroyed, it lets out an otherworldly scream. This small detail signalsFinal Fantasy 16’s biggest twists, as Ultima eventually reveals that he is just one extension of a much greater being, Ultimalius, whose remaining extensions were hibernating within the Mothercrystals.
The Ultima that Clive and Joshua encounter acrossFinal Fantasy 16’s kingdomsis actually Ultimas, having been freed from their Mothercrystals. Joshua’s presence at the final battle provides the final Ultima, which emerges from his chest, mortally wounding him, before joining the others. Through their merging, Ultimalius is reborn, serving asFinal Fantasy 16’s final boss. Ultima’s removal allows Joshua to impart the Phoenix with Clive, before succumbing to his injuries. With both God and his vessel achieving their true forms,Final Fantasy 16sets the stage for a climactic finale, during which the fate of humanity, magic, and all of Valisthea hangs in the balance.
Final Fantasy 16is currently available on PS5.
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