Final Fantasy 16 is following in the footsteps of a very long history of different games, animations, and other projects. It's common for the different games to have interconnected themes despite having sometimes vastly different worlds and stories. Some of the games share more in common than the others, like the Ivalice world in Final Fantasy 12 and FF Tactics. Another project in that vein has seen a lot of missteps since its inception, but might end up being redeemed to a degree when Final Fantasy 16 eventually releases.
After the release of Final Fantasy 13, Square Enix released plans for a full collection in the style of Compilation of FF7. FF13 kicked off the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection. It was originally planned as a series of interconnected games that would include the now-infamous FF Versus 13 that eventually became FF15. As one of the very few games in the Final Fantasy franchise to receive true sequels, Final Fantasy 13 was supposed to kick off a major event for Square Enix. But other than FF Type-0, none of the side projects really came to fruition.
How the Fabula Nova Crystallis Collection is Connected to the Larger Franchise
Part of the issue centered around Square Enix veteran Tetsuya Nomura and his attention being split between the mainline Final Fantasy games and Kingdom Hearts. Development of the first major game in the Fabula Nova Crystallis ended up in over a decade of limbo before its attachments to the project were scrapped in favor of becoming the mainline Final Fantasy 15. Looking to the future and the scant clues fans have received so far, it seems like Final Fantasy 16 could end up being more related to the project than not.
The key ideas of the Final Fantasy Fabula Nova Crystallis collection were initially built around some of the same key concepts the franchise has dealt with since the beginning. Originally starting as a fairly straightforward adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons, albeit with a healthy dose of Japanese culture, it quickly blossomed into the more unique franchise that fans recognize as Final Fantasy. A core idea of most games in the series, and specifically with the Fabula Nova Crystallis project, was the importance of crystals and of fate. These are themes seen throughout the franchise, and have impacted everything from mainline games to spin-offs like Kingdom Hearts and Bravely Default.
Final Fantasy 16 seemingly continues to focus on those themes, albeit with some important twists. Nomura's emphasis on the importance of fate is clear in both the groundwork for FF15 and the new version of FF7. It's also important in Kingdom Hearts. It seems like FF16 may be more similar to FF7 Remake in the sense that the protagonists will be attempting to defy that fate, along with the power of the crystals. FF16 is following a lot of series' trends, especially the ones related to Fabula Nova Crystallis.
Crystals are very often important in Final Fantasy games, but to different degrees. In FF7 for example, this is represented by materia. Materia is a form of crystallized knowledge and energy that players can utilize to equip characters with different magic and other abilities. In the main story, the critically important materia are only Meteor and Holy, which are twists on classic Final Fantasy spells, but otherwise the crystals act as a mechanical device. With FF16 the crystals are tied directly to summon monsters, which is another common mechanic in the franchise that's pushed to the foreground of the narrative again in the new game.
Connecting Final Fantasy 16 to Fabula Nova Crystallis
In FF16, each of the game's nations are home to a Mother Crystal, which is in turn tied to a specific summon creature, called Eikons this time around. The Mother Crystals are also hinted at being the source of magic and technological might in each nation. One thing from the Fabula Nova Crystallis project that feels similar to this idea was actually a tech demo from back in 2012. Called Agni's Philosophy, the demo featured a clash between a military group and a religious one guarding a large magical crystal. Much like the Eikons in FF16, the crystal is used near the end of the tech demo to summon a giant creature that somewhat resembled previous iterations of Bahamut.
That tech demo was intended to help showcase both the technical prowess of Square Enix and a glimpse at the "fantasy based in reality" concept teased with Versus 13 and the Fabula Nova Crystallis at large. That does bring up one of the key differences between the other games in the project and what's to come in FF16. After decades of sci-fi and steampunk elements mixed in, Final Fantasy 16 features a very traditional medieval fantasy world when compared to other games like FF7. That being said, there's some clear aesthetic parallels between the aforementioned Agni's Philosophy and Final Fantasy 16. It's worth mentioning that this could be entirely coincidental, though, as it may be something to chalk up to the general aesthetic of Final Fantasy.
It's hard not to compare FF16 to other games in the Fabula Nova Crystallis project, specifically with Final Fantasy Versus 13. The ideas brought up in the reveal trailer point to some very key parallels with the approach to how important crystals and fate will be to its world. Main protagonist Clive has sworn vengeance against the Eikons, and as such the Mother Crystals themselves. He has also seemingly joined up with a group that shares the same goal, to the point of seeming like zealots. This sets up a lot of similar conflicts between religious and state institutions that were seen in FF13 and Type-0. It's unlikely to be just a coincidence.
To step purely into the domain of conjecture, it's possible that FF16 could serve as a prequel of sorts to the later Fabula Nova Crystallis games. It isn't hard to imagine that the strict separation of humanity from nature and fear of the l'Cie seen in FF13 was spurred on because of a major conflict between humanity and the Eikons that could be built up in FF16. This could be an interesting way to tie the games together, and fulfill the original promise of the collection. But even with its common core concepts, it's also possible that FF16 could buck series' traditions and chart a new course for the series altogether.
Final Fantasy 16 is in development for the PlayStation 5.