When fans saw the Final Fantasy 16 trailer, they likely knew it was a Final Fantasy game as soon as they saw a chocobo, maybe even as soon as Shiva's name was mentioned, but by the end of it one thing was clear. This Final Fantasy title would be stepping away from some series staples in favor of a darker tone, and even it's fantasy setting is a departure from the trends in more recent releases. Despite these changes, the legacy of Final Fantasy burns brightly in this title for one major reason, the importance of crystals to the story.
Crystals have been a part of Final Fantasy stories since the very beginning, and Final Fantasy 16's trailer makes it clear that they will remain for at least a few more years. Throughout the trailer there are several references to the mother crystal and crystals in general, and it is clear that if anything, this concept of Final Fantasy games will persist. There are certainly going to be many other things that make this feel like a Final Fantasy game like the familiar enemy types and animation style, but above all the legacy of the crystals parallels the legacy of Final Fantasy as a whole.
Crystals in Final Fantasy
Crystals have been a central part of Final Fantasy stories since the very first entry in the game, where they served as denotations of the main characters' importance. Each of the four playable characters started the game with an elemental crystal, and they were tasked with restoring light to these crystals by defeating corresponding elemental fiends. If this sounds like a cliche story, it should, as countless other stories followed a similar idea after Final Fantasy pioneered this concept.
Since then, crystals have appeared in one form or another in every single main entry Final Fantasy game. Sometimes these take the forms of elemental crystals like in Final Fantasy 1, while other times they may act as the source of monsters in a world, like in Final Fantasy 8. In games like Final Fantasy 6 and 7, they take a different form, called magicite or materia, and allow characters within the world to cast magic. Regardless of how they are implemented, crystals are always considered sacred in Final Fantasy worlds and are often directly tied to the plot or play an important role in world-building.
Crystals in Final Fantasy 16
Crystals are mentioned a total of three times throughout Final Fantasy 16's trailer, and each time they bear great importance. The first reference to these magical stones happens right after the trailer cuts to the young protagonist. Final Fantasy 16's main character says "Our foe will not relinquish their mother crystal easily," implying that the war between his nation and another is centered entirely around this mother crystal. It's unclear whether there is only one mother crystal or if each nation has one, but it's importance is further explained in the war room scene later on in the trailer.
This scene sees another character reference the mother crystal again, claiming that "without the blessing of the mother crystal, we cannot defend our realm from the spread of the blight." This rings with similar vibes to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, in which crystals are required for fending off the deadly miasma that blankets the world. The trailer doesn't delve into what the blight is, but it seems as though each realm needs a mother crystal to defend against it. Finally, the trailer ends with another statement about the crystals, enigmatically stating "the legacy of the crystals has shaped our history for long enough."
The Legacy of the Crystals
This is a very meta statement, and it seems as though Final Fantasy 16's producers intended it to be. Throughout the history of Final Fantasy, crystals have shaped worlds dramatically, and it seems that Final Fantasy 16 may aim to break that cycle. This is ironic in a way, though, as by trying to break free of the crystal's influence, Final Fantasy 16 continues its legacy nonetheless. It will be interesting to see exactly what is meant by this line and how the player will shape history in a new way for the franchise.
This wouldn't be the first time that crystals were perceived as evil, though. As previously mentioned, a crystal was thought to be the source of all monsters in Final Fantasy 8, and the Final Fantasy adjacent Bravely Default game, also made by Square Enix, required players to destroy crystals in order to complete the game. In this, it doesn't seem as though crystals are elementally charged, but rather that they have some kind of purifying power. Perhaps if the main character wants to end the reign of the crystals, they will have to stop the blight at its source somehow, thereby ending the need for crystals in the first place.
The Future of Final Fantasy
In most cases, Final Fantasy games are unique experiences, independent from one another in terms of characters, setting, and plot, but there is overlap in certain cases. For example, one popular theory posits that Final Fantasy 10 takes place several centuries before Final Fantasy 7, and the existence of Final Fantasy 5's void implies that all the games are linked interdimensionally at the very least. All of thes theories are very loose in their definition, but Final Fantasy 16 could provide a more solid answer to fans wondering how everything is connected.
More likely than not, it will be another self-contained adventure, but it is possible that the line referring to the legacy of the crystals was meant to reference the other games as well. If this were the case, it would theoretically be possible for this game to truly be the end of the legacy of the crystals, allowing future Final Fantasy games to break free from that trope and explore other stories with more freedom. How this would work exactly is anyone's guess, but it would be a bold move from Square Enix to be sure. Either way, for now, Final Fantasy 16 continues the legacy of Final Fantasy by upholding the legacy of the crystals, and fans will have to wait to see how that legacy ends.
Final Fantasy 16 is in development now for PS5.