Final Fantasy 16 finally showed itself last year, and fans are over the moon with excitement. This short showcase introduced players to the world of Valisthea, as well as some of its inhabitants. With the help of the official FF16 website, players were able to get to know the main characters a bit, including Clive, Joshua, and Jill, but there hasn't been much shown in the way of enemies just yet. Throughout the trailer, players see Clive do battle with a variety of foes, including iconic monsters like the Malboro and the Couerl, but there are still plenty missing in action at the moment.
Naturally, the reveal trailer definitely didn't show all the monsters that will be appearing in the game, so there's nothing to worry about just yet. Regardless, it seems important to the integrity of Final Fantasy as a whole that these classic beasts play some role in the next main entry of the series. Final Fantasy 16 is looking to return to the roots of the franchise, telling a darker story juxtaposed with a brilliant fantasy world, so what better way to do that than with recurring monsters from previous games? Once players see a Chocobo, they know they're looking at Final Fantasy, and the same can be said for these beasts as well.
Final Fantasy 16 - Moogles
Alongside the Chocobo, Moogles are a staple in any Final Fantasy game. These fluffy monsters may vary in appearance from entry to entry, but they've been in almost every single mainline Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy 3. Despite technically being classified as monsters, Moogles are intelligent just like standard humans and are often more benevolent than malevolent. They've also take up various different roles throughout the Final Fantasy franchise, sometimes acting as mythical creatures and other times being as commonplace as humans are.
A great example of this is the difference between Moogles in Final Fantasy 12 and Final Fantasy 14. In the former example, Moogles can be found in almost every city, and there's even one area where they are especially abundant. By contrast, Moogles in Final Fantasy 14 are secretive and rare creatures, and most humans can't even see them. Although they play a larger role in the story later on, they remain mysterious for most of the main game. It seems highly likely that Moogles will appear in Final Fantasy 16 in some capacity, even if it is just to function as a savepoint or shop like in the Kingdom Hearts series.
Final Fantasy 16 - Bombs
Even more common than Moogles, the Bomb enemy made its first appearance in Final Fantasy 2 and has been in every single mainline Final Fantasy game since then. Throughout most of their incarnations, their appearance remains the same: a floating, red ball that resembles a fireball of sorts. Although Bombs are sometimes capable of casting fire magic or using slam attacks against the player, their main function as the name might suggest is to self-destruct. Depending on the variation, this can be a move that the Bomb activates or may occur automatically after it is defeated.
Bombs tend to deal heavy damage when they self-destruct, so it is vital to get away from them before they do. This will probably be the case in Final Fantasy 16 if these monsters show up as an enemy type there. Given how unique Bombs are to the Final Fantasy franchise and their track record for showing up in every main game, it would be very odd if Final Fantasy 16 left these creatures out. Given the intense, real-time combat that was shown in the FF16 trailer, these could make for very compelling enemies.
Final Fantasy 16 - Cactuar
Relative to the Bomb and Moogle, the Cactuar enemy is a somewhat newer enemy to the franchise. Despite this, Cactuars have been around in every game since Final Fantasy 6. These creatures have become so iconic that they were even featured in the crossover content between Monster Hunter World and Final Fantasy 14, appearing as an endemic lifeform that hunters could use to aid them in fights against monsters. Their signature technique is 1000 Needles, which deals 1000 damage to its target regardless of defense in most cases. There are also various forms of Cactuar, including Sabotenders and Gigantuars.
Since the Final Fantasy 16 trailer didn't show the HUD for any of the combat scenes, it's impossible to say what Clive's stats and HP might look like. If it's anything like previous games, HP will probably cap out at 9,999. In this case, it is easy to see why the Cactuar is so dangerous despite its small size, as even at the highest possible HP in the game, this move will still deal 10% of the target's HP. Early on in games, it is liable to kill certain low-level characters outright. If the Cactuar is an enemy in Final Fantasy 16, players will want to emphasize evasion when fighting it.
Final Fantasy 16 - Tonberries
Another recurring enemy, Tonberries are both creepy to look at and terrifying to fight. Although their appearances may be misleading, they are a deadly foe and should not be underestimated. In their first appearance in Final Fantasy 5, the Tonberry enemy is slow moving but has high HP. Should they reach one of the player characters, they perform a quick thrust with their cleaver, dealing high damage that ignores the target's defense. This theme has persisted into their later incarnations, and in some cases has become even stronger, with their Chef's Knife attack being an instant kill.
In Final Fantasy 16, Clive seems incredibly mobile, so it would theoretically be very difficult for a Tonberry to get anywhere close to him. That said, in conjunction with other enemies, it would be easy to forget about a Tonberry and catch a Chef's Knife in the back. If these enemies are featured in the upcoming game, they probably won't be capable of instantly killing Clive with a single attack, but their damage is sure to be something players won't want to mess around with.
Final Fantasy 16 is in development now for PS5.