Eagle-eyedFinal Fantasy 16players are spotting a rather grim nod to one ofFinal Fantasy 9’s most popular characters: Vivi Ornitier. Each mainlineFinal Fantasygame is set in its own separate universe, but there are usually nods to the larger franchise connecting them. Fromrecurring character names like Cidto familiar creatures like Cactuars and Chocobos,Final Fantasy’s many connective references remind players that every game is part of a larger series, even if the entries themselves are as different as night and day.
This rings especially true forFinal Fantasy 16, which marks several big changes for the long-running JRPG franchise.Final Fantasy 16fully embraces action combat similar toDevil May Cry,for one. The game’s story is also much darker than pastFinal Fantasyentries, withmainFF16protagonist Clive Rosfieldinitially seeking vengeance for the murder of his younger brother in a gritter medieval setting. Still,Final Fantasy 16pays tribute to the games that came before it, though these nods are somewhat bleak in their own way.
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Recently, a Reddit user named CaptainWeirdBeard13 noticed a strange and morbid reference toFinal Fantasy 9hidden inFinal Fantasy 16’s troubled land of Valisthea. A scarecrow resembling Vivi Ornitier, the shy-but-powerful Black Mage fromFinal Fantasy 9, can be found somewhere in the middle of a cornfield. CaptainWeirdBeard13 shared a screenshot of this discovery on r/FFXVI, leading to jokes that Vivi was crucified by the people of Valisthea and quotes from the beloved little wizard.
Vivi was one ofFinal Fantasy 9’s most popular charactersthanks to his cute design, helpful magical power, and surprisingly tragic backstory, which saw him confronted with his dark origins as an artificial life form with a limited lifespan. This fits surprisingly well withFinal Fantasy 16’s themes of loss, grief, and redemption, and some fans’ humorous interpretation of Vivi being killed and strung up as a scarecrow is sadly on brand for Valisthea, where war, prejudice, and even slavery are all-too-common practices.
Final Fantasy 16’s darkly humorous nod toFinal Fantasy 9also comes alongsiderumors of anFF9remakein the style of the widely successfulFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. While this update to the colorful PS1 classic hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, fans can at least see Vivi again in the unforgiving world ofFinal Fantasy 16, even if the already troubled mage has clearly seen better days.
Final Fantasy 16is available on the PlayStation 5.
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