The world of Valisthea inFinal Fantasy 16is as much of a character as any of the NPCs that players join parties with or fight against alongside their allies. While this new world is a unique place for the franchise with its own story to tell, it does appear to borrow fromFinal Fantasy 7’s homeworld of Gaiain more than a few ways.
Naturally, there are a number of differences between these two worlds, especially when it comes to the people that inhabit them and the many different Kingdoms that those people have formed. However, the similarities become clear as the environmental message ofFinal Fantasy 16and Valisthea match up alarmingly well with the underlying message ofFinal Fantasy 7and the people’s disharmony with their own planet.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 16: 5 Similarities Between Clive Rosfield & Jon Snow
Warring Nations on a Larger Scale
To start with how Valisthea and Gaia contrast with each other, the main difference between the two worlds comes from the many nations that have made their own separate homes across the medieval world inFinal Fantasy 16. With more countries working independently of each other, all vying for power over the various Mothercrystals, Valisthea is a touch more like Westeros fromGame of Thronesthan it is Gaia. Political play is at a fever pitch all around Clive, even if he shows little care for the actual wars going on around him as he searches for answers about Ifrit and the events of his own past.
In comparison,Final Fantasy 7’s Shinra wars with Wutai, but this is a power supply company fighting against a foreign country, and these appear to be the only two factions with any stake in the planet. So, Gaia doesn’t have the same political intrigue as Valisthea, with only two major powers vying for control. Even in this comparison, Wutai is just trying to stay independent of Shinra and is otherwise isolated all the way across an ocean on a completely different side of the planet.
Return of Final Fantasy 7’s Environmental Message
While the warring nations draw a line between Valisthea and Gaia, what these nations are fighting over is absolutely in line with the message that may have been seen as rather radical back whenFinal Fantasy 7was released. This similarity comes from the ways that both the Mothercrystals and the Mako Reactors impact their respective worlds as they provide their people with the power to live comfortable lives. The end result not only makes a connection between the two worlds, but it makesFinal Fantasy 16’s Cidmore likeFinal Fantasy 7’s Barret than any of the previous Cid incarnations in the franchise.
As revealed in one of theearly missions inFinal Fantasy 16the Mothercrystals that the people of Valisthea have become so dependent on are also the cause of the Blight that has been causing turmoil throughout the world. This is because in order for the Mothercrystals and their smaller crystal counterparts to work their magic, they have to draw from the aether in the air and channel it into new forms. The process of taking this Lifestream from the planet and siphoning it for power is exactly what the Shinra Electric Power Company does with the Mako Reactors inFinal Fantasy 7in order to supply major cities with electricity.
Drawing power from Gaia has a similar effect onFinal Fantasy 7’s world as it does on Valisthea as well, with the extraction of the Lifestream causing the natural environments around these reactors to wither and die. So, likewise to its predecessor,Final Fantasy 16’s worldoffers a similar metaphor when it comes to the environmental impact of massive nations drawing on the world around them for power and convenience. With both of these metaphors driving their respective worlds to conflict, even the warring between nations has similarities across Gaia and Valisthea.
Final Fantasy 16is available now for PS5.
MORE:Final Fantasy 16 Doesn’t Break One Franchise Tradition It Should Have
