game news Final Fantasy 16: An Expert shares how myths and legends from around the world inspired the creation of the Primordials
dr Emily Zarka, host and screenwriter of the YouTube series Monstrum gave an interview to NME Media to discuss the inspirations behind Final Fantasy XVI’s monsters and primordials.
While the bosses and summons of the first Final Fantasy directly took monsters from the Dungeon & Dragon bestiary, such as the Leviathan, the Lich, the Kraken, Tiamat or even Marilith, Since then, the series has expanded its range of inspiration
In the world of Valisthea, the setting for the latest Final Fantasy, the Primordials are superpowered beings who can be summoned by their human summoners called Emissaries, to whom their powers are linked. Although the Primordials differ from each other, they are all inspired by real-world myths. First Emily Zarka points this out“Ifrit is inspired by pre-Islamic mythology involving the jinns: spiritual beings, both good and evil, of fire and light, who would represent the link between the heavenly kingdom and the human kingdom.” Odin is obviously the king of the gods of the same name in Scandinavian mythology.
Primordials illustration by Yoshitaka Amano
Final Fantasy and cultural mixing
In case of Garuda, Primordials of the Wind, Zarka will specify that it closely resembles the biblical depiction of angels and is far more “terrifying” than their cherubic counterparts. This is particularly noticeable due to the many wings. Images of angels are also transferred to the apocalyptic boss fight.
What I really like about what I see is that we have a combination of different historical eras, different mythologies and different cultures. From a storytelling point of view I think not only does it offer a lot of content, but also from a player or even a spectator perspective I find it really inspiring. I think it shows that we as humanity are more alike than different, even if it’s through our monsters, our gods, our myths, it just contributes to a better world and in this case, a better game.” dr AS Emily Zarka at NME
A mix of cultures that probably allows Square Enix to sell more than three million units for its Final Fantasy 16, available exclusively on PlayStation 5 since June 22nd.
