After all, the trailer poses as many questions as it does answers. Perhaps one cool element of this Final Fantasy 16 trailer is how many people have interpreted it differently and proposed various theories, all of which are valid ways to view the trailer. One of the smaller, but likely most significant mysteries, is the odd marking on Clive’s face.
There’s obviously a time skip in Final Fantasy 16, where players get to see a younger and older Clive. The older one is more rugged and clearly angrier, but one distinct mark exists on his face that didn’t before. He’s not the only one, as Clive is shown among a band of characters who have an incredibly similar, if not the exact same, face marking. The big question is why he gets that, and one fan theory for the trailer potentially explains it.
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Final Fantasy 16: Clive’s Marking and Fabula Nova Crystallis
It’s not exactly clear yet if Final Fantasy 16 is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection of games or not, but it does appear to hint as much. One character, early in the trailer, says to Clive and his comrades that their “kind doesn’t question orders,” they follow them. This sounds incredibly familiar to the idea of Final Fantasy 13’s L’Cie and their role in fate—a major aspect of Fabula Nova Crystallis. That still doesn’t answer how these characters get marked this way, especially since they differ from Final Fantasy 16’s dominants.
One theory could explain this. One interpretation of the events in Final Fantasy 16 suggests that Clive is actually killed in the attack. This would be why Joshua loses his cool and summons the Phoenix. There are, of course, questions about the burning red figure and the summoning of the dark Eikon, Ifrit, but perhaps dark Eikons and this figure are related to death—and/or bringing someone back from death. If Joshua used Phoenix to resurrect Clive, perhaps that is what marks his face. This would mean Clive and his comrades early in the trailer have all somehow returned from death.
It’s not a stretch, then, that those who have somehow denied the fate of every breathing person are somehow special in the Final Fantasy 16 world of Valisthea. This could be used to explain what role Clive serves and his destiny—if tied to his revenge arc, then perhaps he has to do this to rest peacefully someday. There are a lot of unknowns ultimately and trying to understand what it all means is hard, but the story has plenty of room to grow.
Final Fantasy 16 is in development on PS5.
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