With the release ofFinal Fantasy 16now less than a year away, the developers are revealing more about the game and its world. The recent story trailer forFinal Fantasy 16gave players more of a look into the world of Valisthea and the different countries caught in this fantastical struggle for power. From what people have seen, it is a world very much inspired by western European fantasy, much like theFinal Fantasygames set in Ivalice.Final Fantasy 16is going to have a setting similar to the likes ofGame of Thrones,but its approach to fantasy has raised questions about diversity and representation.
The producer ofFinal Fantasy 16, Naoki Yoshida, recently participated in an interview where he discussed more about the game’s world. In the interview, a question was brought up about the diversity among the game’s characters. In all the trailers forFinal Fantasy 16, the majority of characters are white with seemingly no representation from people of color. Yoshida’s response was an explanation that the setting forFinal Fantasy 16was inspired by medieval Europe and not something on a global scale. He further explained that such a setting would realistically not be as diverse as the real world and a more ethnically diverse cast of characters would clash with the game’s narrative.
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Final Fantasy 16’s Medieval European Setting Is Not A Good Excuse
While the story thatFinal Fantasy 16is telling is obviously set in a fantastical world, much of the world is going to be grounded in reality. The team behindFinal Fantasy 16wants to incorporate the standards of medieval Europe as best they can intoValisthea. That means taking heavy inspiration from historical, cultural, political, and anthropological standards that were prevalent at the time. While realism is an admirable goal, there are other parts of the game that already conflict with Square Enix’s realistic standard.
The English dub of the game is meant to displayFinal Fantay 16’s European inspiration. The decision to use primarilyBritish accents and no American accents inFinal Fantasy 16is one of the design decisions that is supposed to channel the game’s medieval European roots. However, if the team behindFinal Fantasy 16is using a less globalized setting as an excuse for not having an ethnically diverse cast, then the British accent seems like a major restriction on a supposedly broad European setting. Europe has a wide variety of languages, accents, and dialects that Square Enix could’ve tapped into. Not only that, but medieval Europe also had more skin colors than white.
The ethnic diversity of medieval Europe should, in theory, extend to Valisthea. There are a number of environments that should affect how characters look, particularly the Dhalmekian Republic.Final Fantasy 16’s Dhalmekian Republicis set in a mountainous region with vast deserts. Such a region should have people of color present, but the only character from the Dhalmekian Republic is a white man. Ignoring the fact there were not many deserts in medieval Europe, a setting like that inFinal Fantasy 16should include people of color that come from some of those environments in real life.
It is unfortunate that the belief that there were no people of color in medieval Europe is still a prevalent talking point. Naoki Yoshida and his team legitimately seem like they wanted to stay true to how medieval Europe was without offending anyone, but it simply isn’t accurate to history.Final Fantasy 16and its world look like they will offer an interesting narrative, but it is disappointing that there is little representation for people of color in the game.
Final Fantasy 16will launch in 2023 for PS5.
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