~ Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Final Fantasy 16 ~
Square Enixgave gamers plenty to ponder over inFinal Fantasy 16, including the introduction of a mysterious, ancient civilization known as the Fallen, whose story impacts the narrative and setting in present-day Valisthea.
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With connections to the aether produced by the Mothercrystals and an unknown threat looming in the shape of a strange phenomenon known as the Blight, the forgotten society has clues in its history that shape Clive’s plight in the current entry and their inspiration from Greek mythology colors their lore. Here’s everything you need to know about the Fallen.
History Of The Fallen
1500 years ago, an ancient civilization–we now know as the Fallen–once existed in the lands of Valisthea and quickly evolved to become more advanced than the other societies that established themselves around the Mothercrystals. Inpresent-day Valisthea, we see that some nations are somewhat stuck in medieval times due to their reliance on the magic produced by these crystals.
The Fallen became pioneers of technology that soon allowed them to build cities in the sky and airships to travel to and fro. Now living above the surface of Valisthea, aided by the magic produced by the Mothercrystals, the civilization soon encountered a devastating event they could not predict.
The civilization suddenly lost its connection to the land’s magic, which resulted in their cities plummeting to the ground in one fatal swoop. The ruins of these sky cities can still be found on Valisthea in the modern day, but their tale has divided the opinions of land dwellers.
The story of the Fallen soon spread among the nations that remained on the surface of Valisthea, with many believing their hubris was their downfall and subsequently made an example of them. However, others believed that the Fallen had managed to tap into a potent source of power to be desired.
The Fallen’s Story Resembles Icarus
The people who found the Fallen too ambitious for their own good paint them similarly to the story of Icarusfrom Greek mythology.
The legend tells of father and son, Daedalus and Icarus, who were imprisoned by King Minos. Daedalus was a genius craftsman and architect of the labyrinth of Crete which confined Theseus, king of Athens. After Theseus escaped the labyrinth, Daedalus and Icarus were captured and held in a tower after Minos suspected them of helping Theseus escape. The pair later fled the tower after crafting wings made from feathers, rags, and beeswax. Despite his father’s warning to not fly too low or too high because of the elements affecting the wings’ materials, Icarus ignored him in his arrogance and flew too close to the sun, which melted the wings’ beeswax and caused him to fall and drown in the sea.
This legend spawned the idiom “fly too close to the sun”, which is what the land dwellers of Valisthea believed happened to the Fallen civilization. In their earnestness, the Fallen may have ignored signs that they were abusing the aether from the land and persevered in their conquest regardless.
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Ancient Civilizations In Past Final Fantasy Titles
Just like the Mothercrystals appear in past Final Fantasy entries, such as Final Fantasy 11 Online andFinal Fantasy 14, floating sky cities created by innovative civilizations have also been established in other titles too.
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The Lunarians, or Moon Folk, are a recurring race in the Final Fantasy franchise who were also known for their advanced technological knowledge. When their planet was close to destruction, the Lunarians came to Earth and dwelled on a second moon they built hovering over the planet. The race then built the Lunar Whale airship to travel the Earth and teach their knowledge and also built the Flying Fortress from the original Final Fantasy game.
Additionally, the Ronka civilization from Final Fantasy 5 was responsible for constructing the Ronka Ruins around the earth crystal which fueled the sky city. The Ronka believed that the sun had healing powers strong enough to cure diseases and simply wanted to live closer to it.
The Fallen’s Place In Final Fantasy 16
From the very beginning of Final Fantasy 16, when you’reintroduced to Cidand taken to his Hideaway, Fallen ruins become a part of Valisthea’s landscape, and the Hideaway is even built around ruin fragments.
Another location you travel to, Lostwing, is built around Fallen ruins that used to be part of an airship, and all the ruins are made from a robust material said to be stronger than steel and pewter. The designs of these ruins also resemble something from Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s work, and appear again during the Buried Memories quest at Phoenix Gate Ruins, decorating the doorways. Various enemies you encounter on this quest are also created from Fallen technology, including Fallen Bugs, Hunters, Defense Nodes, and other guardians.
Furthermore, in Rosaria’s history, The Founder is said to be one of the survivors of the Fallen’s downfall, who later went on to build the nation without the use of magic. This figure is still highly respected among Rosarians and the Fallen’s disaster is often referred to as the Sins of Dzemekys in this region.
