Prologues in fantasy fiction serve as an opportunity to tee up the stakes ahead, tease a mystery being threaded throughout the main story, or deliver a heart-racing action sequence to supply your dopamine fix early. One of the best examples of this is the opening for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which ticked all three boxes, and it looks like Square Enix took a page out of Peter Jackson’s book (well, movie) for their latest Final Fantasy 16 demo, which has a striking resemblance to the Tolkien sequel.
To the uninitiated, Final Fantasy 16’s prelude—shared within the recently released demo—showcased an eye-widening look at two Eikons fighting, which was a stellar way to immediately hook players. Upon seeing it, I’m certain that Lord of the Rings fans will have reenacted Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘snapping fingers at the screen’ meme from Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, as they immediately recalled Gandalf’s similarly epic fight against a different fiery foe.
Both prologues share visual similarities, and symbolic nods in the Final Fantasy 16 prologue connect Gandalf the Grey to the Dominant Phoenix and the Balrog to the Primal Ifrit.
The Final Fantasy 16 demo begins with the Phoenix and Ifrit swooping around each other in a dark, rocky cavern, exchanging fire attacks as they plummet deeper. This action sequence then switches to a wide shot after the Phoenix takes a hit, and we witness the fiery bird falling from the top of the frame into a large cave with stalagmites. The imagery is almost identical to The Two Towers’ introduction, which picks up chronologically after the heartbreaking scene in The Fellowship of the Ring when Gandalf is pulled down by the weight of the beast on the bridge of Khazad-dûm.
The slick editing of Gandalf and the Balrog rolling around in the rocky tunnel, as they fall deeper into the depths, is comparable right down to the shifts in perspective. The shot that really drives this home, however, is the wide shot. Reaching the end of their descent, Gandalf and the Balrog appear at the top of the frame, the exact same way the Phoenix entered, in a wide shot of its own as they fall down into a lake at the bottom of the stalactite cave. Both openings were impressive to watch and Final Fantasy 16’s nod to The Two Towers is a delight to witness.
During the battles, both Gandalf and Joshua as the Phoenix have individuals concerned for their well-being on the surface: the fellowship for Gandalf and the older brother, Clive, for Joshua. The fellowship already believes Gandalf is dead after dropping off the bridge, unaware of the wizard’s intent to kill the enemy he has feared for so long. In Joshua’s case, he just wants to survive and initially pleads for Ifrit to leave him alone, not wishing to battle at all. Both goals contrast each other, but one thread unites them. Gandalf and Joshua have been chosen by a higher power to serve a purpose: the Valar watching over Middle-earth and the Mothercrystals of Valisthea. Despite their levels of experience and intents differing, their position is synonymous.
If we break the two prologues down further, there is more harmony between the characters. The wizard undoubtedly rose like a phoenix in The Two Towers as Gandalf the White after defeating the Balrog. His prior exclamation on the bridge stated he was a “Servant of the Secret Fire,” referencing the God-like deity of Tolkien’s world, Eru Ilúvatar, and his Power of Creation. Gandalf also professed that he was the wielder of the Flame of Anor, which translates to flame or light of the sun in defiance against the darkness corrupting the Balrog. Both Gandalf and the Phoenix boast their influence by fire.
The likeness between the Balrog and Ifrit, however, is more obvious, as both enemies are horned beasts fueled by fire and carry a similar design within their rough exteriors. Ifrit has previously been showcased to be more demonic looking and even carried the design of a Jinn within earlier Final Fantasy titles. The summon then became more beast-like as the series progressed, but Final Fantasy 16 honed its unearthly design, resulting in it looking more like the Balrog. Ifrit and the Balrog have also been known to wield blades in lore, but the Balrog manned a whip in the movie. We never got to witness Ifrit’s blade during the summon in the demo, but there’s a chance we’ll see it drawn within the main game. Ultimately, both Ifrit and the Balrog symbolize darkness and hone hellish qualities in their appearance and intent.
In The Two Towers, the opening expanded on the devastating and literal cliffhanger presented in its predecessor while also teasing Gandalf’s return, teeing up the mystery of the White Wizard, and delivering one of the best 1v1 battles within the fantasy genre. The demo introduced the might of the Eikons, the motive behind why they were fighting, and introduced an epic first feel of gameplay controlling the Dominants. The final battle then expanded on the opening scene, but now it carried a whole new sentiment because we knew Joshua was behind the feathers, and it set up Clive’s emotional arc going forward.
Who knows if Final Fantasy 16’s opening was directly inspired by The Two Towers, but it was an exciting parallel to catch for fantasy fans and the perfect homage to one of the best cinematic openings in history.