Final Fantasy 16 fans have discovered an interesting little easter egg hidden in the game which bears homage to one of the most beloved franchise characters hailing from Final Fantasy IX.
As multiple users on Reddit have spotted, Final Fantasy XVI has an easter egg referencing Vivi, the adorable little wizard which the community mourned immensely towards the end of Final Fantasy IX. In the vast fields present in the game, players would find a number of scarecrows that a lot of fans could easily miss. However, those innocuous objects are in fact a reference to Vivi, as they bear quite a bit of resemblance to the fabled black mage.
If players focus on the scarecrow's hat and eyes they would be able to pinpoint the similarities, with the yellow eyes and mage hat making it look quite similar to Vivi. For the uninitiated, Vivi is a playable character in Final Fantasy IX, who actually ends up dying toward the end of the game.
Apart from being one of the most lovable characters in the game, Vivi's significance as a character is further magnified as he is the narrator of the game's monologue, with his iconic closing lines "Farewell. My memories will be part of the sky" still resonating in the ears of ardent fans of the franchise.
That's not all. In fact, the infamous Spoony Bard, aka Edward, from Final Fantasy IV makes a return as well, which is something fans weren't expecting to see but definitely had them elated. The fact that he is named Spoony Bard adds a humorous touch to it, as it bears homage to the famous quote by Tellah, "You Spoony Bard!" aimed toward Edward.
The developer's nice little touch to add references to some of the most popular characters has been widely acclaimed by the community, and fans are quite eager to learn more about what other easter eggs they will be encountering throughout the course of the game. Considering we have seen so many quite early in the game there are likely more surprises in store.