The Final Fantasy 16 demo throws up all sorts of subtle references to the series' past

Final Fantasy 16 demo players are uncovering references to past games in the series, namely FF4 and 10.

Now that everyone's had a few days to properly sleuth through the new Final Fantasy 16 demo, eagle-eyed fans are turning up some references to past games in the series. Or rather, that should be "eagle-eared" fans in the case of the post just below, where the streamer somehow recognizes a damn whistle as a reference to the end of Final Fantasy 10.

I know that whistle....#ff16 #FFXVIDEMO pic.twitter.com/THBFY13TApJune 14, 2023

Then there's some slightly more obvious references you might recognize, like the one below. The pose the intimidating Dragoon is striking in the screenshot below brings to mind Kain Highwind of Final Fantasy 4, posing on his one foot as part of the game's logo.

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Then again, there are some that think the Dragoon could be a reference to Final Fantasy 14's Estinien, a source of much fan-thirsting. The Dragoon's English voice sounds pretty similar to Estinien's admittedly, and it wouldn't be unthinkable to imagine Naoki Yoshida sneaking a Final Fantasy 14 reference into the new game.

Now we're not going to completely spoil the next reference, but there are a lot of fans who think one relatively minor character in the demo is voiced by the same actor behind Final Fantasy 14's Urianger. It'll be interesting to see if anyone can pick up on this one, since we can't really say who they are without spoiling their character's actions.

Finally, one big theory points to the battle music being a reference to Final Fantasy 8's 'Don't be Afraid' track. Final Fantasy 16's lead composer is Masayoshi Soken, and the guy loves pulling a homage or two in Final Fantasy 14's excellent soundtrack, so this isn't a great surprise.

There's surely a number of references we're missing here, and no doubt dozens more to dig up in the wider game. Final Fantasy 16 launches just next week on June 22, so we don't have to wait too long to start digging other easter eggs up for ourselves.

Check out our upcoming PS5 games guide for a look into all the other exclusives coming to the new-gen machine later this year.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.