Final Fantasy VII – Limit Breaks
What are Limit Breaks in FFVII? One of the iconic features of FFVII is the Limit Breaks. After being charged during battle by taking damage and performing attacks, they allow the player to use extremely powerful abilities.
These can be attacks, buffs, or healing. Each character in Final Fantasy VII could learn several different Limit Breaks.
What are Limit Breaks in FFXIV? Just like in FFVII, Limit Breaks are particularly powerful abilities that can be executed by individual players.
The difference is that the entire party shares a single Limit Break. The three-part gauge fills up slowly during combat by taking damage and using abilities.
The names of the individual Limit Breaks were often taken directly from Final Fantasy VII: For example, Braver is a Limit Break of Cloud and Omnislash is one used by Tifa.
More references from FFVII:
- The casino Gold Saucer not only shares the same name as in FFVII but also looks similar.
- The materia system originated from FFVII.
- A bar in Mor Dhona is called “Seventh Heaven”, just like Tifa’s bar in FFVII.
- The victory pose (/vpose) of the Dark Knight is the same as Cloud’s.
Final Fantasy VIII – The Gunblade
What is the function of a Gunblade in FFVIII? The rivalry between the two main characters Squall and Seifer runs through Final Fantasy VIII like a common thread. Both of them are SeeD candidates at the beginning of the game and both use the Gunblade as their weapon of choice.
The Gunblade is also portrayed several times throughout the story of FFVIII as the weapon of knights who once served witches and protected them from dangers with the help of the Gunblade. Seifer eagerly adopts this view as he places himself in the service of the witch Edea.
What is the function of a Gunblade in FFXIV? Due to the popularity of Final Fantasy VIII and the Gunblade weapon, the new tank job Gunbreaker is introduced in the upcoming expansion Shadowbringers.
This job will utilize the Gunblade as its weapon, and its abilities will revolve around the function of the “Trigger”, where the ammunition of the Gunblade is used for various effects.
More references from FFVIII:
- Xell Dincht’s face tattoo is one of the features available during character creation.
- Tonberry King is a boss present in both games.
- The mini-game Triple Triad originally comes from FFVIII.
- The FFVIII Guardian Force Diablos is an important character in the quest line surrounding the raid Void Ark.
Final Fantasy IX – Vivi
Who is Vivi in FFIX? The little black mage is one of the main characters of Final Fantasy IX and is very popular among fans of the game.
Early on in the game, he is confronted with the question of whether he is even human and, throughout the story, tries to find out what it means to be human and to live.
Who is Vivi in FFXIV? During his adventures in Ishgard, the detective Hildibrand and his friends find a puppet that has lost its memory.
Hildibrand calls “the boy” Gigi and decides to adopt him as his son. Throughout the story, it becomes clear that the puppet’s real name is Vivi and that he possesses powerful magical abilities.
Also in Final Fantasy XIV, Vivi must learn what it means to be human.
More references from FFIX:
- The Moogle mail carriers are based on the Mog Net from FFIX.
- The super boss Yadis is one of the bosses in the Mhach raid and in the Baldesion Arsenal.
- The bosses Chaser-Mecha from the Alexander raid are the counterparts of the summon Ark. Alexander himself has white angel wings, just like in FFIX.
- The dungeon Antitower is a reference to Castle Ipsen, which also stood on its head.
Final Fantasy X – Yojimbo
Who was Yojimbo in FFX? Unlike most other summons from Final Fantasy X, Yojimbo has an interesting peculiarity. He requires money for his services from players, and that in very large amounts.
The nature and strength of his attacks depend on how generous the player is and how much money he spends per round. With the strongest attack, Zanmato, Yojimbo can even kill the most powerful enemies with one blow.
Who is Yojimbo in FFXIV? In Final Fantasy XIV, Yojimbo first appears as the final boss of a dungeon and later becomes one of the main characters in the Hildibrand quests.
Here, he also retains his fondness for money. The strength of his Zanmato attack depends on how much of the money scattered on the ground is collected by Daigoro.
More references from FFX:
- The relic weapon of the white mage is called Nirvana, just like Yuna’s strongest weapon.
- In the fight against the second boss in the Mhach raid, players must zombify themselves to avoid dying immediately afterward. It is the same mechanic as in the fight against Yunalesca from FFX.
- The pose of the Paladin job with drawn weapon looks like Tidus’ stance in combat.
Final Fantasy XI – Raubahn and the Immortal Flames
Who is Raubahn in FFXI? In the expansion “Treasures of Aht Urhgan”, Raubahn is the captain of the Immortal Flames of the Empress. He is a Blue Mage and plays an important role in the job quest line.
When the player character becomes a powerful Blue Mage at the end of the quest line, Raubahn sees him as too dangerous and tries to eliminate him.
Who is Raubahn in FFXIV? In the story of Final Fantasy XIV, Raubahn plays a much more central role. Originally just a refugee from Ala Mhigo, he made a name for himself in Ul’dah as a gladiator and worked his way up.
At the beginning of the story of FFXIV, he is the general of the Ul’dah state military and has a lot of influence in politics.
More references from FFXI:
- The original five races Hyuran, Elezen, Lalafell, Miqo’te, and Roegadyn originated from FFXI and were called Hume, Elvaan, Taru Taru, Mithra, and Galka.
- The puppets Mnejing and Ovjang, which appear in FFXIV, once belonged in FFXI to the Empress of Aht Urhgan, Nashmeira.
- An NPC in the Weaver’s Guild sings the verses from the theme song “Distant Worlds” from FFXI.
- Many mechanics in Eureka originate from FFXI, such as the loss of EXP and de-leveling after death, monster aggro behavior, or elemental strengths and weaknesses.
Final Fantasy XII – The Ascians and Espers
What is the connection between Ascians and Espers? Ascians are villains that are exclusive to the MMORPG; they do not appear in other games in the series. However, there are very interesting parallels in the naming of the Ascians and figures from the mythology of Final Fantasy XII.
The Ascians bear the names of the enemies of the Espers from FFXII. For example, Lahabrea is the enemy of Mateus. The red symbol that appears in front of his face in story cutscenes comes from the Esper image of Mateus.
The same applies to all other known Ascians, except for Elidibus. He takes his name from a sorcerer who was possessed by the Esper Zodiark.
More references from FFXII:
- The entire raid “Return to Ivalice” is a huge reference to FFXII. It contains locations like the city of Rabanastre and summons like Balthier and Mateus.
- The great hunt for rare monsters and the clan centurio originated from FFXII (or rather FFTA).
- The five Mandragora from one of the Hildibrand quests are boss enemies in the Sohen Cave Palace.
- The NPC Fran and the new playable race Viera originate from FFXII.
There are still many more Easter eggs and references. Which ones have you noticed? Write them in the comments!
- 1
- 2
