Every Final Fantasy fan knows, there’s nothing scarier than a Tonberry. Sure, the little green guys look sweet enough with their big shoes and bulging eyes. But let them get close and their knife attack means instant death.
Final Fantasy 16 DLC: The Rising TideDeveloper: Square EnixPublisher: Square EnixPlatform: Played on PS5Availability: Out now on PS5
In Final Fantasy 16’s The Rising Tide DLC, though, Tonberries look more terrifying than ever. In keeping with the game’s grim and grounded tone, these creatures now have a more realistic, snake-like appearance, but with slimy green feet as they stagger towards you. And then there’s the Tonberry King who’s imposing enough towering over protagonist Clive in his ragged cloak, but the giant butcher’s knife – cracked and worn from bloody overuse – is truly frightening. At least, the Tonberries scare until defeated and goofily laying face down in the dirt.
Tonberries are an example of Square Enix plugging gaps in its second slice of Final Fantasy 16 DLC, The Rising Tide, with an iconic series staple curiously missing from the main game. Yet a bigger gap still was the gaping plot hole purposefully left behind by the developers on the off-chance the game would be successful enough to merit an expansion. With the inclusion of Leviathan, the lost Eikon, the story of Final Fantasy 16 is finally a complete package.
To recap (spoilers!), Clive’s journey across Valisthea sees him destroying the mountainous mother crystals of each region that are draining the world of the magical energy known as aether, essentially removing magic from the world as its users are treated as slaves. In the process, Clive absorbs the abilities of the elemental Eikons associated with each crystal. Yet in the game’s lore, Leviathan the water Eikon – another series staple – is lost, along with its mother crystal. Until now!