The Final Fantasy 16 soundtrack includes a new spin on the RPG’s classic victory song, and it’s apparently loaded with meaning. Localization director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox told Eurogamer that the lyrics are poignant and closely tied to the story – but that knowing what they mean would spoil significant parts of that story.
“[Composer Masayoshi] Soken came to me one day and he was like ‘ok, we’re gonna do this, I think it needs lyrics’,” Koji Fox said. “The first thing I thought of is, if we’re going to have lyrics, if it’s going to be English, I thought it would sound kind of cheesy, especially if it’s being played a lot. And then it could sound very gimmicky, and I didn’t want it to sound gimmicky.”
“But we don’t want it to just become some nonsense language. So what can we do? I decided on Ancient Greek. And there’s a reason behind this, but if I explain the reason it becomes a spoiler. Then we got the chorus to sing them. And the meaning actually has very deep meaning that pertains to pretty much the whole story and Clive’s journey as well.”
Given the role of the chorus in explaining themes and advancing the plot in ancient Greek theater, Koji Fox’s tease poses some interesting possibilities for the highly anticipated Final Fantasy game. However, producer Naoki Yoshida stopped him before he could give away anything else.
Koji Fox said the lyrics won’t be printed in the game or other promotional material, though they may appear in the soundtrack’s accompanying booklet. Elden Ring fans quickly translated the harpies’ song from Latin to English, so we probably won’t have to wait long to find out what the chorus is singing.
If you’re eager to find out more about Square Enix’s latest, check out our latest in-depth Final Fantasy 16 preview covering the early hours and combat.