Final Fantasy 16 Leaves Fans in Awe with its Unique Portrayal of Jill and Torgal

The gameplay experience in Final Fantasy 16 is driven by its captivating story and well-developed characters. However, as the narrative unfolds, certain characters receive more prominence on screen than others. Unfortunately, this is the case for characters like Torgal, the loyal canine companion, and Jill, who serves as Clive's love interest. Despite Jill's significance as one of the main companions throughout the game, she is sadly given considerably less screen time than she deserves. This discrepancy in focus becomes more concerning when comparing it to Torgal, whose limited exploration as a pet is somewhat understandable. Jill, on the other hand, as a human woman and the protagonist's primary romantic partner, should have received more attention in the story.

Torgal is Only Explored in Side Content in Final Fantasy 16

Torgal often serves as a combat mechanic, often seen alongside Clive before battles. However, he conveniently disappears in certain parts of the story, such as during Eikon battles when the landscape is being destroyed. There is one particular encounter where Torgal is on a tower that gets destroyed, but later reappears next to Clive without any explanation of where he went or how he survived.

Interestingly, Torgal's role in the game's plot is quite minimal. He mainly communicates through growls to indicate upcoming fights or enemy ambushes. His ability to sniff out enemies, which could have been used as a way for Clive to track down enemies or act independently during combat, is rarely utilized. However, it's worth noting that Torgal does more than just growl at times. He saves Clive during an early fight and rescues Jill when she is in a typical damsel in distress scenario, which raises additional questions.

Final Fantasy 16's Jill as Background Decoration

Torgal's lack of involvement and agency in the main story is unfortunate, and it's equally disheartening to see that Jill, one of the main characters introduced during Clive's childhood, faces the same issue. Although she fights alongside Cid and Clive and makes a few remarks during their journey, Jill is often sidelined, allowing the others to progress the story and take action. It's easy to forget that she is part of the mission to destroy Final Fantasy 16's first Mothercrystal, as Cid and Ramuh's actions steal the spotlight.

However, Jill does have a more significant role in the mission to locate the Drake's Breath Mothercrystal. The game delves into her struggles as an Eikon for the Ironbloods, allowing her to exhibit agency and giving players the impression that she will have a crucial role in hunting down the remaining Dominants and cracking the Mothercrystals. Unfortunately, during the subsequent hunt for Final Fantasy 16's Hugo Kupka, Jill is quickly captured and requires Clive and Torgal to rescue her.

Jill's most disappointing moment, where she is denied the screen time she deserves, occurs towards the end. Despite being the character most deeply impacted by the story's events, the camera chooses to prioritize comedic relief through Gav, a character from FF16, who gets the chance to display emotional vulnerability. Final Fantasy 16 is currently accessible on PS5.