Insomnia is a location in the Final Fantasy XV Universe. It is the capital of the kingdom of Lucis, and is known as the "Crown City." The main setting of the feature film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, it also appears in Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV and the beginning and end of Final Fantasy XV.
Insomnia hosts Lucis's seat of power, the Citadel, that contains a large Crystal within its walls. A modern metropolis stacked with skyscrapers, the Crown City contains lush areas, but is separated from the mainland by a bridge and is surrounded by water and tall ramparts. Insomnia is protected by the Wall projected from the Citadel by the monarch, and this is where the royal family lives. The city is a bustling metropolis fashioned after Tokyo, with elements of various other metropolises.[1] Insomnia uses a different currency than the rest of Eos (gil), revealed in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn to be yen. Though the world of Eos appears to use one language understood by all, Insomnia is the only location that frequently uses Japanese in signage. Li'l Malbuddy is a popular cartoon character in Insomnia.
Insomnia Ruins has been expanded in the Royal and Windows Edition of Final Fantasy XV. It features new bosses, new sidequests, and is significantly larger. The map is still the same, but expanded on the north, south, east, and underground, and the trek to the Citadel is no longer a fairly straight shot. A different "version" of the metropolitan ruins ablaze was also added. Although technically a dungeon, the Insomnia in Chapter 14 features all the mechanics of the regular overworld, such as max HP regeneration, saving nearly anywhere, free-warping outside of battle, and Noctis won't walk carefully through unexplored portions of the map. The lack of a time element also allows Astrals to be summoned repeatedly.
Story[]
Insomnia is implied to be as old as the kingdom of Lucis itself. According to the Final Fantasy XV Scenario Ultimania, the statues of the Old Wall that are scattered across the city were created 2,000 years ago to serve as coffins to each hold the soul of a dead king. From these coffins, the kings would await the coming of the "Chosen King" and serve as the Wall that protects the kingdom of Lucis,[2] although their purpose has largely been taken by the magic barrier, and thus they are being referred to as the "Old Wall." According to documents produced circa the advent of the Kingdom of Lucis, metal procured from adamantoise shell was used in the construction of conduits used to channel the Crystal's power into the Wall around the Crown City. Insomnia's skyscrapers are constructed with Balouve-made building stones.[3]
Insomnia is isolated from the rest of Eos by a magical barrier maintained by its reigning monarch, King Regis. Thirty years ago at the culmination of the Great War King Mors, Regis's father, concentrated the barrier's power across the metropolis, and Insomnia became isolated from the Lucian outlands. The immigration policy put in place restricted refugees seeking asylum in the Crown City, and exacerbated tensions to those affected by the Great War. Over time, the outlands became further impoverished while the Crown City remained a safe haven at the behest of the king, and continued to grow technologically advanced. The Wall is projected by the magical Crystal held at the Citadel the kings of Lucis is sworn to protect. Daemons don't spawn within the city, believed to be held at bay by the Wall and the light of the Crystal.
As depicted in Episode Ardyn, Ardyn Izunia ventures to attack Insomnia during the Founders Day Festival in M.E. 734. He summons Ifrit to lay waste to the metropolis and disables the Wall amplifiers to weaken the magical barrier for the Niflheim army to breach it. Ardyn battles the Old Wall guardians and Regis, both wielding Armiger. Ardyn wants to force Regis into summoning the Mystic to exact revenge on his brother, but on the moment of his victory he is expelled from the city by Bahamut. Niflheim is unable to breach the Wall even with the amplifiers destroyed, and is forced to pull back.
In M.E. 756, knowing Niflheim is sure to invade the Crown City to steal its Crystal, Regis sends his son Noctis to wed Lady Lunafreya in Altissia, as asked by Chancellor Ardyn Izunia as a requirement for a peace treaty. Noctis leaves the city with Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto as his accompaniment. The treaty is to see all outlands annexed to the empire in exchange for peace, and many of the Kingsglaive—King Regis's royal guard—join in a conspiracy against the king. Regis meets Emperor Aldercapt at Caelum Via hotel rooftop the day before the signing, where Lunafreya also meets Nyx Ulric, one of the loyal Glaives to the king. Lunafreya had been brought to Insomnia on the emperor's orders, even if Noctis has already departed. To get the Glaives out of the city, she is kidnapped and brought to an imperial dreadnought on the outlands. Nyx brings her back in time to witness the Wall fall, as the imperials turn on the Crown City and steal the Crystal. The city is decimated by the empire, and King Regis, Noctis, and Lunafreya are reported as having died in the invasion.
As Emperor Aldercapt and Chancellor Izunia escape the city with the Crystal, Insomnia is ravaged by the magitek infantry and Diamond Weapons. Regis entrusts the Ring of the Lucii to Lunafreya before sacrificing himself to secure Nyx and Lunafreya's escape. Nyx gains the blessing of the old kings and commands the Old Wall in a battle the Niflheim forces, and helps Noctis's betrothed Lunafreya escape the city. Nyx gives up his life to protect the city and to safeguard Eos's future by making sure the Ring of the Lucii will be delivered to Noctis, so he can fulfill his destiny.
Insomnia is blockaded by Niflheim, and Noctis finds he is unable to return home. According to radio broadcasts, occasional outbursts still occur around the Citadel, but the imperial forces quell most sources of unrest. The empire sets up a provisional government in Insomnia and pledges to help repatriate all Crown City refugees who fled amid the chaos at the Citadel. At some point after the Starscourge overran Eos however, Niflheim's "recovery assistance" in Insomnia was felled by daemons that took over the city. Iris Amicitia and Cor Leonis were able to evacuate the citizens.
After the Starscourge has ravaged Eos for ten years, Noctis and his friends return to Insomnia with the intent to stop Ardyn and bring light back to the world. They find the ruins of Insomnia infested with powerful daemons and magitek troopers, but the party remain optimistic that after the daemons are eradicated people will repopulate the city.
Ardyn awaits the party at the Citadel, but has cloaked the building in a magical barrier. Lunafreya's spirit summons the Astrals to pierce through it. The party battles Ifrit, the rebellious Astral god of fire now corrupted by the Starscourge, and three of the kings of yore who have been enslaved by Ardyn. Noctis duels Ardyn one-on-one and emerges victorious. As daemons spawn all around the Citadel, Noctis sends his friends away before sitting on the throne of Lucis and fulfilling his destiny as the True King. As Noctis sacrifices himself, the sun rises and the world is saved.
Final Fantasy XV -The Dawn of the Future- depicts a different ending to the saga, where Bahamut revives Lunafreya with a new mission: go to Insomnia and fell Ardyn and absorb his darkness. During her journey to reach Insomnia she learns of Bahamut's nefarious plan to use her to purge all life on Eos to cure the Scourge, and when she arrives at the Citadel, it is to cooperate with Ardyn rather than to kill him.
Locations[]
- Citadel
The Citadel is the seat of the royal line and houses the Crystal and the throne room. The royal family lives here, though Prince Noctis has also got his own apartment in the city. The Wall that shields Insomnia is projected from the top of the Citadel, amplified by the various Wall amplifiers posted around the metropolis.
- Caelum Via
Caelum Via of Insomnia is a luxury hotel with the royal aquarium amid the lavish recreational area at the rooftop. The treaty-signing celebrations are held here in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, but the location was introduced in Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailers.
- Noctis's apartment
Noctis lives alone in his apartment. It is mentioned in the Parting Ways prologue, and shown in the Brotherhood anime. Ignis comes around frequently to drop off work for Noctis, and to cook and clean.
- Kingsglaive Base Camp
The Kingsglaive's base camp in underground Insomnia is the organization's final stronghold introduced in the Windows and Royal Editions of the game. The player can talk to NPCs here, accept quests and shop.
- Imperial Bases
The city has three imperial outposts in the Windows and Royal Editions. After accepting a quest from Josef at the base, the player can demolish the bases with Cor as a guest party member. Each base has a good treasure to find after dealing with its enemies.
- Lodgings
Break Rooms in Insomnia are to use free and yield the base x1.0 EXP. Each room has a different name (from the Royal Edition):
- LR Citadel Station - Esterway Park (city entrance)
- LR Citadel Station - Exit 5D (northeast)
- LR Citadel Station (midtown south)
- Citadel - East Interchange (midtown west)
- Citadel - Trifecta Hall (northwest)
- The Vesperway (southwest)
Enemies[]
- Eternal Trooper
- Nagarani
- Black Flan
- Iseultalon
- Yojimbo
- Ariadne
- Salpinx
- Behemoth King (Boss)
- Red Giant
- Psychomancer
- Ifrit (Boss)
- Ardyn Izunia (Final Boss)
Royal and Windows Edition exclusives[]
- Eternal Artilleryman
- Floating Death
- Ahriman
- MA Hoplomachus
- MA-X Maniple
- Cerberus (Boss)
- Omega (Superboss)
There are also new bosses to be fought in the Citadel.
Quests[]
Ulric's Kukris[]
If the player returns to the opening area and defeats a level 85 Psychomancer after defeating the penultimate boss, they get Ulric's Kukris, the weapons of Nyx Ulric from Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV. They are dagger-type weapons that Noctis and Ignis can use.
In the original version, psychomancer simply dropped Ulric's Kukris that the player could pick up from the ground after the battle. After patch 1.21, some players have also reported on finding Ulric's Kukris simply lying on the street, thus getting a second pair. In the Windows and Royal Editions, some players report that the psychomancer will not drop the daggers unless the player is in Chapter 14 via Chapter Select, which resets all quest progress and thus effectively works as a New Game Plus. However, other players have been able to obtain them without using Chapter Select, and still others have again found the kukris simply lying on the ground without the psychomancer spawning, as recently as Royal Edition version 1.24 with an end-game save rather than Chapter Select.[4]
Windows and Royal Edition exclusives[]
In the Royal and Windows Editions, three new sidequests along with an expanded dungeon for Insomnia are included. Should the player complete the three sidequests and have unlocked the Regalia Type-D beforehand, an additional sidequest "A Gift from Cid" is given by Talcott that rewards the player with a replica of the vehicle that can be driven around in the city.
If the player completes the three new quests initially available at the Kingsglaive's base, they get extra scenes for the Cerberus boss battle with Cor Leonis.
Crown City Without a King[]
Name | Location | Unlock | Reward |
---|---|---|---|
Crown City Without a King | Insomnia | Talk to a glaive in the Kingsglaive Base Camp | The Clever's Talisman |
A woman at the Kingsglaive's base tasks Noctis with taking photos from around the ruins of Insomnia. The player must snap the photos manually. The player should pull back the view as far as it goes and aim the center of the crosshair to where the quest icon is on the map. After getting all the photos, talking to the woman at the base rewards the party with a new accessory for Prompto: The Clever's Talisman that makes his machine gun never run out of ammo when the player character-swaps to Prompto.
A Glaive out of Time[]
Name | Location | Unlock | Reward |
---|---|---|---|
A Glaive out of Time | Insomnia | Talk to a glaive in the Kingsglaive Base Camp | The Wanderer's Talisman |
A glaive at the base asks Noctis and his retinue to help out a glaive in the city who is looking for batteries, which the player can then scout out. The glaive joins as a guest for the quest. If the player has created a character in Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, the glaive will be the player's glaive; otherwise, it is a generic glaive. The quest rewards The Wanderer's Talisman, an accessory that hastens the rate Ignis gains Total Clarity when character-swapped to.
Relics of the Empire[]
Name | Location | Unlock | Reward |
---|---|---|---|
Relics of the Empire | Insomnia | Talk to Josef in the Kingsglaive Base Camp | The Tall's Talisman |
Josef at the upstairs of the Kingsglaive's base asks the party to help out Cor to destroy the remnants of imperial bases left around Insomnia. The player can enter them with Cor and warp-kill the soldiers; if spotted, a battle will ensue. The bases have good treasures to be found after being cleared out. The quest yields The Tall's Talisman as reward, which accelerates the rate at which Gladiolus's Valor increases when character-swapped to.
A Gift from Cid[]
Name | Location | Unlock | Reward |
---|---|---|---|
A Gift from Cid | Insomnia | The player must be on Chapter 15, have completed all the other Insomnia sidequests, and have obtained the Regalia Type-D previously. After the conditons are met, talk to Talcott who will appear near the entrance in the Kingsglaive Base Camp in post game. | Regalia Type-D available for Insomnia |
To enable the quest, the player must be on Chapter 15, have completed all the other Insomnia sidequests, and have obtained the Regalia Type-D previously. Returning to the Kingsglaive Base Camp discovers Talcott near the entrance, who hands the party the "Mysterious Key". The quest location marker leads the party to the leftmost car tunnel outside the Base Camp, then to the garage on the left of car tunnel exit. Opening the garage door unveils the Regalia Type-D that becomes drivable across Insomnia. It never runs out of fuel, and the player is not ejected from the vehicle when running into enemies. The party can drive the Regalia back through the car tunnel to reach the Base Camp directly.
After acquiring the Regalia Type-D, returning to Kingsglaive Base Camp allows Talcott to service the Regalia and the player can call the car from anywhere to just outside the Base Camp.
After completing the sidequest, Noctis can talk to Prompto (if the talk prompt does not appear, the player should head outside the Base Camp briefly and then return), then try exit the Base Camp; just before Noctis exits through the door, he will get a unique phone call from Iris.
Musical themes[]
In the original Chapter 14 (before Royal Pack DLC), "Somnus's" vocal version plays outside of battles when exploring the city. After Royal Pack DLC and in the Windows/Royal Editions the trek in Insomnia starts with vocal version of "Somnus" before changing to "Insomnia Ablaze" after a scene, and then changing to an instrumental version of "Somnus".
In Episode Ardyn, during Ardyn's attack on the city in Chapter 3, the song "Conditioned to Hate" by Lotus Juice plays during the level (exempting portions where Ardyn has to fight Guardians).
Other appearances[]
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT[]
Insomnia appears as a stage. The arena is the outside of the Citadel where the full game's final boss was fought. Its night version has the thirteen Lucii watching over the arena.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy[]
Insomnia appears as the background during the Field Music Sequence for "Somnus", available as DLC. The appearance of the city is based on how it first appeared in Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which Final Fantasy XV was originally titled under.
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[]
Behind the scenes[]
Insomnia was planned to appear in Final Fantasy Versus XIII, although its name was not revealed until the game was rebranded "Final Fantasy XV." Based on the real-world location Shinjuku,[5] Insomnia's royal Citadel is modeled after the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. Since the Citadel is a palace, developers added traffic circles for cars near its entrance, as well as a red carpet for ceremonies.[6] To get Insomnia's lighting correct, Yusuke Naora, one of the art directors of Final Fantasy XV, painted over real pictures of Tokyo.[6] When designing Insomnia, the developers aimed for an "cultural amalgam", and thus the city blends elements of London, New York, Paris and Tokyo, and has a lot of product placement.[1]
In Final Fantasy Versus XIII, it was originally planned for Noctis to be at a party in Insomnia with Stella Nox Fleuret, the princess of Tenebrae. They were to be present for Niflheim's invasion of the city, but this was removed from the final version of Final Fantasy XV when it was decided Noctis and his friends would be out of Insomnia before it occurs.[7] Despite this change, Director Hajime Tabata promised players would still be able to fight in Insomnia.[8]
After Final Fantasy Versus XIII was rebranded "Final Fantasy XV," developers decided which elements of their original concepts they could maintain to create a unique gaming experience. The scale of their project was so massive that they eventually chose to depict Insomnia's invasion and downfall through a feature film, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.[9]
Visual effects studio Image Engine created the 23-minute battle scene where the Lucii come to life for Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV. Square Enix sent Image Engine a variety of environments and other assets at the start of production, and Image Engine commenced the animation process using body and facial motion capture provided by Square. In addition, Image Engine's own animators donned Xsens MVN suits to capture in-house mo-cap data. The animators even filmed themselves acting out fight scenes with cardboard swords, working with a martial arts expert who helped provide direction on combat choreography. Sequence director Yamamoto Kazuhito stayed at Image Engine's Vancouver headquarters to work with the team. For Insomnia, Image Engine team produced a library of buildings, many of which were intended to be destroyed by the Lucii, and populated them throughout the city based on a guide map provided by Square Enix.[10]
The city is a playable area only in its ruined state in Final Fantasy XV, although the Citadel plaza is playable as a tutorial area while the game is installing (the player fights an endless horde of goblins, even if it is daytime). Insomnia is inaccessible from the overworld map, and when visited in Chapter 14, the player merely appears in the city center. The bridge to Insomnia is visible from the vantage point in Leide, but both the Insomnian wall and the bridge are not physical, merely serving to be decorative objects to be observed from a distance. Nothing lies beyond the wall itself, and the Insomnia Ruins is a separate map from the rest of the main map.
Insomnia is expanded in Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition. Updating Insomnia was chosen over other things, such as expanding Niflheim, to reward Final Fantasy XV: Comrades players and expand on the multiplayer episode ending.[11] The main square as it appeared in the Kingsglaive movie has a model in the Royal Edition,[12] but the location is inaccessible and unfinished, only glimpsed for the flying sequence for the final battle.
Gallery[]
- Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
- Final Fantasy XV
- Artwork
- Screenshots
- Episode Ardyn
- Miscellaneous
Etymology and symbolism[]
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that prevents one from falling asleep or remaining asleep as long as desired. The word is derived from Latin in- ("without") + somnus ("sleep") + -ia. The word īnsomnia in Latin means "sleeplessness".
The name alludes to New York, one of whose nicknames is "The City that Never Sleeps." This allusion is shared with Dream Zanarkand and Yusnaan.
Insomnia hearkens to many properties told within religious lore. Within Christianity, Insomnia is reminiscent of the land of Zion, and the city of Eunoch, the first city mankind is said be built by Cain and his family. While Cain and his close family lived prosperously as Eunoch's founders, they were oblivious to, or even responsible for, the hardships of those within lesser status. From a Buddhist perspective, it is believed that the karma of a founder ultimately determines how their endeavor grows and progresses, and even ends. Within Asian mythology, the northeastern direction is considered a cardinal direction capable of both good and evil. While the Bagua within certain schools of feng shui and onmyodo have the area of Heaven located in its northeastern compass, it is also believed that disease and demonic activity rides from the winds and stems from that direction.
Within Buddhism, Insomnia is reminiscent of the palace of pleasures provided to Buddha by his kingly father. Buddha was sheltered into his young adulthood, and while his father did so out of goodwill to protect his son, this only brought Buddha closer to the want of seeing the outside world.
Allusions[]
There is a poster in Insomnia in Final Fantasy XV that depicts an empty chair and the text "The Palace of Lucis". The chair is the one Noctis was seen sitting upon in a Final Fantasy Versus XIII key art. In Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV when Regis and Aldercapt prepare to sign the peace treaty, they also sit on these chairs.
The "green man" symbols on pedestrian crossings in the city are a silhouette of a Cactuar.
Many of the businesses in Insomnia have names that allude to previous Final Fantasy games.
- Final Fantasy II: "ミンウ薬局" (Min'u Yakkyoku, lit. Minwu Pharmacy) alludes to the character Minwu.
- Final Fantasy VII: "Nanaki" and "Dio" refer to the characters Red XIII (real name Nanaki) and Dio.
- Final Fantasy VIII: "Mama Edea's" refers to the matron Edea Kramer, "リノア銀行" (Rinoa Ginkō, lit. Rinoa Bank) alludes to Rinoa Heartilly, "薬カドワキ" (Kusuri Kadowaki, lit. Kadowaki Medicine) alludes to Dr. Kadowaki, "Seven Flash X-ATM" alludes to the X-ATM092 boss, "Winhill" vending machines alludes to the town of Winhill, "Koyokoyo Balamb" alludes to the country of Balamb and the alien PuPu, whose Japanese name is "Koyokoyo".
- Final Fantasy IX: Morrid's Coffee alludes to Morrid from Final Fantasy IX who had a coffee related sidequest. Another sign reads "Karaopera Entertainment Little Eiko", a reference to Eiko Carol.
- Final Fantasy X: There is a bank in Insomnia called Spira, the name of the world in Final Fantasy X. Another business is called "YRP", alluding to the three protagonists from Final Fantasy X-2: Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. The color of each font represents their respective color schemes.
- Final Fantasy XIII: One of the business signs, "Lenora", alludes to Lenora's Garage ran by Maqui.
- Final Fantasy XIV: "Llymlaen" refers to the goddess of navigation.
- Final Fantasy Type-0: One of the Insomnian business signs is "Al-Rashia" with a red bird logo, alluding to Arecia Al-Rashia and the emblem of Rubrum, the Vermilion Bird.
- Final Fantasy Tactics: One of the business signs in Insomnia reads "ガリランド進学セミナール" (Garirando Shingaku Semināru, lit. Gariland Admission Seminar), alluding to the akademy in the Magick City of Gariland.
The station the player can enter in the Royal Edition is the "LR Citadel Station", short for Lucis Rail Citadel Station. This is similar to the rail company in Japan, JR = Japan Rail.
The newspaper of Insomnia's fall enters the player's key items inventory after the scene where the party finds out about the invasion. Its dated for May 17 and some of the pictures on the front page originate from the E3 2013 trailer; the imperial airships hovering over what appear to be apartment buildings, and Verstael Besithia leading a group of magitek soldiers.
Near the end of Chapter 1, the group reaches a hill on the outskirts of Insomnia, looking over the kingdom beyond a bridge. This may be allusion to the original Final Fantasy, where the Warriors of Light are similarly positioned to look over Castle Cornelia before departing on their journey, as they cross the Cornelia Bridge to the lands beyond the starting area. The Cornelia Bridge in Final Fantasy may be homage to the original Nihonbashi, a bridge in Tokyo during the Edo period that everyone would have to cross to travel elsewhere in Japan. It is still sometimes used as a symbol for a starting point of a journey. In Final Fantasy XV, people also need to cross the bridge to leave Insomnia and travel elsewhere in Lucis and Eos.
Insomnia has a billboard showing woman who resembles Stella Nox Fleuret's portrait in the Final Fantasy XV E3 2013 trailer. The billboard appears in both Kingsglaive and Chapter 14 of the main game.
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Final Fantasy 15's lead character was inspired by Kurt Cobain (Accessed: May 10, 2019) at Polygon
- ↑ Final Fantasy XV Scenario Ultimania Translation Project — History of Eos (Accessed: April 27, 2018) at Medium
- ↑ Balouve Mines Almanac: Excavating facility dug out of the Callaegh Steps. These mines single-handedly supported the modernization of Lucian architecture: the Insomnian skyline is composed almost entirely of the skyscrapers constructed with Balouve-made building stones.
- ↑ FINAL FANTASY XV - Ulric's Kukris (RE 1.24) (27:33) (Accessed: October 05, 2024) by Shiquan Xie at YouTube
- ↑ Final Fantasy XV Director at Japan Expo (Accessed: June 13, 2019) at FinalFantasy.net
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 A look at the concept art behind Final Fantasy XV’s modern city (Accessed: June 13, 2019) at Nova Crystallis
- ↑ Final Fantasy XV: Stella is gone, Episode Duscae 2.0 slated for June 9 (Accessed: June 04, 2015) at Gematsu.com
- ↑ Full Recap of Final Fantasy XV Active Time Report 6.0 (Accessed: May 10, 2019) at FinalFantasy.net
- ↑ An In-Depth Q&A With The Director of Final Fantasy XV (Accessed: May 10, 2019) at Kotaku
- ↑ KINGSGLAIVE: FINAL FANTASY XV (Accessed: May 10, 2019) at Image Engine
- ↑ Dengeki First interview translated by Paperchampion23 (Accessed: May 10, 2019) at /r/FFXV at reddit.com
- ↑ https://imgur.com/a/fMQlZMI