Preview the epic Final Fantasy XVI story with the Salvation trailer
Vengeance comes with a cost, and that cost is high. Check out the new Final Fantasy XVI story trailer.
It’s impressive how much weight the Final Fantasy series carries all these years later. The latest entry in the series, the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI, promises an epic story and intense gameplay. Square Enix promises it to be one of the biggest and darkest entries in the series.
That’s evident when you watch the latest story trailer, released in anticipation of the game’s June 22 launch. Revealed at the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, it shows off protagonist Clive Rosenfeld and several other characters, with blips of the events of the story unfolding.
We’ve been heavily anticipating Final Fantasy XVI since it was announced, and every subsequent trailer has built up the hype even more. From its action-heavy combat to its incredible worldbuilding, we can’t wait to dive into this when it launches next month.
See the Salvation trailer below, courtesy of PlayStation on YouTube.
What does the Salvation trailer reveal?
We’ve already known some details about the game’s story before this point. The Salvation trailer affirms the mature, brooding fantasy tone that Final Fantasy XVI is taking. It’s very much like a Game of Thrones before it got crappy. (I realize this is a major presumption, but probably an accurate one.)
The three-minute trailer shows us more story scenes and introduces a couple of characters, even if we don’t know all their names yet. We do get to hear some of the already-great voice acting. My favorite has to be the great Ralph Ineson (whom you might know from The Witch or The Green Knight), whose distinct guttural drawl is ear-meltingly good.
While the trailer isn’t explicitly gory, there seems to be a lot of violence going on in the world of Valisthea. At every turn, we see people fighting each other or holding weapons to another’s skin. The dialogue suggests a lot of infighting between different clans and individuals. There’s plenty of kingdoms and cities to explore during the course of the adventure, and all of them seem to be in peril.
A common theme of the story trailer seems to be unwanted vengeance. We know that Clive’s story takes him to the breaking point to avenge his family’s tragedy. But according to the trailer, not everybody wants that — as while their kingdom might be strenuous to live in, Clive’s path of destruction makes things worse.
It’s apparently a far more intricate and deep narrative compared to other Final Fantasy games. Not just in its emotional and moral consequences and situations, but also in how much lore you need to understand. As producer Naoki Yoshida tells Polygon, that’s why Square Enix created the Active Time Lore system. Essentially, it allows you to get story details and background information by pressing a button during any cutscene. According to Yoshida, even Square’s core staff working on the game got lost in the epic storyline during development.
The story of Final Fantasy XVI unfolds on June 22
Final Fantasy XVI is almost here, and players will experience its intense story starting June 22. It will launch exclusively for the PlayStation 5.
Pre-orders for all versions of the game are available now. You can pre-order the game yourself via our Amazon affiliate links below. Every pre-order receives the Braveheart weapon DLC and Cait Sith Charm DLC for in-game items.
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What are your thoughts on this new Final Fantasy XVI trailer? How does the story look to you? Let us know!
