If there’s one form of gaming excitement that always seems to come at the Tokyo Game Show rather than anyplace else, it’s news on the latest Final Fantasy. We hadn’t seen nor heard from Square Enix’s upcoming RPG Final Fantasy XV for almost a year now, but the company has officially broken the title’s silence with a stunning new trailer. And stunning is not an overstatement.
You’d be forgiven if you find the teen road-trip vibe of the new trailer a bit goofy, but it’s tough not to marvel at the gorgeous visuals the trailer so confidently displays. In a way, the trailer encapsulates the sort of awe-striking visuals you hope for and expect when you buy a new console. It’s great to see that Square hasn’t lost its knack for such things.
Though last year’s trailer focused on action, this year it’s all about mood. One of my favorite aspects of Lightning Returns was the incredible way its environments resonated with the player, and though its moments of brilliance were fleeting, I enjoyed the game more than most because of them. With a beefed-up, next-generation engine that combines middleware and proprietary technology (at least partially based on Square’s own Luminous Studio engine), here’s hoping the stellar presentation the company is aiming with this trailer for can actually come to fruition. Oh, and gameplay. That has to be good too.
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Final Fantasy XV still has no release date, though the trailer does coyly suggest that “it’s been a long time coming” and that the game is “almost there.” Though I’ll need to play the game myself before passing any further judgement, it’s tough not to appreciate a genuinely gorgeous trailer in the meantime. Color me impressed.
