Final Fantasy XVI Pre-Launch Trailer Seeks Salvation

by Alex Fuller · Published May 24, 2023 · Updated May 25, 2023

Ahead of the game’s launch next month, Square Enix released a new trailer and screenshots for Final Fantasy XVI. The “Salvation” trailer gives hints to various story elements, such as Bearers that can cast magic at will and the truths behind the Mothercrystals, plus some of the motivations and goals of protagonist Clive Rosfield and his allies.

Final Fantasy XVI is set on the high fantasy land of Valisthea, which is dotted with Mothercrystals, towering structures that spread aether. People have built up around the crystals, using the aether for magic and to help them live in comfort. Valisthea is home to incredibly powerful beings called Eikons, Final Fantasy XVI’s variant on the series’s summons. Protagonist Clive Rosfield becomes involved with the dark Eikon Ifrit, with the game featuring him in three major stages of his life — his teens, twenties, and thirties — starting out on a quest for revenge that slowly changes as he encounters others. Final Fantasy XVI will release for PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023.