The Opening Hours Of Final Fantasy XVI Are Brutal - Hands-On Story Preview

gamespot.com:

Valisthea, the world of Final Fantasy XVI, is a dark place. Not just in the muted color palette of grays and browns that paint the castle keeps and bloodied landscapes, but in the ruthlessness of the story within. A history of betrayal, death, conquest, war, oppression--and whatever else comes to mind when you think of a violent medieval setting--are integral to this new entry in the iconic RPG franchise from Square Enix. While these themes have been present in the series in some form, Final Fantasy XVI's opening makes it abundantly clear that it's working in a much more grim context.

I recently got hands-on time with what's roughly the first four hours of Final Fantasy XVI during a preview event, and saw how the story begins. It's heavy with cutscenes and cinematic flair, using all the dazzling visuals expected of a PlayStation 5 exclusive, to deliver an opening act akin to a prestige drama.

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The demo included sequences of the main protagonist, Clive, in his teenage years to show how tragedy and his royal family's business fed into a widespread war that carries into his adulthood. It was a vastly different experience to my first preview which was gameplay-focused to showcase the depth and intricacies of the game's stylish-action combat system. So while I'll preserve the more revelatory plot points of this new story-heavy preview, there's still plenty to parse because Final Fantasy XVI is ambitious with its narrative.

Final Fantasy XVI