Square Enix premiered a new trailer for Final Fantasy XV at Tokyo’s Jump Festa 2015, an annual expo focused on anime and manga.
The trailer begins very cinematically with the imperial invasion of Insomnia that kicks off the game’s action. Peace negotiations are shattered when the empire betrays Insomnia by invading in an attempt to seize control over the world’s last remaining crystal. The game’s protagonist, prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, appears to be away from home at the time of the invasion, which is how he can escape with his entourage.
The second half of the trailer is more gameplay-heavy, returning to the road trip theme that pervaded the trailer released at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2014. Shots of leisurely drives through seaside towns and spying on wild Behemoths from behind a rock give way to a fast-paced battle against an imperial roadblock.
We also get a glimpse at this entry in the franchise’s version of Cid, who appears in some form in almost every Final Fantasy game or spin-off, this time as a female auto mechanic. The stakes run much deeper than just political intrigue, though, as the final shots show Noctis squaring off against an enormous, tattooed giant.
There’s still no word on a release date, but a playable demo will be included exclusively with pre-ordered and day one copies of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, which launches in North America for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 17, 2015.