'Final Fantasy 15' Stand By Me Cover Featured In New Live-Action Trailer; How Does The Song Relate To The Game?

Final Fantasy XV makes its official debut today, and Square Enix has debuted a new live-action trailer to promote the game, featuring the epic JRPG’s unofficial theme song, a cover of ‘Stand by Me’ by Florence and the Machine.

The video follows a group of kids in the forest as they wage battle, Endor-style, against a sword-wielding colossus. It evokes the plot of FFXV throughout: a group of four friends, a car, a briefly glimpsed newspaper stating “The King Is Dead.” You can check it out below:

You might be wondering, why ‘Stand by Me’? More likely than not, you’ve heard the song before, but wouldn’t normally associate it with high-fantasy role-playing video games. Originally performed by Ben E. King in 1960, it’s inspired by spiritual and gospel music, but given a more overtly romantic spin. (After all, one doesn’t typically refer to the Almighty as “darling.”) However, the song definitely seems to resonate with the bromance at the heart of FFXV; even within the first few hours, it’s very clear that the friendship between Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto is the heart of the game.

There’s also a parallel to be drawn to the 1986 film, Stand by Me , based on Stephen King’s novella about four boys finding a dead body in the woods during the 1950s. The release trailer – given that it’s set in the woods – definitely seems to intentionally evoke this atmosphere as well. FFXV’s outposts (like Hammerhead’s garage and diner) have a bit of a mid-century American feel to them, and the banter between the companions while traversing Eos or driving around in the Regalia is also reminiscent of the film.

Will you be playing FFXV today? What are you most looking forward to about the game? Let us know your thoughts - or if you see any other parallels between FFXV and ‘Stand by Me’ -- in the comments.