Excitement for the next chapter in the Final Fantasy Remake project reached a boiling point following the State of Play video showcase dedicated to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The final trailer was loaded with new story details but, in addition to that, Square Enix let us in on new game mechanics and features that further emphasized how much bigger and richer in content Rebirth is compared to its award-winning predecessor.
Here's our breakdown.
Breaking down the final trailer.
At over four minutes long, the final trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a lot to take in. More than any trailer before, it delves deeper into the overarching motivations driving all this conflict.
Cloud and company are in a race to save the world from Sephiroth by acquiring the Black Materia, and only Aerith, the last of the Cetra, can stop him. Very high stakes, and the trailer does not hold back in underlining how tightly Aerith’s fate is tied to their important mission. But she isn’t in this fight alone, the State of Play does a great job of showcasing how the skills and strengths of every party member will be needed to overcome all the obstacles in this vast world outside of Midgar.
We also got our first looks at some of the returning characters from Remake. Roche, Johnny, and Don Corneo to name a few. The reunion of Zack and an injured Aerith was a particularly gut-wrenching tease to see.
Rebirth has a very big world.
We got our first look at the world map our heroes will be exploring and the size of it is shocking when you compare it to the more linear world of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
On the short visual tour, we were introduced to seven regions that players will be venturing into. Many of these regions are closely tied to character history, making it compelling to think about how NPCs will react when the group shows up. We’re especially excited to see the ramifications of walking into the Nibel Region, where Cloud and Tifa hail from. Then there’s the infamous Gongaga Region, home of Zack.
New and improved minigames and game mechanics.
If there was one takeaway from this special State of Play it’s that the sheer amount of extracurricular content in Rebirth is more than anyone could’ve predicted. In addition to the Gold Saucer minigames we’ve seen in previous trailers like Chocobo Racing and G-Bike, all-new minigames will be available to eat up your time.
The final trailer featured a carnival-type shooting range game, dolphin racing, and more. This is in addition to the iconic main story minigames like the Junon Parade—shown for the first time in the final trailer—that have been modernized and improved. But the enhancement of classic minigames is just the beginning of new experiences players can expect in Rebirth.
The State of Play unveiled Folios, an all-new leveling system that allows players to strengthen their party with new skills and synergy commands by unlocking Folio tomes in an interconnected grid. Final Fantasy X fans may see similarities between the appearance of the Folios system and the Sphere Grid and, in a way, they are alike in functionality.
They’ve also confirmed that Folios can be reset at any time, allowing for stress-free experimentation until you find a combination of skills that suits you.
The demo is out now and it comes with perks.
The free Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo is available in the PlayStation Store now! If that isn’t good news enough, this is only episode one of the Rebirth demo with a second to be released on February 21, 2024.
The demo’s first episode takes place in a Nibelheim flashback and allows players to take control of both Cloud and Sephiroth. The two future foes are sent on a mission to investigate a faulty reactor near Cloud’s hometown. The action-packed episode will have appearances by a young Tifa and will teach players the basics on effective Synergy Ability use. Furthermore, if you complete the episode in the demo, you’ll get the option to skip it in the full game.
We’ve talked about how big the world of Rebirth is, and on February 21, we’ll get a taste of that vastness in the Junon area episode. Players will be able to explore freely, tackle objectives, slay monsters, and experience some story missions. We suspect the Junon area episode is meant to help fans of Remake adapt to Rebirth’s open world, and while the Junon Region is adjusted in the demo to be more compact, the area will be much bigger in the full game.
And if you need even more incentive to try the demo, playing it will also net you some bonuses when Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches in 22 days on February 29, 2024. If your PS5 has save data from the demo, you’ll earn the Kupo charm for a boost in resource extraction and a survival set of potions and ethers to help keep your party alive and well.
For more information, you can check out a replay of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play on YouTube.