If you’ve been itching for more official Final Fantasy VII Rebirth info as we get closer to its launch on February 29, 2024, today is your day. Square Enix just unleashed a bevy of new details and here’s a breakdown of the biggest reveals.
New locations and characters
Square Enix gave us a peek at the expansive world outside of Midgar with the reveal of the dark, monster-infested Mythril Mines and the medieval, fairy tale-esque settlement of Kalm.
They also introduced the names and motivations of a few of the supporting characters waiting to meet players. It’s clear that while Midgar is physically behind our heroes, its influence stretches far beyond its walls. For example, Kalm and its people rely on mako sourced directly from Midgar as indicated by the huge central pipeline shown in the screenshot. A big question is how will the people of Kalm and other regions react when Cloud and the gang, who are all fugitives of Midgar, show up.
New combat and summon details
We got a closer look at the combat abilities of Red XIII and Aerith (Aerith can teleport!), and we finally got more information on the synergy abilities and skills we’ll be pummeling monsters with.
Firstly, it appears that while both synchronize the skills of two party members, synergy abilities and synergy skills are two separate combat features. The latter are powerful attacks that require the consumption of synergy charges that are built by spending ATB (Active Time Battle), whereas the former does not consume ATB and is activated while blocking.
We got a taste of synergy abilities and skills with Yuffie and Sonon in the Final Fantasy VII Remake INTERmission DLC but have only seen the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth variations in trailers so far. Now we know the names of a few more of these powerful, synergized attacks between party members and how they work.
In addition, they also provided details on the newly revealed summon, Kujata. Described as a “bovine deity that charges around the battlefield wielding the power of fire, ice, and lightning.”
New “Dynamic” difficulty level
Perhaps one of the biggest reveals can be easily missed because it doesn’t come with a screenshot.
In addition to the “Easy” and “Normal” difficulties we know and love from Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rebirth is adding a new “Dynamic” difficulty. The dynamic difficulty will have enemies growing in strength as the player’s party does, hopefully ensuring a more consistent challenge throughout the game. It’s unclear whether Dynamic difficulty is replacing Hard difficulty or is in addition to it.
Final Fantasy VII Recap video
Finally, if it’s been a while since you’ve played Final Fantasy VII Remake and you’re looking for a story refresher to get you prepped for Rebirth, Square Enix has you covered. In a video that’s just over five minutes long called “FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH – THE STORY SO FAR,” the events of Final Fantasy VII Remake are dramatically summarized and narrated by Red XIII himself. In fact, whether you need the refresher or not, it’s a fun watch, so just check it out right now!