The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth team dropped another sizeable game preview on the official Square Enix blog. We got a new trailer with a devious new perspective and more details on combat, characters, and locations. Here’s a breakdown of the preview ahead of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's exclusive PlayStation 5 launch on February 29, 2024.
New “Destined for Rebirth” trailer focuses on Sephiroth
Sephiroth is front and center in the new minute-long trailer that has dropped on YouTube and all official Final Fantasy VII socials.
Complemented by lots of fiery visuals and sinister smirks, the trailer shines a spotlight on Sephiroth’s aspirations for world domination and emphatically establishes the former SOLDIER as the game’s main antagonist–just in case you didn’t already know.
But it isn’t just 60 seconds of long, silver hair and Masamune swings. While Sephiroth is certainly the primary focus, the trailer juxtaposes this monumental threat by showcasing a strong, unified front among the game’s heroes. With valiant appearances by Zack, Yuffie, and Red XIII to go along with the playable cast from Final Fantasy VII Remake, the trailer conveys hope and survival in numbers. Even more than the epic individual skills they display, they’ll need each other to overcome the odds.
A look at Yuffie and Caith Sith combat
Starting with Yuffie, it looks as if her overall style of play won’t deviate too much from what we saw from Final Fantasy VII Remake’s INTERmission DLC. Yuffie’s primary attack is her giant throwing star which makes for quick ATB charges thanks to her high attack speed. And in between throwing star throws, she can continue dishing out damage using her ninjutsu magic with the ability to swap elements.
She seems to be built for speedy, combo-oriented offense, emphasized further by her insane-looking “Doppelganger” ability which creates a mannequin-like clone that attacks alongside Yuffie for even more damage and attack chains.
While Yuffie’s kit seems to be heavily damage-focused, Caith Sith looks to offer a great deal of utility in addition to its versatile offensive forms.
Caith Sith has the option of fighting on its own or fighting on or alongside its giant Moogle companion. These different combat forms will determine the type of attacks available to Caith Sith, however, the blog post adds that most of its abilities will rely on Luck in some form. How exactly the Luck mechanic works wasn’t detailed, but they did provide a brief note on a unique combat resource used by Cait Sith called the Moogle Meter. Described as a utility tool of sorts, attacks with Moogle fill this specialty meter which then allows Cait Sith to provide its party with buffs like “Defense!”
Of course, they couldn’t call this a real Yuffie and Caith Sith preview without letting us in on Synergy Abilities between these two eccentric characters. Remember that Synergy Abilities are powerful attacks involving two characters with the potential of instantly turning the tide of battle.
Executing the Synergy Ability “Moogle Pinwheel” will have Yuffie and Caith Sith simultaneously attack a foe with what they describe as a “secret ninja technique.” While the description is coy, we get the sense that whatever happens during this Synergy Ability will likely be as colorful as the characters themselves.
New characters introduced
Just like in the last game preview, we were introduced to a couple of new characters that Cloud and the gang will be running into in Rebirth’s open world.
There’s Elena, the rookie Turk who looks to be Rude’s new partner and a great admirer of the Turk leader, Tseng. Elena and her crew are tasked with pursuing the mysterious black-robed figures, so we expect she’ll play a role in unveiling some of the game’s biggest narrative secrets.
We also got our first look at the captain of the Shinra-8, Captain Titov. Described as an honorable man beloved by his crew, Captain Titov not only transports travelers safely between Junon and Costa del Sol but he also takes it upon himself to make sure they all have a good time while onboard.
New locations unveiled
The Rebirth team has gradually been unveiling segments of the game’s open world. This time around we got our first look at the Shinra-occupied residential zone, Starboard Junon, and the cruise ship headed to Costa del Sol, Shinra-8.
