Final Fantasy has been such a massive franchise that spanned across decades and across multiple console generations. There’s been some truly standout installments from this long-running series as well. One of the more beloved games of the series was Final Fantasy VII, a title that blew up in multiple markets when it initially launched in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation. Since then, fans worldwide have pleaded for Square Enix to return and bring out a remake for this JRPG installment. Fortunately, in 2020, we finally got the first part of this remake. Since this game installment was so massive, the developers could only deliver the game in parts. We’re going to receive Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second installment to this trilogy remake, in 2024.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is all middle, so it gets to cut loose
21.09.2023 - 01:31 / polygon.com
A recent report by Bloomberg detailed some soul-searching and scapegoating at Square Enix after a drop in its share price and the perceived underperformance of Final Fantasy 16. Sources criticized disorganized management in a landscape of unruly “fiefdoms” led by single, powerful producers. That may be true, and I wouldn’t want to underplay the frustrations of developers working under those conditions. But there’s also something to be said for letting enormously experienced, creative, big personalities run things how they please (within reason). What they make may not hang together perfectly, but it never feels designed by committee. It feels bespoke, obsessive, extravagant, and weird.
That couldn’t be more true of the Final Fantasy 7 remake project, a sprawling, three-game reinterpretation and expansion of the 1997 classic, masterminded by producer (and director of the original) Yoshinori Kitase with an assist from creative director and Kingdom Hearts overlord Tetsuya Nomura. It’s indulgent fan service that’s somehow also willing to change the script; fans were shocked by the slick real-time combat and apparently metafictional twists of the first installment, 2020’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but no one could deny that Kitase’s team was really going for it.
Now we have Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, coming to PlayStation 5 on Feb. 29, 2024: a lavish, blockbuster restaging of the middle bit of an old video game. As suggested by the extremely lively latest trailer, this sequel will cut loose after all the scene-setting and moody iconography of Remake’s re-creation of the choked, dystopian city of Midgar. Rebirth follows Cloud Strife and company as they follow antagonist Sephiroth’s trail across the land, from desert to coast to gaudy pleasure park; confirmed locations include the military fortress city of Junon, the Gold Saucer theme park, and the Forgotten Capital. They explore! They hunt! They ride chocobos! They play minigames! They ride Segways!
At a recent hands-on session, I got to play two sections of the game: “The Fated Mt. Nibel Mission,” a flashback sequence in which Cloud and Sephiroth are playable together, and “The Open Wilds of Junon,” a taster for the more open exploration and hunting gameplay on offer in Rebirth, before the story took me to Under Junon, a fishing village struggling in the shadow of the oppressive metropolis.
Story-wise, Rebirth is a direct continuation of Remake, but in gameplay terms it’s better to think of it as a traditional video game sequel: expanding the scope, adding features, but cleaving close to what made the first game tick. (Game saves and character builds from Remake don’t carry over — Rebirth is a stand-alone game — but Square Enix promises some bonuses for
The Talos Principle 2's demo is a "specially tailored" intro to its gorgeous sci-fi puzzles
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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Gets New Details and Will Be At NYCC!
It’s interesting how much information is coming out about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in recent weeks, given that the title won’t launch until early next year. It’s possible that Square Enix doesn’t want you to forget about the game and thus build up the hype for many months until it’s at a “fever pitch.” Or they just think that right now is the best time to do the reveals! Either way works in the minds of gamers. The good news is that today was one of those “reveal days” because plenty of information was dropped about the title.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s Open Ended Approach Was a Response to Remake’s Linearity Criticism
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is going to be a much more open experience than its predecessor, and it seems like fan feedback was among the reasons behind this.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3's Ending Will Tie Into Advent Children
Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed that the third game in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy will "link up" to Advent Children if you play all the way through to the end.
Forget Venom: Get 19 Inches of Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s PS5 Collector’s Edition | Push Square
If PlayStation UK's provocative advertisement for Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Collector's Edition wasn't enough to entice, maybe Square Enix has the goods to loosen those purse strings. Now available for preorder, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's Collector's Edition comes with some tantalising extras, including a girthy bust of the long boy himself: Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel (the wing is detachable).
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Gameplay Showcases Queen’s Blood, Piano Mini-Game and The Grasslands
Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has received new gameplay and details thanks to various hands-on impressions over the past few days. However, the development team hosted a stage event at Tokyo Game Show 2023 to show off even more, from The Grasslands and its mini-games to more combat. You can also check out more gameplay courtesy of Famitsu below.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – TGS 2023 stage event gameplay, Grasslands mini-games trailer
Square Enix showcased over 30 minutes of gameplay footage and a new trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth focused on mini-games playable in the Grasslands during its Tokyo Game Show 2023 stage event.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Game Director Confirms This Will Be A Standalone Experience
Fans have been pleading for years, hoping that Square Enix would provide a remake of the beloved Final Fantasy VII video game. This title launched back on the original PlayStation. Of course, we now know this remake was finally put into production, but it won’t be a complete experience with just one game. In fact, the first part of the remake has already been published, and you can enjoy it right now. However, if you’ve already played the first game in the remake collection for Final Fantasy VII, your eyes might be set on that next installment, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Square Enix Answers 6 Burning Questions About Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
After playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for the first time (check out my full impressions here), I then spoke with director Naoki Hamaguchi, producer Yoshinori Kitase, and creative director Tetsuya Nomura to seek answers to some burning questions. That includes how much narrative ground Rebirth covers, the decision behind splitting it between two discs, and if there’s any form of data transfer between Remake and Rebirth.
FF7 Rebirth Exclusivity Window Will Only Last Three Months
When and whether other versions will come remains unknown.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Creative Director Talks Game’s “Order”
One of the things that makes Final Fantasy VII Rebirth interesting in the eyes of fans is that the game is building off of what the original “Remake” title did in 2020. We mean they’re not simply remaking the game graphically from top to bottom. Instead, they’re expanding everything that happens in the story and fleshing out moments and characters so that everything feels more robust and meaningful. The trick is that they’re doing this while also changing key moments in the key and rewriting the fates of known characters and their deaths. That “altering” will continue in the sequel.