Final Fantasy 7 Remake is back for its second instalment in a new, reimagined trilogy. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth sets of from where Remake left behind, hurling Cloud and Co. into the wide-open world. The developer states that this sequel will deepen the relationships between party members, will exhibit immersive exploration, and include one or two new tricks to unleash in combat.
Ride a Chocobo across the new open world
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth casts Cloud and the gang far beyond Midgar’s city limits. Rebirth’s focus is on this wider world; Cloud and co. are past the point of no return now, but from the visages the developer has shared with us it looks to be a wonderfully curated environment we’ll experience, with verdant grasslands, rocky deserts, and crystal canyons all begging to be cantered through on the back of a Chocobo.
Visit The Gold Saucer
Hands down one of the marquee experiences in OG Final Fantasy VII, the towering amusement park The Gold Saucer proudly sits aloft The Corel Desert offering a smorgasbord of fun activities. It’s an opportunity to farm GP, sure, but these minigames ranging from Chocobo racing to bountiful arcades replete with arm wrestling, snowboarding, and basketball, to the gauntlet-style monster arena, there’s plenty here to keep players whirling away for hours. It’s exciting to think what 26 years of development will do to these activities, and of the new attractions the developers have dreamed up for FFVII Rebirth.
Go Chocobo racing
So, let’s get one thing out of the way: Chocobo breeding won’t be possible in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. However, riding, climbing, and of course, Chocobo racing will. Racing these goofy birds at The Gold Saucer was a great diversion. This time around Chocobo’s will have individual names, have numerous variable tracks to run around, and come equipped with stat buffing equipment that’ll boost race performance.
Ride the Shooting Coaster
The bevy of awesome attractions at The Gold Saucer is bountiful, but this scribe’s favourite was the Shooting Coaster. Looking back through rose-tinted glasses perhaps, but the thrill and challenge of hurtling through canyons, glaciers, and outer space blasting a host of mid-air targets is a fond memory. There’s no guarantee the Shooting Coaster will return in Rebirth, or indeed any of the fantastic diversions located in the arcades such as arm wrestling, virtual battling, and G-bike racing, but there must be appetite for something similar in Rebirth.
Meet Vincent
The enigmatic Vincent Valentine is recruited inside the Shinra Mansion in Final Fantasy VII and serves as a fan favourite owing to his catastrophic Death Penalty ultimate weapon as much as the mystery surrounding his setting. In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth we’ll get to see Vincent’s awesome firepower up close, but unfortunately the developer have confirmed he won’t be controllable until this modern trilogy’s third entry. Here, he’ll feature as an accompanying AI controlled party member akin to Red XIII in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Use Red XIII’s Revenge Gauge in battle
One of the most exciting party additions in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth must surely be Red XIII, the fiery beast equipped with a barrage of deadly combat abilities such as Stardust Ray, Sidewinder, and ultimate weapon Limited Moon. In Rebirth, Red XIII provides an entirely new mechanic too: the Revenge Gauge. Functioning as a meter that recharges as he takes damage, it’s anticipated Red XIII will be able to unleash the Revenge Gauge’s power for unique, awe-inspiring attacks.
Play as Cait Sith
Ah… playful, loveable Cait Sith, the whimsical stuffed toy riding cat returns as a playable party member in Rebirth. This fan favourite also functions as one of the most useful party members due to his boosted magic stats and plentiful Materia slots. Whether his deception and ultimate redemptive arc plays out the same way in Rebirth remains to be seen, but it’s exciting to have him aboard none-the-less.
Play as Sephiroth
Sephiroth featured heavily in Final Fantasy VII Remake, more so than in OG FFVII where he barely appeared in the Midgar section, if at all. Now, for Rebirth, the developer hasn’t just confirmed Sephiroth’s heavy involvement but has gone one better to frame him as principal protagonist alongside Cloud. He’s an icon, sure, but will protagonist in this instance mean heroic, or simply important to the setting? Him being playable at least hints at heaps of his setting, with potential for players to explore in detail a time when he and Cloud fought alongside each other.
Use new Synergy Moves
A major theme throughout Final Fantasy VII is the familial bond that can be forged through hardship. This theme will be explored in exaggerated detail in Rebirth with the close relationships between party members more detectable than in any previous Final Fantasy game. The new Synergy Moves present in Rebirth’s updated battle system will be one of the ways the developer portray these bonds. They take the form of special abilities that can be unleashed by two characters in tandem. They’re rechargeable via spending ATB charges on abilities, and when both characters have sufficient charge, they can perform a powerful attack together. Here’s an example: Red XIII and Aerith’s Planetary Roar, a ranged attack channelling Aerith’s magic through Red XIII’s roar.
Explore new skill tree
There will be expanded options to customise and build character loadouts present in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Principal in this expansion is the new skill tree which is said to allow synergy abilities to be purchased plus a wealth of new Materia equipment.
Experience the reimagined setting
Rebirth kicks off after Cloud and co. leave Midgar to search the globe for the nefarious Sephiroth; the fundamentals of the setting appear the same but there’s heaps of new detail which the developer are remaining tight lipped on. They have shared that there’s up to 100 hours of content and that save files from Remake won’t be carried over; Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is intended to be a standalone title anyone from long-time fanatics to fans will enjoy.
Dig into wealth of side quests
Contrary to Remake’s more refined world of Midgar, Rebirth casts Cloud, Barrett, Tifa, Aerith and the rest of the gang into the outside world, a place the developer states is intended to evoke a sense of limitless exploration in players. The developer claims that up to 80% of this exploration is side content based. Side quest giver Chadley will return with hefty amounts of World Intel missions, but the developer are assuring us that Rebirth’s side content will provide enough diversity to keep players entertained for anything from 60 to 100 hours.
Witness Barrett and Dyne’s reunion
The developer is on record stating as among their favourites scenes in Rebirth is the reunion of Barrett and Dyne in Corel Prison. Their pledge to reimagine VII’s setting in greater detail means we’ll likely get to learn more of Barrett and Dyne’s childhood relationship and Dyne’s journey in the interim; it’s surely going to be an emotional, memorable moment when the two meet each other for the first time in years.
Reach The Forgotten Capital
It’s well established by now that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will culminate at The Forgotten Capital. The locations can be explored in unique orders in Rebirth depending on the player though, throwing up tons of intrigue for The Forgotten Capital portion of the game. The developer has teased things related to this location so we can’t wait to see what is in store when the game launches.
See how the game handles Aerith’s big scene
Amongst the most devastating moments in games, The Forgotten Capital plays host to Aerith’s fate, and with Rebirth’s renewed focus on deepening character relationships the developer believe their reinterpretation of this famous scene will shock players. The team believe they’ve achieved something novel, something with greater emotion, something unexpected. They’re refusing to lift the lid on exactly what will happen, but it’s ranking as one of the most anticipated moments in Rebirth.
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