Among the many games to make a splash during the recent PlayStation State of Play is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It’s launching on February 29th, 2024, for PS5, and the latest gameplay trailer offered several new details, including the appearance of summons like Alexander and Odin.
According to director Naoki Hamaguchi in an interview with PS Blog, there are many other summons in addition to those revealed, and some are also returning from Final Fantasy 7 Remake. “In fact, the lineup of summons has actually been fleshed out over and above the previous game, with new, extended side content based on a summon who did not feature in the original Final Fantasy 7 and even more besides.”
Speaking of side content, the Gold Saucer returns and offers mini-games like avatar fighter battles where players can attack with L2 or R2, guard and press both buttons for a Limit Break. There’s even an Active Time Battle gauge.
As for how the mini-games differ from the original game, Hamaguchi said, “I think there are a lot of fans who point to the number and variety of mini-games as one of the draws of the original Final Fantasy 7, but for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth we have gone all-out and created a huge number of mini-games on a scale that surpasses even the original!
“Many of these mini-games can be experienced in the main story, but we also have lots of unique games and challenges that appear as part of the side stories you can find as you explore the world map. There might well be players who get so caught up in all the fun mini-games that they find they aren’t making progress in the main story…” The Gold Saucer is encountered in the middle of the game, but you can return to it at any time.
“To create that motivation to make them want to come back, we designed the park to provide a changing and ever more wonderful experience with each visit, so new mini-games are added, and harder difficulty modes are unlocked as the main story progresses, giving you even more to do there. It is not just the mini-games either, and the parts of the Gold Saucer seen in the main story have also been fully remade and upgraded too, so you can expect great things from it,” said Hamaguchi.
Of course, there are other mini-games, like the parade Cloud sneaks into at Junon. It’s “greatly increased” in scope, with the player now leading the unit and customizing the composition of soldiers participating. “The chosen unit composition will alter the performance, and it goes without saying that this also affects how the mini-game is played.
“The parade to celebrate the inauguration of Rufus as the new president of Shinra is the climax of the first half of the original game, so the development team was enthused about making all the details for it. It’s one of the moments I hope players enjoy the most.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will launch on two Blu-ray discs for PS5 and feature 100 hours of content. Stay tuned for more, and check out more details about the combat and Red XIII’s mechanics.
