Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is shaping up to be many things, and a wild ride sounds just about right. After all, it’s not everyday that one sees the description of impaling or slashing characters and a tease of a “bodacious beach bod” in the same block of text — both of which are highlighted in the game’s ESRB rating summary.
According to it, Square Enix’s hotly-anticipated sequel to 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake will feature an unnamed character (possibly Zack Fair or Barret Wallace) saying, “Just admit it. You’re obviously captivated by my bodacious beach bod.” Like its predecessor, it has a Teen rating due to “Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence,” with the above specified in a sentence detailing other teen-level content like skimpy outfits, suggestive dialogue, and close-ups of characters’ bodies.
But the most eye-catching detail would be the descriptions of violence that point to an iconic scene in the original 1997 game. The opener is standard enough: “This is an action role-playing game in which players follow the story of a mercenary (Cloud Strife) on a quest to save the planet from evil. Players explore fantasy landscapes, perform missions, and battle monsters and soldiers in frenetic melee combat. Characters use swords, staffs, guns, and magic spells to fight monsters and human soldiers; combat is highlighted by impact sounds, cries of pain, and explosions.”
The follow-up statement then hints at the blow that caused a collective emotional ripple within the community. It continues, “Cutscenes depict further instances of violence, sometimes with splatters/pools of blood: characters impaled or slashed by swords, sometimes with slow-motion effects; an assassin throwing a spinning blade at a targeted figure; characters shot by soldiers.”
(WARNING: Major story spoilers for the original Final Fantasy VII and potential spoilers for Rebirth ahead!)
Considering that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will have plenty of stabbing, there’s no way to determine if this confirms Aerith’s fate in the sequel. The classic 1997 scene saw her being impaled by Sepiroth’s sword and killed, but since Remake changed some key events, it’s been theorised that her death might not even happen.
Apart from the bloodshed, fans can also, unsurprisingly, expect “deep cleavage”, alcohol references, and swear words. “Some female characters are designed with revealing outfits (e.g., deep cleavage); suggestive dialogue sometimes accompanies camera panning/close-ups of characters’ bodies/outfits (e.g., ‘Just admit it. You’re obviously captivated by my bodacious beach bod.’),” reads the rest of the rating.
“The game contains some alcohol content: as Cloud, players can drink a version of moonshine while at a bar; cutscenes sometimes feature drunk characters slurring their speech. A handful of scenes depict characters smoking cigars or out of hookahs. The words ‘sh*t,’ ‘a*shole,’ and ‘pr*ck’ appear in the game.”
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releases 29 February 2024 for the PS5 with some new bells and whistles in tow. In addition to open-world exploration, it will also feature the all-new synergy moves mechanic, returning characters like Vincent Valentine and Yuffie, and beloved mini-games with a fresh coat of paint, as well as making characters like Sephiroth — who can be considered a protagonist of the forthcoming game — and Red XIII playable for the first time in the series.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
