When Final Fantasy VII Remake came out in 2020, it was a dream come true for fans – and also a cause for worry. The 1997 classic, after all, received rave reviews and has remained a fan favourite over the years, so all eyes were on Square Enix to deliver. Not to be weighed down by sky-high expectations, the game launched to critical acclaim and raised the bar for subsequent remake titles, ending on a love-it-or-hate-it high that teased more excitement to come.
Going into a one-hour preview of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the sequel to Remake and the second entry of the trilogy, at Tokyo Game Show 2023, the same brand of anticipation was palpable – and for good reason. Rebirth will incorporate some new bells and whistles, such as synergy moves and open-world exploration, but it was unclear just how much of its previous trappings would be retained.
As it turns out, the follow-up is set to feature a satisfying hybrid of both fresh and familiar elements. It isn’t all that different, with slight updates and modest improvements making everything look flashier, prettier, and faster. All of these small details add up, and what awaits is a supercharged experience.
The hands-on session comprised two missions to play through: The Fated Mt. Nibel Mission and The Open Wilds of Junon. First, let’s address the elephant in the room – a playable Sephiroth. In the original, the silver-haired antagonist was an AI-controlled party member that Cloud accompanies in a flashback sequence, which saw them (and a cowboy-hat-wearing Tifa) making their way to a mako reactor at Mt Nibel’s summit. The same party exploration dynamics in Remake apply here, so players can still only play as Cloud outside of combat scenarios.
When the situation calls for it, stepping into the role of the One-Winged Angel made for an exhilarating affair. True to his in-game reputation as Shinra’s strongest soldier, the Masamune wielder is a devastating force to reckon with on the battlefield. His flurry of attacks are fast, hard-hitting, and wide-reaching, decked out with a full arsenal of Materia and his signature Octoslash limit break. Cutting enemies down brings an addictive sense of satisfaction, and chaining combos feels nothing short of fluid and dynamic.
Even as he gets overshadowed, Cloud is hardly a pushover. Like before, the beloved protagonist can fight either in Operator Mode or Punisher Mode, with the latter dishing out more powerful but less balanced attacks. Witnessing the Buster Sword in action remains a spectacle as usual, and there are few fundamental differences from its predecessor – Limit Breaks, Abilities, and the blend of real-time action and issuing commands to party members all return here.
The main highlight of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is when the pair comes together to execute synergy abilities, not to be confused with synergy skills. Falling more in line with ultimate abilities, they can be activated when two characters have built enough Synergy Gauge, a new metre that fills with every use of an ability. Depending on the characters, these combo interactions and attack styles will differ, encouraging players to try different party rosters. One thing’s for certain: the synergy abilities are all flashy as heck, packing even more of the over-the-top flair from Remake (in a good way).
The same goes for synergy skills, albeit not as grand-sweeping, that act as tag-team assaults, activated by holding down R1 (Guard) and then pressing Square or Triangle. They don’t hit as hard as standard abilities and spells, but can be triggered instantly, offering players an additional outlet to spice up their combat experience.
With Cloud and Sephiroth, one of the synergy skills takes the form of Dualblade Dance, which unveils a mesmerising dance of tandem swordplay. Their synergy ability builds on this tag-team assault to unleash a devastating combination sword attack, complete with beautiful cinematic moments. The pair’s banter and playful exchanges, peppered throughout the fight, are also amusing to witness.
Between standard attacks, stance changes, individual character abilities, magic, Limit Breaks, and this new synergy system, battles can feel more overwhelming than before, and will likely take a while to get used to. The existing issue of hectic action and sensory overload-inducing special effects still persists, but that’s when switching to tactical mode and taking a short breather comes in handy. For those who enjoyed the flashy dazzle in Remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth promises that in heaps.
Fully playable for the first time ever in the sequel, Red XIII is the other source of interest. The character can be controlled as a party member in the second part of the demo, which shifts away from a more narrative-focused, linear structure to the exploration aspect. Cloud and gang are now able to sprint and vault smoothly over obstacles, even if the movement itself doesn’t feel as sharp as other open-world titles like Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West.
Where the Mt. Nibel playthrough involves an environmental puzzle of Cloud clearing out mako gas with a vacuum machine-like apparatus, this chapter takes players on a jaunt through the open wilds of Junon. Instead of walking or running, they will ride on Chocobos (yes, Red XIII included), the franchise’s staple steed, with adorable baby Chocobos popping up on the path. Follow them to unlock customisation options, and the chance to give them a nice, little pat on the head. Aww.
These feathered companions aren’t just useful for navigation, however. They can help to scan for nearby enemies as well, which proves useful in avoiding confrontations, completing battle-oriented side quests and optional content, or experimenting with different team compositions. Fiend Sightings is an example of such activity, putting a three-member party of Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Barret, or Red XIII in a combat encounter that demands a quick set of objectives to be completed. Even in this sneak peek, it’s evident the world of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is bigger than its predecessor ever was.
While the area was restricted by zone markers in the demo, director Naoki Hamaguchi shared in a prior interview that the map will be seamless, so it’d be fair to assume that players will be able to roam the whole expanse of land and travel to the next freely in the full game. Exploring certain places unlocks the quick travel feature, and materials and resources can be collected along the way to combine in a new crafting menu. This allows for healing items to be created on the fly, often with additional perks or small benefits, such as status recovery.
Likewise, the characters are subjected to the synergy system here. Each of them wields their own expertise, and there are several synergy abilities to try out. With Red XIII, the battle style feels more akin to Tifa’s – agile, speedy, and an emphasis on short-range attacks – though his Vengeance Mode promotes more aggressive gameplay by granting increased speed and power. The party was predetermined in the preview, but its members can be switched out freely in the full game.
Enemy design is distinctive enough as well. The first, encountered by Sephiroth and Cloud in the Mt. Nibel mission, boasts a crawling ability, so players have to target the legs to take away its mobility. Meanwhile, the one Cloud and his team fights in Junon is able to grab targets and trap them in a giant water bubble, which needs to be destroyed by magic. It can also summon twisters that suck players in, making it more difficult to escape. While the demo featured only predetermined parties, the full game will have no such imposition, so it should be fun exploring different combinations, character interactions, and the like.
An one-hour preview is hardly indicative of anything concrete, but it certainly delivered more than enough fun, intrigue, and excitement to keep hopes high for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It builds on all the best parts about the first game, incorporates some new slick elements, and teases a promising, tantalising look at its open-world push. With so much more to see and do, the highly-anticipated adventure seems to have found some solid footing, and the deepening of gameplay mechanics is a good start.
The next big question is how Square Enix will elevate the narrative experience a second time. It won’t be easy to nail that down, especially with the deviation of the source material from the original 1997 title, and the widely-speculated idea of different universes or timelines. But that’s also why the return to Midgar is so enticing, and we’re ready – and curious – to see what else the team has up their sleeves.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is slated for a PS5 release on 29 February 2024.
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.
