Heading into Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, I can’t help but think how FF7 Remake was an excellent example of how you can take a nostalgic story from Final Fantasy’s past and expand and evolve it. Square Enix does this in a way that doesn’t alienate its fans while presenting something to newcomers that immediately enthralls them in the world of the beloved world of Final Fantasy 7. Except for that scene where Cait Sith shows up for half a second, for anyone new to this world, that was weird and out of left field.
But, some key elements were still missing from a gameplay perspective in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Namely, just how vast the world is, as the remake stays solely in Midgar, only at the end for our heroes to escape the city. This is where Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth changes it up, not only for this mid-section of the remake trilogy but also sets a new standard for how Square Enix can present future Final Fantasy games.
During my demo, I was given access to two sections. The first one was the Mako reactor Nibelheim flashback, where Tifa leads Cloud, Sephiroth, and a Shinra soldier up to a malfunctioning reactor in the town of Nibelheim. This was primarily used as a refresher to the combat system and how to traverse the world, but it also showed off the new synergy system.
“…just by playing this small taste of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, I am seething to get my hands on it on February 29th.”
As you build up the new synergy bar, which is presented underneath the ATB gauge, you’ll be able to pull off these grand synergistic abilities that act as almost a second limit break but between characters. The ones I managed to pull off were Cloud and Sephiroth Double Helix, in which they lay the beat down with their swords and perform an incredibly cinematic cross-slash together. There are minor synergy attacks you can do as well, and those act more as regular abilities.
During the Nibelheim mission, you can immediately tell that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth takes cues from the Intergrade DLC, specifically in how smooth the combat is. While the recently released Final Fantasy 16 is a straight-action RPG, Rebirth is clearly a mix of action-based and turn-based combat. But there has been some balancing done. Each action feels much smoother to pull off, and to say the battles were filled with cinematic VFX would be an understatement.
The most significant part to take away from this was the ability to control Sephiroth in combat. Getting to use the legendary Masamune in his hands was genuinely outstanding. You get this sense of power from the get-go, and with each hit landed on an enemy, you build up his Aura Charge meter until you can unleash his Sword Dance ability. It is a Final Fantasy fan’s dream come true. This section was also relatively short, only lasting roughly fifteen minutes.
“During the Nibelheim mission, you can immediately tell that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth takes cues from the Intergrade DLC, specifically in how smooth the combat is.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s preview section, which made me shed a tear and sport a giant grin ear to ear, was the second and final section I got hands-on with. It is a look into the game’s early-open world section. Taking place between the Mythril Mine and Junon, we were given free rein to explore to our heart’s content. Fort Condor was teased early on with that section being blocked off for this demo, but the way they teased it was priceless.
When this section began, a tutorial popped up, teaching us how to call our Chocobos, so naturally, I had to ride that sweet bird around. As you run around, your Chocobo will occasionally have a question mark on its head, meaning it can smell treasure nearby. This leads to an exciting exploration mechanic that was reminiscent of Final Fantasy 9’s Chocobo Hot and Cold. It was a fun detour that lets you take in the natural beauty in every corner of the open world.
Within this open-world segment, we got a taste of what is to come. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there are fights marked on the map that pit our party against unique enemies. I was given some specific goals during one fight with some particularly nasty Thunderclaws. Pressure the enemy, stagger the enemy, and defeat it within the time limit. This looks to take the place of the hunts that have been available in the more recent games.
“…we got to see Red XIII in action for the first time, and having his agility with Clouds pure strength backed by Areith buffing, I think it will be my main party makeup.”
Having them marked on the map went a long way, and the ability to retry them by just going into the area marked on the map made it very simple to hunt these more formidable enemies down. Not to mention, we got to see Red XIII in action for the first time, and having his agility with Clouds pure strength backed by Areith buffing, I think it will be my main party makeup.
Sprinkled around the environment were crafting materials, ores, flowers, etc. Using these allowed me to access the Item Transmuter menu where you could craft potions, Phoenix downs, and the like. Much like Kingdom Hearts‘ fantastic synthesis mechanic, as you craft more, it opens up options for the ability to craft more substantial and better items.
Because of the more open presentation of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, we are also given fast travel points in the form of these adorable Chocobo stops, which you have to unlock by following a painfully cute chocochick to a fallen-down stop sign. Once you lift it, you can fast-travel to that spot, and before you ask, yes, you can pet the Chocochick. To the Chocobo aspect, I came across a Chocobo farm and was given the chance to Pimp My Ride, if you will. I was able to pick between different sets of armour and colour the armour. While only a base armour set was available during the demo, it seems Square Enix is pulling out all the stops.
The demo concluded with a trip to Junon, specifically to its underbelly. We are introduced to the town sheriff and the infamous Mr. Dolphin during this. While another character appears here, it is radically different from how they were introduced in the original. Tonally, it fits much better here, and just by playing this small taste of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, I am seething to get my hands on it on February 29th.
When I was just riding my Chocobo around looking at the vistas, I was hit with such a rush of emotions. My main Final Fantasy‘s are 6-9, and there was something present in this preview that really drew out the feelings I get when revisiting those. I got extremely emotional and had a good happy cry when I got home just thinking back on how Square Enix is handling what is the most crucial part of Final Fantasy 7 with FF7 Rebirth. With so much Final Fantasy to ingest right now, between Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy 14’s new expansion, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there is something for every type of Final Fantasy fan.
