Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is shaping up to be a dizzying spectacle. After Tuesday’s State of Play show, one thing is clear: Square Enix is throwing everything at this game – and it’s only the sequel in a planned trilogy.
If you ever wondered what a Japanese RPG directed by Baz Luhrmann would look like, now you have your answer. Fans were treated to 19 minutes of showstopping footage filled with brash outfits, brooding heroes with boyband hairdos, circus-style boss battles and a soppy ballad.
Aside from the epic storyline, there were glimpses of returning characters, quirky mini-games, challenging puzzles and magical combat. Here’s what you need to know about Tuesday’s Rebirth showcase.
The demo is out now
Square Enix jumped the gun, so it’s not much of a surprise but the demo is officially out now. Playing through chapter one, you’ll learn about how Cloud and Sephiroth teamed up during the Nibelheim Incident before the latter lost the plot and laid waste to an entire town. What’s more, an update will arrive later this month with access to the Junon region before the full game on February 29. You know Square Enix is not messing around when even the demo is getting an expansion.
The world map is huge
We saw the map in its entirety and it looks massive and varied. The game starts off in the Grasslands, south of Midgard, then to the military-industrial Junon region, followed by the sunkissed Corel Region resort. You also can visit the hometowns of Zack, Red XIII and Cloud and Tifa in the Gongaga Region, Cosmo Canyon and Nibel respectively. Compared with the cold environment in Remake, the areas in Rebirth look a lot more rich and diverse. From the turquoise-blue coast to a lush forest and rolling sand dunes, there’s plenty of places to explore in the new game.
A piano serenade for cats
There’s mini-games galore in Rebirth. But, the one that caught our eye had Tifa playing a piano for a roomful of adorable felines who were rolling around to the music. Elsewhere, there was a fun fair-style target shooter, a dolphin mounted wave race, a blocky brawler that served as an ode to the original Final Fantasy 7 (FF7), and what looked like a fleshed-out card game called Queen’s Blood. As Square Enix noted, you can return to these games at any time during your playthrough.
Fall Guys meets Frogger
In one of the many goofy “odd jobs” in the game, your party can be turned into frogs in a new spin on Fall Guys. Others involve Cloud trying to wrangle a chicken, what looks like a Chocobo treasure hunt and the return of Johnny’s questline from FF7.
Characters have unique special abilities
When exploring on foot, it helps to switch to different characters to find hidden areas, tackle puzzles and more. That’s because each of your playable pals has their own unique skills: Tifa packs a grappling gun, Yuffie can swing across gaps, Red XIII can scale walls, Barret has an explosive minigun strapped to his arm, Cait Sith can hurl objects and Aerith can manipulate the lifestream. Separately, IGN revealed that while Cid and Vincent will appear in the storyline, they won’t be able to lend a hand during scraps.
Synergy commands
Rebirth’s combat features special moves in which two of your party members team up for a bigger attack. These are called Synergy Commands, and we found out that there’s at least one of these moves for every possible party member combination you can make.
Date night
Everyone in Rebirth is so damn pretty that you risk falling in love with the doe-eyed characters. The game doesn’t shy away from romance either, with the return of the Gold Saucer date scene from FF7. As explained in the demo, this time there’s also a relationship system called Bonds of Friendship that will help you keep track of which of your party members is crushing on you the most.
The visuals are better than Remake
Square Enix is promising two modes that prioritise either 4K graphics or 60fps, with higher-resolution assets than Remake that take full advantage of the PS5’s SSD.
