The release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gets closer every day. Today, during a special State of Play presentation, The developers of the game provided new details on what’s new in this second chapter of the Final Fantasy VII Remake project including the seamless world map, how character relationships evolve throughout the game, all the different minigames being added, and more including a free demo of the game which is available now.
Following Final Fantasy VII Remake’s more linear progression, Rebirth opens things up with its expansive map that features several different areas that are seamlessly joined together. During the State of Play, we got a chance to get sneak peeks at a number of different locations including The Grasslands, Junon Region, Corel Region, Gongaga Region, Cosmo Canyon Region, Nibel Region, and the Meridian Ocean.
Each region in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth features a variety of different minigames and different odd jobs (quests) that can be done even after the player completes the main story. Some minigames return from the original game while others like the card game Queen’s Blood are brand new to Rebirth.
One of the biggest focuses that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has is on its characters and their relationships with one another. Throughout the game, the choices a player makes will affect the relationships with each party member. This can even be felt in combat with the addition of new synergy abilities that can be performed. As Cloud and his companions overcome challenges, the party level will increase which opens up new skills in a character’s Folios, a new mechanic in Rebirth. Folios can be reset at any time giving players the opportunity to try different things whenever they want.
The free demo allows players to play as both the protagonist Cloud but as the legendary swordsman Sephiroth in a flashback section of the game where Cloud recalls an earlier mission in his career as a Soldier – the Nibelheim incident. This takes place several years before the events of the game and sets the stage for several important moments within Rebirth.
Square Enix also revealed that an update will be released later in the month prior to the game’s launch that allows players to experience part of the open-world with an explorable part of the Junon region. This will be available starting on February 21. Players with save data from the demo will get the Kupo charm and Survival Set in the full game. Players with save data will also be able to skip sections covered in the flashback sequence.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches on PlayStation 5 on February 29