Platform:
PlayStation 5
Publisher:
Square Enix
Developer:
Square Enix
Release:
Rating:
Teen
Following the events of 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII have escaped the confines of Midgar and gotten rid of the Whispers, meaning the possibilities as they step out into the vast world depicted in the middle portion of the original Final Fantasy VII are endless. In contrast to the corridor-heavy structure of Remake, the openness of Rebirth is immediately refreshing, but as I found out during both my hands-on and hands-off demos, the improvements don't even come close to stopping there.
The exclusive portion of my demo – the hands-off part – takes place in the Junon region approximately 10 hours into the main story. The area is mostly made of grasslands but features some mountainous areas with cliffs as well. Driving this hands-off demo is director Naoki Hamaguchi. He pulls up the world map to show just how massive the explorable area of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is.
While each section of each region – in this case, Grasslands and Junon – is labeled on the map as separate areas, you can seamlessly walk between them. "We thought that it would be easier for players to go to just one region, and so from a U.I. perspective, we have it separated – Junon and Grasslands – but in actuality, you can traverse, and they're all connected with each other," Hamaguchi says.
In this demo, Hamaguchi shows me the Crow's Nest, a new town not present in the original Final Fantasy VII. This sister town to Under Junon shares the same anti-Shinra sentiment and serves as a hub for sidequests and, as I soon find out, minigames.
"In Rebirth, we've added these types of cities like the Crow's Nest – totally new cities that did not exist in the original to go deeper and create this whole worldview of Rebirth," Hamaguchi says. "We reach this area after completing a quest, and then this place unlocks. The residents already know Cloud and the party are a part of Avalanche."
Sidequests play a huge role in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but naturally, players will need to make the conscious decision to take them on. Making players seek this side content out was a mission the development team took on. "Part of our game design that we took on for Rebirth is that in the main storyline, you'll be saving Yuffie and Under Junon, and then from there, going towards Junon, and then go forward towards Costa del Sol," Hamaguchi says. "But for example, hearing the stories of the anti-Shinra people living in Under Junon, you could then feel like, 'What about this Crow's Nest area that I'm hearing about? Maybe I want to go over there and explore and go into a side adventure on my own to save people.' We want the player to be able to make these different adventures and go on their own journeys according to their interests."
Before diving into the minigame diversions, we decide to take on a sidequest. After talking to an NPC, we learn that there's a mercenary working out of a nearby lighthouse. During this conversation, we have a choice of what to say in response; I can ask for more information about the merc, ask about the lighthouse, or just outright agree to take on the task.
Sidequests obviously give you plenty of additional opportunities to learn about the world and its denizens, but one of their primary functions in Rebirth is to expand on the relationships between the characters. Sidequests feature specific secondary protagonists alongside Cloud; completing the quest will deepen and expand the relationship between Cloud and that character. For this quest, Red XIII is the secondary protagonist.
Making our way to the lighthouse, we encounter a group of enemies. Using a party of Cloud, Tifa, and new party member Cait Sith, Hamaguchi takes the fight to them. Cait Sith's battle system might be the most unique of any character in the game. Keeping in line with his original system in the PS1 title, Cait Sith uses a lot of luck-based mechanics. He can also summon a Moogle to change his battle style, but some moves can only be pulled off solo, so even while the Moogle is summoned, Cait Sith can dismount and perform those moves, with the Moogle continuing to attack as an A.I. party member. The Moogle has its own HP, which is shown next to Cait Sith's as a circle; if the Moogle loses all its HP, it will vanish, and Cait Sith will need to summon another.
While in the original Final Fantasy VII, players would need to find a way around the mountains, Cloud is nimbler in Rebirth, as evident by his ability to climb up and down the various short cliffs and ledges in this area of the map. Additionally, some chocobos have the ability to scale tall walls or glide around to give the party even more traversal options. With Fort Condor serving as the backdrop, Cloud scales down the steep hillside to get close to the abandoned lighthouse.
As they approach the lighthouse, they're greeted by Kyrie, a woman who first appeared in the Final Fantasy VII novel The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story, but has since appeared in Final Fantasy VII Remake. In Rebirth, she pops up in different regions across the world as her story develops. She's trying to get her mercenary business off the ground, but no customers have come by yet. It turns out the theme song she's blasting outside her place of business is attracting monsters and scaring away any potential clients. Naturally, she asks Cloud, Red XIII, and the rest of the party to take care of them, but not before she begs Red XIII to become her pet. Red XIII takes exception to this request, but the party decides to help her with her fiend problem anyway.
The fight starts off easy enough, with Flans stepping up to face the party. These baddies would be annoying enough on their own, but in this quest, Kyrie taunts you as you take them on. Cait Sith and his Moogle use a Moogle Mine ability, scattering mines across the battlefield and dealing a good amount of damage to several of them.