The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play day is here, with an extended look at the highly-anticipated second installment in the Final Fantasy VII Remake project. As we like to do on Kotaku Australia, we liveblogged the presentation and have updated this piece with all the new reveals and game details as they were announced.
The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play was announced last week at the end of the February State of Play showcase. Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Shawne Benson confirmed that Square Enix would be “sharing new gameplay details, along with exciting news you won’t want to miss.” Based on the YouTube caption for the livestream, we’ll also be getting a new trailer to accompany a “special gameplay video showing how the game has been designed with new footage.” Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releases on PlayStation 5 on 29 February, so there’s only a few weeks left until it’s out in the wild – this is likely the last additional info we’ll get about the game before launch.
Without further ado, let’s get into it. Here’s everything announced during the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth State of Play broadcast.
Final Fantasy VII Remake State Of Play Announcements
New Final Fantasy VII Trailer
A new trailer dropped, featuring some deeper looks into the locations players will explore (Ancient Temple, anyone?), and what appears to be recurring Final Fantasy character Gilgamesh — an interesting addition given he was not originally in Final Fantasy VII. Gilgamesh has shown up across multiple games as a summon, a foe, and an ally, depending on the game, but he does look decidedly like he’ll be a foe in the upcoming title.
Game locations revealed
The Final Fantasy VII State of Play showcased some further details about the locations players will explore in the game, including:
- The Grasslands
- Junon Region
- Corel Region
- Gongaga Region
- Cosmo Canyon Region
- Nibel Region
- Meridian Ocean
The game will pick up in the Grasslands when players jump back in to adventuring with Cloud and friends. We got a closer look at each location, with players able to visit Zack Fair’s hometown in Gongaga, Nibel Region, including Shinra Manor (Vincent’s resting place), and even maritime exploration on the Meridian Ocean. One location we didn’t get to see beyond the name cropping up on the map overview is Northwood.
World Intel , Mini Games and Odd Jobs (quests)
We got a closer look at how World Intel, odd jobs (side quests), and mini-games will work. Help Chadley with research to deepen his understanding of the world so he can develop new Materia. World Intel research comes in many forms, including Chocobo wrangling and playing with Mooglets. Part of your research may take you to sanctuaries “brimming with knowledge of divine entities,” and lairs with unique enemies to battle. You’ll also be tasked with unearthing artefacts known as ‘Proto Relics’, with each investigation host to its own side story, characters, and mini-games.
Odd jobs offer a “deep dive” into the world of Midgar in the form of side quests. Assisting characters with odd jobs will improve party bonds, providing story and combat benefits. Square Enix confirmed that story progression would not affect your ability to complete these side quests, which can be returned to in order to “tie up loose ends.” We got a sneak peek at one such odd job, where Tifa appears to be playing piano for a group of cats as part of a mini-game.
Mini Games include Chocobo Racing , 3D Brawler, and G-Bike amongst other games players may recognise from the original. We’ll also see many new mini-games not in the original, with a new in-game card game called Queen’s Blood, which will task players with collecting cards to build up their deck.
Graphics and Performance Mode
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will apparently make “full use” of the PlayStation 5’s graphics capabilities, with visuals — Square says — that improve upon even Final Fantasy VII Remake. Players can select between maintaining a 60FPS frame rate in Performance Mode, or play at 30FPS in 4k resolution with Graphics Mode.
Party Bonds
Allies who previously couldn’t join you in the Gold Saucer on a date can now do so, if you “play your cards right” with gameplay choices and strengthen your bonds with them. Your actions will impact your relationships with each party member beyond main story beats. Party bonds and your party level extends to Synergy Abilities in combat, combo abilities that will see two party members join forces to unleash special skills on the battlefield. The higher your party level, the more skills will become available in your character’s folios, new to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Expanding your folio will make your characters will become stronger and learn new synergy commands. Every party lineup and combo will have their own unique Synergy Abilities, which can be expanded upon as your bonds build further.
A Demo is coming
While it was leaked yesterday, we now have official confirmation that a playable demo of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is now available as of today. Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura confirmed the demo will feature the Nibelheim flashback, where you can play as both Cloud and Sephiroth. Between now and the game’s February 29 release, a portion of the Junon Region will also be added to the demo which will provide a sneak peek at the “freedom of exploration” offered in the new game.
Lead Image Credit: Square Enix
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