Today during Summer Game Fest, Square Enix released a long-awaited new trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PlayStation 5, teasing the return of various iconic locales from Final Fantasy VII while also seeding lots of new mysteries that might really change the trajectory of the original FF7 story. Basically, we’ll have to rewatch this trailer to see how many things are actually the same and how many are veering, and Square is really messing with what we think we know about Cloud and Tifa in particular. Square Enix also narrowed down the release window of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to “early 2024” on PS5 — and amusingly, the developer decided to let everyone know the game will ship on two discs, as if it’s a PlayStation 1 game.
However, gameplay-wise, things look pretty familiar, except now Red XIII and Yuffie are both fully playable, which is great. Check out the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth trailer below and start theory-crafting.
Producer Yoshinori Kitase released a statement to coincide with the trailer:
We’re honored to bring FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH to players around the world early next year. In the next installment of this thrilling tale, Cloud and his friends—both new and returning—will embark on a new adventure, so all players can enjoy this story, even those without any familiarity with the previous title or the original FINAL FANTASY VII. The entire team has worked fervently with love and adoration for the world of FINAL FANTASY VII to deliver an unforgettable experience for new adventurers and longtime fans alike, reaching new heights of cinematic storytelling, immersive and fast-paced combat, and rich exploration across a vast world. We can’t wait to share more details later this year.
Square Enix had been drip-feeding tiny updates from the developers about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for the past week on social media, suggesting that this larger announcement was near. It began with Square Enix saying the game was “working on nailing down a release date,” followed by explaining that its world would offer a “high degree of freedom” with “myriad” different stories to experience. The developers are even making “preparations” that will allows players to play and enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth without first playing its predecessor, VII Rebirth. But man, that sounds like a really bad idea. Play VII Remake first.
But for more Final Fantasy news today, check out the new Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis trailer and closed beta.
