Ahead of the game’s Feb 29, 2024 launch, Square Enix invited Deadline to play through two early sections of the upcoming title– that also debuted at this year’s Tokyo Game Show—which serves as the second part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. The new game starts right where Final Fantasy VII Remake left off with Team Avalanche’s Cloud (Cody Christian), Aerith (Briana White), Tifa (Britt Baron), Barret (John Eric Bentley) and Red XIII (Max Mittelman) leaving Midgar to confront the boundless, terrifying freedom that awaits them on their journey to The Forgotten Capital.
Below, we showcase some key (or “kweh!” for all the Chocobo lovers) moments and updated features from our demo preview.
The Battle on Mount Nibel
What is sure to be one of the crown jewels of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth combat is the newly upgraded and revamped team-up on Mt. Nibel. Five years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud, who at the time is a young and inexperienced SOLIDER, joins forces with the esteemed war hero Sephiroth and his childhood friend Tifa to investigate a hard-to-reach mako reactor atop the mountain. Unfortunately for them, the reactor is being guarded by a monstrous scaley big bad. Fortunately for the player, just like in the original, it means we can take hold of Sephiroth’s skills and abilities alongside Cloud.
Here, the upscaled battle introduces a litany of new moves called Synergy Abilities, unleashing a series of powerful attacks when two characters team up together to put an enemy in the dust. One such move created for Rebirth is Cloud and Sephiroth’s bombastic special power, the Double Helix, that allows Sephiroth to unleash a series of mid-air close range attacks with Cloud right on his heels to finish the job.
What’s also great about this section of the game is seeing the depth of Cloud and Sephiroth’s bond as SOLIDERs during a healthier stage of their early friendship, you know, before they got all stoic and hungry for power. During gameplay, Sephiroth spares no feelings in critiquing Cloud as you hack and slash your way through the boss fight as he shouts things like, “You need to vary your attacks” and “Try to keep your guard up,” while also poking fun at Cloud’s puppy-like enthusiasm.
In the video, you take an inside look at several new fighting mechanics, revamped graphics, and the pair’s brotherly bond.
The Journey to Junon
Though Cloud and the gang’s journey to stop Sephiroth from taking over the world is fraught and full of peril, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everything has to be doom and gloom, right? Or at least that’s what we’d like to think Square Enix had in mind while adding the ability to pet baby Chocobos. In addition to the baby Chocobos, Rebirth introduces a new way to get around the vast and expansive world outside of Midgar. Depending on the terrain in the several locations you will visit throughout the game, specialized Chocobos can be captured and utilized on your journey. One of them is mountain Chocobos, which can help the player access steep mountains and rugged terrain; the other is sky Chocobos, which can save your party some much-needed footrest while gliding over large peaks and valleys.
Square Enix
Square Enix
Square Enix has also recently confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is full of 100 hours worth of content, and we won’t judge if you spend all of them helping out your local baby Chocobo pick-up signs around town. You’ll understand what we mean when you check out the demo clip below.
