Things to Know Before Playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

10 Things to Remember Before Playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re remaking the past and diving deep into a fantasy that is anything but final as we look at things you need to know about Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth.

A Full RPG

Remaking one of the most beloved entries in one of the longest running franchises in gaming is no easy task, but Square mostly managed to impossible with the long-awaited Final Fantasy Remake in 2020. Even though the title and its many changes to the familiar story and formula were well received, many were disappointed with the game’s length as well as how much of the iconic story the game managed to cover. With Rebirth, not only will the game cover much more of the story fans know and love, but the world itself has been significantly opened for players to explore and the developers are estimating the game will take on average anywhere between 30 to 100 hours to complete, depending on how much of the game’s content they immerse themselves in. You’ll absolutely be getting your time and money’s worth out of the second chapter of the Remake saga.

Gettin’ Around

With Remake mostly taking place within the Midgar city limits, there wasn’t really much need for transport around the various neighboring areas besides fast travel, but with Rebirth featuring a massive open world map to explore, Cloud and company are upgrading their modes of transport. With Cloud venturing out into the open world, players will finally get to catch and ride their own chocobo, which can be called at any time during your explorations with the push of a button. Different Chocobos also have different abilities as some can fly or at least fall with style, while others are able to climb sheer cliffs to access out of reach areas. We’ve also seen numerous other modes of transport including Cloud rolling past the haters on a segway, as well as hitching a ride on a passing horse drawn cart and even a massive six wheeled off road vehicle.

Transmutations

In Final Fantasy 7 Remake, most things the player would collect would either be useful items, new materia, or equipment. With Rebirth, not only will players be collecting much of the same as in Remake, they’ll also be collecting new crafting items which can be used in the game’s new Item Transmuter system, where you can gain new items such as better armor, weapons, and accessories. The more items you craft, the higher your craftsmanship rank increases allowing you to create more powerful items and formulas. While this new feature will most likely be entirely optional, if other entries such as Final Fantasy XVI are any indication, crafting and transmuting new items will most likely lead to some of the most powerful weapons and armor in the game so your mileage may vary depending on how committed you are to the new systems.

Expanded Roster

Like most Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy 7 has quite the roster of memorable and playable characters, but in remake, this list was dwindled down to just 4, Cloud, Barret, Aerith and Tifa, with Yuffie playable in a later released DLC. With Rebirth however, the roster has grown to include many fan favorites such as finally being able to take control of Red XIII, Cait Sith, Sephiroth, and surprisingly Zack Fair. The developers have promised that Cait Sith will have a unique control scheme befitting the strange character. While some characters have been featured in recent trailers such as Cid and Vincent, it’s currently unknown if they will be playable in any capacity, but creative director Tetsuya Nomura has promised that characters that appear in Rebirth but aren’t playable will be “official party members” in the trilogy’s inevitable 3rd entry.

Mini Game Madness

The Final Fantasy series has had no shortage of mini games to distract the player from saving the world and while the options might not have been as numerous in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, with Rebirth, players will find plenty to keep them busy. Beyond the numerous games and attractions at the Gold Saucer, players will be able to collect sheets of piano music and even get the chance to play for themselves, there’s a new strategic card game sweeping Midgar called Queen’s Blood, and even a game called Moogle Mischief that sees Cloud chasing down numerous Moogle kids. This is in addition to games fans of the original have come to expect such as Chocobo excavation sites, combat challenges, and new Remnawave Towers which will help clear some of the fog on the over world map and allow for easier exploration. Saving Gaia will have to wait just a little bit longer.

Part 2

Final Fantasy 7 Remake might have only covered the original game’s story up to the collapse of the Sector 7 plate and the group’s eventual escape from Midgar, but in Rebirth, the sequel will cover much more of the established narrative leading up to the moment that still breaks gamer’s hearts almost 3 decades on. Given the changes to the well known story of the original, players can expect similar deviations from the established canon. While the developer wants Rebirth to be welcoming to newcomers as well as returning fans, they do still recommend playing through Remake first to fully appreciate the story, although they will be including a “Story So Far” section for those taking their first steps into Midgar. Sadly, those who have played through Remake won’t be able to transfer their save, although Tetsuya Nomura has promised specific rewards for those with Remake save files.

Combat Upgrades

Final Fantasy 7 Remake managed to perfectly blend elements of the traditional turn-based combat the original entry was known for with the more modern real time action heavy gameplay modern audiences are more familiar with, and with Rebirth, although the core systems of Active and Classic battle modes remain relatively unchanged, (don’t fix what ain’t broken), there have been smaller but meaningful tweaks. The biggest new addition is “Synergy” moves which ties into the narrative of the characters bonding and becoming more connected. Synergy attacks act as a secondary Limit Break, allowing two characters to build up a gauge that allows them to unleash a new joint special attack that can deal massive damage. The developers describe this new system as a way to encourage players to constantly switch characters to fill these gauges quicker and unlock more abilities for players to strategically use in battle.

Oh the Places You’ll Go

Many fans were surprised that Final Fantasy Remake only covered the opening hours of the Midgar section of the original game, and while the developers did manage to expand these sections and flesh out the areas and characters, there was very little room for true exploration. However, that’s all changing with Rebirth, as not only will players have a large semi-open world to explore, but they’ll also be able to visit fan favorite locations such as the Gold Saucer, the Chocobo Farm, and Shinra Mansion. In addition, major story areas have been expanded upon such as Cosmo Canyon, Nibelheim, and Junon. Once forgettable locations such as Costa Del Sol will also be getting a major facelift as we’ve seen Cloud in island attire puttering around on a segway as the beach loving locals look on.

Zack’s Resurrection

Zack Fair was one of the most important characters players only briefly got to know in the original Final Fantasy 7 and his backstory was further fleshed out in his own standalone game Crisis Core, but his ultimate fate has been drastically changed by the altered timeline of Remake. Originally Zack died in a brave last stand which led to Cloud inheriting his Buster Sword, but after the defeat of the Whispers, Zack survives this confrontation and is seen carrying a wounded Cloud into Midgard and eventually going to search for Aerith at the church. How Zack’s survival will play into the new timeline and what ramifications it will have remain to be seen, but Square has promised Zack will have his own “episode” in Rebirth so hopefully we will get to see much more of how Zack fits into this new version of Final Fantasy 7 canon.

Whispers in Time & Space

It’s safe to say Final Fantasy 7 Remake wasn’t quite the one-to-one remake fans were expecting with the story deviating wildly from the established canon numerous times throughout the game. During these moments, creatures known as the “Whispers” were present to try to keep the narrative going in one direction and maintain the characters predetermined destinies. Eventually this leads to a wild confrontation with these arbiters of fate and their defeat leads to branching timelines, leaving the future uncertain even for diehard fans. We already know almost for certain that the Whispers will return in Rebirth, and although it was most likely their interference that led to the change of events in the first place, they’re unlikely to stand idly by and continue allowing our heroes to mess with time.

What are you most looking forward to in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth? Let us know down in the comments.