Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is said to be coming in Winter 2023, and with it comes the chance to fix a major shortcoming from Final Fantasy 7 Remake. 2020 saw the long-awaited re-imagining of the classic Final Fantasy 7 - or at least the game’s initial chapters that took place in the cyberpunk city of Midgar. Final Fantasy 7 Remake saw Cloud Strife and his friends take their first steps on a journey to expose the corruption of Shinra and combat a greater threat from the company’s dark past.
FF7 Remake ended with Cloud and company on the run from Shinra’s forces and the renegade SOLIDER Sephiroth, but players won’t have to wait too long to see what happens next. FF7 Rebirth, the second installment of the three-part Remake series, was first announced during the Final Fantasy 7 Anniversary Celebration livestream and will continue from where FF7 Remake’s timeline-altering ending left off.
FF7 Rebirth Will Let Players Control Red XIII
Near the end of FF7 Remake, players were re-introduced to one of the most unique party in the entire Final Fantasy franchise, though he sadly wasn’t playable due to how late in the story he appeared. Red XIII is a red wolf/lion creature capable of human-level speech and intellect. He was captured by Shinra and subjected to Professor Hojo’s experiments until he was rescued by Cloud and his friends. While he remains an NPC ally in FF7 Remake, project director Tetsuya Nomura has teased that Red XIII will be playable in FF7 Rebirth - just as he was in the original Final Fantasy 7.
Red XIII’s Backstory Could Be Expanded On In FF7 Rebirth
Red XIII is a fan favorite among the already beloved Final Fantasy 7 cast thanks to his unorthodox quadrupedal design, noble personality, and deep backstory that connects him to the overarching lore of the Final Fantasy 7 universe. FF7 Rebirth will likely take players to Red XIII’s home of Cosmo Canyon, making it all the more fitting that Red XIII will finally be playable in FF7 Rebirth. Just as FF7 Remake expanded upon the original’s early Midgar chapters, FF7 Rebirth could build upon Red XIII’s life before becoming a Shinra test subject and add new depths to his character.
While Final Fantasy 7 Remake was an excellent re-imagining of the classic FF7 storyline, not allowing players to directly control Final Fantasy 7's Red XIII during his brief time as a member of the party was one of its biggest missed opportunities. Thankfully, it looks like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth can correct this when it reportedly launches on the PS5 sometime later this year with a playable Red XIII.
Source: Final Fantasy/YouTube
