Sephiroth’s presence in FF7 Rebirth will be expanded even further.
Unlike the Final Fantasy 7 game from 1997, however, it is expected that a few plot details in FF7 Rebirth are altered, as the remake trilogy seems to be playing with the concept of a remake and pointing toward multiple timelines of existence. It is currently uncertain if the events of the original game will play out exactly alike in the sequel to the remake, or if players can expect drastic changes in the main story. Nevertheless, FF7 Rebirth is among the most anticipated games of the decade and, luckily, players do not have to wait too much longer before they can continue their adventures with Cloud and Avalanche.
FF7 Rebirth Release Date & Platforms
The exact timed exclusive for PS5 consoles at launch.
FF7 Rebirth Characters
The main characters in FF7 Rebirth are mostly the same as the ones from the first title in the remake trilogy, though a few new additions have been confirmed. Cloud Strife will continue to be a playable character and the protagonist of this story, while Tifa Lockheart, Barret Wallace, Aerith Gainsborough, and Red XIII continue to accompany him on his journeys. This time around, Red XIII will become fully playable – in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the character was rescued from Shinra and ed the team, though he was not fully controllable in the gameplay itself. This is, in part, due to his addition happening in the game’s late stages.
Sephiroth will continue to be the main antagonist in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, as his own personal story gets more layers and players better understand his motivations. It seems like Sephiroth is aware of his own fate from the original 1997 game and is trying to change that in this timeline, though that has yet to be confirmed. Although he is the main threat to all of Gaia, some other FF7 Rebirth characters will also pose a threat to Cloud and his team.
These secondary antagonists of Rebirth are the Turks, a subdivision of Shinra that is composed of top agents. In their ranks, Rude has been confirmed to return, and Elena is making her debut in the new game. She plays a significant role in the Turks’ operations in the original game, and will likely take the lead as one of FF7 Rebirth’s new characters – although a large portion of her interactions show her as a comic relief.
Another confirmed character for FF7 Rebirth that is returning from the original game is Bugenhagen. The elder lives in the Cosmo Canyon village and his appearance inside his special planetary room also confirms that the region will be explorable in the game. Bugenhagen has a special relationship with Red XIII, and both of them will likely be heavily fleshed out as this is an important side story in the original Final Fantasy 7 game. Yuffie, an optional character from the original game and protagonist of Remake's INTERmission DLC will also be part of the playable party.
FF7 Rebirth Story Details
FF7 Rebirth, the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake will continue the story of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII after their unexpected fight against Sephiroth and the iconic destruction of Sector 7 in Midgar. After the fall of the plate, and the main incident in Shinra headquarters, the band of heroes faced Sephiroth in a fight that, according to the Summer Game Fest trailer, tore apart Midgar even more, wreaking havoc on Sectors 0, 1, and 2. The fates of FF7 Rebirth's characters after this specific fight are unknown, but they do leave the main city.
The order of the events is unclear and there are likely multiple timelines in play simultaneously, which allows for misdirection in promotional trailers. After leaving Midgar, they will venture into the rest of the world of Gaia in FF7 Rebirth, hoping to find the means to stop Shinra’s advances and Sephiroth’s plot of destruction. The Cosmo Canyon arc, in which the team will find out more about Red XIII’s origins and how the planet’s Lifestream works, will be extremely important in the overall story arc of FF7 Rebirth.
In addition to that, the game will also take players to Nibelheim, though in the past. This will likely be presented in the form of playable flashbacks, showing when Sephiroth first emerges as a villain and how Tifa and Cloud are connected to his journey. This will likely be a big arc in the FF7 Rebirth story as it is important for multiple character developments, especially those of the aforementioned trio.
It is uncertain exactly where the game will end in the known timeline, but it can be estimated that the story of FF7 Rebirth will go up until the tragic events that occur in the temple beneath the City of the Ancients. It is impossible to predict if the events will play out exactly as they did in the original Final Fantasy 7, especially with the indications of multiple timelines, but that may be the turning point in the story and the one that connects FF7 Rebirth to the third game in the remake trilogy.
FF7 Rebirth Gameplay
The core gameplay in FF7 Rebirth should not be changed too drastically when compared to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as the real-time action combat with turn-based elements was well-received among critics and players alike. The new and improved systems were marked as a staple in the remake trilogy, and will likely remain unchanged, with only a few tweaks to optimize it. The game is indicating, however, that players may be able to chain group combos involving all three active characters at once.
Yuffie and Red XIII will become playable characters in the game as well, offering players a new selection of heroes to choose from when building teams. There are speculations that Vincent Valentine will also be playable in FF7 Rebirth’s gameplay, as he can be encountered in the original game during the portion that the second remake title will cover. That is, however, still unconfirmed by Square Enix.
However, the exploration should be much less linear and more open-ended this time, as Gaia is free to explore as opposed to Midgar's more restricted layout. Although the essence of the gameplay in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is unlikely going to change too much, there will be progression with new items, equipment, and summons to bring into the arena as players chase after the truth in the main story.
Source: Final Fantasy/YouTube
