The Summer Game Fest managed to throw up a couple of surprises, with fans being treated to some extended gameplay footage of Mortal Kombat 1, an October 2023 release date for Spider-Man 2, and perhaps most surprisingly, a brand-new trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second part of the planned Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy. After a period of relative silence, with much of Square Enix's focus being on the imminent release of Final Fantasy 16, Rebirth re-emerged with an exciting trailer giving fans a glimpse of what's next for Cloud Strife and his allies. When the dust settled after the trailer though, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was still left with numerous unanswered questions.
Continuing the story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Rebirth picks up immediately after events in the city of Midgar, following Cloud and his allies' defeat of the evil and sadistic Sephiroth. While Final Fantasy 7's narrative is relatively well-known, this new trilogy has bravely veered off the expected course, introducing new story elements and creating a new timeline where things aren't playing out exactly like they did in the original 1997 classic. This means that much of Rebirth's story could be significantly changed rather than retreading the same ground as before, and a result of that, hype around the game has escalated.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is Still Holding its Cards Close to its Chest
One of the biggest questions fans are asking is whether Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be an open-world game or not. Much of Remake took place in the concrete jungle of Midgar's slums, which felt overcrowded at times, and a little too claustrophobic. The game's linearity was pinpointed as one of its only criticisms, largely due to the fact that the Final Fantasy series is synonymous with freedom. While Rebirth's newest trailer definitely alluded to more open, sparsely-populated areas, showing Cloud, Barrett, and the party traversing beautiful green fields, it didn't provide an answer to the burning question of whether it is an open world or not.
Part of the reason for Final Fantasy 7's enduring popularity is the large number of memorable characters it introduced. Not just in the likes of Cloud and Sephiroth, but others too, like party members Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind. Neither is yet to show up in Remake's timeline, and Cid's late entrance into the original game's narrative means he may not actually appear until the third game, but Vincent Valentine's part in the story should certainly commence some time during Rebirth. Despite this, there was no sign of him in the trailer, with the only party members shown being characters already introduced in Remake and its DLC.
Zack Fair is an important part of the Final Fantasy 7 universe. The recent Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core Reunion reintroduced the likable character to modern fans, and his inclusion in the final scene of Remake's DLC, titled INTERmission, has confirmed that he is in fact alive and well in this new timeline despite his death at the end of Reunion. Many are expecting him to play a significant role in Rebirth, with his relationship with both Cloud and Aerith making him an important component, yet so far he has not been seen or mentioned at all.
Rebirth has been given a release window of early 2024. All things considered, only the most optimistic would've expected the game to launch this year, so that's about as good as fans could've realistically hoped for. As Final Fantasy 16's release comes and goes, Square Enix will likely shift its marketing focus to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and fans should expect more trailers and gameplay footage as the year goes on. Hopefully, in the months ahead, many of these questions will be answered.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is set to release on PS5 in early 2024.
