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[YukiOnna]

Worth reading the interview:
- This games scenes extend up to The Forgotten Capital
- Wutai is in the 3rd Game, not this one
- Players can use synergy commands and abilities freely at any time by using gauge charge similar to Limit Breaks
- Added skill trees as a new element of character growth
- New Materia with new abilities not seen in the first game are available
- Chocobos unique to each region (Regular, Mountain Chocobo to climb mountains and cliffs, Sky Chocobo for flight)
- Not all locations of the world map will be used in the main story, so explore to your hearts content for new stories and gameplay
- Regarding Vincent: "there are characters who are accompanying members in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, that will become official party members in the next title"
- Sephiroth is indeed playable in that scene
- Yes the Ferris wheel Date scene is in
- Many new summons than just Odin and Alexander, including from previous title; New side content based on a summon that didn't feature in OG FF7
- Marching minigame scope has been increased from OG
- Minigame count will exceed OG FF7, some in gold saucer, some in the main story, some in side stories, some in world map exploration
- Gold Saucer in the middle of Rebirth's story, but can come back to it at anytime after that. New minigames are added along the way, new harder content to incentivize you to come back
- Open world game design is made to feel like Cloud and your friends are on an adventure/journey in pursuit of Sephiroth


Kitase on balancing old and new:
"As with the previous game, we have strived for the right balance between old and new scenes in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but we also tried to take on more new challenges than we did in Final Fantasy VII Remake with some of the new scenes. I am confident these new scenes will be wildly enjoyable for fans and newcomers alike."

Nomura on Rebirth's stopping point:
"We have mentioned this a few times before, but the order in which you can explore the locations is not the same as the original Final Fantasy VII, and there are some shifts in the order. For example, Wutai, one of the major locations, is not part of the route in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and will be visited in the next one. Although there are some changes in the order of the locations, the locations depicted in this title extend up to "The Forgotten Capital," where the greatest fate of Final Fantasy VII awaits you."

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: developer interview reveals fresh gameplay details as new trailer debuts at State of Play

Summons, Gold Saucer mini-games, side quests, and more discussed in exclusive Q&A as game's release date confirmed for February 29.

blog.playstation.com

 

[Doom85]

Now THIS is what I want from an action RPG, Square. Day 1.

 

[adamsapple]

- Marching minigame scope has been increased from OG

As long as they don't turn it into an extended segment like some of the smaller things in OG getting dedicated chunks in VII. That kinda thing sucks the pacing.

 

[Ozzie666]

Seems like they put a lot more effort into this one.. The party system is so much better than FF16, a nice hybrid. The original suffered from filler quests, hopefully they pull back on those. Looking forward to this for sure, it's been so long since I played the original, I've forgotten a lot of the story in the middle parts. Returning characters all look great.

 

[mortal]

That looked pretty good and I appreciate they didn't hold back from showing off modes of traversal and the Gold Saucer mini-games. I assume we won't be piloting the Highwind until part 3, if at all.
Did SE provide any official details about the game world? Because scale-wise, exploration looks similar to FFXVI's large zone design.

Although my one issue was definitely that english dub. The line deliveries were so terribly flat. The english voice actors either sounded bored or half asleep.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Worth reading the interview:
- This games scenes extend up to The Forgotten Capital
- Wutai is in the 3rd Game, not this one
- Players can use synergy commands and abilities freely at any time by using gauge charge similar to Limit Breaks
- Added skill trees as a new element of character growth
- New Materia with new abilities not seen in the first game are available
- Chocobos unique to each region (Regular, Mountain Chocobo to climb mountains and cliffs, Sky Chocobo for flight)
- Not all locations of the world map will be used in the main story, so explore to your hearts content for new stories and gameplay
- Regarding Vincent: "there are characters who are accompanying members in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, that will become official party members in the next title"
- Sephiroth is indeed playable in that scene
- Yes the Ferris wheel Date scene is in
- Many new summons than just Odin and Alexander, including from previous title; New side content based on a summon that didn't feature in OG FF7
- Marching minigame scope has been increased from OG
- Minigame count will exceed OG FF7, some in gold saucer, some in the main story, some in side stories, some in world map exploration
- Gold Saucer in the middle of Rebirth's story, but can come back to it at anytime after that. New minigames are added along the way, new harder content to incentivize you to come back
- Open world game design is made to feel like Cloud and your friends are on an adventure/journey in pursuit of Sephiroth


Kitase on balancing old and new:
"As with the previous game, we have strived for the right balance between old and new scenes in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but we also tried to take on more new challenges than we did in Final Fantasy VII Remake with some of the new scenes. I am confident these new scenes will be wildly enjoyable for fans and newcomers alike."

Nomura on Rebirth's stopping point:
"We have mentioned this a few times before, but the order in which you can explore the locations is not the same as the original Final Fantasy VII, and there are some shifts in the order. For example, Wutai, one of the major locations, is not part of the route in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and will be visited in the next one. Although there are some changes in the order of the locations, the locations depicted in this title extend up to "The Forgotten Capital," where the greatest fate of Final Fantasy VII awaits you."

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: developer interview reveals fresh gameplay details as new trailer debuts at State of Play

Summons, Gold Saucer mini-games, side quests, and more discussed in exclusive Q&A as game's release date confirmed for February 29.

blog.playstation.com

Oh my Lord. Great summary!

It feels like Square knows exactly what I want from this title. I am fucking hype.

 

[NeverYouMind]

- Regarding Vincent: "there are characters who are accompanying members in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, that will become official party members in the next title"

 

[YukiOnna]

That looked pretty good and I appreciate they didn't hold back from showing off modes of traversal and the Gold Saucer mini-games. I assume we won't be piloting the Highwind until part 3, if at all.
Did SE provide any official details about the game world? Because scale-wise, exploration looks similar to FFXVI's large zone design.

Although my one issue was definitely that english dub. The line deliveries were so terribly flat. The english voice actors either sounded bored or half asleep.

Sort of
Hamaguchi: As Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will take players to various locations across the whole world, we needed to re-create the massive Final Fantasy VII world map that would also incorporate places such as towns and dungeons within itself. To do this, we dug deeply into the feeling of each different region and reflected that in the graphics, creating areas that look and feel quite diverse. On top of that, we designed chocobos unique to each region that have their own abilities (e.g. mountain chocobos that can climb sheer cliffs and sky chocobos that can fly etc.), so players will need to utilize their chocobos to fully explore each area. I hope players have a lot of fun with this aspect of the exploration!

Hamaguchi: The world map is vast and expansive, so not all of the locations on it will be used in the main story alone. In fact, volume wise, the amount of side content in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is nearly double that of the main quest content. Players who want to enjoy Final Fantasy VII setting on an even deeper level can explore all the corners of the world, discovering many different and exciting experiences such as new stories, battles, and mini-games to play. It will also be possible to return to any of the regions in the world even after the main quest moves on from that area, so you don't have to worry about leaving things behind or unfinished.

As long as they don't turn it into an extended segment like some of the smaller things in OG getting dedicated chunks in VII. That kinda thing sucks the pacing.

"Yes, the same mini-game will be playable, but we've greatly increased its scope compared to what was in the original Final Fantasy VII. In the original, Cloud sneaks into one of the units participating in the parade and joins in on the performance, but in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, he becomes the leader of that unit and can customize the composition of the soldiers participating in the parade. The chosen unit composition will alter the performance and, it goes without saying, that this also affects how the mini-game is played. The parade to celebrate the inauguration of Rufus as the new president of Shinra is the climax of the first half of the original game, so the development team was really enthused about making all the details for it. It's one of the moments I hope players enjoy the most."

 

[TheInfamousKira]

He'll be the sequel tease, like Red was in Remake.

 

[Lokaum D+]

Damn, this game ll shit on FF16 and this is from someone that liked 16 a lot

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Sort of
Hamaguchi: As Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will take players to various locations across the whole world, we needed to re-create the massive Final Fantasy VII world map that would also incorporate places such as towns and dungeons within itself. To do this, we dug deeply into the feeling of each different region and reflected that in the graphics, creating areas that look and feel quite diverse. On top of that, we designed chocobos unique to each region that have their own abilities (e.g. mountain chocobos that can climb sheer cliffs and sky chocobos that can fly etc.), so players will need to utilize their chocobos to fully explore each area. I hope players have a lot of fun with this aspect of the exploration!

Hamaguchi: The world map is vast and expansive, so not all of the locations on it will be used in the main story alone. In fact, volume wise, the amount of side content in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is nearly double that of the main quest content. Players who want to enjoy Final Fantasy VII setting on an even deeper level can explore all the corners of the world, discovering many different and exciting experiences such as new stories, battles, and mini-games to play. It will also be possible to return to any of the regions in the world even after the main quest moves on from that area, so you don't have to worry about leaving things behind or unfinished.


"Yes, the same mini-game will be playable, but we've greatly increased its scope compared to what was in the original Final Fantasy VII. In the original, Cloud sneaks into one of the units participating in the parade and joins in on the performance, but in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, he becomes the leader of that unit and can customize the composition of the soldiers participating in the parade. The chosen unit composition will alter the performance and, it goes without saying, that this also affects how the mini-game is played. The parade to celebrate the inauguration of Rufus as the new president of Shinra is the climax of the first half of the original game, so the development team was really enthused about making all the details for it. It's one of the moments I hope players enjoy the most."

The last bit sounds exactly like the mundane late 90's stat crunching bullshit that you do for hours and realize it has no effect on the Main story, and I FUCKING LIVE FOR IT

 

[LiquidMetal14]

That is one of the most epic trailers we've seen in a while. Brings back all the nostalgia from 1996/7.

Golden Saucer gonna be a good damn time.

 

[saintjules]

Dafuq.

I was expecting sooner or later a launch date trailer with the usual flashes and fades to blacks and not much in the sense of showing...

This is like stuffing your face with 3 star Michelin food like they were gonna ban them tomorrow.

Well played, Square.

 

[K2D]

Something tells me we won't see snowboarding(!) until part 3 - This looks great!

 

[GrayDock]

Just pre-ordered my Deluxe edition.... Can't wait!

 

[Synless]

- This one made me go crazy, but they even incorporated elements from as far back as Final Fantasy Fucking IX with different colored Chocobos apparently having different abilities for overworld traversal.

wait? FFIX? FFVII was the game that had different colored chocobos having different traversal…

 

[TheInfamousKira]

wait? FFIX? FFVII was the game that had different colored chocobos having different traversal…

Oh, you're right! I guess it stood out to me more in IX, hahaha

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

 

[jimmypython]

Does Canada not have a deluxe edition to preorder?

 

[TheInfamousKira]

That is one of the most epic trailers we've seen in a while. Brings back all the nostalgia from 1996/7.

Golden Saucer gonna be a good damn time.

I'm legitimately excited to crack this one open and bullshit with the community as we experience it together. I really do feel like I'm 12 again.

 

[RoboFu]

Oh so switch 2 in june then?

 

[SyberWolf]

going to wait till it releases on pc. 80 eu for base game lol

 

[Katajx]

I really hope they don't do Vincent dirty and he winds up not being controllable like Red XIII in Remake.

I used to rush to recruit him as early as I could.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

I really hope they don't do Vincent dirty and he winds up not being controllable like Red XIII in Remake.

I used to rush to recruit him as early as I could.

Pretty sure they confirmed he's only a guest in Rebirth, but playable in part 3

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

So hawt.

 

[Shouta]

That trailer got me hype. I am so ready for this.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

I shant be watching anymore trailers, but I think Cid will be in this and be playable.

Speculating this as I recall there was a mocal actor for him several years back.

So I'm guessing they save him for one of the final trailers for hype.

 

[TheDarkPhantom]

Day 0, stay winning, can't wait

 

[Rea]

Compare this with FF16, looks like potatoes soup. This is how FF16 should have been.

 

[Sleepwalker]

I shant be watching anymore trailers, but I think Cid will be in this and be playable.

Speculating this as I recall there was a mocal actor for him several years back.

So I'm guessing they save him for one of the final trailers for hype.

This only goes up to the forgotten city, i dont think he will appear until game 3

 

[Katajx]

Pretty sure they confirmed he's only a guest in Rebirth, but playable in part 3

Yeah, I saw that. That's the worst part of this for me, waiting years to fill out the party

 

[Shouta]

This only goes up to the forgotten city, i dont think he will appear until game 3

It looks like they said that things will get rearranged a bit for this so he might get introduced earlier but won't be an official member until the third game like Vincent. I would be okay with that, honestly.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Compare this with FF16, looks like potatoes soup. This is how FF16 should have been.

Easy to shit on 16, but Rebirth has the huge benefit of the asset, technical and systemic foundations oven ready from Remake, saving them let's say 2 years+ of trial and error dev time if the 1st part didn't exist. As well as that concepts, story and characters that have existed for decades.

New mainline FF have to reinvent the wheel and build up from ground zero. If you think about each artistic and technical element that's a lot to consider.

Really I think S-E has done a good job releasing 2 blockbuster games like 16 and 7Rebirth so closely together. With other big games release before and also coming after from them.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Damn, please stay on script, please stay on script.

Shocked to see they kept the colored chocobos - so chocobo breeding is staying? Saw all the mini games... hell yeah. The buggy too? I honestly did not expect them to do all this based on the first game. Where's Cid, though?

 

[Andrew Evenstar]

holy damn crap - the trailer for these two games just keep getting better. hype OVERLOAD

 

[Ryūtō]

This, Granblue Fantasy Relink, and Persona 3 Reload all in one month?! RPG boys boutta be eatin' good.

 

[K2D]

Two game discs - interestingly, that is 200GB of compressed data. I have not heard of any PS5 games that reads off of a game disc, like on the PS4 as with the 7 remake.


Add to that the fact that oodle kraken compression on PS5 allows for 60 percent more data of that on PS4.

 

[OGM_Madness]

I literally got goosebumps. My concern is that we might have seen all there is to see? Also where's Cid?

I feel like we have an idea where the game is going, but with the whole Zack side-story, I have no idea how well that's going to be incorporated. Im hoping the stick the landing and hoping part 3 is an incredible big finale that doesn't take too long to come out.

After they are done with this trilogy, then and only then I will be okay with the company eating shit lol

Wait no, I liked FFXVI, I need that DLC too lol

 

[Krathoon]

So, how are they going to do the open world? I assume that they are doing the map thing, but the locations are bigger.

 

[Krathoon]

Gold Saucer! Check!

 

[TGO]

Ordered the Deluxe Edition like I did with the First
Collectors Edition is £349.99

 

[Putonahappyface]

 

[Arsic]

Looks like a sizable upgrade from FF7R part 1 scope.

I'm hoping for better side quests but not putting much faith in them after the first part and 16s dog shit tier side quests.

 

[Krathoon]

It will blow my mind if this is like a small MMO. Kind of like FF12 or FF15.

 

[MikeM]

Does Canada not have a deluxe edition to preorder?

Im looking. Find anything yet?

 

[Bkdk]

Only complaint is no pc version on same day, but it's super impressive that SE manage to deliver 2 major FF titles within a year. Also Japanese games have a much more reasonable dev cycle this gen, somehow they manage to shorten the dev cycle a bit while many western studios are taking longer and longer time to make their games. Nomura managed to deliver KH3 in 2019, then ff 7Remake in 2020, then rebirth in 2024, this guy is on fire in terms of completing games in recent years. Hopefully remake part 3 and KH4 won't be too far off either.

 

[March Climber]

The video should be timestamped, but just in case skip to 6:23 if you want to see Max go in depth on the trailer. Anything before that timestamp is just him having a fun time reacting to all of the reveals. As a warning to those who care: He is genuinely excited throughout the whole video, as one who really likes FF7 would be. Also, spoiler warnings aplenty:

 

[Brigandier]

I would rather they end the second game when the weapons awaken and shit gets real, maybe that happens before forgotten capital now since remake can kinda do whatever it wants???

 

[Danjin44]

The video should be timestamped, but just in case skip to 6:23 if you want to see Max go in depth on the trailer. Anything before that timestamp is just him having a fun time reacting to all of the reveals. As a warning to those who care: He is genuinely excited throughout the whole video, as one who really likes FF7 would be. Also, spoiler warnings aplenty:

This is why I was happy that in Remake they took the story in to new direction, it's exciting to find out what's gonna happen next.