Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview: A stunning follow-up with more exploration & Sephiroth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth takes the FF7 remake project out of Midgar and into a vaster world. Here’s Dexerto’s preview, which showed us the joys of exploration and the power of Sephiroth.

Since the 2020 release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, fans have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter of the trilogy. That long wait is nearing its end, as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is set to release early next year.

I was able to go hands-on with the game during an event with developer Square Enix, which was attended by the game’s director, Naoki Hamaguchi.

While my time with Rebirth was relatively short given the scope of the full game, it’s gotten me even more excited to jump into this reimagining of Final Fantasy 7.

There’s a wide world outside Midgar

Unlike its predecessor, which took place entirely in Midgar, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth takes Cloud and company outside the city to continue their journey. This means there’s a much vaster, more open world to explore.

Square Enix

Of course, Rebirth isn’t a true open-world game, but it does feel like one at times, especially in comparison to the fairly linear Midgar.

Though the demo did place some limits on how far I could go, what I did see was gorgeous. It’s hard to overstate just how good this game looks running on PlayStation 5. Remake was already pretty visually impressive, but clearly the developers have gotten comfortable with the next tech, as everything is crisper and more vibrant here.

In this section, Cloud and his friends are able to ride on chocobos to quickly traverse the world. Each character gets their own, which creates a funny image of the wolf-like beast Red XIII riding his own bird.

While I’m not always crazy about using mounts and vehicles in games like this, I did really like how the chocobos felt to ride. They can even swim, opening the door for even more discovery and hidden secrets.

It’s a nice little bonus, too, that, while riding, pressing the button to grab collectible materials grabs all materials in the immediate area. This is especially helpful since materials in Rebirth tend to appear in bunches of three or four that, while on foot, need to be collected individually.

Fighting with friends

For those who played Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Rebirth’s combat will feel pretty familiar. It brings back that mix of real-time action combat and the original’s Active Time Battle system that blends old and new into something fresh.

Like in Remake, each character plays a little differently, and it’s easy to switch between characters in battle or between party members outside battle when desired. Certain ones are definitely better for taking on different foes.

Square Enix

Outside of Cloud, I personally preferred playing as Tifa and Barret. Tifa’s attacks really pack a punch (pun intended), and Barret’s guns offer the strongest range damage option that was perfect for flying enemies.

New to Rebirth are synergy abilities in which two characters can combine their powers to unleash powerful attacks on enemies. These are a thrill to use for both their usefulness in combat and the sheer excitement of getting to watch characters like Cloud and Barret or Tifa and Aerith work together.

Perhaps the most epic is that of Cloud and Sephiroth (more on him later). “Double Helix” shows the two working together as Cloud tries to follow Sephiroth’s elegant lead.

Again, not much has changed with Rebirth in terms of the battle system, but those paired attacks really are a nice way to see these characters work together in new and exciting ways.

The power of Sephiroth

In addition to exploration, the demo included a short story-centric section that even allowed players to take control of Sephiroth in battle.

Set in a flashback featuring a younger Cloud working with Sephiroth and being guided through Mt. Nibel by Tifa, this section was more linear but arguably more exciting.

Square Enix

Players got a taste of Sephiroth’s skills in battle during a climactic fight in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but Rebirth lets you use the villain’s strength to take on the area’s foes. This part of the demo culminates in a boss fight against the Materia Guardian, which really let me test out Sephiroth’s abilities.

Unsurprisingly, the character feels really great to control. As a fellow swordfighter, his attacks are broadly similar to Cloud’s, though with the range and finesse of Masamune rather than the Buster Sword’s brute strength and heft.

Obviously, he’s only a party member for a short time, but wielding Sephiroth’s power in this section is more than just exciting in the moment; it’s a great reminder of the threat Sephiroth poses when he’s an opponent rather than an ally.

This demo build only provided a small slice of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but it’s a promising indication of what’s to come when the game releases on Feb 29, 2024.

If you enjoyed that, check out the rest of our Final Fantasy coverage, which includes the latest news, guides, and more for games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Final Fantasy 14, and Final Fantasy 16.