Final Fantasy VII Rebirth players spot hidden lore detail in demo
Square EnixThe first part of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo has a subtle secret that hints at a huge revelation that happens in the full version of the game.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second part of a planned trilogy, which means the Final Fantasy VII secrets that were once available in one package are now being spread across different games sold years apart.
One benefit of the remake trilogy is that it can include elements that were introduced in later games, such as giving Cissnei from Crisis Core a role in the main story or featuring the more dangerous version of Avalanche from Before Crisis as a legitimate threat to the Shinra company in Midgar.
The remake trilogy can also include subtle hints of story beats that might not be revealed until the final game. People who played the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo have discovered one such reference, even though it was tricky to spot.
Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, its untitled sequel, and the original Final Fantasy VII are below the image.
Square EnixThe Shinra Mansion has a secret in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s demo
A user on the FFVII Remake Reddit has shared an image they took in the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo inside Shinra Mansion using the game’s Photo mode. It turns out that one of the pictures in the manor depicts Hojo and Lucrecia, which is a major hint at a future story revelation.
In the lore of Final Fantasy VII, Hojo and Lucrecia are Sephiroth’s biological parents, who injected their child with Jenova cells as part of an experiment while he was in the womb, which is how he gained his powers.
The irony in their portrait being in the Shinra Mansion is this is where Sephiroth discovers the secret of his birth – that he was created as part of an experiment using Jenova cells, which is where he comes to believe that Jenova is his mother, and causing the rampage in Nibelheim seen in the demo.
The details regarding Hojo and Lucrecia are touched upon in Final Fantasy VII, but they were expanded further in its sequel, Dirge of Cerberus, where the origins of Vincent Valentine are also explored.
It’s unclear if the revelation about Sephiroth’s parentage will come up in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, especially as Vincent isn’t playable, so his encounter with Lucrecia will likely be saved for the third installment. If it’s not, fans will have to look for more clues and, hopefully, new info about Sephiroth’s origins.