Let’s find out together, in this dedicated preview, what our first impressions are on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, resulting from the demo recently released by Square Enix on PlayStation Store
Having finally been able to get my hands on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, thanks to the demo released by Square Enix on PlayStation Store at the end of the State of Play dedicated to the game (all the information here!), has triggered a series of very conflicting sensations in the writer. between them. The reasons will be clear to you after reading this article, but there is a fundamental premise to make before moving on to the actual content. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is, to all intents and purposes, the title that this writer is most waiting for in this already too full 2024.
Great responsibilities…
This despite the burn taken with the ending of its prequel, Final Fantasy VII Remake, from which a Remake was fully expected. Since this was not the case, and given that, regardless of the not exactly correct marketing move, Remake is in all respects an excellent game, we put aside the hatred and prepare to throw ourselves into an experience that will probably be even more impactful than the previous one. For now, however, let’s discover our first impressions in this preview dedicated to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Cloud & Sephiroth | Anteprima Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
The demo released on the PlayStation Store allows you to start from the prologue of the complete game, which narrates the mission of Nibelheim, sadly known to all fans of the original 1997 title as “the mission with Cloud and Sephiroth”. Those who know, those who don’t know, will be able to experience one of the most exciting and fundamental parts of the entire narrative experience of Final Fantasy VII. Those who have the save data for the demo on PlayStation 5 will then be able to redeem the Moogle Lucky Charm accessory and the Survival Set, a selection of useful objects for the early stages of the game (potions, ether and so on), in the full game.
Currently, the only playable episode in the demo is, as mentioned, the Nibelheim mission, but starting from February 21st, when the free trial version will be updated, you will be able to access new content: the Junon area. We will certainly talk to you about this section again in due course, so let’s focus on what we have been able to try so far. And so: Cloud and Sephiroth, as great friends, head to Nibelheim, to check the functioning of the reactor located not far from the village.
A sumptuous but ambiguous tale | Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Preview
In fact, Cloud tells Barrett, Red XIII and Aerith what happened at the time in Tifa’s village how and why Sephiroth turned into the enemy of humanity and what really happened. We don’t want to spoil anything for you, even though it’s only a prologue, because if you don’t know the events because you haven’t played the original or Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (here’s our review of the remastered!) we want you to experience them fully.
However, we can tell you that the sumptuousness with which this section of the game, one of the most central of the original Final Fantasy VII, was narrated, pushed us to believe that perhaps Rebirth will really be able to change our hearts. Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa and an unnamed soldier are climbing, stone by stone, Mount Nibel, venturing into caves, ravines and interacting with the environment for some simple puzzle aimed at unlocking the elevator on duty. It’s not so much what you do along the way that makes this little journey so emotionally impactful, but the interactions between Cloud and Sephiroth, with the latter joking and mocking Soldier’s “puppy”, encouraging him to do better and better.
The play of light in the caves and the cliffs overlooking the ocean amplify that feeling of magic mixed with nostalgia: because we have already experienced those views, but in another era and with other instruments. Now they are in front of us and we don’t have to imagine them: every single detail, in the environment and in the characters, every look exchanged between the two protagonists and every ambiguity presented to us is a heart sinking.
Combat System reworked | Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Preview
The combat system is obviously taken over from Final Fantasy VII Remake (here is our complete review!) with an incredibly fun mix between the “old” turn-based combat system and the “new” more action-based one. The ATB bar then returns placed under the life points of the character in use, which will be filled by attacking the enemy with the Square button, and through which we will be able to use Skills, Magic and Objects of various kinds.
We were able to try fighting with Sephiroth, who proved himself for what he really is: a real war machine and throwing Extrospection in the face of an enemy is something wonderful. The most interesting news, however, is the introduction of Synergistic Actions, special and very powerful blows, partly similar to Limit Skills, which can be performed by pairs of characters and which underline their bond, whatever it may be. We need to understand how they will be implemented in terms of game pace, considering that we were only able to try them in a party of two characters (Cloud and Sephiroth). We’ll see.
“I love, what suzz?” | Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Preview
The most distorted note of our albeit exalted preview of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lies in the technical sector. Let’s start from an assumption: in Graphics mode, if we put aside the excessive use of motion blur, everything is fine. The models are very refined and detailed, as are the environments, although we noticed some points with lower resolution textures. We could have expected a general downgrade compared to the first, mammoth, chapter. On the other hand, Remake was a giant, beautiful corridor with a few larger areas, but still a corridor. Rebirth promises to be much larger, in terms of the size of the game map, so we could have expected a drop in technical terms.
However, when we tried to switch to Performance mode we were stunned, because the difference in technical and aesthetic terms was truly unbearable. We therefore preferred, against all our initial convictions, to play the entire Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo in Graphics Mode, to enjoy the care and detail of Mount Nibel and of those models that we would really like to see move at 60 FPS. Hopefully it’s an old build that will be fixed for launch, we’ll see.
Nothing to complain about on the sound side, practically impeccable (and we expected nothing less) both for the soundtrack (tears) and for the ambient sounds. The Italian adaptation is present, but not the dubbing, with the usual discrepancy between subtitles and spoken English which annoys many so much.
We wait (with hype)
In short, let’s sum up in this preview of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Our expectations at the end of the demo test, net of an unexpected graphic downgrade in Performance Mode, are however above any measurement scale. Reliving the Nibelheim mission once again, but with this technological expertise, was heartbreaking. The new features and additions to the gameplay should be carefully evaluated in the final review, and above all we can’t wait to be able to explore a more open map to finally be able to appreciate what the Creative Business Unit I wanted to give to players with Rebirth : the feeling of freedom.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will arrive on February 29th in a timed exclusive on PlayStation 5. Let us know what you think and if you have tried the demo below in the comments, we at techgameworld.com will continue to keep you updated with all the news, guides and gaming and tech themed reviews! And if you are interested in game keys at advantageous prices, we recommend you take a look at the InstantGaming catalogue!