Several months have passed since the revelation of this new chapter of the Final Fantasy VII universe which Square Enix is increasingly meticulously examining. After the launch of the first trailer in September 2023, now is our first opportunity to begin taking the first steps in the initial chapter of Final Fantasy VII Rebirtha glimpse of that great world that the Japanese software house is creating starting from its original title, Final Fantasy VIIfrom 1997. The events narrated in this title, arriving February 29th, tell the story of Cloud and his friends’ escape from Midgar, as they embark on a journey into unexplored lands. How was it to get closer to this world again, after a long time? Let’s find out together by telling you about our experience in the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo!
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: the dawn of a new chapter in a demo
Pick up the controller of our PlayStation 5 e again delve back into the depths of Cloud’s history and company it’s always a great emotion. Especially because we ask ourselves what awaits us in this new adventure, between revisitations and moments dusted off from the original version. In essence, this demo allows you to play the Nibelheim episode, which constitutes the initial chapter of the story.
But let’s go in order. We are facing the second of three chapters of the remake version of this mammoth videogame work that Square Enix has been carrying out on our consoles for four years now. And it manages to re-stage the central heart of the original work, thus considering everything that happens after the long prologue of the Remake title. In theory a sequel, in practice a totally new game.
Rebirth, as far as we could see, shows us in an even more impactful way what it was the transition to the second disc (out of four) of the original title from approximately twenty-seven years ago. The same feeling as back then returns, when everything became more complex and Cloud chased Sephiroth around the world.
A big world to explore
This part of the game seems to promise an open world style experiencewith even more to see and places to explore than the original, as we go towards the city of Cetra. However, the road will be long, and for the moment we can only see what awaits us in Nibelheim. And not only.
Small “spoiler-non-spoiler”: the demo also includes the Junon area episode, where we can test the game system and some of its technical aspects, such as the world map and the exploration elements of the game. Be careful though: this part will be playable after the update on February 21st, and will be available to access after completing the Nibelheim episode. Furthermore, this section of the game has been modified to make the contents more compact. Which is why this is the only part where our progress will not carry over to the full game.
Apart from this specification, which is useful for understanding the contents of the demo even better, delving into Nibelheim was truly exciting. And you won’t have to do it again once you’ve downloaded the full game. Much of the test takes place in the greenery, among buildings to exploresecret areas, sanctuaries where you can find magical objects and even some clashes that are not so easy to bring home.
Between fighting and exploration
A demo therefore that allows us to experience this portion of the game as we prefer, be it long explorations, or engaging in battles and proceeding more quickly. Everything definitely involves us thanks also to a graphics sector that takes full advantage of the power of PlayStation 5. Superior to Remake? We will evaluate it better only with the full title in hand.
We also noticed an imbalance in the direction, a sometimes too stark contrast between dramatic tones and quieter, almost childish moments, up to double meanings in the dialogues, defined above all in male fantasies. A cultural aspect that is part of the Japanese world, and we know it, but which could have been toned down a little (especially due to the often cringe expressions). Kind of like the old combat system.
Also included in the changes are Entities, mysterious creatures who, when they appear, immediately signal that something different is happening than in the past. Did we need it? Why so explicitly signal a change with the past, not even if it were the revision of a Word document? And in all this, in the short but intense demo proposed, the Queen’s Blood, a card game that we can try with people around the world. A pastime that all players with a personality similar to that of Squall Leonhart from FF VIII will love (fans will understand).
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: our test of the demo version
Square Enix and PlayStation 5 turned out to be a nice combo once again. Between the graphics and technical performance of the game engine with excellent results, we are infinitely curious to test this game in its final version soon. Not much left, but we expect a lot of content, to live our gaming experience in a rather free and personalized way. First steps taken in a world that promises to be truly enormous, and we still have to discover what is left from the past and what has been revisited. New emotions await us, or at least we hope so.
