Although Square Enix has been mostly focused on talking about Final Fantasy XVI, the company hasn’t forgotten about the next chapter in its reimagining of Final Fantasy VII. Producer Yoshinori Kitase took to Twitter to announce that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth “is progressing smoothly and according to plan.” Rebirth will serve as Part 2 of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy.
The update comes in the form of a Developer Q&A, answering the question of how development is progressing. Kitase also mentions that “we are currently working on nailing down a release date for the game.” Since Square Enix announced the game for this coming winter, it sounds like that will still happen. However, while it seems slated for this year, it could very well arrive for PS5 in early 2024.
Kitase previously promised that updates would come at the right time, and Square Enix has, in fact, posted two more since Friday. Another Developer Q&A poses the question, “How will players journey through the world outside of Midgar in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?” The answer from Director Naoki Hamaguchi promises a “high degree of freedom” and teases “a myriad of different stories.”
This stops just short of confirming an open world, possibly hinting that the game will consist of large open locations akin to Final Fantasy XVI. The comment on “different stories” suggests more robust side-quests than the first part of the remake. In the original game, upon leaving Midgar, players have a much less linear path to take in the pursuit of Sephiroth, with various side plots to take part in.
The third Q&A asks about some of the key things to look forward to in Rebirth’s story. Kazushige Nojima, in charge of story and scenario, answers a tad coyly. “Players will witness a chain of narrative developments that lie at the very heart of Final Fantasy VII,” says Nojima. Players will also discover “each character’s destiny,” perhaps hinting that a fate of a certain character will arrive in this installment.
Either way, it seems like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will prove notably different from 2020’s Remake, whether or not it sticks closely to the 1997 original game. In the meantime, stay tuned to see if we get more Developer Q&A posts.
Questions still abound, after all. How much of the original will Part 2 adopt? How much will the story change? And, most importantly, will players get to dance in Rufus Shinra’s parade?
Be sure to give our review of Final Fantasy VII Remake a look.
