Square Enix has confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will receive a second demo before the game’s February 29 release. In the third part of the remake trilogy, a beloved element returns.
Following the February 6th State of Play broadcast, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will receive a second demo days before the game’s full release. The company also said that fans who want to try out the second demo for themselves will need to complete the first one first.
State of Play on February 6 showed off some of the features coming to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, such as party levels, returning minigames like Chocobo Racing, and a small taste of just how big the game’s world is.
At the end of the broadcast, creative director Tetsuya Nomura confirmed that the Rebirth demo was released that same day.
However, the February 6 demo won’t be the only one for the game. Taking to social media, game director Naoki Hamaguchi reminded players who missed out on the State of Play on February 6 that the second Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo will be released on February 21 as a free update to the current demo. This allows players to experience the infamous “Nibelheim flashback” that takes place five years before the game.
However, Hamaguchi said that players must complete the Nibelheim flashback to start the second demo.
The developer also stated that progress will not be possible to transfer in the second demo. However, players end up in a condensed version of the Junon area. Between combat, minigames, and story elements, it’s not yet known what this Junon demo will contain.
Are airships coming in the final part of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy?!
One of the most popular elements of the original game returns in the as-yet-unnamed third part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake saga. It’s none other than air sailing with Cid’s trusty ship, the Highwind. Rebirth will finally be released later this month, picking up the story of Cloud Strife and Co, where 2020’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake left off. Square Enix has confirmed that these two games are part of a trilogy, and the third and final instalment is reportedly already in the works.
Airships are a recurring feature of the Final Fantasy series, and Final Fantasy 7 remains one of the franchise’s fondest memories of the topos.
Built by team member Cid Highwind, Highwind is first taken over by Team AVALANCHE when Shinra captures Tifa and Barret. After the following rescue operation, the Highwind is used to traverse the planet quickly. In the original FF7, Highwind allows players to travel back through the game’s world map. In fact, it can even be used against the dreaded Ultimate Weapon boss.
Some eagle-eyed fans claim to have spotted the Highwind in a trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but players may not get to pilot the legendary airship themselves until the next installment.
FF7 Rebirth creative director Tetsuya Nomura recently spoke with Famitsu. (Translated by Twitter user aitaikimochi.) They discussed the challenges of bringing the world of FF7 to life on modern hardware. One topic he discussed was how the size and quality of the world map in FF7 Rebirth might make it challenging to implement airship travel in the next instalment.
What is certain is that in FF7 Rebirth, Cloud and his allies will be travelling in a larger world beyond the borders of Midgar. A recent trailer at this month’s PlayStation State of Play livestream showed how players will explore many different regions of the planet.
Early previews of FF7 Rebirth noted how much larger the game was than its predecessor, and this is reflected in the game’s massive file size.
There will be plenty to see and do in Rebirth. But it seems that players will only be able to fly an airship around the planet in the next and final chapter of the series. This makes sense. After all, the Highwind wasn’t introduced as the party’s means of transportation in the original game until after their fateful trip to the Forgotten Capital. This is what serves as the endpoint of FF7 Rebirth. Fans will have to wait to see how the airship journey will be realized in the series’ sequel…
#ICYMI Naoki Hamaguchi, the Game Director for @finalfantasyvii Rebirth has a special message for you regarding the brand-new demo available on the PlayStation Store!
Let us know in the comments how much you have played of the demo. pic.twitter.com/tVjsW7S7DR
— Square Enix (@SquareEnix) February 8, 2024
Nomura says for FF7 Remake Part 3, they will of course need to incorporate airship travel, which will probably bring its own challenges to the table. He also mentions that Part 3 will have airships and the Weapons too.
Here's the full quote:
Nomura: Since the quality of FF7… pic.twitter.com/9FSWUf8fJ7
— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) February 8, 2024
Leave a Reply