Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (TGS 2023) - Set to Transcend One of the Best JPRGs - Preview

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was easily the biggest title at this year's Tokyo Game Show, and its surprise announcement after Sony's State of Play a few weeks ago took many off-guard. Yet the rush towards Square Enix's new flagship title was flawlessly absorbed: the publisher had readied 100 PS5s in its booth, lowering waiting times effectively compared to previous years.

This efficient organisation was welcome, as the demo had two parts and needed to be experienced several times in order to get the most out of it. The first and introductory part featured a team composed of Cloud and Sephiroth. Although Tetsuya Nomura mentioned in a previous interview that Sephiroth would be playable "like in the corresponding scene in the original" (in which he was AI-controlled), the legendary swordsman is actually fully playable in the Nibel flashback sequence. 

This part was fairly linear and obviously aimed at getting the player familiar with the controls. Sephiroth's gameplay reminded me of the time he first became playable in Dissidia Final Fantasy, due to his very quick moves and impressive Limit Break. I noticed there was a shortcut set to execute one skill without opening the command menu. That didn't seem limited to him and it really help the pacing of battles. He also has a parry and counter system that I admit I couldn't master in such a short time. Sephiroth looks like an extensively developed character for a ten-minute sequence, unless of course Square Enix has some more surprises down the line.

The second part was located in the Junon area and had you choose between Cloud, Tifa Barret, Aerith, and Red XIII. The latter seemed a logical choice, since he was playable for the first time here. Unfortunately I must say I had a fairly hard time fighting as him; he has much less reach than the other team members and his movements felt quite imprecise, even confusing, as it was genuinely hard to aim and hit. There was no such problem when Final Fantasy VII was a fully turn-based RPG, but maybe he's not completely fit for action-RPG gameplay. I ran into quite a few camera issues too, notably angles from which I couldn't follow the action properly. I don't remember having this issue when playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, and yet here in Rebirth it disturbed my gameplay several times in a period of 30-40 minutes.

Combat was central in the Junon demo. There are sort of "nests" of monsters that work as mini-challenges on the world map. The goal is to complete battles while completing a certain number of objectives, such as winning within a time limit, dealing status effects, or preventing an enemy attack. I'm not sure what kind of bonuses are linked to this, but it seemed very difficult to achieve. The boss fight was indeed a lot harder than in the Nibel sequence. It took the form of the giant fish Bottomswell, which kept trapping one of the party's characters in a bubble. That left me with only two characters actually fighting (including one trying to remove the bubble). Notably, Bottomswell is airborne and resists melee attacks, just like in the original PlayStation game.

It was a tough fight but a good one to push the battle system further. Limit Breaks felt slightly more quickly available than before, and breaking the foe's defense proved more efficient. It really gives the feeling of turning the tides in an uphill battle. The balance in difficulty was good too and provided great combat sensations. I was satisfied to witness how close Rebirth remains to the original game, with no hint of it being simplified or toned down for the sake of gaining a larger audience. Such a policy made Final Fantasy XVI so controversial that it actually failed to draw a large number of players, so it's reassuring to see Square Enix not further testing the waters of easier difficulty for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

One of the main attractions was the brand new dual attack system. From what I could see, there are actually two ways in which characters can cooperate. L1 plus another PlayStation button triggers a quick and slightly discreet move between two characters. This didn't seem too powerful, so we'll have to see what role it has long term. The major system though is called Chain Ability and involves a gauge composed of five bars that are charged over time. Once two characters have at least two bars each, they can unleash a super impressive combination of attacks, a bit like the ones we saw in Tales of Arise. It felt absolutely awesome to use; the energy that it pours into battles is incredible. If the demo is really representative of the whole game here then players are in for a treat given the remarkable pacing of combat. 

Those who are familiar with Final Fantasy VII Remake know how fantastic the sceneries are too. Midgar was a marvel to look at and so is Junon in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The view of the city as you come close is breathtaking. The Junon area also showed some novelties. Chocobos, for example, are available right from the start, and you can spot a small farm. There I realized I could customize my chocobo, changing the saddle and other ornaments. I noticed a crafting system in the menu; you can make your own potions and other healing items from materials gathered on the field. That seems a good idea to leverage the exploration gameplay, this kind of mechanic traditionally being a big plus in such RPGs. We'll still have to see to what extent it can help with building your inventory - I would particularly like to craft accessories or weapons like in Star Ocean. One of the most interesting things in this demo is that the party actually meets and rescues Yufie in Under Junon, which is a departure from the events in Final Fantasy VII. Yufie didn't actually join the party before the end of the demo, but I'd guess she's likely to in the full game. This proves there's room for more surprises in the story, as Final Fantasy VII Remake already provided, but they might be bigger this time. 

Playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at the Tokyo Game Show 2023 made me even more impatient to receive the final product next year. The world of Final Fantasy VII seems as perfectly recreated here as in the first part of the remake. I could again feel the clear will on the part of the developers to stay true to the original while providing more activities and the most stunning visuals you could expect. I did run into some playability issues, but the battle system is so rich, already so well-balanced, and the new dual moves so amazing that it doesn't affect my enthusiasm at all. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth looks set to transcend one of the best JPRG experiences in gaming history.

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