"An Experience Far More Grand" - Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Preview

screenrant.com:

Freed from the dystopian metropolis of Midgar, is shaping up to be an enormous game. Slated to be the second part of Square Enix's trilogy re-imagining the seminal from 1997, recently got a release date in February 2024, and had the opportunity to play two separate demos for the highly anticipated RPG. Although the full breadth of 's systems remains unclear, even these short glimpses show that it will build on its predecessor in nearly every conceivable way.

is expected to pick up right where 2020's left off – with Cloud Strife and company leaving Midgar behind to stop Sephiroth's still-mysterious plans to defy fate. While is a lengthy game in its own right, playing for just under an hour already made it abundantly clear that is ultimately little more than a prologue. While this isn't necessarily surprising – Midgar served a similar introductory purpose in the original game – it is rather impressive, because even the minute part of 's world map we got to explore was littered with side activities, hidden items, vendors, and more.

Related: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Review: Midgar Like You've Never Seen Before

The two demos came from two distinct parts of the game, though they were both clearly quite early in the story. The first of the two, "," was story-focused. It's more-or-less what players might expect from a continuation of, though it did introduce Cloud's greater mobility through Parkour-like climbing and jumping. Rather linear segments are dotted with varied encounters, and plenty of chatter and cutscenes move the story along. Short, branching paths reward curious players with items and Materia, but the fairly straightforward 15 minutes of gameplay it provided culminated in an expected boss encounter.

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