Final Fantasy VII Rebirth hands-on report – playable Sephiroth, Chocobo exploration, Junon and more

blog.playstation.com:

Yes, you’ll be able to play as Sephiroth. As part of a new gameplay trailer earlier this year, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth confirmed a key scene from the original would feature in this, the second entry in a three-game project of the seminal PS1 classic. In 1997, that moment – a younger, revenge-driven Tifa facing off against Sephiroth – formed part of an extended playable flashback. Back then, the SOLDIER legend was but an NPC in your party. In last week’s State of Play, a new trailer revealed not only would that flashback be present in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in some capacity, but an accompanying interview confirmed the One-Winged Angel will be DualSense ready. And now, thanks to a new hands-on with a preview build of the game, we know what playing as Sephiroth will feel like.

That build is actually a two-part demo. The first half is a combat-heavy but story-driven section charts Cloud and Sephiroth’s mission to the mountainous Nibelheim and is around 20 minutes in length. The second part – Cloud and company’s post-Midgar adventure taking them across a sweeping valley sat in the shadow of Junon – is of similar length, if you head straight to the marked destination on the HUD. Play time could be and is extended due to the area’s expansive world and side activities that beckon: Chocobo chicks to follow, Chocobo farms visit to customize your newly-acquired mount, beasts to thrash with one eye on optional objectives. (It’s also an area rendered in such stunning detail, that I lose time just panning the in-game camera around to admire my surroundings.)

The demo as a whole is curated for attendees at this week’s Tokyo Game Show. As such additional tutorials are built-in to explain mechanics and new additions, to refresh or