There’s more new information about Square Enix’s upcoming action-RPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second of a trilogy started out with 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake.
With Cloud and the party venturing beyond Midgar this time, expect to explore a huge world. Some of the regions confirmed to be in FFVII Rebirth includes the Grasslands, Under Junon, Junon and the Gold Saucer.
There’s a big map needed to be uncovered, and for better or worse, Square Enix has adopted a “tower that reveals everything nearby in the open world” mechanic in the form of Remnawave Towers.
Each region has a Chocobo ranch where you can customise your chocobo with new gear. There’s also a new “Item Transmuter” feature where you can collect materials to create items, like Potions, and hopeful cooler things than just a regular Potion.
Odd Jobs are side quests you can take on from the noticeboards of major outposts.
Chadley, the researcher at Shinra who appeared in FFVII Remake, is here again, and once again he asks Cloud to assist in collecting intel. You can take on Combat Assignments by fighting rare fiends in the world, to unlock new challenges in Chadley’s combat simulator.
Chocobo Stops requires a repair before it can be used as a fast travel spot. Follow a stray chocobo chick if you find them wandering alone, they’ll guide you to a stop.
When riding on a chocobo, you can find excavation sites, a feature from the past FF games. See a “?” on a chocobo and you can start following the scent to find an item or a new transmuter formula.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will include a bunch of mini-games, some recreating the ones from the original FFVII, some completely new.
Cloud can play the piano. Once you find a music sheet, you can play that song on a piano, which uses the two sticks to hit the right key and octave. You can freely play the piano as well, so expect the musically-gifted players to post renditions of cool and/or cursed performances when this game is out.
Another new mini-game is Queen’s Blood, a card game. And you need to collect the cards too, ala Triple Triad in FFVIII or Tetra Master in FFIX.
Lastly, there’s a mini-game called Moogle Mischief where Cloud has to round up mischievous Moogle kids to their mogstools.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth comes out on February 29, 2024 for the PS5.