We've finally gotten a full look at Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the long-awaited second chapter of the remake series.
The action here will look familiar to players of the previous game, and it's predictably gorgeous, debuting new party members like Red XIII and Yuffie. True to the structure of the original, now that everyone's left Midgar we're on the way for what looks to be a broader, open-world trek across Gaia in pursuit of Sephiroth.
While the footage looks great, there's a bit of disappointing news here - Rebirth had previously been scheduled to launch in winter 2023, but is now scheduled for 'early 2024.' It is coming on two discs, though, which hopefully means we're getting something big. We'll find out soon enough in either case.
There's a curious bit at the end of the trailer, too, where Tifa is slashed across the chest by Sephiroth while he discusses killing a mysterious "her." With context from the original game, Tifa's cowgirl outfit suggests that this sequence would take place in a flashback confrontation between her and Sephiroth, but there's plenty of fear growing in the community that she'll be taking the role of Cloud's sacrificial love interest in this version of the story.
Square Enix describes Rebirth as a "standalone adventure," but given that bits of the previous remake's plot were barely comprehensible without the context of the original game, I've got my doubts on that point.
The E3 2023 schedule is rolling strong even without the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Check out our Summer Game Fest liveblog for everything from today's show.
