Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth official rating calls out Cid's abominable smoking habit

Cid in Final Fantasy 7's movie, Advent Children — (Image credit: Square Enix)

South Korea’s Game Rating Committee has smacked Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth with a 15 certificate ahead of next year’s launch.

The rating doesn’t delve into story specifics (so no spoilers here), but it does again confirm that the sequel is “set immediately after the escape from Midgar,” as seen in FF7 Remake’s climactic ending. Since we follow Cloud and the gang straight after they’ve ‘beat’ another game, it wouldn’t make sense for them to blink and forget all they’ve learned. So thankfully the sequel won’t have them revert to Level 1.

Elsewhere, the classification mentions that the game is “Not excessively sensational,” which in this case means that there’s “limited exposure of the female character’s body.” It’s also “Not excessively violent,” only depicting the expected fantasy weapons and combat. And finally, Rebirth also has “indirect and limited realistic expressions of drinking and smoking.” Most of that smoke is probably generated by the chimney known as Cid, who will only join your party as a guest character along with Vincent. Although, both characters will probably jump aboard full-time when the inevitable threequel hits, just as Red 13 did for this game.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s rating comes just before the game’s much-anticipated release date of February 29, 2024. The four-month wait doesn’t seem that bad, right? Right. Except for the developer’s insistence on teasing us about the original’s most iconic (and heartbreaking) moment, raising fan excitement and heart rates in equal measure. I’m more curious about whether or not the director’s adorable cat will return, though.

Our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview reaffirmed it as one of 2024’s most exciting releases.

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.