When Square Enix showcased Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth at Sony's most recent State of Play, my heart skipped a beat. It looked gorgeous, of course, not just because it seems like the latest portion of the trilogy will push PS5 hardware to its limits, but also because it marked a moment I'd been waiting the best part of 30 years for.
You see, I'm certain that players today, those who weren't around the first time, look back at the original Final Fantasy 7 and think it looks like shit. And they're not wrong, it does. The thing is, it did at the time too. The three-disc-spanning PS1 JRPG sacrificed visual appeal for a thorough and sophisticated story (for its time) that explored themes of everything from climate change to terrorism, love and loss and mental illness. But try telling that to my dad who could not believe how realistic Tomb Raider 2 looked – especially in comparison to the blocky, wall-clipping, polygonal ensemble who engaged in turn-based battles underpinned by a chiptune soundtrack that I spent literally hundreds of hours with in my pre-teens.
When I saw the latest trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, then, I felt like I'd arrived.
First fantasy
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Cards on the table: I've still not finished the first part of the planned trilogy, Final Fantasy 7 Remake. While it launched back in 2020, my original plan was to wait until the full trio was available to play at once, and then hit them all back-to-back. But Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth impressed me so much during that State of Play showing last September, that I picked up Remake immediately afterwards. I've since enjoyed my time roving inside the walls of Midgar (Remake ends just as Cloud and co. leave the boundaries of the city), but I cannot wait for what's next.
From that trailer, the road ahead covers everything from the big canon at Junon Harbour, the parade on the central thoroughfare of the same seaside town, the cable car ride to the Gold Saucer, Cait Sith, Vincent, Zack, Red 13's hometown of Cosmo Canyon, Bugenhagen, Emerald Weapon and Ruby Weapon, to name but a few iconic scenes and supporting cast. It all looked wonderful, but better than that for me, it looked like what I've always dreamt Final Fantasy 7 could be; a picture that I've held in my head for three-quarters of my life. "Aye, but the story is better in this game," I'd say to my dad, while admitting Tomb Raider 2 did look one million times better. It's quite ironic that old school Tomb Raider (including TR2) is getting remastered next month, just a couple of weeks before Rebirth lands on February 29, the retro-inspired stars seemingly aligning.
Moreover, if we look at the broader landscape of Sony and its PlayStation brand, there's a good chance that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be the PS5's biggest game in 2024. The RPG is certainly the hardware's marquee title this year so far – in the same way Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was last year – while also being the penultimate drop of a busy early stretch that encompasses The Last of Us 2 Remastered (Jan 18), Helldivers 2 (Feb 8), Pacific Drive (Feb 22), and Rise of the Ronin (March 22).
By the end of March, Sony has no more PS5 exclusives on its books as yet, although the likes of Phantom Blade 0, Sword of the Sea, Death Stranding 2 and Hideo Kojima's new project OD, Concord, Marathon, and Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 remake all boast tentative "TBC" launch dates, many of which are expected at some point in the next 12 months. Still, even against all of those, Final Fantasy Rebirth stands as the most likely headliner, with the biggest pull across genre and fandom interests. It's a teardrop in the ocean, but I have a friend who hasn't played a video game since Final Fantasy 7 way back in 1997, yet has just picked up a PS5 and the Remake and plans to gun his way straight into Rebirth when it lands on February 29.
I'll be right there alongside him, and I'm sure there are many more lapsed Final Fantasy 7 players doing the exact same thing. There aren't many remasters that have the scope to capture audiences across multiple generations so clearly, which I think speaks volumes for both the original JRPG from last millennium, and just how good a job Square Enix is doing with its modern reinterpretations. At the time of writing, Final Fantasy Rebirth lands in 39 days. Better start your counters now.
