Image: Square Enix
Square Enix has revealed Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s upcoming sequel and a remaster of Crisis Core.
Square Enix has revealed the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, titled Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. During a livestream held to celebrate the original RPG’s 25th anniversary, we also learned that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be the middle part of a trilogy. This will tell Cloud and friends’ story over the course of three installments, with Rebirth launching in Winter 2023.
Here’s the reveal trailer:
On the sequel, creative director Tetsuya Nomura said:
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is being designed so that people can enjoy this game whether they know the original game or not. In fact, new players might even enjoy starting their Final Fantasy VII journey with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Cloud and his friends embark on a new journey in this game, and I believe that the scenes that they witness after leaving Midgar will give players a fresh, new experience.
Although this sequel arrives three years after Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Nomura promises the wait will be worthwhile and development has been, “progressing rapidly.” Even now, the director has already begun working on the final installment of the series. The development team is trying to make Rebirth, “an even more gripping and memorable experience than Final Fantasy VII Remake.”
Final Fantasy 7 Remake changed a lot of the original’s story and ended with the fate of its core characters up in the air - with the implication that the future is not set in stone, and future installments could veer away from the original game’s story in pretty big ways. The trailer doesn’t show much of Rebirth - just a small collection of scenes with Cloud and Sephiroth with a voiceover that hints, again, that the future can be changed.
One of the biggest changes the Remake made was the implied survival of Zack Fair, an old friend of Cloud’s - but this might have gone over the heads of players unaware of Zack’s full backstory. Here’s some good news on that front: Square Enix also announced Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, a full remaster of the original PSP game that focused on Zack’s origins as its main protagonist.
Check out a trailer:
Crisis Core will launch on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC in Winter 2022. The game boasts completely new visuals and character models more in line with the Remake, while its gameplay and story seemingly remain the same. Crisis Core dives further into the world of Midgar and the workings of the Shinra Electric Power Company, featuring characters and story tidbits that might give you a lot more context on Remake and next year’s Rebirth.
It’s a good time to be a Final Fantasy fan. We’re getting three big games this year and the next: first, Crisis Core launches later in 2022. Then, we’re getting Final Fantasy 16 in Summer 2023. Soon after, we’ll get Final Fantasy 7 Reunion in Winter 2023! Good times.