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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth unfortunately won’t let players control Cid Highwind or Vincent in the upcoming open-world RPG. This is certainly a disappointment to many players, myself included. However, I’m not convinced that it’ll be a bad thing. The characters will still be in the game and will still take part, likely in a similar role to Red XIII in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. With that in mind, I think it will work out and ultimately lead to both characters taking their positions in the party in the trilogy's final part.
I know that there are going to be people who are furious about this, that their favorite characters won’t be playable in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and I get it. I completely understand - but it’s not going to be that bad, I promise. There are already plenty of great characters on offer.
We may even see someone new make an appearance, whether as a guest or as a playable character. With that in mind, let’s talk about Cid and Vincent.
Unfortunately, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth doesn’t have Cid or Vincent as playable characters
During this week’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview session, Cid and Vincent were both hot topics of discussion among the members of the press I spoke to. I also heard from Hamaguchi-san himself, who echoed what Nomura-san stated previously: Neither character will be playable.
They will still show up and affect the story and appear as guest characters but will not be playable members of the party. As I said above, they will probably take the Red XIII role of “useful ally that assists in a dire situation”. It also makes sense. You don’t get Cid Highwind as a party member until after Yuffie and Vincent have appeared in the game, anyway.
We know Yuffie is playable, and we at least know that the scene where Vincent appears will be in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The most recent trailer revealed him popping up out of his coffin below Nibelheim. Yes, it’s disappointing that neither of these characters will be playable, but I think it will be a good thing.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s playable cast would be too bloated with two more characters
While this isn’t the opinion of the developers, it’s how I view this situation as both a fan of the series and a games journalist. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is already set to have a lot of playable characters and potentially several guest characters in Cid, Vincent, and Zack:
- Cloud Strife
- Aerith Gainsborough
- Barret Wallace
- Tifa Lockhart
- Cait Sith
- Yuffie Kisaragi
- Red XIII
- Sephiroth (in one scenario)
You have to keep in mind that this is an action RPG. In the original Final Fantasy 7, the characters were more or less interchangeable other than visual style, weapons, and Limit Breaks. They did the same things and didn’t need so much effort put into them.
However, this is a live-action sort of roleplaying game. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s characters need intense and fluid animations, special combat modes, and other things to make them feel special. If all the characters played the same in this game, it would be noticeable, and players would, instead, feel disappointed.
Could Cait Sith have been a support character, and instead, Vincent or Cid could have joined the main cast? Sure, that should've been an option. In fact, that’s what I would have done. I can’t think of a single playthrough of the original game where I put Cait Sith in my party.
Besides the above characters, there’s also the possibility of Zack Fair. He’s going to play a big role in this story, and I have a feeling he’s going to be a guest character as well. I’m not convinced he will not be playable yet, either. Hamaguchi-san wouldn’t say one way or another during our interview - and understandably so.
It’s disappointing, I know - and I agree - but I think it’s for the best. There is a whole other game coming, and I’d put my money on both being playable by the time it’s all said and done.
It won’t harm the story in any way, shape or form. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a massive game, and I think lacking Cid and Vincent as playable characters will not diminish the joy we, as fans, receive. The game has a ton of promise, with many new, interesting features coming when the game launches in February 2024.
