Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth announced as sequel to 2020 remake, headed to PlayStation 5 in 2023

Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake raised the bar for what a remake should look like when it dropped in 2020, in most ways at least. The ambitious recreation of the classic PS1 JRPG that amazed gamers in 1997 only told a portion of the whole plot, specifically, the Midgard chunk of the narrative.

The upcoming Rebirth entry will serve as a follow-up to the cliffhanger presented at the end of the remake. Square Enix dropped a brand new trailer highlighting the fantastic visuals.

Additionally, it shows what to expect from a story standpoint. It is set to be released exclusively for PlayStation 5 in late 2023.

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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth looks to one-up predecessor

The trailer features a voiceover from one of FF7's key characters, Aerith, talking about the changeable future. This follows up with in-game footage showcasing protagonist Cloud Strife strolling through a lush area, clearly outside Midgard.

Antagonist Sephiroth and Crisis Core protagonist Zack also make an appearance. In a nutshell, Rebirth seems to flirt with the idea of time travel, as Aerith talks about her death (which occurred in the remake).

Rebirth is Part 2 of a planned Trilogy in the FF7 remake saga. The fact that the developers have split the game into three chunks should indicate the effort going into them.

Creative director Tetsuya Nomura (also known for his work on the Kingdom Hearts games) shared his plans with fans on Twitter as well, citing:

"Rebirth is being designed so that people can enjoy this game whether they know the original or not. In fact, new players might even enjoy starting their Final Fantasy VII journey with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth."

So it sounds like Rebirth will be more than just a faithful recreation of the iconic adventure. This is not unusual as the remake also had new narrative elements and specific pacing changes.

It remains to be seen how Rebirth further mixes things up. No combat was shown, unfortunately, but it would be safe to assume it will be similar to the remake.

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Is now a good time to revisit the original remake?

Absolutely. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is the enhanced version of the remake and is available on PC (via Epic Games Store) and PlayStation 5.

It contains everything from the base remake and adds new content, including improved graphics, the latest quality of life features, and a new story arc called Intermission.

Intermission introduces a new playable character Yuffie Kisaragi and her plotline. The original remake, meanwhile, is available on PlayStation 4.