After taking part in Remaining Fantasy VII Rebirth for the primary time (take a look at my <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/preview/2023/09/20/an-expanded-reunion">full impressions right here</a>), I then spoke with director Naoki Hamaguchi, producer Yoshinori Kitase, and artistic director Tetsuya Nomura to hunt solutions to some burning questions. That features how a lot narrative floor Rebirth covers, the choice behind splitting it between two discs, and if there’s any type of knowledge switch between Remake and Rebirth.
How Did Rebirth’s Growth Evaluate To Remake’s?
Rebirth launches on February 29, a few months shy of Remake’s fourth anniversary. Based on Hamaguchi, Remake’s improvement cycle was round 4 years, making the turnaround for Rebirth, a a lot bigger sport, appear comparatively fast. It’s particularly spectacular since Sq. developed and launched the PlayStation 5-exclusive Intermission story enlargement and Intergrade improve in between.
Hamaguchi credit engaged on Intermission/Intergrade for the smoother dev cycle, because it allowed the designers to develop into extra intimately accustomed to the PS5 (which Rebirth is unique to) and end Rebirth inside an analogous timeframe regardless of its bigger scope.
“However on the identical time, we had been capable of hold the event time [down] and have the ability to launch in form of this regular or commonplace time whereas having this immense quantity of content material,” Hamaguchi says by a translator. “In order that’s one thing that we’re very assured about and really pleased with.”
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How A lot Of The Story Does Rebirth Cowl?
After I requested what Rebirth’s stopping level can be, Tetsuya Nomura confirmed the story runs as much as the tip of the Forgotten Capital (a.okay.a. The Metropolis of the Ancients). Nonetheless, as anybody who completed Remake ought to know, Nomura stresses that Rebirth is not going to observe occasions in the identical order or method as the unique sport.
Can You Switch Knowledge From FFVII Remake?
Sq. Enix additionally confirms there can be no shared development between any model of Remake and Rebirth. Which means you received’t be bringing over the gear and materia earned within the first sport.
“Whereas there’s form of this story that they’re following all through these totally different titles, [Rebirth] is form of imagined to be a standalone by itself,” Hamaguchi explains. “So there’s no explicit form of development parameters or talents that you can be carrying over from the earlier title.”
Nonetheless, Hamaguchi does reveal that gamers with Remake/Intergrade saved knowledge will obtain an unknown summon materia in the beginning of Rebirth.
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Why Two Discs?
Rebirth is so huge that Sq. is splitting it between two discs. Hamaguchi states that the sport is 150GB, with 100 on one disc and 50 on the opposite. Nonetheless, you received’t be swapping discs like followers did with the unique. As a result of PS5 structure, gamers will first set up your complete sport by inserting each discs. After that, solely certainly one of them can be wanted to play the complete sport.
Hamaguchi explains the choice to separate Rebirth on this manner had much less to do with rekindling nostalgia and extra as a technique to protect the workforce’s lofty imaginative and prescient for it. Sq. had all the time envisioned Rebirth as an enormous, extremely detailed world extra immersive than Remake’s revamped Midgar. Thus, squeezing it on a single Blu-ray would have compelled the designers to reduce on content material and concepts, so doubling up on discs grew to become the apparent answer.
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What Minigames Have Been Expanded?
Remaining Fantasy VII’s lighthearted mini-games make up a lot of the sport’s allure. It was good to see a few of them return within the latest State of Play trailer, however I requested Sq. if there was any particular mini-game the workforce was most excited to revisit. Hamaguchi calls out Rufus Shinra’s inauguration parade.
Within the authentic, Cloud disguises himself as a Shinra soldier to infiltrate the festivities and lead the march by timed button presses. In Rebirth, gamers will gather troopers and resolve the right way to organize them, leading to a extra hands-on strategy that may end in totally different variations of how the parade proceeds.
“So this time round, we’ve actually modified a few of the features of the unique mini-game, sort of taking its parts but in addition actually elevating that to match the requirements of immediately and for this deeper, extra enjoyable, attention-grabbing expertise,” Hamaguchi says. “And that’s one thing that we want the customers to expertise as properly.”
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What’s Up With Vincent?
Vincent Valentine’s temporary look was an thrilling spotlight of the Rebirth story trailer at September’s PlayStation State of Play. We received’t reveal the character’s nature for newcomers, however he, like Yuffie, was an non-obligatory get together member within the authentic sport, so I requested Sq. if that may be the case once more. Nomura confirms Vincent joins the group as a part of Rebirth’s essential story this time, however, sadly, he received’t be playable.
As an alternative, the brooding warrior merely accompanies the get together like Purple XIII did in Remake. Nomura explains that is the case as a result of, within the authentic, Vincent joins the get together in the course of the backend of the story. Based mostly on that reply, it appears like we received’t be wielding Vincent’s energy ourselves till the yet-to-be-titled third entry arrives.
Remaining Fantasy VII Rebirth launches on February 29 for PlayStation 5
Supply: Sport Informer
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