Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Demo

Play it on: PS5
Current goals: Unearth any easter eggs, perfect my combat skills

In 2015, a friend of mine said he had heard rumors that Square Enix was going to announce a Final Fantasy VII remake at E3. Well, after so many years of rumors and hype largely based on one pretty tech demo for the PS3, I kindly told him to shut up because I thought it was nonsense. “Yeah, no, but I bet we’ll see The Last Guardian, I said.” And hey, I was half right!

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But here I am, around nine years later with a demo for part two of the remake I said would never happen and, well, I’m ready to play through it yet again. While Remake pushed me right to the edge of narrative changes I was comfortable with, I still loved the combat and it was one of the best ways to spend time with characters I’ve loved for many years (seriously, the English voice cast is and remains a treat).

The combat is a bit different this time around, though. I’ve already shared some essential tips for the foundation of Rebirth’s combat, as well as a primer to understand how Synergy skills and abilities work. Time will tell just how much of a positive or negative addition these new mechanics are, especially when the full game arrives, but I’m liking its position as a gauge worth filling beyond ATB. It really helps me build a strategic scaffold to each fight in my head that I’m working toward, and the core of the combat still remains one of my favorite combat systems in a real-time RPG, perhaps ever. So when Rebirth lands, I want to be in tip-top shape.

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Also! Folks have found an interesting painting in the manor as it appears in the demo, one that might contain a portrait of a very tragic character. It’s got me wondering what else is hiding in plain sight… — Claire Jackson