Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Gets Demo, Final Trailer, and Extensive Gameplay Preview

Square Enix has cast Berserk on themselves in anticipation of the February 29th release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, giving expectant fans a dramatic final trailer, a deep-dive gameplay video, and most excitingly of all, a pair of playable demos.

During the February 6th State of Play, Final Fantasy series veteran and Rebirth Producer Yoshinori Kitase announced the final trailer (above), which features a lot of screen time for main character Cloud, nemesis Sephiroth, and my personal favorite, Barret in a sailor suit. Rebirth Director Naoki Hamaguchi fronted the camera to introduce a massive ten-minute plus narrated gameplay trailer (below) featuring new, more detailed outlines of the diverse ways players will engage with the world and characters of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura had the ultimate honor of delivering the most exciting announcement of the presentation: a playable demo is available now for PlayStation 5!

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: A Demo in Two Acts

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s demo will come in two parts: the first, “Fall of a Hero in Nibelheim”, is available now and follows then-SOLDIER members Cloud and Sephiroth in a flashback to the “Nibelheim incident.”

This mission takes place five years ago prior to the setting of the game. Take control of a younger version of main protagonist Cloud Strife and the legendary Sephiroth as the two SOLDIER heroes investigate the sudden appearance of monsters in the mountains above Cloud’s hometown. When a dark truth comes to light, the course of their lives and the fate of the planet will change forever.

The second demo, “Dawn of a New Era in Junon”, will be available on February 21st, and has been specifically produced as a condensed preview of the Junon area.

In this special preview made specifically for the demo, explore a small piece of the massive in-game world around the harbor town of Junon. The Junon area featured in this demo has been altered to make the content more compact, so progress cannot be carried over to the full game. However, fans and newcomers will get a chance to experience new forms of exploration, new synergy attacks and the powerful character bonds expressed through thrilling combat.

Players of the demo will receive exclusive bonuses upon starting the full game, and some progress can be carried over.

Players with save data from the demo will receive the Kupo Charm and Survival Set in the full game. These players will also be able to skip past sections covered in the “Fall of a Hero in Nibelheim” demo. Players must ensure their game is fully updated to take advantage of these benefits.

Classic Art Reimagined

Square Enix also released some beautiful key art for Rebirth, including stunning recreations of classic character scenes from the original Final Fantasy VII featuring Aerith Gainsborough, Red XIII, Vincent Valentine, and Cid Highwind straddling the Raptor.

We’ve featured just a handful of the new screenshots and character stills released with these announcements. To see all the images and RPGFan’s extensive coverage of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, visit the game page.

Stay tuned to RPGFan for more Final Fantasy VII Rebirth news!