It’s been almost a year since we last saw Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and a new trailer for Chapter 2 of the remake trilogy has finally been released. Summer Game Fest’s big closing number offers an in-depth look at the story, gameplay, and locations from beyond the walls of Midgar, and there’s plenty for fans to recognize along with some unexpected surprises.
We studied the entire trailer and compared the scenes to the original game. Those are the 7 key details you need to know.
Tifa and Nibelheim incident
Let’s start with the big finale of the trailer. We see the classic scene where young Tifa approaches Sephiroth at the Niflheim reactor. There she attempts to kill Sephiroth as her revenge for her father’s murder and arson of the town. As in the original, Sephiroth cuts down Tifa. What’s new in this Rebirth trailer, though, is Sephiroth’s narration. “I know I killed her, but who is she?”
This returns to Rebirth’s first trailer featuring a tense conversation between Cloud and Tifa. “I saw you lying there, I thought it was too late,” Cloud said, referring to the original scene where he found Tifa’s body inside the reactor on his way to confront Sephiroth. . Am I some kind of cheater? asked Tifa.
So is Tifa really dead? probably. We know the remake trilogy is all about changing the original story, but considering everyone expects Cloud to be an impostor, it would be a fun twist. . However, it seems likely that this is Sephiroth’s ruse to manipulate Cloud into distrusting his allies. Sephiroth will eventually force Cloud to hand over the Black Materia, so perhaps all this seeding of doubt will help weaken Cloud ahead of that pivotal moment.
Did Avalanche Fail?
The trailer opens with startling footage of Shinra guards loading someone unconscious, or possibly dead. – Transfer Avalanche corpse to helicopter. The vast mass of Midgar spans sectors 0, 1, and 2, lying in the surrounding burning ruins. The first impression is that the team has been captured by Shinra again. However, we do know that the group escaped Midgar at the end of FF7 Remake. So what do we get? Well, it turns out that only Barrett, Tifa, Red XIII, and Aerith have been captured. where is the cloud? This scene could be from the new timeline established at the end of the remake where Zack survives his battle with Shinra. Had Zack been alive, Cloud might not have joined Barrett’s team, and without Cloud, the team might not have been able to stop Sephiroth in the late game. Zack’s timeline will likely play an important role in FF7 A Realm, and this is the first hint of it.
big new world
We know Cloud and the group are definitely escaping Midgar, as much of this trailer shows them traveling through a much more diverse world than the one found within the walls of the Steel City. . Fans of the original will recognize many of the locations in this trailer. Cosmo Canyon includes Bougainhagen’s Planetarium, Mithril Mine, Cargo Ship, Calum’s Inn, and Niblheim Reactor. There are also photographs of what is believed to be the Mako Pipeline extending to Mt. Corel and what is believed to be the Northern Crater with many glowing rocks and stalactites. We plan to visit Junon as well. You can see the Highwind Airship moored atop the town’s iconic cannon.
Before that, though, we’ll make a stop at the Chocobo Farm, as teased in the post-credits of the Intermission Remake DLC.
Chocobo Riding
Speaking of chocobos, this time you can use them as vehicles. Now that we’re outside of Midgar, we’ll be exploring what appears to be a much larger-scale environment, so the chocobo’s added speed comes in handy. Her HUD commands at the bottom of one of his clips make it look like you can invoke her HUD commands at any time in a more open area. While riding a chocobo, her contextual chocobo HUD also shows that large birds can “smell”, suggesting they can be used for reconnaissance. Perhaps there will be a treasure hunt system, or some sort of bounty tracking side activity? The big question, of course, is will there be chocobo breeding? Please, Mr. Square, don’t make me feel that boredom again…
Cloud’s Mysterious History
Early in the trailer, Tifa can be heard asking Aerith, “What has Cloud been doing for the last five years?” where was he […] It may sound crazy, but as far as I know, Cloud wasn’t in Nibelheim five years ago. “
In the final hours of the remake, we were given the first indication that Cloud wasn’t who he thought he was when a soldier in Shinra Building recognized him. It looks like Rebirth will further explore Cloud’s fragmented memories and expand on Tifa’s perspective.Cloud from the original game was He was in Nibelheim five years ago, but Tifa didn’t notice him because he was a helmeted Shinra guard, not a Soldier. What was missing from the original game, however, is the scene in which Cloud appears as a robed Sephiroth clone participating in the Jenova reunion ritual. Is this Cloud’s fate in the new timeline that Zack survives?
new characters and new moves
The trailer finally confirms that Red XIII, who was just a guest party member in FF7 Remake, will be a fully playable character in Rebirth. Yuffie, who returned from the DLC intermission, also joined, making it a full party of six. There’s still no sign of Cait Sith, Syd, or Vincent, so let’s hope they’re revealed later rather than put on hold in game three.
The remake’s great combat remains, but you can see that some tweaks have been made since the last time I saw it. The DLC’s combo moves are fully integrated into the system, and you’ll see some flashy attacks, such as this attack where Aerith creates a magical dome and Tifa breaks it down. There’s also a new icon in the combat HUD (a series of her five horizontal bars), but it’s not yet clear what new system they’re linked to.
old and new enemies
Cait Sith, Sid, and Vincent may be missing, but there are some other fun (and not-so-funny) familiar faces in this trailer. We meet a remake of Elena, the youngest member of the Turks, apparently in an encounter in the Mithril Mine. And then we see the grotesque figure of Jenova’s birth, which now seems to hang from the ceiling of the cargo ship like some kind of cancerous barnacle.
As with the first game in the remake trilogy, various new bosses are also introduced. Here, Barrett and Red XIII are seen fighting some form of giant Rock his golem, presumably in a Mithril mine. The absence of Cloud in this battle suggests that there will also be a story sequence in which the party splits and goes their separate ways.
Those are the 7 key details you should know from the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer. Found any other great details? Let us know in the comments. For more info, check out the full FF7 Rebirth trailer and news that the physical edition will be delivered on his two discs.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.
