Summary
A fan has compared the recently launchedFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthdemo with cutscenes from the original game to show what has changed since players last explored the doomed town of Nibelheim.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthisn’t set to launch in full until the end of February, but eager fans can experience part of this next chapter ahead of time thanks to a playable demo released following last week’s State of Play livestream. Said demo features one of the most important sequences in the sprawlingFinal Fantasy 7lore: Cloud Strife’s flashback to the fateful mission in his hometown of Nibelheim.
What begins as a simple investigation of some monster sightings near one of Shinra’s Mako reactors soon takes a tragic turn as Sephiroth, once considered to be the greatest hero Midgar had ever known, discovers his true nature as the “son” of the dreaded beast Jenova and embarks on a new mission to destroy the Planet - starting with Nibelheim itself. The image ofSephiroth standing amid the flamesof the ruined town remains one of the most iconic scenes in theFinal Fantasyseries, and it and the events leading up to it have been depicted in multipleFinal Fantasy 7spin-off projects over the years.
Now it is time forFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthtotell its own version of the Nibelheim incident, and a YouTuber by the handle of Final FanTV recently posted a video comparing the demo to the originalFinal Fantasy 7. It begins with Cloud and Sephiroth’s ride to Nibelheim and continues through most of the flashback sequence, showing a young Tifa guiding SOLIDER to the Mako reactor on the outskirts of town, Cloud and Sephiroth discussing the nature of Materia, and finally, Sephiroth discovering his twisted origin and embracing the path of villainy that would lead to him threatening the Planet in the present day.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Nibelheim Flashback Updates The Original
Throughout Final FanTV’s video, viewers can see the corresponding moments fromthe originalFinal Fantasy 7in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. This gives fans a good look at how gaming technology has evolved sinceFinal Fantasy 7’s initial PS1 release in 1997, with theFF7 Rebirthdemo adding shifting camera angles and fully voiced dialogue to the ongoing drama. Much of this dialogue is changed somewhat from the translated text of the original game, but the overall events play out pretty much the same across both versions, give or take a few rearranged passages.
The developers behindFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthhave stated thatcertain events and character fates might be changedfrom the originalFinal Fantasy 7, especially following the timeline-altering ending of 2020’sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. However, it looks like the Nibelheim sequence, a pivotal moment in the lives of Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth, is more or less the same as it was in the oldFF7and its various retellings - albeit with a few changes here and there. Fans can play through Cloud’s flashback in theFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthdemo, before seeing its ramifications in full when the game launches on February 29.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
