Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Producer Reveals How the Game Changes Sephiroth

When Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releases in a few weeks, players will finally get to experience the second chapter in the trilogy that started with Final Fantasy VII Remake. In this trilogy, players get to experience familiar events from a different perspective, though quite a bit has changed from the original Final Fantasy VII. In a recent interview with the PlayStation Blog, Rebirth Producer Yoshinori Kitase offered some insight into Sephiroth, the game's primary antagonist. The section of Final Fantasy VII that Rebirth covers originally had Sephiroth playing a smaller role, but it seems that won't be the case this time. 

"The story in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth starts after the team has escaped Midgar and continues all the way up to the Forgotten Capital. In the original game, Sephiroth barely appeared during this section, but in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, he is the driving force that pulls the story along to fill that void. He is depicted in even more depth than in the original game, and I think this makes him an even more charismatic and appealing antagonist than before," said Kitase. 

Sephiroth and the Fate of Aerith

In the original Final Fantasy VII, players were unaware that Sephiroth would kill Aerith at the Forgotten Capital, but it's a safe bet that most Final Fantasy VII Rebirth players will be familiar with that event. The character's death is one of the most iconic in all of gaming, and had a profound impact on players. Changing destinies has been one of the key narrative themes for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Square Enix has been teasing that Aerith might actually survive this time. That mystery has generated a lot of speculation in the four years since Final Fantasy VII Remake was released. The developers have previously said that the decision to focus on the Whispers and changing destinies was made to add tension where there might not have been any before, so it makes sense that the developers would build on Sephiroth's role. Seeing him more throughout Rebirth is sure to give players anxiety as they try to figure out what will happen at the end of the game. 

"I invite you all to play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and see with your own eyes how the modern generation of players will react to Aerith's fate, a moment that created such an emotional impact on a huge number of gamers 27 years ago," said Kitase. 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Release Date

Fans won't have to wait too much longer to see what will happen to Aerith, as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will release February 29th on PlayStation 5. The game will be a timed exclusive on the platform, and a PC version is expected to release sometime after. The timed exclusivity will only last for three months. 

Are you excited for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth? Do you think Sephiroth will be a more menacing figure in this game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!