Square Enix has "made preparations" so you can skip Final Fantasy 7 Remake and still "fully enjoy" Rebirth
Jenova story?
Square Enix has confirmed it has "made preparations" to ensure Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth can still be enjoyed by those who missed the first game.
Beginning at the end of last week, Square Enix has issued fresh comments on the game each day - thankfully remembering the project still exists, after nearly a year of no news.
The first comment confirmed a release date was being considered, while subsequent comments have noted that the game will have a "multifaceted world with a high degree of freedom" - which some fans are interpreting to mean "open world". Lastly, Square Enix has clarified that yes, this game will in fact contain a story and characters. Who'd have thought?
Today's latest comment from Square Enix is more interesting.
When asked if fans need to have played Final Fantasy 7 Remake to enjoy Rebirth, co-director Motomu Toriyama responded: "No - we have made preparations so that players who did not get a chance to play the first game can fully enjoy Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth".
This seems to suggest fans won't need to have played last year's remaster of Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 Reunion either.
It's an interesting comment, particularly as Rebirth is the second part of a trilogy of games covering Final Fantasy 7's story. Why would anyone play the second without knowledge of the first? Will the third game take a similar stance?
What these "preparations" are is unknown. It could be as simple as a recap at the start of the game, though I wouldn't recommend anyone deny themselves playing the opening Remake in full.
Alternatively could this be a more creative solution? Mass Effect 2, when it was released on PlayStation after the first was an Xbox exclusive, included an interactive comic at the opening that acted like a 'choose your own adventure', letting you make some of the game's biggest decisions. Could we see something similar?
In the meantime, I can't wait to see what else Square Enix may say over the coming days. It's likely there will be seven comments in total, ending on Wednesday 7th June. Could there be a big announcement that day, perhaps at Summer Games Fest?
And what's next? The game will feature Cloud? The sky is blue?