by theygamesThe Final Fantasy 7 Remake came to Steam about a year ago, allowing players to experience an enhanced version of an important piece of their childhood once more. RPG game fans wanted to see more of what the Final Fantasy 7 Remake could bring after Square Enix announced a sequel would be coming. With the new game on the horizon, fans are left wondering if their knowledge of the first game will suffice enough to understand its sequel.
While many prospective players of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth have played Remake already, there are also many others who could be looking forward to the sequel without having played the first game. There are also fans wanting to know if they should brush up on Remake first. Square took note of this, taking the opportunity to respond to such questions directly on social media.
On Final Fantasy 7’s official Twitter, the game’s co-director Motomu Toriyama addresses fans in a post, citing the commonly asked question, “Do I need to play Final Fantasy VII Remak to enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?” Toriyama follows the question up with his answer, in which he states that players will not need to experience Remake before diving into Rebirth.
The co-director specifically says that the developers “have made preparations so that players who did not get a chance to play the first game can fully enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.” This means that despite all of Final Fantasy 7’s well-written story, plot twist and all, fans can experience Rebirth as a separate entity with its standalone lore.
Most people have been responding to the developer’s update positively, calling the post “exciting.” There is, however, a sense of unease in many of the fan comments underneath, despite their initial enthusiasm. One player wrote that they find it “kind of concerning,” wondering, “how will the story flow if we don’t need any of the info from the previous game?” Others simply replied with emojis referencing their own doubts.
As a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series, I am excited for Rebirth myself and can understand why players are confused about how they will pull the story off as a standalone experience. I know the power of good writing though, and am certain that at the least, it CAN be done. My own concerns have to do more with Rebirth’s release itself, as a player strictly using PC and not PlayStation. How can one game be on a platform while its sequel is not going to be? How is that fair to those of us who spent a small fortune on Remake?
Square has yet to discuss the possibility of Rebirth joining its predecessor on PC after the PlayStation release. Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Steam felt like an impossible feat at first, but still happened, so I don’t really see how Rebirth could remain exclusive for too long. Similarly, Final Fantasy 16 has an uncertain future when it comes to its PC port. The non-console release has suffered a delay, meaning fans will need to wait to experience it on computers for a long while after its PlayStation release.
Hopefully Square proves that it will continue listening to the community as it did with Toriyama’s Tweet. We make up a community of players from all backgrounds hoping to experience Final Fantasy, not just those on console. If you are excited about Final Fantasy 7 Rebrith and its lore, be sure to check out more about the FF7 Rebirth story. You can also browse through our favorite Final Fantasy games on PC until we hear more about the Steam port if you are like me and do not use a PlayStation.