Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be telling some of the most important parts of the original story, like the origin of Red XIII. Those who’ve played the original know that Red XIII goes through quite the arc in Cosmo Canyon and that might actually affect gameplay this time around.
Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi talked about the importance of these characters in an interview with Screen Rant, before dropping a small tidbit. Apparently, after the events of Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII will go by his real name Nanaki, which also changes up some side quests.
“A fun little tidbit that I wanted to share about that is in the original, you may remember that Red XIII, if you go to Cosmo Canyon, once you go there, his personality changes a bit” Hamaguchi reveals. “And considering that his personality changes, we have it designed so that all quests in the game kind of has a Red XIII and a Nanaki version. So for people it has all options available for that.”
It will be interesting to see just how Final Fantasy VII Rebirth differentiates Red XIII and Nanaki. For those who haven’t played the original, Cosmo Canyon is where Red XIII grew up. Without spoiling the plot, the visit strengthens Nanaki’s resolve and he becomes more determined than ever to help Cloud.
Gameplay-wise, this didn’t change much in the original game, so the fact quests are ready for Red XIII/Nanaki pre and post-character development is interesting, to say the least. As long as the sequel hits the same beats as the original, fans will be okay with a couple of changes made to the game.
A lot of changes are being teased for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, especially since Cloud and co. defeated the canon-keeping Whispers in the last game. With Zack also being alive and a better Gold Saucer to play around in, these changes should be worthwhile.
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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is coming to PS5 on February 29, 2024.