With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth set to arrive for Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox in June, Square Enix has just released a free demo, letting you check out the opening chapters of the game and carry on your progress to the full release – you’ll also get some bonuses for the full game.
The demo features Chapters 1 and 2 of the full game. Picking up after the end of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, AVALANCHE is on the run, but there’s some story revelations to get through first. Chapter 1 sees Cloud recall the events of teh Nibelheim incident, fighting alongside Sephiroth as monsters amass near Cloud’s hometown.
Chapter 2 then sees Cloud and co. set out across the Grasslands region, exploring the more open region to find battles, treasures, side stories and more. This is where you’ll really dive into the enhanced battle system, which brings new Synergy abilities. You’ll also be able to dive into the Queen’s Blood card game.
New for this release of the game, and also set to be ported back to the PS5 and PC version, are the Streamlined Progression, which allows players to tweak the game’s difficulty by doing things such as activating unlimited HP and MP, an always-full ATB gauge and easier weapon ability levelling.
Downloading and playing the demo rewards players with items for the full game, including a Kupo Charm which can net you extra materials, and the Survival Set.
We went hands on with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Switch 2, nipping through the segment of the game set within Kalm, and checking out how the game handles running in handheld play. Check out our impressions here.
As for the game itself, it’s a fantastic middle part to this remake trilogy. In our original review, Nic said, “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a beautifully crafted experience that fans old and new will absolutely love. It almost goes too far in correcting the first game’s linearity with broad open areas stuffed with things to do, but there’s also key additions to the combat, and the story running through this middle chapter is masterfully retold. Really the biggest problem you’ll have once the credits roll is knowing that it will be far too many years before we can finish the trilogy.”
