A Nibel of what’s to come.

Finally you could see the plates of Midgar hanging threateningly over the slums - and in daylight too.

Seeing the enhancements a remake could bring was awe-inspiring.

Cloud, Sephiroth and Zack in the sunrise in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The planet - as was only previously suggested - has been abused.

Some wildlife does remain though: I spotted a pack of cute bunnies bouncing through the metallic undergrowth.

It’s more of the same, but it’s been supercharged.

Cover image for YouTube video

It’s more exciting.

It offers best in class visuals, sound and cinematography.

Much of this is to be expected after the success of Remake.

Cloud and Sephiroth team up in battle in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The first was a straightforward linear quest typical of Remake.

Here, though, the Mako Spring looks far more spectacular as it fizzes with turquoise energy.

Plus he’s got his Octoslash limit break.

Aerith casting a huge spell in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

At this point, Sephiroth is Cloud’s hero so it makes sense he’d be so strong.

And after a gap since playing Remake, this offered a chance to reacquaint myself with the battle system.

Yet Sephiroth is so overpowered, it trivialised the whole mission - rightfully so.

The party flies over a desert on chocobo in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

As with the original game, these can be paired with spell Materia for new effects.

I also grabbed a two-in-one lighting and wind materia, streamlining my collection.

Otherwise, this was mostly the same old Remake.

Close up of Cait Sith in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

You still sit on benches to rest and recover HP and MP.

Outside of battle, Cloud’s sword swipes to destroy boxes are still oddly static.

And he’s still occasionally forced to walk through certain areas, story depending.

Vincent towers over the party in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

At one point, Sephiroth scoffs at Cloud: “Such a puppy”.

This mission also gave a taste of a major new addition to combat: synergy.

Synergy attacks sit somewhere between abilities and limit breaks.

It encourages players to regularly alternate between characters, synergy attacks acting like a mini reward.

There are additional synergy skills accessed by guarding that again pair up characters, but are less effective.

While these attacks do add another layer to combat, they don’t add a massive amount of strategy.

It almost feels like the developers added them in just to add something fresh.

Firework Blade, for instance, was between Aerith and Cloud: a shimmering barrage of magical sword swipes.

Planetary Roar was between Aerith and Red XIII, where she tickles his chin before they unleash magical explosions.

Divine Punishment is the attack between Aerith and Tifa you will have seen in a previous trailer.

Make of that what you will.

Visit a Chocoboutique and you’ve got the option to kit them out in various armours.

Adorably, you might also follow chocobo chicks to chocobo bus stops (and pet them!)

  • unlocking fast travel options.

Swiping with claws, his moveset feels more scrappy, frantic and animalistic compared with other characters.

His iconic Siphon Fang spinning attack also proves powerful.

Is this the first time the party encounters Yuffie?

This wasn’t clear.

Rebirth has some changes, then, both compared to the original and Remake.

There are tweaks to the story, new wrinkles in combat, and an open world brimming with potential.

Visually it’s hugely impressive too, a step up fromFinal Fantasy 16.

It’s familiar yet fresh, the sort of magical spectacle fans will relish.

Sadly, none of this was in the preview build I played.

Yet will there be more fundamental plot changes?

How will this second part end?

And what’s up with Zack?

I’m itching to find out.