With the Game Awards comes new announcements, and last night’s show did not disappoint.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth took home the Most Anticipated Game of 2024 award, and with the win came a new trailer and details on what’s to come in the second installment of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy.
The theme song, “No Promises to Keep,” is composed by Nobuo Uematsu and performed by Loren Allred delivered by Aerith for the in-game musical stage play, “Loveless.”
“As depicted in the song ‘Aerith’s Theme,’ Aerith has had a bit of an ill-fated and ephemeral impression within me,” said Uematsu. “I understood from the beginning that this song is also related to Aerith, but the poignant melody from ‘Aerith’s Theme’ does not appear in this song. I wanted to depict the opposite of this, the strength at her core, hidden within Aerith’s heart. As I listened to the recording over and over again once it was finished, Aerith, who until then was a resident of a fantasy world, now began to feel like a real human being in the flesh. Loren Allred’s vocals, sometimes ephemeral and other times passionate and powerful, surely give life to the existence of Aerith. It has been a while since I’ve written a ballad that feels uniquely my own, and I’m happy to have done so. Thank you, Aerith.”
Matthew Mercer’s mysterious former Turk and Shinra “security” Vincent Valentine got his much-awaited face and (two-word) voice reveal, along with another handful of new characters. The rogue pilot Cid Highwind also made his high-flying debut, voiced by none other than J. Michael Tatum.
Other new faces to make an appearance include Dio, owner of the Golden Saucer, Dyne, Barret’s former closest friend and Marlene’s biological father, and Solemn Gus and Doctor Sheiran of the Corel Prison.
Three new Summons join the ranks — the earth-shattering Titan, the dragon Bahamut Arisen, and the fire-healing Phoenix. Relationships also get a more complex system, with Cloud’s dialogue choices with his friends affecting his standing with each of his allies, and if you choose carefully, the closest bonds may reap some rewards.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will take players outside the walls of Midgar and into the vast open world. Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith, Red XIII, and Yuffie join up with new allies to hunt down Sephiroth. Along with the main quest, the new 2-disc adventure will feature dozens of hours of rewarding side quests, fiend hunts, mini-games, and rich stories of the planet’s people and cultures.
The game is available for pre-order. It will release on February 29, 2024, exclusively on PlayStation 5.
