Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Demo Now Available, New Gameplay Showcases World Map, Minigames, More

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth received an in-depth look at PlayStation's latest State of Play showcase, where publisher Square Enix announced that a demo for the game will be made available Wednesday on the PS5. The playable demo, currently available to download on the PlayStation Store, will allow players to take control of both the protagonist Cloud Strife and the antagonist Sephiroth in an early section of the game. Along with the announcement, Square Enix also debuted an 11-minute-long gameplay footage from the upcoming action RPG, showcasing the world map, modes of traversal, minigames and more.

This was Sony's second State of Play showcase of the year, focussing entirely on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The showcase began with a new story trailer for the game, featuring a showdown between Cloud and Sephiroth, along with other party members and characters. The trailer also shows combat from the game and some stunning and diverse environments.

The trailer was followed by a gameplay deep dive that highlighted the expansive world map, which includes dense cities, mountains, grasslands and more, and the ways to traverse the same, including vehicles, mounts and, of course, Chocobos. The gameplay also detailed quests and a wide variety of minigames, including a deckbuilding card game called Queen's Blood. The footage also showcased detailed visuals and facial animations that aid the narrative of the game. Rebirth will be available to play in both performance mode, that prioritises framerate, and graphics mode, that prioritises 4K resolution.

According to Square Enix, the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo will be a flashback section centred around the Nibelheim incident, putting players in the shoes of Sephiroth. The incident take place years before the events of the game, providing additional context about the story and characters.

Additionally, the studio said that it plans to release an update between now and the release of the game later this month that adds the Junun region to the demo, allowing players to explore the area freely.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second game in the remake trilogy for the original game, will tell the tale of Cloud and his friends on the trail of Sephiroth. The demo for the game is now available on the PlayStation Store, with the full game releasing February 29 on the PS5.