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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Crisis Core expand the remake universe

Summer Gaming Marathon Feature Image
This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

During Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII 25th anniversary stream, the company revealed Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It’s the second part of the remake series, and it’ll launch next winter for PlayStation 5.

Square Enix also confirmed that the remake series will be a trilogy, with the third game coming later. Rebirth has entered full production, and some of the development staff are already working on the third entry. Also announced was Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion, a remaster of a 2007 PSP game that will release this winter for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH – First Look Trailer

Square Enix also took some time to show off Final Fantasy VII games on mobile and PC. On the mobile front, we saw the new season of Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier and learned that Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis will get a closed beta later this year. Meanwhile, PC players can expect it on a new storefront. Final Fantasy VII Remake was previously a PlayStation console exclusive but came to PC late last year as an Epic Games Store exclusive. Thankfully, Square Enix announced during this stream that Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will finally come to Steam on June 17. It is also verified to work on Steam Deck for those who prefer a portable experience.

It’s currently unknown whether Final Fantasy VII Remake or Rebirth will ever launch on Xbox or Nintendo platforms, as they weren’t brought up during the livestream. Those games were all the highlights of the stream, but Square Enix also highlighted that there is some merchandise available to order, such as a Buster Sword alarm clock. It’s certainly an awesome time to be a fan of Final Fantasy VII.

George Yang
George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth makes one impactful change to Barret’s story
Barret talking to Dyne in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

This article contains story spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Ahead of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's launch, fans were buzzing about how the sequel would tackle Aerith's story. The holy healer was a major focus of Square Enix's marketing, making it clear that one of gaming's most iconic moments would be pivotal to the adventure. But for me, I was more curious about how another tragedy would play out: the tale of Barret and Dyne.

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is not only a fascinating retelling of one of gaming's most beloved titles -- it's also among the most feature-rich games of this generation. From vast open areas to explore that teem with activities to densely populated cities and tense dungeons, there's at least 100 hours worth of content to uncover here if you've got the time and energy to complete it all.

As you work through the game, you'll find that a surprising amount of this playtime sees you engaging with minigames, both to advance the story and just for fun to earn optional rewards. And though there are a few duds scattered along the way -- we're looking at you Gears and Gambits -- most of the minigames you'll encounter offer a unique and enjoyable diversion for Cloud and friends. We've gone through a tough elimination process and decided on our picks for the top five minigames in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
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The mayor of Under Junon in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

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When Words Won’t Do is actually a story about parents struggling to let go of their kids. Under Junon’s mayor sends players on this quest to help her son and unborn grandchild, and Barrett wonders if he’ll ever be able to let Marlene go during the mission. That’s thematically fitting for an escort mission where you can’t keep something out of your sight.

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