Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Producer Explains Why Sephiroth Is “Driving Force” In The Remake Sequel

UPDATE

Does hearing about these “character updates” make you even more excited for the game? Let us know below!

ORIGINAL STORY

If you somehow didn’t know by now, the “remake saga” that Square Enix has developed so far has taken some big liberties and made key changes to the lore of the original PlayStation 1 epic. From how certain battles were done, to new storylines, and so on, there have been “new layers” added to the remakes. The first remake focused solely on the Midgar storyline, and yet introduced several elements to ensure that things weren’t going to “be the same as before.” As we approach the arrival of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, things are going to keep changing, and that includes how Sephiroth is handled.

As longtime fans know, the original version of Sephiroth from the PS1 title wasn’t a character you saw for quite some time. He was that “looming danger” that was there in Cloud’s mind, but nowhere else. The first remake game changed that, as he was an ever-present danger and is obsessed with rewriting his future. In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, that goal is what will have him appear in parts of the story where he wasn’t originally. In a chat with the PlayStation Blog, Producer Yoshinori Kitase talked about making these changes and what they mean:

“The story in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth starts after the team has escaped Midgar and continues all the way up to the Forgotten Capital. In the original game, Sephiroth barely appeared during this section, but in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, he is the driving force that pulls the story along to fill that void. He is depicted in even more depth than in the original game, and I think this makes him an even more charismatic and appealing antagonist than before.”

Mastermind behind the remake, Tetsuya Nomura, was also there for the interview, and noted that the changes to characters like Sephiroth and Aerith aren’t just something they “did randomly.” He cited the various spinoffs and additions to the OG game’s lore and how they have built up the character of Sephiroth so that he was much more than the silent antagonist with the killer theme song.

Oh, and as for that “Aerith Scene” that has been heavily teased in the trailers so far? Well, Kitase had something to say about that, too:

“I will not say too much here, but when comparing this scene to how it was presented in the original, I am confident that the audience will feel a great breadth of emotion from the extra level of detail in how the characters are portrayed.”

We’ll find out when the game releases in one month!