Gameinformer has just published a lengthy new and exclusive preview for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, where it was given a guided tour of an as-yet-unseen portion of the game.
The outlet’s preview takes them to a town in Junon called the Crow’s Nest that’s been newly-created for Rebirth, and it’s here that we learn about a new and exciting feature in this entry – a deck-building strategic card game. That’ll hopefully be music to the ears of anyone that played games like Final Fantasy VIII and its Triple Triad game which has since been repurposed for Final Fantasy XIV (and the ill-fated Portal app) or even Final Fantasy IX’s Tetra Master.
“Back at the Crow’s Nest, Hamaguchi guides Cloud and the party in the direction of a piano, but on the way, he walks past a man talking about a card game,” the preview reveals. “While Hamaguchi remains tight-lipped about the mechanics, in talking with the team, I learn that it’s a strategic card game that Cloud will be able to compete in across the region. Different NPCs provide varying degrees of challenge to players, but the team hopes players will enjoy the deck-building aspect of this minigame.”
It definitely rings true to those games like Triple Triad and Tetra Master in the way that players can gradually build their deck and face new challenges across different regions, which has me very keen.
Image: Gameinformer
Elsewhere in the preview, writer Brian Shea also talks about the piano minigame, sidequests, returning characters, 40-100 hour runtime and more, so give the full thing a read here.
In my own lengthy hands-on earlier this year, I said, “If what I played is anything to go by, there’s a good cadence here of modern-feeling open exploration bookended by visits to stunning recreations of familiar locales from Final Fantasy VII along with thoughtful updates to scenarios, characters and encounters that OG fans remember. This small taste has me incredibly excited to see the rest of Rebirth’s vast world and whether the team truly has managed to keep up the fidelity and depth of gameplay, visuals and sterling fan service achieved in Final Fantasy VII Remake in a far grander scope than before.”
We don’t have all that long either, with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth set to launch on PlayStation 5 on February 29th next year. You can pre-order it now on Amazon for $99 with free shipping and pre-order price guarantee.