Some of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's themes might have been revealed through the developers' Japanese tweets. With a very thin trickle of new details dropped as of late, it's only fair that some might be more cryptic than others.Final Fantasy 7 Remake was a very highly acclaimed game, bringing a fan-favorite Final Fantasy installment onto modern hardware with updated presentation and new genre-bending gameplay. That remake only covered the first chunk of the game, but it's part of a planned series remaking each portion of the three-disc PS1 original from the ground up. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the greatly anticipated second installment of this trilogy, picking up where the remake left off, but despite its unspecified release date, Square Enix isn't shy about promoting it despite Final Fantasy 16 being due out soon. In a series of tweets put out by Japanese Twitch streamer and CEO of Aitai Japan, Audrey Lamsam, some of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's plot themes have been hinted at via a translation of some developer comments by Square Enix. The translations include hints of timeline alterations in the main narrative, as well as a reveal as to what happened to Destiny after the previous game. It appears there will be an emphasis on Zack's character arc in the new installment, including his famous quote, "The price of freedom is steep." With news on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth expected to be sparse throughout the first half of 2023, even cryptic hints such as this one should be enough to get fans talking.
Apparently, the company has been releasing new messages each day promoting Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and revealing details about it, such as its adjusted release window, the story context, and an invitation for fans to stay tuned for more details. Each revelation is subtle in nature, and when combined with the need to translate it from Japanese, seems to be designed to encourage speculation and discussion, which is one of several things a video game needs in order to generate hype and make bank. This is a good sign, considering Square Enix's hit-and-miss record when it comes to game promotion.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth should be a very interesting game with its amalgamation of nostalgia and modernity, combined with being a sequel to a critically acclaimed game that released during a slow year and made countless changes to its world that open up many possibilities for the future. It should be interesting to see whatever else Square Enix hints at for the game later down the line.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is expected to drop for the PlayStation 5 near the tail-end of 2023.