Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Reveals Painful News For Vincent Enjoyers Ahead of 2024 Release

With good initial impressions surrounding the sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, everyone was even more delighted when they heard the announcement of the return of their favourite vampire-like mutant. However, the game director Naoki Hamaguchi recently came out with IGN to provide some unfortunate news surrounding Vincent Valentine. 

“In terms of whether or not Vincent will be a playable character, he will be more of an accompanying character to the party in Rebirth,” Naoki replied when questioned about the role of the dark vampiric warrior in the upcoming sequel. Thus, with the confirmation from the director himself, Vincent will be controlled purely through AI like Red XIII was in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. 

Vincent Valentine Returns as a Non-Playable Character in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

While everyone has a favourite character in Final Fantasy, Vincent Valentine has arguably the hugest fanbase and is beloved by many. For instance, his popularity allowed him to have his own spin-off game, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. Thus, we can see why many players are dismayed about Square Enix’s decision not to include him as a playable character in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Although he does make a cameo in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as an accomplice to your party, you cannot control him. It is not the first time Square Enix has done this, as Red XIII was also an accompanying character in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, where he was a part of your team but was uncontrollable. 

Vincent will not be a playable party member in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. https://t.co/vUiyfgUuDq pic.twitter.com/5CGcN9lRjq

— Game Informer (@gameinformer) September 21, 2023

To add further dismay, if Final Fantasy VII Rebirth follows the same scenario in Remake, where players could not change Red XIII’s equipment even though he was in your party, it means Valentine will be less than functional in the latter stages of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. While this problem may only persist if we meet Vincent in the earlier chapters, the recent trailer and foreshadowing do not bring much hope to fans. 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Will Picked Up From the Ending of Remake 

Since the end of Remake, where Cloud Strife and his friends escaped Midgar in search of Sephiroth, fans have theorised that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will take place in the doomed village of Nibelheim. True enough, the recent trailer depicted Vincent Valentine emerging from his coffin-like sealed prison in the Shinra Manor.

Thus, what role has Square Enix planned for our favourite vampire? Considering that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will contain more content than in Remake, Vincent could appear at the beginning, where we rescued him from the basement or near the end, where Producer Mr. Kitase promised us a big ending. “The second part of the trilogy is vital, and I don’t think it will disappoint. What happens there is going to be a big surprising development. A hook to get people interested and motivated to want to see what happens in the final part of the series.”

However, it may take a while to get to the best part, as director Naoki confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will have a longer main story than Remake. “I say just doing the main story alone will take around 40 to 50 hours to complete without doing anything else. Then, on top of that, we’ve got so much side quest and exploration content in the world. There’s more side content than there is main story content. So if you’re going to go into everything, dig deep, explore the world and find everything, you’re easily looking at over 100 hours if you want to do everything.”

Also Read: Final Fantasy XVI’s Ending Seems a Sendoff to the Series More Than Its Celebration

Concluding Statements 

So, where does this leave us with? On the one hand, we are thrilled to see Vincent Valentine wield his trademark pistol again in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. On the other hand, we are dismayed he will arrive as a non-playable character. What do you think? Will the 100-hour or more content compensate for their slip-up with Vincent Valentine? Let us know your opinions on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Is Vincent Valentine the Only Non-Playable Character in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?

No. According to creative director Tetsuya Nomura, Cid Highwind will join Vincent as a non-playable character in Rebirth. Although he was a playable character in Remake, he must share the fate of an AI-controlled companion with Vincent.

When Will Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Released? 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a confirmed release date on PlayStation on February 29, 2024. While the first three months are PlayStation exclusive, we can expect a release for other platforms considering the slight tease of “Is not available on other formats until May 29, 2024” at the end. 

How Large Is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?

According to game director Naoki Hamaguchi, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will require a massive 150 GB of storage space to make up for the 100+ hour content and its highly detailed world and immersive gameplay.