Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's developers believe that Sephiroth portrayal in the upcoming game is a "much deeper and clearer" depiction than in the original.
Speaking in an interview with PlayStation Blog, producer Yoshinori Kitase and creative director Tetsuya Nomura discussed how the rival of protagonist Cloud Strife has been adapted in the remade version of the original 1997 game, as well as what players can expect from his character in Rebirth.
Kitase explained that the game picks up directly where Remake left off, with Cloud and his friends as they explore the Forgotten Capital, and although the original barely features Sephiroth in this section, the villain will act as "the driving force that pulls the story along" in Rebirth.
"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," Kitase said.
Nomura added that the evolution of the Rebirth's characters "wasn't a sudden mutation" due to the fact that players have seen some characters in other spin-off titles in the past as well as in Remake. However, out of all them, Sephiroth has appeared the most "with each appearance adding more layers of detail, making him that much deeper as a character."
"In a certain sense, we are seeing this evolved and in-depth portrayal of Sephiroth as him now 'returning' to his root in the remake series, and so naturally, his presence will be much deeper and clearer than it was in the original," Nomura continued.
"On the other hand, the fans have now a much greater knowledge and understanding of Sephiroth, so I hope the players can see the character's appeal even more strongly."
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is set to launch on February 29 exclusively for PlayStation 5.
For more, check out our list of the best RPGs as well as our list of every upcoming game releasing for PC and console in 2024.
