The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo is out today alongside a brand-new preview trailer

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Can you hear the cries of the planet?

Cloud and Sephiroth cross blades
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second installment in Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, has a brand new demo which you can check out today. The demo was unveiled as part of a special PlayStation State of Play event dedicated to the upcoming third-person role-playing game (RPG). 

The event also saw the release of a new trailer as well as over ten minutes of in-game footage. In the preview, we're treated to glimpses of the Rebirth's game world as well as a more in-depth look at the combat and storytelling on offer in the RPG. 

The trailer showed scenes from the Temple of the Ancients - a climactic set piece from the 1997 original. We also saw more of Zack Fair, mentor to protagonist Cloud Strife, whose return to the story shakes up existing canon in interesting ways. 

You can see the whole State of Play below. However, for those wishing to avoid spoilers, we advise skipping to the five-minute mark, since the trailer does, in our opinion, contain some minor spoilers for the upcoming game.

The demo is downloadable from the PlayStation Store and includes a section where you can control Sephiroth as part of a flashback to the Nibelheim incident, a key moment from Cloud's past. According to the official PlayStation blog, Square Enix also intends to release an update later this month which will add an explorable part of the Junon region for players to enjoy ahead of the game's full release.

In our hands-on with a preview build of the game, we at TechRadar Gaming (TRG) were able to try out Rebirth for ourselves. Not only were we impressed by the character customization and minigames, but we were also blown away by the slick combat and highly impressive worldbuilding. Rebirth seemed full of things to do while never being overwhelming. 

Though we only had access to one explorable zone in our preview, it seems as though Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth could mark a bold step forward for the remake trilogy.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will release on February 29 for PlayStation 5.

Want more great narrative-heavy games? Our lists of the best story games and the best single-player games have what you're looking for.

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Cat Bussell
Cat Bussell
Freelance contributor

An editor and freelance journalist, Cat Bussell has been writing about video games for more than four years and, frankly, she’s developed a taste for it. As seen on TechRadar, Technopedia, The Gamer, Wargamer, and SUPERJUMP, Cat’s reviews, features, and guides are lovingly curated for your reading pleasure.

A Cambridge graduate, recovering bartender, and Cloud Strife enjoyer, Cat’s foremost mission is to bring you the best coverage she can, whether that’s through helpful guides, even-handed reviews, or thought-provoking features. She’s interviewed indie darlings, triple-A greats, and legendary voice actors, all to help you get closer to the action. When she’s not writing, Cat can be found sticking her neck into a fresh RPG or running yet another Dungeons & Dragons game.