Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Has An Almost Shot-For-Shot Recreation Of An Infamous Flashback

One of the big draws of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is how the sequel is preparing to explore brand-new territory now that the original’s Midgar portion has been completed. That doesn’t mean that the established lore of the game is being abandoned, as one of the most pivotal moments from the 1997 RPG has been faithfully recreated and is available to experience in the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo.

For anyone familiar with the game, you’ll know just how important Nibelheim is to the story of Final Fantasy 7. The destruction of this town set several events into motion, but it’s perhaps best known for being the incident where Sephiroth has his heel turn, murdering the townsfolk and turning his back on the player in an iconic and fiery scene.

YouTuber FinalFanTV noticed the similarities between this scene and the original PS1 version and juxtaposed them against each other in a video. It’s an almost shot-for-shot recreation overall, capturing some of the large and small moments from this flashback. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth expands on this chapter in greater detail, but it’s fascinating to see the Nibelheim incident given a faithful remake, similar to how the first game in this trilogy remade the iconic Avalanche assault on Shinra from the Midgar train station.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth arrives on February 29 for PS5, and ahead of its release this month, Square Enix has been sharing more details on the game. You can check out GameSpot’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview for a closer look at how this sequel expands on the first game with more activities, enhanced gameplay, and a Folio system that grants party members new battle abilities. One thing that Square Enix isn’t talking about? The game’s ending at the City of the Ancients and the fate of one character in particular.