Summary
This article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthhas just been rated by the ESRB, and there are hints that it will contain one of Aerith’s most shocking and well-remembered moments. The originalFinal Fantasy 7is considered by many to be one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, and fans had hoped and dreamed for a modern-day update for years before Square Enix finally releasedFinal Fantasy 7 Remakein 2020. Far from being a simple retelling ofthe classic 1997 PlayStation hit,Remakeexpanded on the tale of Cloud Strife and his friends so much that the first installment was merely the first chapter of a planned trilogy.
The second installment of this trilogy will arrive next year in the form ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which will pick up whereRemakeleft off with Cloud and his crew leaving Midgar in search of answers to the mystery of the Ancients and Sephiroth. Previous trailers have revealed thatclassicFinal Fantasy 7characters like Vincent Valentineand Cait Sith will make their debuts inRebirth, and Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed that the game will end in the Forgotten Capital - where one of the originalFinal Fantasy 7’s defining moments took place.
History might repeat itself inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, as some new information suggests that the game could end withAerith’s death. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has just put out its rating forFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, as reported byMP1st. The game has been given a “T for Teen” rating, with the description text citing “Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, and Violence" as the reasons. More specific acts describe certain characters having “deep cleavage” and references to said characters' bodies, characters being depicted as drunk, characters fighting monsters and soldiers with swords, staffs, guns, and magic spells, and “pools of blood.”
While most of this is to be expected in a game likeFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, one particular line could give diehard fans pause. The ESRB’s description also mentions characters being “slashed and impaled with swords,” which could be a reference to Aerith’s infamous death at the hands of Sephiroth midway through the originalFinal Fantasy 7. This moment has gone down as one of the saddest and most shocking events in gaming history, and Aerith’s fate was a key moment in not only the original game but the rest of theCompilation of Final Fantasy 7expanded universe.
AlthoughFinal Fantasy 7 Remakehas already featuredplenty of departures from the originalFinal Fantasy 7, Aerith’s death was heavily foreshadowed throughout the new trilogy’s first installment - with the implication that Aerith herself is fully aware of her eventual fate. The ESRB’s new rating forFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthdoesn’t outright confirm that Sephiroth is going to kill Aerith in the new timeline, but fans should probably prepare themselves to experience one ofFinal Fantasy 7’s most shocking moments once again on February 29.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
