The Official "Where will Rebirth end?" Thread

[Eerie]

It doesn't make sense to move Gongaga to part 3 though. Because Gongaga is here to deepen the Zack mystery and to confirm his feelings for Aerith, which she needs to hear. So it makes no sense to have it in part 3 where Zack's mystery is solved and Aerith is dead (yes she will die again cold! xD). Even if Aerith doesn't die, she needs to hear that before the GS, it's part of her arc to finally let go of Zack.

Also Cosmo Canyon is really full of lore, and we need to meet Bugenhagen before he dies. We can skip Red XIII's quest I think.

 

[Kain424]

There's also the matter of how much the marketing has clued us in to what we may have in store. Namely, the whole "Zack Mystery" and whatever that entails. If that is indeed more of a focus this time around, I think we can expect to visit Gongaga as part of that thematic and narrative exploration.

 

[Eerie]

Bumping this because I was thinking about Kitase wanting 2 parts; if we take that information into account, and IF they do plan for big changes towards the end, I think Rebirth *could* end after the LS scene.

Narratively, the Northern Crater is the superior choice; but after the LS scene, the player is left with a lot of room to jiggle new narrative arcs, new locations etc. and I do admit that Kitase wanting to do Remake in 2 parts does bother me. In that sense, I guess Cloud wondering about Zack in the trailer would make sense if they go up until the LS scene, but the third game would feel weak with its major component taken out. Except if they really do plan massive changes for the third part and the ending.

 

[Golden Ear]

It's possible. But besides narrative reasons, I think another point to being a factor that can separate Rebirth and Part 3 would be getting access to the Highwind which would typical happen after Junon escape. I think they are going to create game design in which we actually can control the Highwind and that might be why they save it for its own game. I've heard a lot of people think it's probably going to be a design where you just choose where you want to go it it provides a cutscene of us going there, but I'm optimistic. It would be amazing to have your first chapter of Part 3 as Tifa and Barret breaking out of Junon Harbour, running to end of the Sister Ray, the heroic world theme version playing, arriving inside the airship and getting a tutorial from Cid on how to fly the thing around.

Of course they could completely change the order of things around a great deal and they could even somehow have the LS scene before that, but personally I don't think the changes will be that far out of order.

 

[billy22]

Initially I believed the game would end after the city of the ancients. But having replayed the OG recently, plus some developer comments (about how they initially considered ending it in one more game) I think I lean in the northern crater camp now.

Although as a caveat, I do not think the game will end with Barret and Tifa on the execution block. With Cloud missing and Aerith presumably deceased, that might be too depressing of an ending. So maybe after they escape on the airship. But that also seems like a lot of content to cram onto the second game, and not a lot for the final game...

 

[eleamaya]

IMO depressing ending is good for middle part of trilogy

Remake --> ending is remaking the story
Rebirth --> ending is Sephiroth's rebirth
Return??? --> ending is a return of the original fate/story

 

[Eerie]

Yeah to me Rebirth is definitely Sephiroth's rebirth - I immediately made the connection - so Northern Crater is where it makes the most sense. The last scene we could have is a zoom in on his real body, when they're made prisonners by Shinra, etc. It truly is the best option and the Empire Strikes Back narrative.

 

[cold_spirit]

I wanted to throw out another possible chapter breakdown and describe a structure that I'm calling a "runup".

In Rebirth's reveal trailer, the compass on the top of the screen states that the next objective is about 1060 meters away. This is a decent distance. We also get a glimpse of the field size. We don't know precisely what the destination is, it could be Nibelheim itself or some other point of interest along the way, but the scene gives the impression that the field of exploration will be wide and deep.



I think a lot of chapters will be structured this way. Rebirth will not be an open world game. The plot isn't made for it, there's too many locales to cover. Instead, I think the world will be portrayed through wide hallways leading up to each town. I call these "runups". They allow players to explore the region a bit before finally revealing the town itself, the cultural center.

With these runups in mind, here's how I'd structure Rebirth. The blue boxes represent linear chapters, like what we got in Remake. The orange circles represent chapters with runups. In chapter 3, the runup would begin at Kalm and end at the Chocobo Farm. In Chapter 5, the runup would begin in the wilderness and end at Under Junon, etc. Quick side note: Chapter 15 would include the Gold Saucer revisit.



And here's everything that would be pushed to Part 3:
Fort Condor
Gongaga
Wutai
Bone Village / Sleeping Forest

Most of these are optional to begin with. In Gongaga's case, it may be better to visit once we have a clearer picture of the Zack situation. Bone Village and the Sleeping Forest are cool, but let's be real, they aren't essential to the plot. If we gotta move something, best to move something that doesn't directly relate to any character's backstory.

 

[Mayo Master]

Well, that's pretty much how FFXII is structured. Each 'runup' can be fairly branched within itself but it ultimately connects 2-3 areas in general, 4 maximum. To be fair, you could even argue that the original game is structured this way, till the point you get the airship.

 

[Golden Ear]

I'm wondering how large some of the open area 'runups' will be (Kalm - Chocobo Farm, Mythril Mines - Under Junon etc...)

Will they feel like linear hallway design exclusively, or will we get moments of wide open vistas like how you might imagine the great plains around Kalm or the meadows around the Chocobo Farm. Will it 'feel' like a big open world where there are things to explore along the way, maybe even some kind of environmental interactivity to keep things interesting.

So far it look like FFXVI has some of that potential by the looks of it. Will Rebirth be/feel more or less open compared to it?

 

[Ite]

My thinking is that we’ll get a wide open space between Kalm and the Zolom (to wow us with the power of the PS5 open world) but anything after the Mythril Mines is impossible for me to predict. They’ve already stated that they’re gonna switch up the order of things and change the plot (but not the “crux of the story” how tricky).

 

[Ryushikaze]

Assuming we do not end the game on another liminal boss like the whispers and Sephiroth, I'm torn between ending it at the Northern Crater, or ending it with the escape from Junon. Granted, making said escape the start of the 3rd game would also be an excellent decision.

 

[Kain424]

It's such a great and obvious point to end/begin a game I actually doubt they'll do it. in fact, I think they'll do exactly like what you mentioned in there. Some other Whisper-like, and definitely different, sort of ending.

 

[cold_spirit]

I'll walk through my reasoning.

Considering Remake included 4 playable characters and a guest, with Yuffie being added later, I'm quite confident that Rebirth will have the bandwidth to promote Red XIII from guest status and implement the remaining 3 party members.

Additionally, at one point in development, Kitase suggested to Nomura that they explore the possibility of a two part series. On top of that is Nomura's comment that fans may be surprised at how much they managed to include in Rebirth. Taken together, I'm confident that Part 2 will at least reach the northern continent.

As for the locales and runups that I chose:

• Kalm / The Nibelheim Incident - Already confirmed from Intermission's ending and Rebirth's reveal trailer.
  
  
• Chocobo Farm - Intermission's ending included Chocobo Bill as an easter egg. While not a confirmation that the Chocobo Farm has made the cut, it at least shows they're thinking about it. And as Ite said, the open plains would be a great opportunity to show off the power of the PS5.
  
  
• Mythril Mine - Not essential, but Elena and Yuffie need to be introduced at some point, and a dungeon may be in order after the openness of the previous chapter.
  
  
• Junon / Cruise Liner / Costa del Sol - We already have confirmation from Traces of Two Pasts that the party sneaks onto a Cruise Liner while wearing Shinra infantry uniforms. Additionally, the ship has regular passengers. This pretty much sets up Junon and Costa del Sol as far as I'm concerned.
  
  
• Gold Saucer - As mentioned at the start, I think all the remaining party members will join the fight by the end of Rebirth. So, gotta stop at the Gold Saucer to pick up Cait Sith.
  
  
• North Corel / Cosmo Canyon - If these aren't implemented, then the plot will be effectively skipping over Barret and Red XIII's backstories. And without those, the two are essentially just along for the ride. While I can imagine Barret being okay with that, I don't think the same works for Red XIII. He wants to get home. While these locales could be skipped (I mean, anything could technically be skipped), I think it'd really hurt the overall plot. It's also important to get the lifestream lore dump from Bugenhagen at this point, halfway through the game and the project as a whole.
  
  
• Nibelheim / Mt Nibel - This is a freebie. The environmental assets will already be made for the Nibelheim Incident. Also, gotta pick up Vincent. Looking forward to seeing Lost Number especially.
  
  
• Rocket Town - Again, gotta pick up Cid, the last party member. I can also see the Tiny Bronco being used to give players the option to fast travel to previous towns.
  
  
• Gold Saucer revisit - This one may not seem like a vital event at first thought. However, it'll possibly be the last and only moment of respite before shit hits the fan. Also, if they skip Cait Sith's betrayal, he loses all purpose to the plot. This could be moved around, but hey, they'll already have the environmental assets made for the previous visit. Might as well use them.
  
  
• Temple of the Ancients - Gotta come here eventually. Afterall, Meteor is the logo for the game, and it ain't gonna appear out of nowhere.
  
  
• City of the Ancients - The big moment. Whatever happens here, it can't happen without the Temple of the Ancients first. I see these two as intrinsically linked.
  
  
• Icicle Inn - While not essential, it may be good to give the City of the Ancients some breathing room instead of jumping right into the Northern Crater. I can see them using Gast's laboratory to provide some context to the Knowlespole, Jenova, and the Weapons before the big finale.
  
  
• Northern Crater - Not much to say here. This is where I think the game will end. As said previously, the Weapon attack on Junon is just too perfect of an opener for Part 3 to pass up.

I'm keenly aware of the developer's warning that events and locations may be switched up. However, when I break it down, it's difficult to see it working any other way. If anything this exercise reveals just how tight the OG's scenario is. Everything is essential.

As for whether the plot will go completely off the rails, I'm of the opinion that Rebirth will function like Remake. Straight forward until the end, then major deviations (oh hello there Aerith!)

 

[Kain424]

I certainly lean that way myself, though I have to admit my own opinion there is bent that direction due to my personal bias toward the original narrative. When I look at the developer's statements by themselves, I see a willingness to change things to the extent it may throw us all off guard.
In the scenario I posited above, they would essentially have their cake and eat it, too. By having us "surprised" at how much they pack into Rebirth, they may very well mean most of the entirety of the original narrative. The ending would therefore constitute a wild change in direction, leaving the third game to have some elements from the original's narrative, but overall be considered wholly original.

I understand this is considerably speculative, but I am trying to take into account all the statements provided as well as trying to work in the myriad "theories" from fans floating around out there. Most of which are icebergs, sure, but they are large and noticeable.