FF7 Rebirth to Redemption: Knight of the Cetra DLC ft. Zack Fair Proposal
Amidst the recent news of Square Enix taking significant financial hits this past fiscal year, losing around $147 million, new plans for how the company will do business moving forward include unfortunate layoffs, a new CEO at the helm, and implementing a new mid-term strategy plan that includes ending console exclusivity and focusing on their flagship titles. This strategy aims to see the company rise again to profitability befitting of the talent that works there.
One such title, Final Fantasy Rebirth, the sequel in the FF7 Remake Trilogy, has garnered widespread acclaim from both players and critics.
Its open world gives players 8 unique locales that are beautiful and fun to explore, a rich story that keeps you wondering what’s next, and a juiced-up combat system that offers players a ton of creativity and options that feel satisfying and responsive controls that feel great in high-stakes battles.
Endearing characters, each with their own arcs and interesting chemistry with each other as their journey progresses and enough optional engaging side quests that gives you tons of hours of enjoyable gameplay and replayability.
Rebirth takes everything people enjoyed about Remake Part 1 and levelled it up and then added more! This game has it all!
So much value for the money, and thankfully all of it is done at a high level with love, care, and respect for both the original game from 1997 and for the fans that grew up loving the game. Because of this, it has actually become one of my favorite games of all time.
However, while Square Enix works its way through its new growing pains, concerns arise regarding the potential impact on the development timeline of the final installment in the Remake Trilogy. Originally slated for release within three years per its producer Yoshinori Kitase, does this news now suggest a possible delay to four years or longer?
To address this possible gap and keep fans engaged, I propose the addition of a new DLC story mission featuring Zack. Zack was included as a playable character in Rebirth but only at the very end of the main story in an epic boss battle fight where players were not given any opportunity to practice as Zack to feel competent with using him to really make that fight extremely satisfying as well as heighten that epic moment.
After beating Rebirth and completing some post-game combat simulator challenges, you unlock Zack and Sephiroth as playable characters to use in the combat simulator and practice against a challenging gauntlet of monsters. In that challenge of 10 rounds of monsters, Zack teams up with Cloud where you discover just how badass Zack is to use as a playable character in battle.
These post-game simulator battles with Zack and Sephiroth could be easily missed by players who were only interested in completing the main storyline of the game and not interested in all the hard challenges to unlock Zack and Sephiroth.
Zack has a very unique fighting style with different button execution than all the other characters in Rebirth that definitely needs some lab time in a proper tutorial mode to get accustomed to that this proposed DLC will provide players right off the bat.
Zack shown above focus charging his buster to unlock stronger versions of his moves from a steroided version of Cloud’s Braver slash to literally summoning small chunks of Meteors to hurl at his foe.
Much like the Intergrade DLC, this addition would provide some interesting reveals that address some of the many questions where the story leaves off at the end of Rebirth; and by the time Remake Part 3 releases, players will already know how to battle as Zack and have gotten to know him better as a character (personality and motivations).
DLC missions will provide clues about his purpose. Hints of what Aerith has in store for him? Where he is in the story at the end of Rebirth? Clearly the devs have an important role for him to play storywise in the finale, and by the end of the DLC it leads directly into the beginning of Remake Part 3 hitting the ground running.
Obviously, there are a ton of possibilities the devs could go and gives them opportunities to tie up a few of the many questions about the story that they won’t need to address when the finale does finally come out.
You could round out the DLC by including a few more Chadley Combat Trials with Zack and give a taste of combat updates/additions that will be in Part 3 like new synergies between characters that people can look forward to for example.
Financially, the DLC offers mutual benefits for both Square Enix and players. Priced at something comparable to the Intergrade DLC, it provides additional revenue streams for the company while offering fans an opportunity to keep the story fresher in their mind by having less time till Part 3’s release and help maintain the excitement and anticipation during the possible extended development period. Even if the game doesn’t get delayed, this may still be the way to go just to help make the last installment just a little less massive to take in all at once both for development and consuming as a player.
A great opportunity timing-wise to announce the DLC would be at a short online presentation at the 1-year Anniversary of the release of Rebirth. Revealing the DLC title called ” Knight of the Cetra” Story DLC as well as the release date. Also announcing a Deluxe Edition of FF7 Rebirth that includes the Story DLC titled, FF7 Rebirth: Path to Redemption Pack. The presentation would end in the reveal of the title of the final game as hinted in the name of the deluxe edition (Remake Part 3 Potential Title “Redemption”).
Conclude with letting fans know what event to next look forward to for the next update on Remake Part 3, for example, a new trailer or updated release window at the next Game Awards. All those who buy the Zack DLC will receive 1st Access to any Demo’s of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Pt.3 “Redemption” when announced and any save data from Zack DLC will unlock some Bonuses in Redemption.
I want to cap off this article by thanking Square for making such a beautiful game that expands on the original in every way; adding depth, with immersive worlds, beautiful music, and lovable, interesting characters that have great chemistry. All while keeping the fans in mind.
In the reality of today, that is rare and well appreciated. It has given me and i’m sure many others hours and hours of fun and enjoyment that I will always remember and look fondly to and I look forward for what’s to come for FF7 and its characters. It has inspired me and I’m sure a whole new generation of fans and storytellers.
Link to getting this frame in the caption.
https://frameagame.com/
