Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's key art quietly connects all the remake chapters

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth fans are picking up on a few intricate details in the new key art for the remake sequel.

Yesterday on September 14, Square Enix showered us with a deluge of new Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth-related info, including a release date, trailer, Collector's Edition with 19 inches of Sephiroth, and hints at where the sequel will end. There was also a key art reveal for the sequel, and as the fan just below points out, it quietly connects Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 - Reunion together.

The remake's box art in 2020 featured that iconic shot of Cloud staring up at the imposing Mako Reactor above him, complete with a green sky overhead to signify the energy. Last year, Crisis Core Reunion had Zack, Sephiroth, and Cloud underneath a light blue sky. It's these skies that we can see encroaching on either side of the Rebirth key art.

But perhaps what's most crucial is the fact that they're both leading into the fiery red sky above Sephiroth in the background. The fans in the tweets above clearly think this is a direct nod to the events of Nibelheim, the hometown of both Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart. 

The backstory featuring Nibelheim didn't appear in full in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but we did play through it from Zack's perspective in Crisis Core Reunion. So if you've played the 2022 remaster or the original game, you know all about the apocalyptic events that are about to unfold in the town, and it looks like that'll be going down in Rebirth.

One fan in the responses to the tweet above even theorizes that the bright light near the bottom of the key art could be signifying Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, the movie sequel to the original game. We're not entirely sold on this angle, truth be told, and it would certainly make incorporating it into Rebirth a bit of a messy job. Then again, never underestimate Tetsuya Nomura.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches next year on February 29, 2024. We already know Vincent Valentine is back for the sequel, which appears to be confirmation that we'll definitely be heading to Nibelheim to awake our friendly vampire. 

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a PS5 exclusive until May 2024 - although this doesn't mean we'll get a PC version right away.