Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Launches in the PH with game director Hamaguchi Naoki

Square Enix‘s latest offering Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has officially been released and Bandai Namco prepared a special celebration for the title’s Pinoy fanbase last weekend.

The event was held at The Block in SM North EDSA and was attended by fans who wanted to meet and greet the game’s director Naoki Hamaguchi who took over duties from Tetsuya Nomura who now serves as the game’s creative director.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the sequel to 2020’s Final Fantasy Remake and is the second part in the Final Fantasy VII next gen updated trilogy. The game follows the adventures of Cloud Strife as he and his party continue on their quest to stop the Sephiroth from destroying the planet.

Fans patiently lined up as I was told as early as 10:00am to get a number and have their merch or their games signed by the esteemed director. You can definitely see their excitement to actually get on stage, shake Hamaguchi-san’s hand and pose for a photo. And they really were all smiling from ear to ear with the experience.

 

While I have to honestly say that the place was a little cramped, I did enjoy the experience whether its the cosplayers in attendance or the standees that you can freely take photos with, it elevated the hype that release day!

Some of the mini attractions were also fun and worth checking out that’s based on the new game particularly the Gold Saucer segment from both the original game as well as this 2024 version.

And it wouldn’t be a launch without a few areas where you can test out the game, which gave me a massive case of FOMO if I’m being honest.

As I mentioned earlier, cosplayers were also invited as well as some members of the public which made the whole experience fun. Our friends Zakt, Roxanne Kho, Elij and Ghia were also present cosplaying as Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart and Turks members.

 

And yes, there was a tinge of pride when the four of them were called on the stage to meet with Hamaguchi Naoki and pose for photos!

And of course, my colleagues and gaming journalists were also present for the event.

Another highlight (and a treat I guess) for fans is the presence of Ashley Gosiengfiao and Alodia Gosiengfiao.

 

Alodia not only got her merch signed but also presented her own gift to the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director

 

And judging from the director’s looks as “Boss A” gave her gift he was just as surprised which was quite nice.

And yes, I did get my poster signed. Again, this event reminded me to upgrade to a Playstation 5 already!