Yes, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth includes a New Game Plus mode.
Wondering if you can jump back into the world of Final Fantasy VII with all your progress? The question, “does ff7 have new game plus,” often comes up after finishing such an epic adventure. Fans want to experience the story again with their upgraded gear and abilities.
Good news for those eager for another playthrough. The developers did include a way to restart with some advantages. This makes it much easier to tackle the challenges.
Does FF7 Have New Game Plus?
Okay, let’s get right to it! You’ve finished Final Fantasy VII, maybe even a few times, and now you’re wondering if you can jump back in with all your powerful stuff intact. The question on everyone’s mind is: does FF7 offer a New Game Plus mode? The answer is a little more complex than a simple yes or no, and it depends on which version of Final Fantasy VII you are playing. We will examine the classic version and the Remake series to give you the most helpful explanation. Let’s explore all the details!
The Classic Final Fantasy VII (1997) and New Game Plus
The original Final Fantasy VII, the one that stole our hearts back in 1997, doesn’t have a traditional New Game Plus mode that many modern games feature. This means there isn’t a built-in option to start a fresh game with all of your character levels, Materia, items, or Gil from a previous playthrough. When you begin a new game in the classic version, you will start from the very beginning, with Cloud at level 1 and an empty inventory, like the very first time you played. This doesn’t mean that playing the classic version over again won’t have value for returning players. The game still provides plenty of reasons to replay the game.
Replaying the Classic: Why Bother?
Even without a New Game Plus, there’s still plenty of charm and challenge in revisiting the original Final Fantasy VII. Here’s why you might want to play again:
- Materia Experimentation: Trying out new Materia combinations in your new game is a perfect way to experience the classic combat system. With new tactics and strategies, you can improve each time you play.
- Side Quests and Hidden Secrets: Perhaps you missed something the first time around? The game is full of hidden side quests and optional bosses that you might have skipped, so replaying the game is great for exploring.
- Perfecting Your Playthrough: Trying to achieve the best results is always fun. Maybe you want to challenge yourself to get the highest scores on mini-games or beat all the optional bosses.
- Reliving the Story: The story of Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and the rest of the cast is something that holds up to repeated playthroughs. Playing the game again allows you to experience this great adventure again.
Final Fantasy VII Remake and New Game Plus
Now, let’s move to the more recent Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. These games have a system similar to New Game Plus, but they use a slightly different approach. The Remake and Rebirth games offer a way to carry over character progress, but it’s done through “Chapter Select” feature which allows you to replay specific chapters with different settings. It’s not an entire, true new game plus as we see in other games, but it allows you to maintain the power you have acquired, and it is designed to increase the game’s difficulty when you replay any particular chapter.
Understanding Chapter Select
After you finish the main story of Final Fantasy VII Remake, you will access a feature called “Chapter Select”. This allows you to jump to any previously completed chapter, whether it is from the very beginning or one of the final ones. When you choose a chapter, you can choose from different difficulties, and your character’s levels, skills, and items carry over from your previous playthrough, but your story progress is limited to the chapter you select. Also, the choices that you have made in your past play-through will not be saved into the Chapter Select. This means that each chapter will play exactly the same as the original play-through. Each chapter has a different difficulty to choose from. Choosing a more difficult option will give you more rewards and challenges. While this is not a traditional start-from-the-beginning New Game Plus, it gives you the ability to play through the entire game again at your preferred level of difficulty.
Key Features of Chapter Select in FF7 Remake and Rebirth:
- Carry Over: Your character levels, weapons, accessories, and Materia are maintained. You start the selected chapter with what you had when you finished the story.
- Difficulty Adjustment: Each chapter can be played at various difficulty levels, including Hard mode.
- No Full Story Reset: Your story progress does not reset. You’re essentially replaying specific sections of the game.
- Focus on Combat and Challenges: Chapter Select provides the perfect opportunity to play with different loadouts and strategies on higher difficulty modes.
Hard Mode in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth
The Hard mode is the most common reason for players to replay the game with their previous builds. This mode in Remake and Rebirth has significant challenges. Enemies are much stronger and much smarter, making even basic fights difficult. You can’t use items, which means you have to rely on your Materia and equipment setup. This mode is the most complete, difficult, and rewarding game mode. Hard mode can really test your skills and tactics. It’s a great way to experience the game with its difficulty turned up, using all of your resources.
Hard Mode Characteristics
- Increased Enemy Strength: Opponents have significantly higher health, attack, and defense.
- Item Restrictions: You can’t use items in battle, so you have to rely on your magic and abilities.
- Strategic Combat: You must use all your skills and knowledge of the game to succeed.
- Increased Rewards: You earn better items and rewards for completing the game on Hard mode.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Its New Game Plus Aspects
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth continues the tradition set by the Remake by offering similar New Game Plus features. It builds upon the Chapter Select, allowing players to replay any chapter with their existing equipment and skills. This encourages players to experiment with different loadouts and strategies. Just like the Remake, Rebirth lets you keep your levels, weapons, and items, but your story progress is not reset. However, you can start from any chapter you’ve previously finished, allowing you to re-experience your favorite parts of the game. The game also has multiple difficult options you can choose to play through. It’s designed to offer a higher level of challenge for your previously earned character build.
Exploration and Side Content
Even without a proper New Game Plus, both Rebirth and Remake allow you to explore the world in great detail. You can go back and complete any side quests you might have missed the first time. This is a good reason for players to replay the game in the end-game, since you will want to see and experience all of the extra content offered by the games.
Side content in FF7 Rebirth and Remake:
- World Exploration: You can visit any areas you have already been to and explore in detail with your powered up characters.
- Side Quests: You will have an opportunity to complete all the side quests you missed the first time.
- Hidden Challenges: Many hidden bosses and challenges only appear when you reach a high level.
- Minigames: You can go back and finish all the minigames, maybe with a better score.
Why the “Chapter Select” Approach?
You might be wondering why the developers went with this chapter select system instead of a true start-from-scratch new game plus. There are some good reasons for this decision. This system allows players to go back to their favorite chapters while also having the option of playing a more difficult mode. The developers want to encourage people to see all aspects of each level. Here are the most notable reasons:
- Focus on Level Design: The developers put in so much work in the layout and design of every chapter that they want you to see it all.
- Replay Value for Specific Sections: If you like the boss fight in chapter 15, you can go right back to it with this system.
- Difficulty Modification: Hard mode is meant to be experienced with the most powerful builds, so chapter select is the perfect way to reach that level before attempting it.
- Story Preservation: This prevents players from having to make multiple choices at the same point in the game, by keeping story progression tied to the original play-through.
Strategies for Chapter Select
If you decide to replay chapters, here are some strategies you might want to consider. These strategies are designed for the Chapter Select function:
- Plan Your Materia Loadout: Try out different Materia setups and find out which combinations work best for your style of play. Experiment with Materia combinations for different situations.
- Maximize Equipment: Get the most out of all the character and weapon upgrades. Max out the stats for weapons and find the most powerful pieces of equipment.
- Study Enemy Patterns: Learn your enemy’s weak points and their attack patterns. Understanding enemy behavior will make the game easier at higher difficulties.
- Use Multiple Characters: Play with different party combinations to see which work best for you. Many characters excel in certain situations, so knowing which to use and how will be very important.
While it might not be a traditional New Game Plus, the “Chapter Select” feature and Hard mode in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth give players a way to re-experience the game with more challenges. You’re able to bring your powerful characters and equipment from your first playthrough into a higher difficulty game and have new challenges to overcome.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Tips – Everything You Can Do After You Finished The Game (FF7 Remake Tips)
Final Thoughts
Yes, Final Fantasy VII Remake does not have a traditional New Game Plus. Players cannot carry over their stats or equipment. Instead, the game allows chapter select with a few additions. You can repeat specific sections on higher difficulties to acquire missed items or complete challenges.
The game features multiple difficulty settings and various challenges. These keep the experience engaging, even after you complete the initial playthrough. Does ff7 have new game plus? The answer is technically no, but it provides replayability through different avenues.



