Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will have swimming for first time

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will let Cloud and co swim for the first time.

Square Enix has shared some new footage of the forthcoming game, which shows Cloud, Aerith and Red XIII going for a dip.

And yes, the orange beast does have an adorable doggy paddle.

The post is all part of a look at the game's approach to open world design. Where the original game had a simplistic overworld with water as a barrier to exploration - until you get the submarine at least - and Remake took place entirely inside the city of Midgar, Rebirth will feature vast fields of grasslands and rivers to explore.

For fans of the PS1 game, Rebirth will provide an unprecedented level of detail. I for one can't wait to explore the world in full.

A big question remains though: how heavy is Cloud's Buster Sword? It certainly looks like a hulking piece of dense metal but it barely weighs him down at all in the water. Maybe it's just plastic after all?

Granted it's not exactly Blitzball, but it certainly adds to the realism of exploration.

As for other activities in the open world, a previous post from the official Final Fantasy 7 account showed off how to catch a chocobo, with Cloud hiding in foliage and sneaking up on an unsuspecting bird.

Elsewhere there will be plenty to fill players time, from playing piano, to indulging in new card game Queen's Blood, crafting items, and racing chocobo.

In all, then, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is set to offer players a fully realised open world brimming with stuff to do. At least swimming won't pose a problem.

Rumours also suggest the game could include a 17 minute CG recap of Remake as part of "preparations" to assist newcomers.