Friends, the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth hype prepare has left Midgar station and is barreling towards us at a fever pitch within the run-up to the RPG’s PlayStation 5 launch date of February 29, 2024. Y’all see that new trailer? If you haven’t, you’ve in all probability not less than heard followers squealing concerning the first have a look at Vincent Valentine, Zack not being lifeless like he’s alleged to be, and a number of different cool moments. All that’s properly and good, however there’s one second within the trailer we aren’t speaking about sufficient. And we must be, as a result of the perfect character in all of Final Fantasy VII is coming again in Rebirth: Andrea Rhodea, the king of the Honeybee Inn.
Andrea is among the greatest additions in Final Fantasy VII Remake’s new spin on an outdated story. He’s the proprietor and lead dancer of the Honeybee Inn, which was a brothel within the unique 1997 Final Fantasy VII. In Remake the Honeybee Inn is a lavish nightclub, full with extravagant dance routines, beautiful costumes primarily based on the titular bug, and a hunky pansexual king operating the place.
The modifications labored on just a few fronts. It made the Honeybee Inn a extra memorable touchstone of Cloud and Aerith’s time within the Wall Market relatively than a bizarre, uncomfortable detour tinged with homosexual panic. Now it’s a celebratory second concerning the freedom of expression and breaking down gender norms. The up to date scene let Cloud gown in drag with out disgrace and felt like an actual queer area in a recreation that was in any other case keen to imagine Cloud was concerned with a girl so long as they had been in one another’s proximity. Sure, Cloud and Aerith are simply passing by means of, however it was a significant second for Final Fantasy VII’s bigger world to point out that queer individuals and locations exist.
Pre-order Fantasy VII Rebirth: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Even as an individual who doesn’t love Final Fantasy VII Remake for lots of causes we received’t get into—don’t get me began on my lack of religion in Square to drag off an Evangelion-style meta-commentary after practically each prolonged universe it’s accomplished in Final Fantasy has undermined the supply materials ultimately—the Honeybee Inn scene stays an all-time nice second for me within the collection. It’s joyful to observe unfold, and Andrea is among the most fascinating characters for as little screentime as he will get.
Given that he’s a facet character and fairly tied to a particular location the occasion is departing on the finish of Final Fantasy VII Remake, I didn’t assume we’d see Andrea once more in Rebirth, or the third recreation that may wrap up this revamped story. But it appears to be like like we’re heading to the Gold Saucer in Rebirth, and Andrea is about to bop his ass off as soon as once more.
And have a look at this king fucking go. He was a charismatic dancer in Remake, even when saddled with a beginner dance associate like Cloud. Whenever I heard a catchy pop tune again in 2020 (say, something from Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica”) photographs of Andrea and Cloud dancing instantly entered my thoughts, like an outdated screensaver or music video. So I’m certain the brand new choreography he and his crew are engaged on in Rebirth will stamp itself onto any pop album I hearken to in 2024.
I actually liked Dion and his homosexual relationship in Final Fantasy XVI, however due to just a few disappointing choices Square Enix made with the character, I nonetheless left that recreation a bit saddened by its obvious hesitance to showcase his love story with the identical confidence because it did his straight counterparts’. Fresh off Remake’s Andrea, an extremely proud queer man within the Final Fantasy universe, Dion’s remedy felt like two steps ahead and one step again. I don’t count on Andrea will play an enormous position in Rebirth, however I’m very glad to see he’s again, killing it on the stage, and looking out effective as hell in white.
Pre-order Fantasy VII Rebirth: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
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