Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has once again captured players' attention, but this time the topic of discussion is neither trailers nor interviews, but rather the game's rating. The Xbox store page for the title displayed an "Expected" rating from the ESRB, and the result was higher than fans anticipated: 17+ M (Mature).
This is quite surprising, given that the first two entries in the remake trilogy were both rated T (Teen). If this rating is accurate, Rebirth will be the first title in the remake trilogy, and only the second mainline entry in the entire history of the Final Fantasy series, to receive a "Mature" rating. According to the ESRB's rating criteria, M-rated games may contain "intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language."
The aspect sparking the most heated discussion among fans is the "sexual content." Players' attention has once again focused on the famous scene aboard the airship Highwind in the original game. Cloud and Tifa are alone in a room, exchanging meaningful words, before the screen fades to black. When the light returns, the two are lying side by side, with Cloud remarking that dawn is approaching. Fans have offered various interpretations of this scene in the original: some believe it was merely a heartfelt conversation, while others see it as a subtle implication that they finally consummated their relationship. With the M rating now in place, fans are beginning to expect the development team to make these implications more explicit.
There are precedents within the Final Fantasy series where character relationships go beyond mere romantic hints (with Final Fantasy XVI being the prime example). Although an M rating does not guarantee that Rebirth will feature explicit scenes, many fans are thinking along the lines of: "Square Enix now has the technical capabilities, so why not make good use of them?"