Vincent will accompany the party but remain under computer control
In the ongoing effort to reconstruct one of gaming's most beloved worlds, Square Enix has drawn a quiet but consequential line: not every beloved character will be placed in the player's hands. The confirmation that Vincent and Cid will serve as AI companions in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth — echoing Red XIII's role in Remake — reflects a deliberate philosophy about authorship, balance, and the tension between nostalgia and design. For a fanbase that has waited decades to inhabit this story anew, the question of who controls whom carries a weight that goes beyond mere mechanics.
- Fans hoping to finally command Vincent and Cid directly have been met with an official 'no' — both characters will be AI-controlled, just as Red XIII was in Remake.
- The disappointment is sharpened by how foundational these characters are to the original 1997 game, making their reduced role feel like a meaningful absence rather than a minor omission.
- Directors Hamaguchi and Nomura delivered the news across separate interviews, framing it as intentional design rather than a limitation — a distinction fans may not find comforting.
- Vincent has appeared for barely two seconds in promotional footage, and Cid hadn't even been confirmed for the game until now, leaving the community with more questions than answers about their narrative weight.
- Square Enix appears to be locking in a consistent mechanical philosophy across the entire remake trilogy, suggesting this companion structure is a feature, not a placeholder, heading into the final installment.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will not place Vincent or Cid under player control. Director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed in an interview with IGN that Vincent will function as an AI-controlled companion — present in the party, but not directable — mirroring exactly how Red XIII operated in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It is a deliberate structural choice, not an oversight.
Creative director Tetsuya Nomura extended the same confirmation to Cid in a separate interview with Dengeki Online, also revealing for the first time that Cid will appear in Rebirth at all. His inclusion had been unconfirmed until that moment, making the announcement a simultaneous reveal and disappointment for many fans.
Both characters are pillars of the original 1997 game, and their absence from the playable roster represents a real constraint on player agency. Vincent has surfaced in roughly two seconds of pre-release footage; Cid has not appeared in promotional material at all. The gap between their narrative importance and their mechanical role is not lost on the community.
The decision points toward a consistent design philosophy Square Enix intends to carry through the trilogy — one that prioritizes party balance and combat structure over full-cast playability. Whether any characters currently held at arm's length will become playable in the trilogy's final chapter remains an open question. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will not let players take direct control of Vincent or Cid, the game's director confirmed this week. Instead, both characters will function as AI-controlled companions within the party—a design choice that mirrors how Red XIII operated in the previous installment, Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
In an interview with IGN, director Naoki Hamaguchi addressed the question that had been circulating among fans since the game's announcement. Vincent, a character beloved by the original game's community, will accompany the party but remain under computer control rather than player direction. Hamaguchi framed it as a deliberate design decision: the character would be "more of an accompanying character to the party in terms of Rebirth," following the same structural approach that defined Red XIII's role in Remake.
The confirmation extends beyond Vincent. Creative director Tetsuya Nomura told Dengeki Online that Cid will receive identical treatment—present in the game as a companion, but not as a playable character. This marks the first official acknowledgment that Cid will appear in Rebirth at all, a detail that had remained unconfirmed until now.
The decision represents a notable constraint on player agency. Both Vincent and Cid are foundational characters in the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7, and their absence from the playable roster will likely disappoint players who had hoped the remake trilogy would eventually grant them direct control over the full cast. Vincent has appeared only briefly in pre-release footage—roughly two seconds of screen time—while Cid has not been shown in any promotional material released so far.
Square Enix's choice to maintain this companion-only structure across multiple games suggests a deliberate philosophy about party composition and mechanical consistency. By keeping certain characters under AI control, the developers preserve a specific balance in how players experience combat and exploration. Whether this approach will extend to other characters in the final installment of the trilogy remains to be seen.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024. The game is shaping up as one of the year's most significant JRPG releases, though fans will need to adjust their expectations about which characters they'll be able to command directly.
Notable Quotes
He will be more of an accompanying character to the party in terms of Rebirth. This will be similar to how Red XIII was in Remake.— Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Square Enix choose to keep Vincent and Cid as AI companions rather than let players control them? That seems like it would disappoint people.
It's a design constraint, but not necessarily a bad one. If you make every character playable, you have to balance combat around a much larger roster. By keeping some characters as companions, you control the mechanical complexity.
But Vincent is iconic. He's been a fan favorite since the original game. Doesn't that feel like a missed opportunity?
It does, on the surface. But consider what happened with Red XIII in Remake—players adapted to it. The character was still present, still part of the story. Vincent will be the same. He's not being cut; he's just not under your direct control.
Is there a pattern here? Are they doing this to all the secondary characters?
That's the real question. If Cid gets the same treatment, and Vincent does too, it suggests Square Enix has decided on a specific party structure for these games. We won't know until the third game ships whether this is permanent philosophy or just how they're handling this installment.
What does it say about how they're thinking about the remake trilogy overall?
That they're prioritizing narrative and mechanical consistency over player choice. They want you to experience the story a certain way, with a certain group of characters under your control. It's a trade-off—less freedom, but more intentional design.