Associates, the Last 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 happen to haven’t, you’ve most likely not less than heard followers squealing concerning the first take 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’re not speaking about sufficient. And we needs to be, as a result of the most effective character in all of Last Fantasy VII is coming again in Rebirth: Andrea Rhodea, the king of the Honeybee Inn.
Andrea is likely one of the greatest additions in Last Fantasy VII Remake’s new spin on an previous story. He’s the proprietor and lead dancer of the Honeybee Inn, which was a brothel within the authentic 1997 Last Fantasy VII. In Remake the Honeybee Inn is a lavish nightclub, full with extravagant dance routines, gorgeous costumes based mostly on the titular bug, and a hunky pansexual king working the place.
The adjustments labored on a number of fronts. It made the Honeybee Inn a extra memorable touchstone of Cloud and Aerith’s time within the Wall Market moderately 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 costume 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. Positive, Cloud and Aerith are simply passing by means of, but it surely was a significant second for Last Fantasy VII’s bigger world to indicate that queer individuals and locations exist.
Pre-order Fantasy VII Rebirth: Amazon | Greatest Purchase | GameStop
Whilst an individual who doesn’t love Last Fantasy VII Remake for lots of causes we received’t get into—don’t get me began on my lack of religion in Sq. to tug off an Evangelion-style meta-commentary after almost each prolonged universe it’s carried out in Last Fantasy has undermined the supply materials not directly—the Honeybee Inn scene stays an all-time nice second for me within the collection. It’s joyful to look at unfold, and Andrea is likely one of the most charming characters for as little screentime as he will get.
Provided that he’s a facet character and fairly tied to a selected location the get together is departing on the finish of Last Fantasy VII Remake, I didn’t assume we’d see Andrea once more in Rebirth, or the third recreation that can wrap up this revamped story. However it seems to be 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 take a look at this king fucking go. He was a charismatic dancer in Remake, even when saddled with a beginner dance companion like Cloud. Each time I heard a catchy pop tune again in 2020 (say, something from Girl Gaga’s “Chromatica”) photos of Andrea and Cloud dancing instantly entered my thoughts, like an previous screensaver or music video. So I’m positive 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 cherished Dion and his homosexual relationship in Last Fantasy XVI, however due to a number of disappointing choices Sq. 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’. Recent off Remake’s Andrea, an extremely proud queer man within the Last Fantasy universe, Dion’s therapy felt like two steps ahead and one step again. I don’t anticipate Andrea will play an enormous function in Rebirth, however I’m very glad to see he’s again, killing it on the stage, and searching high quality as hell in white.
Pre-order Fantasy VII Rebirth: Amazon | Greatest Purchase | GameStop
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