Matthew Mercer, the prolific voice actor who played Vincent Valentine inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, recently discussed how he first found out who he would be voicing and how much it took him by surprise. While Vincent Valentine was an optional, missable party member in the originalFinal Fantasy 7, he played a major role in the backstory and larger expanded universe of the original game, quickly becoming a fan favorite that gamers couldn’t wait to see again inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Sure enough, it was confirmed that Vincent Valentine would return inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthin a pre-launch trailer back in September, and fans had already suspected that Matthew Mercer was the voice of the former Turk agent-turned-tragic Shinra experiment even before his casting was officially revealed. Mercer was already a well-known name thanks to his work as the DM for the popularCritical Roleweb series alongside a host of video game voice roles like Yusuke Kitagawa inPersona 5andGanondorf inZelda:Tears of the Kingdom. At the time, many players agreed that his deep tone was a great fit for the troubled-yet-stoic Vincent.
Several members of theFinal Fantasy 7 RebirthEnglish voice cast recently sat down to discuss their roles during Square Enix’s “InsideFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth” video series, including Matthew Mercer. As he tells it, Mercer was initially unaware that he was going to be playingFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Vincent Valentine, as he was originally called on to voice random NPCs. Footage of when he found out his actual role is included in the video, showing him laughing in shocked amazement as Vincent’s image appears on the screen.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Was A Dream Job for Matthew Mercer
In the same video, Matthew Mercer describes how he was a longtime fan ofFinal Fantasy 7, and that he had dreams of lending his talents to a potential remake ever since he first started voice acting. He also noted Vincent’s role in thelargerFinal Fantasy 7universe, serving as a prime example of Shinra’s ruthlessness in experimenting with forces beyond its control - and how these machinations are coming back to haunt the company in the present day.
BeforeFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Mercer had worked onpreviousFinal Fantasygameslike 2020’sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, usually voicing minor characters and NPCs. He initially believed he was doing similar work inRebirth, only to find out in the recording studio that he was instead bringing one of the franchise’s biggest characters to life for a new generation. These players can now hear Matthew Mercer as Vincent Valentine inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and it stands to reason he may reprise his role in the thirdFinal Fantasy 7 Remakegame.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
