Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s ‘Creepy’ Moogles Are Giving Players the Ick

A series constant, Final Fantasy’s Moogle is a familiar sight to many, and along with the Chocobo, serves as a mascot of sorts for the franchise. But the busted-looking Moogle we got in the recently released Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been rejected by a particular segment of the community, who are convinced the gritty redesign looks more like Matthew McConaughey playing a drug mule named Miguel than a fantastical portmanteau of mole and bat.

Corraled by Eurogamer, a vocal minority is calling for a return to the cuddly, classic Moogle of yesteryear, rejecting the cracked-out koala bear Square Enix ultimately decided to go with. In fact, the Japanese combination developer-publisher weighed in on the discourse as it reached a fever pitch, proclaiming: “We love all of our Moogles and will not stand for this, kupo!”

How do you feel about Square Enix’s decision to depict Moogles like this in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth? Do you like this new look, or would you rather something a little less haunting? Let us know in the comments section below.