One of the most iconic and nostalgic moments in the Final Fantasy universe is the burning of Nibelheim. From the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7 game to the prequel Crisis Core and more, it is a key part of the story that shapes the entire series. In particular, the scene in which Sephiroth vanishes into the flames still gives me goosebumps. I knew the day was coming with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, where we would finally get that scene remade, and in the quality our eyes deserved. I just hoped that it would be as memorable for new players as it is for old and create a new core memory for all.
Fortunately, I was incredibly happy to see the game start with that famous event and enhance it both visually and narratively in such a way that it left me in awe, ready for what was to come. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth proves from these opening moments that it is so much more than just a showcase demo, offering a refined and extremely enjoyable experience that is as stunning to watch as it is fun to play.
“If you never got the chance to play Remake, the start of Rebirth summarizes the events so far and eliminates much of the need to play it.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continues from the events of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and is the second part of a three-series remake of the original game series. For those who never played the original, returning to those 1997 blocky graphics can be an unbearable experience, no matter how good the story is. While Square Enix has noted some differences between the original series and the remake, it has designed it from the ground up so both old players like myself and new players who may know only bits and pieces of the story or none at all can still enjoy it.
While I very much enjoyed playing part one of the remake, it was just a teaser for all of the good parts of the story that were to come. If you never got the chance to play Remake, the start of Rebirth summarizes the events so far and eliminates much of the need to play it. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is where things start getting interesting in the story and the part I have been looking forward to for a long time.Â
“Surprisingly, I found Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s story both exciting and boring.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth follows on from the explosive events of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Cloud Strife and the gang continue to hunt down Sephiroth, who wants to take over the world. As fugitives, you must disappear from Shinra’s view and embark on a journey through stunning grasslands, harsh mountainous areas, and even a luxurious seaside resort. Your usual companions, Tifa, Barret, Aerith, and Red XIII, join you as you encounter monsters, surprises, and developments that connect both the new and old narratives.Â
Surprisingly, I found Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s story both exciting and boring. While the earlier chapters were engaging, much of the middle of the game felt like it existed to fill time. While I appreciate these middle chapters were likely designed to help develop the bonds between the cast of characters, I often found that the character development wasn’t quite as attention-grabbing as the original story. In fact, players new to the game may feel let down and less attached to the characters as a result.Â
Nevertheless, those middle chapters are still a great opportunity to meet new and old characters. Additionally, once you get past them, the story starts to ramp up. It becomes a dramatically more compelling and emotional experience, much like you’d expect from a Final Fantasy story. Having consumed absolutely everything Final Fantasy 7-related and thus being so familiar with the source material, I was disappointed by some of the altered elements of Rebirth’s story. While I appreciate it adds a fresh spin, it still felt too much as someone who loved the original. Nevertheless, I found myself deeply connected to the story as a whole, and believe it was told in a way that doesn’t require new players to play the original, nor will it leave most veterans disappointed.
“Whereas some Final Fantasy games have a more dark and industrial art style, Rebirth treats you to vibrance, color, and beauty.”
The world of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is one of the most stunning environments created in the Final Fantasy universe to date. From the moment you set out on your adventure and see the stunning grassy lands, blue crystal clear oceans, and beautiful cities, you will fall in love with the game. Whereas some Final Fantasy games have a more dark and industrial art style, Rebirth treats you to vibrance, color, and beauty. Whenever you see or interact with the planet’s lifestream, you will notice deep green and blue colors and stunning nature. Similarly, in desert areas where the planet’s life has been sucked away, you can sense the despair and witness the damage to the planet.
You will explore these massive open lands on foot or by riding the famous fluffy Chocobos, all while fighting deadly monsters, collecting items, and discovering new things about each area. There’s plenty to see and do that will keep you busy for long periods. Unfortunately, exploration isn’t always perfect, as running and maneuvering through each environment often felt clunky. For all of Cloud’s grace in combat, it was a little disappointing to see his animations while exploring to be so janky. For example, when you want to jump off of a small ledge, you’ll have to come to the edge and interact with it so he’ll climb down. It doesn’t help that whenever this happens, the camera awkwardly shuffles about, making it an annoying interaction every time.
“Fortunately, while exploring the open world can occasionally feel janky, it’s a hugely rewarding experience, thanks to the great side quests.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is more than just your typical JRPG, where you traditionally run around and fight monsters. For example, when exploring, you’ll encounter platforming sections where you must climb and grapple across various areas to discover new hidden items or get through a particular major part of the story. While I found these to be mostly frustrating, as there was often a delay, it diversifies exploration, making it a welcome addition to break apart the tedium of sprinting everywhere. I only wish there were more random encounters to help level up and gain experience. Finding battles in some open areas was very difficult, making grinding levels difficult and tedious.
Fortunately, while exploring the open world can occasionally feel janky, it’s a hugely rewarding experience, thanks to the great side quests. These are a huge improvement from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, owing largely to the new open area format that allows you to hunt down specific monsters and collect certain items. It’s a far more seamless and easier experience than running in and out of towns trying to complete specific tasks and just a great opportunity to soak in more of Rebirth’s phenomenal open world. It rarely felt like I was a messenger for various NPCs doing pointless side missions, as most activities contributed to the party’s equipment and skills or the story.Â
“Fortunately, scoring everything you do is an undeniably amazing soundtrack that is a triumphant masterpiece and my favorite part of the entire game.”
There is also an abundance of mini-games to help fill time. From Chocobo racing to a space invaders-style shooter, there were plenty of games to play to get special materia, equipment, and items. There’s also a new card game called Queen’s Blood, which, while not as fun or complex as Triple Triad, adds a lot of additional content to play and cards to collect. Queen’s Blood is a simple card game where you need to progress up the board and score points while ensuring you limit the opponent’s ability.
While I personally found most of these mini-games fun to play, some players may find it frustrating that they will need to complete a handful of them in order to progress through the story. It’s not often, but there are moments when beating these mini-games is a mandatory requirement. If you love them, then it’s not an issue, but it can feel cumbersome if you find them tedious.
Fortunately, scoring everything you do, from exploration, side questing, and collecting every Queens Blood card under the sun, is an undeniably amazing soundtrack that is a triumphant masterpiece and my favorite part of the entire game. I constantly have the original battle theme on repeat, so getting to hear the incredibly beautiful, complex, and clever arrangement from Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki using all of the elements of the original score and turning them into a modern masterpiece was truly great. Hearing the melodies reused in clever ways and the evolutions of the same track for different emotions showed the depth and effort that went into the music. My only complaint is that during battles, the music felt secondary to the combat sound effects, and, unfortunately, I couldn’t adjust the audio settings in a way to get a better balance.
“Boss fights are an absolute pressure cooker of intensity that require you to master every element of your fighting party’s abilities.”
When it comes to combat, unsurprisingly, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is truly exceptional, offering a mechanically dense and dynamic combat system that feels endlessly satisfying. It isn’t dissimilar from the model used in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which is a hybrid of the traditional, more turn-based attacks seen in the classic Final Fantasy games and the free-flowing action combat seen in the modern ones. For many weak enemies, you can generally get by with a bit of repeated hack and slash, but for tougher foes, there is a bit of thinking involved, such as considering weaknesses.
However, boss fights are an absolute pressure cooker of intensity that require you to master every element of your fighting party’s abilities. You must continuously fill the Active Time Battle (ATB) gauge for each character using a mix of active attacks and blocking so that you can use the various abilities available. Abilities will include buffs, bigger damage-hitting attacks, and the ability to cast traditional black and white materia spells from across the Final Fantasy series. A new element to the battling is the Synergies, where your relationships with characters allow them to combine attacks periodically to deal more damage. I loved the animations for these attacks, and they helped hype up the battles against some of the biggest and deadliest bosses.Â
“For players who perhaps struggle with this type of combat system, you may want to consider the Easy difficulty mode.”
While most combat encounters are challenging yet ultimately doable, I found some of the boss battles to be incredibly difficult. Often, I was on the back foot in a battle, scrambling to stay alive. With the rule that you can’t use potions or healing magic unless your ATB is charged, I found myself desperately attacking to charge my ATB just so I could heal my crumbling team. These boss battles can be long, too, and ten minutes of continuous scrambling to stay alive can feel very draining, particularly if you are holding on for life right at the end.Â
On the plus side, in my constant scramble, I was regularly able to activate my character’s Limit Breaks, powerful abilities that deal a lot of damage. These are both handy in a pinch and visually spectacular, as watching Cloud use his ascension Limit Break is a genuine delight. For players who perhaps struggle with this type of combat system, you may want to consider the Easy difficulty mode.
However, for those seeking a challenge, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is absolutely for you. If you’re in the middle, there is a new difficulty mode called Dynamic that will adjust the challenge based on your skill level, constantly tailoring the experience for you. However, when testing this setting, I found some boss battles difficult and others easy. I’m unsure if it was the Dynamic setting out of balance or a combination of how I was leveling and setting up my materia. Either way, the option is there for those who feel it suits them best.
“Unfortunately, I did encounter several bugs during battles, such as one in which a character would fall through the ground, rendering them completely unusable.”
Alleviating some of the difficulty in battles are summons, such as Titan, Shiva, and Phoenix, who will come to your aid during particularly challenging fights. Compared to some previous titles where you either mash your summons too much or never have the opportunity to use them, I found there to be a good balance in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Summons in this game can do some serious damage, making their appearance in the later stages of certain boss fights a lifesaver. Collecting summons is just as fun as watching them tear apart enemies, as you’ll need to fight them yourself first while helping returning character Chadley with his simulator. However, you will likely find it difficult to defeat the summon alone. Instead, you must explore the lands and find hidden artifacts of the summons that will help Chadley make it easier to defeat and ultimately give you a stronger summon.
Unfortunately, I did encounter several bugs during battles, such as one in which a character would fall through the ground, rendering them completely unusable. Fortunately, in my case, I managed to get through battles without that extra party member. However, I would be extremely disappointed if this bug occurred late in a boss battle. Additionally, when I was in one boss battle, the boss would glitch through the wall periodically, which spoiled the visuals of an otherwise epic battle.
“Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a game I highly recommend, whether you are new to the franchise or a veteran such as myself.”
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is an entertaining masterpiece of visual and audio bliss that takes you deep into one of the most famous gaming stories of all time. The updated visuals and improved combat afford it a never-before-thought-possible quality, creating an entertaining and thoroughly engaging experience filled with incredible cutscenes, interestingly revamped story sequences, epic boss battles, and creative side content.
Much like Remake did for the Midgar section of the original game, Rebirth takes a significant portion of 7’s original story and gives it the dynamic visual and mechanical lift it truly deserves. Besides some clunky gameplay and some boring story filler in the middle, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a game I highly recommend, whether you are new to the franchise or a veteran such as myself. It is fair to say that this has truly stoked my interest in the final entry into this epic saga, and I cannot wait to see how it all concludes.
Disclosure: Game Crater was provided the game for this review. Some links provided in this article are affiliate links. Game Crater will be paid a commission if you use these links to make a purchase.
