Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a brilliant RPG that works as both a follow-up to Remake and as an intriguing adaptation of Final Fantasy VII. The game’s enormous scope and riveting gameplay accompany the poignant story to form one of the best modern RPGs, no matter what level of Final Fantasy VII fan you are.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Developer: Square Enix
Price: $70
Platforms: PS5 (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a PS5 code for review
It’s wild that it’s been four years since Final Fantasy VII Remake was released. Since I played it as a kid, Final Fantasy VII has been my favorite game of all time. As such, the idea of seeing more of its countless iconic moments recreated in Rebirth was tantalizing – even if some of the new storylines from Remake had me feeling a bit cautious. Thankfully, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a top-notch game that pleases me as both a Final Fantasy VII fanboy and an RPG enthusiast, as it’s all-around one of the most impressive games I’ve played in a long while.
I found the direction that Rebirth goes in with its story to be a rather satisfying one, as it honors the core story while implementing additional story details that further build upon one of gaming’s most iconic narratives. There are lots of fun moments and surprises that will please fans of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, just as there were in Remake. The story, both in the parts that strictly adhere to the original plot and the parts that expand beyond it, is fascinating, charming, and emotional in equal measure, in part thanks to the largely excellent voice acting. A couple of the voices are still a bit off compared to the classic English ones, but the vast majority are excellent.
I deeply love how Rebirth portrays its main cast of characters. As a kid, I would rewatch parts of Advent Children over and over again to see and hear the main party interacting with each other the way I pictured them doing so when I was a kid playing the original game. Now, dozens of fun moments satisfy this exact thirst. As you roam around on foot or Chocobo, the characters will banter with one another about their thoughts or what they’re doing. It fills out the story and makes the party feel like a real team of friends while exemplifying their distinct personalities. On a related note, it’s a shame that Cid and Vincent aren’t around too much in this one. I get that the majority of their involvement is being saved for the third game, but as someone who really loves Cid, I wish more of these little moments happened with those two present.
“The different areas are all visually and audibly distinct, giving you the sense that you are on a diverse adventure across the whole world.“
One thing that I was truly impressed by with Rebirth was how it emulated the feeling of leaving Midgar for the first time in the original game. Despite video games and technology coming so far and open worlds being quite common by now, Rebirth manages to recreate the feeling of freedom and wonder that came from stepping outside of Midgar for the first time. There are multiple wide-reaching and expansive areas to explore, each with several objectives and sidequests to do at your leisure. The different areas are all visually and audibly distinct, giving you the sense that you are on a diverse adventure across the whole world.
Battles are as exciting as they were in Remake, combining thoughtful RPG tactics with fast-paced action combat to create a nigh perfect action RPG battle system. I saw an interview where key members of the development team mentioned that making Advent Children’s high-flying battles possible in a game was part of why they remade Final Fantasy VII, and they certainly nailed that thrilling style.
The game is never exceedingly difficult, but it keeps you on your toes by requiring you to take advantage of enemy weaknesses and the stagger bar. By hacking away at your foes and smartly exploiting their weaknesses (which can be gleaned through the very handy Assess skill), even the most challenging fights feel completely doable. Throughout Rebirth, there are parts where you are put in control of one or two specific party members, allowing you to get a feel for each one. Each character is distinct and a blast to try out, as they each thrive at different things while retaining their own unique characteristics.
At this point, it almost goes without saying that the Materia system is as meticulously crafted and rewarding to use as ever. By using all sorts of different Materia, you can customize how your party members act and give each character a customized role that you think fits them best. For example, I had Cloud stacked with all sorts of offensive magic while Yuffie was set up to debuff enemies and get some heavy damage in. Through usage, each Materia grows alongside you and becomes more powerful, allowing you to develop new strategies with a more robust roster of abilities. It’s the sort of depth within an equipment system that you can get lost in, and I loved every second I spent customizing and perfecting my loadouts.
“Throughout all of Rebirth, it felt as though I never ran out of things to do or unique activities to try out, keeping the entire experience incredibly fresh.“
Outside of combat, there’s a ridiculous amount of side activities to do. There are several side quests that both expand upon Rebirth’s world while also developing an individual party member, as well as a seemingly endless number of nooks and crannies to explore throughout each part of the world. Whether you’re climbing towers for Chadley or learning about the land through Mako deposits, each activity provides you with neat rewards to help you progress. In the spirit of the original game, there’s a wide range of minigames to mess around with, including a surprisingly accessible card game called Queen’s Blood that had me happily challenging every NPC I could. Throughout all of Rebirth, it felt as though I never ran out of things to do or unique activities to try out, keeping the entire experience incredibly fresh.
The details of Rebirth’s visuals have admittedly taken a bit of a hit, assumedly due to expanding upon the scope of the game to such a large degree. In Performance Mode, the lighting around characters’ faces can look a tad strange, but you’re so rarely standing still enough to notice that I wasn’t too bothered by it. For the most part, it’s still a gorgeous game, with the many different locations and distinct characters looking the way I pictured them as a lad.
Finally, there’s the music. Final Fantasy VII already had one of the greatest soundtracks of the medium, and like Remake, this new installment ups the ante with remixes that get you raring to battle, cry, or race Chocobos. I’ll be adding a lot of tracks to my own playlists from Rebirth, which is a feat given how many beautiful renditions and remixes of these songs have already been made in the 27 years since the original’s release.
The Final Word
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a remarkable sequel and one of the best RPGs of the generation. This new installment both respects and expands upon the original game’s story and legacy in a way that will please old-school fans while sowing some intriguing new narrative seeds for the final installment in this trilogy. I can’t wait to get my hands on whatever comes next – even if it takes another four years.
MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent
