When we last left the heroes ofFinal Fantasy VII Remake , they had defied their predetermined fates by killing the conception of circumstances — literally . It was a triumphant victory but a abruptly - lived one . As soon as their journey begins inFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth , it ’s clear that Cloud and company are face off against a much tougher foe that jeopardise to doom their futures . It ’s not Sephiroth ; it ’s themselves .
Despite having classic control of their lives , the heroes of Gaia still struggle to master their own anxiousness . Cloud conceive he ’s destined to become like his implike nemesis , and Barret is left panic over how his smothering demeanor will break his daughter ’s animation . The city of Midgar has fallen into corporate desperation , as its residents are confident that there ’s simply nothing anyone can do to save a croak humans . The satellite has fall victim to a nihilism epidemic where hope is as scarce a commodity as Mako .
That tale definesRebirth , the emotional second chapter of Square Enix ’s ambitiousFinal Fantasy VII remaketrilogy . Rather than continuing the total meta - deconstructionism of its predecessor , Rebirth is a more personal continuation about heroes who are terrified to become dependable sea captain of their own circumstances . For them , and perhaps player themselves , the inevitable feel inescapable — and that ’s forged news for a certain flower peddler , whose futurity depends on everyone else catch their enactment together .
In another bright ego - reflexive action RPG , Final Fantasy VII Rebirthuses gaming ’s most iconic bit of dramatic irony to fuel a deeply moving tale of self - doubt and personal rediscovery . It ’s a liberal , at times less focussed adventure , but one that leaves the variety of life - affirming imprint stick to to make it another instant classic .
The unwritten future
Final Fantasy VII Rebirthpicks up whereRemakeleft off . Having head for the hills Midgar and the grasp of fate itself , Cloud and his eclectic eco - terrorist pals set out on a world - spanning journey to hunt down the nefarious Sephiroth . The report sticks much nearer to the original 1997 release ’s script this time . The crew follows a familiar sequence of event , from marching in a military parade to racing Chocobo at the Gold Saucer , Gaia ’s grand amusement commons . For those who felt like remaking spit in their memory , Rebirth offer a more close chapter that ’s bound to be more of a nostalgic crowd - pleaser .
That ’s not to say that it does n’t mess withthe original RPG . It ’s very much still a ego - cognisant remake that ’s get by with its bequest and the weight unit of overprotective fan expectation ; it ’s just doing so more inside the lines this time . Sequences like Barret ’s cheek - off with Dyne , an erstwhile friend gone rogue , are given much more emotional depth here . It , and moments like it , are expanded to better tell a more emotionally redolent fib of heroes struggle to fight the brokenheartedness , nonstarter , and trauma of the past that threatens to define their future tense .
The slow - suntan tale pays off in tremendous fashion for those patient enough to see it through to the remnant .
What ’s especially telling is howRebirthis able to give up such fully realized character arcs for every company member . This meter , the core quartet is joined by Red XIII , Yuffie Kisaragi , and Cait Sith , who are all playable in the sequel . That sounds like a mosh infernal region on newspaper , but every single hero gets the meter they deserve . Each fictitious character has a significant moment to confront their past while make a kinship with one another . That ’s a will toRebirth ’s like an expert penned script , which turns the hodge - podge center of the original RPG into a ego - hold story that functions apart fromRemake .
Credit also goes to the voice mold , who turn in terrific performances across the board . Briana White get more room to instal Aerith as a pure beacon of hope that ’s imperative to protect . John Eric Bentley is marvellous as Barret , deftly proceed between moments of comedic relief and genuine heartache . Newcomer Paul Tinto specially steals the show as the feline prince Cait Sith , makingFinal Fantasy VII ’s strangest character feel as human as anyone else .
Those human touches are crucial becauseRebirth’sstory can initially feel harder to comprehend on to than the hyper - focusedRemake . It hops around several plot thread over the track of 70 hours and takes its sweet time tying them together . Zack Fair , theCrisis Core starwho miraculously elude his fated end at the oddment ofRemake , finds himself at the center of a gripping closed book that ’s primal to understanding the entire sequel on a thematic grade , but it have a long time to get there . That can feel exhausting in the moment , but the slow - burn narration pays off in tremendous style for those patient enough to see it through to the closing .
Rebirthdoesn’t dancing around the fact that most player and their mothers lie with the destiny of our hoagy in the original story . Instead of obnubilate that history , it builds an incredibly tense story around it , one that puts players in the same headspace as Cloud and his companions . The end feels inevitable from the start . Even if the future is technically unwritten , why hope that anything could ever change?Rebirth ’s ultimate power comes in how much it rallies players to overcome that pessimism and how it instruct them to keep tug forward no matter what the outcome is . It ’s a full of life work for our current epoch of clime anxiousness , a time where it ’s easy to give up the engagement and knuckle under to impending doom .
Finding synergy
Our heroes are n’t fight their personal demons alone . Among its wealth of loaded themes , Rebirthis also a tale about disparate friends forge a impregnable support system . Those bonds are crucial to weathering the aroused conflict of theFinal Fantasy VIIuniverse , so the sequel bakes that into its gameplay . While the coreaction RPG formulais largely unchanged from Remake , Square Enix make several small tweaks here that give the entire subsequence a majuscule signified of camaraderie .
calculate at its combat organization , for instance . Rebirthfeatures the same fantabulous action as its predecessor , cleverly paying protection to the original ’s twist - based combat with natural action - freeze bid that can be executed from a card in the middle of immobile , real - time fighting . It ’s still powered by a deep RPG system that has player creating stark Materia combinations for each friend . acquisition have been tweaked — they ’re no longer tied to weapons , but broad character folios that allow lasting buffs — but the gain ground formula continue .
What ’s changed , though , is how characters now interact with one another rather than fight down as lone Wolf in the same sphere . By hold down a bumper , each character can access a selection of power to do duo attacks with active ally . Those can entirely broaden each hero ’s playstyle . When I have Cloud active , I can have Barret spud a heater at his bronco buster sword and deflect it into my opposition . The more I work with my partners , the more efficient and various we are together .
With destiny dead , player have full control over their squad .
That ’s brought to an even greater conclusion with synergism abilities , which act as tandem limit breaks . When Barret and Cait Sith both have enough energy , they can team up and turn into a rotate merry - go - turn of destruction . Those withering bonus attack can badly work the tides of conflict , all while granting crucial support skills to friend . You do n’t just get the hang item-by-item characters in Rebirth ; you build company relationships that make everyone stronger .
Every small detail has some thematic meaning . liken the way of life party make-up is handle betweenRemakeandRebirth . In the former , players never got to take who was on their team . There was always a pre - take III in each encounter — a meet decision for a game where our heroes were fight back for their devoid will . With fate beat , actor have full control over their team ( except for a few central story missions that call for specific Hero ) . That makesRebirthfeel like a less restrictive escapade , offering players the exemption to ramp up their role through punctilious RPG customization .
The look and feel of Gaia
Freedom is n’t just core to combat ; the entire form ofRebirthcomes from that construct . WhereRemakeplaced player in linear halls that reminded them how short control they had over their claustrophobic fate , Rebirthsmartly opts for more of anopen - world plan of attack . The vast planet is split up into six clear-cut biomes , each of which is a freely explorable space fulfil with checklist - drive function activeness , sidequests , and minigames galore .
The almost consuming good sense of adventure creates a utter match for its now - dated forerunner , whose overworld ambitions finger little today than they did in 1997 . Regions like Junon are n’t just empty orbit loaded with vacuous quad ( a sinFinal Fantasy XVIis guilty of ) . They ’re luxuriously detailed , with bits of environmental storytelling thread in that give a better sense of how the evil Shinra Corporation ’s major planet - debilitate cognitive process are litter the natural world . It facilitate that Rebirth is a ocular feat that select full advantage ofthe sinewy PS5 . Every detail , from the dazzling neon luminosity of the Gold Saucer to the hilariously naturalistic dolphin of Junon , breathe unexampled life into the reality outside of Midgar .
The almostLike a Dragon - esqueapproach to open - world purpose has its pros and con game . A lot of effort went into crafting meaningful side - cognitive content that builds out the eclectic position of the pilot . Some of those activities will keep instrumentalist engrossed in entirely optional content . A wildly detailed piano - playing minigame has already won players over inRebirth’sdemo alone , but the real ace is Queen ’s ancestry . That ’s the RPG ’s Gwent equivalent , an in - globe pack of cards - building carte plot that nonplus its own massive side plot . It ’s absolutely antic , playing like a premix betweenMarvel SnapandSplatoon 3 ’s Tableturf Battles . More crucially , it allows Square Enix to paint a broader picture of living on Gaia . I learned so much about its various cities and their local eccentrics by chatting before a thrilling cycle of circuit card .
The tremendous solicitation of content also gives composer Mitsuto Suzuki and Masashi Hamauzu plenty of opportunities to create memorable compositions that slot in along old classics . The result is astonishing . Rebirth feature over 400 musical tracks and hardly a dud in the bunch . The soundtrack effortlessly swings between meat - sprain orchestral lay and joyously weird synth ditties that play whenever I have to see a bounder through the woods . I do n’t recall I ’m being overly effusive when I call it one of the all - meter best video game scores .
Open-world exhaustion
While there ’s a lot to get it on aboutRebirth ’s awe - inspiring scope , its weakest moments come from those open - world ambitions . It can be an exhausting journey at clip that refuses to chuck up the sponge while it ’s forward . When I got to my fourth clear country , the normal started to wear out thin . Every single biome features the same exact checklist of elementary activeness . I can activate tugboat , find some secret crystals , do a button - press memory minigame to gain summon information , fight through a list of simulate battles , and more . That rule does n’t change much from area to region , which turns geographic expedition into a insistent chore by the time you gain the lush jungles of Gongaga — and there ’s still so much more game after that point .
Its glut of content can sense vacuous at moment …
A fistful of charming but fallible minigames further combine that extend . Some are easy enough to pass over , like a clunky three-D brawling minigame in the Gold Saucer . Others , unfortunately , are bond to great side stories . Intergrade ’s fear reimagining of Fort Condor render here , and it ’s as frustrating as ever , butRebirthone - ups that with a genuinely terrible robot tower defense minigame . I had already feel exhausted by the time I reached it , as I ’d felt compelled to hold in off as many unfastened - world natural action as I could . That minigame was the straw that broke the camel ’s back , squash my will to see it all .
I ’m of two mind when it comes toRebirth ’s bloated structure . Its oversupply of mental object can feel vacuous at moment , drag out a riveting level with hour of insistent digression . But even then , there ’s a function in that social system . WhenThe Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wildcame out , I remember own several conversation where friends tell me they refused to shell it . They only were n’t quick to provide a world they loved so dearly , so they ’d dedicated as much time as they could to completing every shrine or observe every Korok come . As long as they never fight Calamity Ganon , they could stave in off the inevitable citation wrap forever .
I had that same feeling playingRebirth , but not because I did n’t desire to put down a game I jazz . I fear what awaited me in its final chapter . An ever - present apprehension hang overRebirth , even in its brightest moment . The possibility of a high-flown , traumatic failure looms like thick smoke from a Shinra reactor . I was driven to exchange that consequence , but what if I could n’t ? Would I be quick to live with that I can still be powerless in a worldly concern without fate ? Maybe I ’d never have to face that reality if I dedicate my life to Chocobo Racing or hone my Queen ’s line of descent deck of cards .
Final Fantasy VII Rebirthleads both its Heron and player on a quest for ego - acceptation . That ’s not something you could race . One can only face their worst fear when they ’re ready to live with that their life does not require to be define by a peculiar winner or failure . The future tense is spontaneous . After all , we still have a trilogy to finish .
Final Fantasy VII Rebirthwas tested on a PS5 hooked up to aTCL 6 - Series R635 .
