Platform: PlayStation 5
Genre: Remake of an iconic Japanese role-playing game entry

There’s really no way to deny it; Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII is arguably the most important entry in the company’s gaming portfolio and also the most iconic in Japanese role-playing gaming history. It made the genre mainstream, it turned a lot of young folks in 1997 onward into JRPG-loving fans, and it broke cultural barriers as both East and West were enamoured and influenced by it. So when Square Enix decided to remake the 30-year old game into three current-gen gaming entries and adopt the action RPG real-time-esque combat route, it’s a surefire recipe for success.

So far, they’ve struck gold with Final Fantasy VII Remake, the first part of the trilogy. Will Final Fantasy VII Rebirth be the Empire Strikes Back of the series, or will be wearing out its welcome like how we’re beating the aforementioned Star Wars second entry analogy like a dead chocobo?

I’ll say this though: future Final Fantasy titles may need to take a few pages out of Rebirth’s massive gameplay offering. The overall story? Well, stick with me until the end.

Whispers In The Wind

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth takes place right after the ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake, with the original 1997’s storyline getting a few edits and rewrites here. Cloud Strife and his gang of fugitives, hunted down by corporation Shinra, are pursuing Sephiroth who plans to end the world they’re in, unaware of what’s in store for them in their up-and-down rollercoaster journey.

For a good number of us who played the original game, you’ll be reliving the entire first disc of the original visiting places outside of Midgar. You’ll be heading down to a beach resort, a bunch of forests & grasslands, a few run-down towns whose energy reactors nearby died and blew up, and other key locations iconic to the series and original plot.

For the rest who just want to jump in and play a new Final Fantasy game, there’s a plot recap you can tune into at the menu before diving right in. In any case, both newbies and veterans will find a lot to love about the gameplay. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth just goes all ham with the open-world sandbox approach and allows players to run wild and do as many quests as they want. You’ll get incentives to explore the region you’re in through the World Intel quest system, where you help this scientist guy named Chadley to collect data. You do this by exploring lifestream spots (with its own syncing minigame), find divine spots holding the region’s specific Titan (unlocked through its own syncing minigame), and finding “radio towers” that help unveil parts of the map. There are also spots where you have to fight monsters and complete certain objectives for bonus points, handed over to you by Chadley’s made-up girl program called MAI.

The game also throws a bunch of character quests and sidequests your way, which unlocks more rewards for Cloud and his party. Completing these not only gives you more ways to buff yourself, but also boost your relationship with specific party members. And yes, the bit in the game’s amusement park later in the game lets you bring the person you’ve impressed the most in a date later on like in the original title. However, it’s done up with more pizzaz and zest that you can’t help but admire the Square Enix folks for going through hell and highwater to make it look darn good.

And it’s not like the aforementioned quests are a slog; the team made huge efforts to flesh out the story bits and character development, while also offering more insights into the world and its predicament at large. There’s a good balance of comedy and drama when undertaking these. My favourite quests involved escorting a dog in the Junon region to help out with potential family troubles waiting at the end of the journey. Hell, even the obligatory card minigame, Queen’s Blood, gets addictive the longer you keep playing in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s old realm made anew with 2024 technology and super-fast load times.

Combat-wise, Rebirth’s is identical to Remake’s; it’s real-time, you can switch between different party members with different playstyles and skillsets, and enemies can get tough unless you play smart. However, Rebirth comes with much-needed improvements. Your companion AI isn’t completely dumb as bricks, though the game recommends you really switch back and forth between party members to pull off commands. There’s a skill folio system that upgrades your moves and adds more commands to pull off via the ATB system. You get Synergy skills and Synergy actions: the former lets you and another party member do in-sync attacks and spells, while the latter takes a while to charge up but is essentially the game’s version of Chrono Trigger’s partner special attacks. They’re satisfying to pull off and are fun to unleash onto foes and bosses, and you’ll have plenty of fun opportunities to do so thanks to the game’s enthralling set pieces and arena fights.

With about 40 hours of gaming, RPGing, level upgrading, minigames-participation, and battles to do and get immersed in, Square Enix did a great job in expanding upon Remake’s template and enhancing parts of its source material in a diligent manner. A pity I can’t say the same for the game’s story pacing and latter half.

Tale Spin

Without spoiling anything at all, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s last few hours feature fun battles and climactic spectacles. The game’s plot and treatment of the source material in the final moments isn’t that great; I’d even go as far as to say that it will make you more perplexed and confused about some of the creative decisions made. In the original game, there is a part that involves an integral character getting their moment in the sun and it’s treated with depth and pathos unlike anything the gaming medium has seen in a long while. Square Enix recreated that pivotal scene and attempted to add in a lot of elements from Remake to make it seem like it’s different, but it sours the original’s intent.

In fact, the way the whole last half plays out made certain “new” characters in Rebirth feel pointless in retrospect. I feel that once players reach the end of the game, they’ll be talking about these alluded moments, though not in the best light. But that’s just me; your tastes and perceived biasness for the franchise may differ. And to be fair, this is the second entry of an already-confirmed trilogy set in the FFVII universe, so maybe the writers are saving the explanations for the third game. But still, we have to judge it on its current status and merits, and its late-game plot goes off the rails in bad and legacy-tainting ways. Plus, the game’s story pacing also gets wrecked with the mandatory minigames you have to partake in; a couple of hours in the main quest could have been shaved off instead of letting padding like this take over the brunt of the title.

That’s a shame too, because the first half and middle portions of the story start off really strong and make you engrossed with what may happen. I loved Tifa and Aerith’s buddy dynamic. I adored how Red XIII grows as a character, and also Barret’s character arc. I just wished that more thought was put in to wrap up this second entry that whatever the hell we got.

Still, completing the game and sitting through its ordeal of a conclusion isn’t without its perks: you can replay the game’s chapters and see different outcomes for particular events, as well as unlock tougher difficulty modes using your existing characters and their current levels. You can change their outfits so you can play as beach attire Cloud and Tifa on the overworld map, collecting whatever you’ve missed.

Destiny’s Child

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is a huge improvement over FFVII Remake because it doesn’t need to stretch the 3-hour closed portion of its source material to the point of insane padding. Rebirth’s expansion in gameplay, side content, and minigames is a logical evolution, and pays off in spades as it’s running on superior hardware while also ramping up the challenge and fun factor. Even the majority of the story retold and its character development (particularly Barrett’s scenario) are fleshed out and presented better than expected.

Unfortunately, the last quarter of the game’s plot is really not doing it for me and falls flat, thus derailing the entire narrative that opens up more questions and answers. In a remake of a series where story is just as important as gameplay, this is a flaw that is hard to ignore. While some may appreciate its bold take, it just feels like drastic changes and revisionism for the sake of it, disrespecting the original’s impactful plot thread to a degree. The glut of minigames can also take its toll on the most patient of JRPG fans as well.

Regardless, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is an ambitious and well-made take on a huge chunk of a 1997 JRPG wonderchild and does justify the purchase of the PlayStation 5 for what it offers. Final Fantasy VII fans from back than and the remake will find a lot to love and cherish here. Just make sure you’ve done your homework before jumping in. And take your time with the overwhelming amount of gameplay and discoveries you’re offered. And also not speed through the game just to see whatever it classifies as an ending. Rebirth is of those instances where the journey far outweighs the destination.

Pros

• Lots to explore and do outside of Midgar.
• Fun action RPG combat made better with Synergy mechanic.
• Side activities feel great to complete.
• Lovely character development & storylines, as well as fanservice aplenty.

Cons

• Incredibly divisive ending & resolution.
• Huge pacing issues due to minigames.

Final Score: 70/100

Review copy provided by publisher.