Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review

 There was a whole world full of iconic moments awaiting modern revisions ahead, as well as whatever twists this now obviously diverging path might bring to them. I was overcome with a yearning I hadn't really felt from a game before, standing on the edge of Midgar's expressway at the end of Final Fantasy VII Remake. In many respects, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the realization of my wildest dreams; it's both a magnificent reconstruction of my early years and an intriguing—if occasionally clumsy—new take on a tale I've loved since 1997.

The already flawless action and turn-based role-playing combat in the remake has been revitalized with new party members and mechanics. Additionally, the way the original overworld was divided into large, open areas with fun optional activities has been redesigned, adding new depth to areas I previously believed to be familiar. Doing all of this with characters that I adore also has a certain charm to it; their backstories and turning points take on a certain grandeur. Rebirth's grandiose plan to rewrite Final Fantasy VII's history, though, wavers between being utterly brilliant and overly complicated. Although I have mixed feelings about some aspects of the new direction's execution, Rebirth is still an incredible journey that I will cherish as I eagerly await the third act of this reimagined Final Fantasy VII. I spent over 80 hours finishing the main story and a sizable amount of side content.

What We Said About Final Fantasy VII Remake

The Final Fantasy VII Remake lives up to the extremely high expectations, and for the most part, it does. It has excellent combat, a wide array of enemies to choose from, and I was ecstatic to see this little plot point developed with genuine character arcs and the previously unrevealed humanity of Midgar. My grin never stopped, even with the dull RPG filler and Kingdom Hearts-like convolution that was added in between, although not long enough to ruin the atmosphere entirely. That means that, while still being a fantastic role-playing game in and of itself, this remake succeeded in allowing me to experience (a portion of) a classic in an amazing way. - on April 6, 2020, Tom Marks

Its amazing magnitude is a big part of what makes that voyage unique. I felt a wave of amazement as soon as I stepped upon the Grasslands, the first of six zones that comprise Rebirth. I was astounded by how exquisitely the once low-poly Final Fantasy VII world had been rebuilt, whether I was gazing out over the far-reaching horizon or viewing a backdrop of massive and distant mountain ranges. Aerith is shown admiring the beauty of a previously unexplored natural world in an early cinematic, but Red XIII quickly reminds her that it is still dying from the inside out. 

Rebirth manages to transcend its well-worn open world design.

Its amazing magnitude is a big part of what makes that voyage unique. I felt a wave of amazement as soon as I stepped upon the Grasslands, the first of six zones that comprise Rebirth. I was astounded by how exquisitely the once low-poly Final Fantasy VII world had been rebuilt, whether I was gazing out over the far-reaching horizon or viewing a backdrop of massive and distant mountain ranges. Aerith is shown admiring the beauty of a previously unexplored natural world in an early cinematic, but Red XIII quickly reminds her that it is still dying from the inside out. Even if that task is well-known, Rebirth manages to rise above the tired clichés associated with it. As I started to explore each of the activities that occupy these zones, I became increasingly immersed in the process of removing every icon off the map. It was more than just a to-do list because of the setting.

Exploring every inch of these locations to witness how they have managed to survive despite the devastation caused by the unrelenting reliance on Mako energy is also really powerful. Climbing a cliff in Junon en route to a side goal rewards me with a spectacular but distorted vista: the sun setting over the barren landscape casts a warm orange hue, and the city's enormous cannon is visible in the distance. The magnificent coastline of Costa Del Sol contrasts with the desolate wasteland of Corel, which is a result of the famous Gold Saucer's energy use. Rebirth's exploration reminds me of my experience playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3, where I was drawn in by the vastness and magnificence of each game's environments and wanted to explore everything they had to offer. Magnificent vistas such as these are their own tiny prizes. 

Finding wondrous sights are their own little rewards.

Later areas in Rebirth change up how you move around them with unique abilities for your rideable chocobo. Bouncing off launchpad mushrooms to get around Gongaga's labyrinthine jungle and chaining boost pads to stay airborne in Cosmo Canyon started out cute, but eventually became more tedious than necessary. Rebirth also loves to make you climb cliffsides or swing across gaps with a grappling hook, Uncharted-style, which don't feel as fluid as they ought to be, though the sense of adventure these actions provide at least makes them tolerable.

Whether you’re tracking down Lifesprings to learn more about the region, fighting uniquely tough enemies in the wild while fulfilling specific battle conditions, or chasing down Protorelics for bespoke side stories, everything you do feeds into one gameplay system or another. For example, Lifesprings can unveil Divine Intel locations which can make the battles to unlock new Summons easier, or they can reveal the objective of an ongoing sidequest that didn't seem connected at first blush. Not all of the optional tasks are terribly exciting (like digging up treasure with your chocobo or doing silly timing-based inputs to activate Summon shrines) but the rewards are a decent enough incentive to at least prevent them from feeling like outright filler.

Sidequests pop up at every major town's Community Noticeboard, and they paint a more complete picture of Rebirth's vision for its reimagined open world. A certain party member is typically tied to each individual sidequest, so you'll get to see a side of them you wouldn't be able to otherwise, and also increase their Bond level in the process (a new feature that’s mainly relevant in a later part of the story I won’t get into here). These are more than mere fetch quests, instead featuring multiple objectives that take you across regions and encourage exploration, and they often tell their own compelling little stories or uplift the human element of Final Fantasy VII. Some of the later sidequests even provide context that's almost essential in order to fully understand the world and a few supporting characters as well.

Regardless of which tasks you take on, you'll be rewarded with XP for your Party Level, a separate progression system that advances your access to Folios. You can think of Folios as a system like Final Fantasy X’s Sphere Grid, where you spend a pool of skill points to unlock new perks and abilities for each character. The biggest addition within Folios are Synergy Abilities, powerful partner attacks between specific characters that lay on heavy damage and can grant bonuses like extending stagger windows, filling the Limit Break bar, or temporarily negating all MP costs. You'll also access Synergy Skills that can be used on the fly to make combat more flexible, such as having Cloud launch Tifa into the air to get into melee range of flying enemies, or letting Barret soak up incoming damage for Aerith. Synergies are yet another tool in a bag full of tricks that complements the already intricate combat from Remake – and instead of bloating what's already quite a busy system, they work to fill gaps and reward you for expending ATB bars, making the combat loop feel more complete.

Strong enemies won't go down through simple button mashing.

Although the complexity of the connections between all of these combat systems can be daunting, it is immensely satisfying to begin to understand their subtleties and apply them to combat. The returning Materia system, which allows you to tailor each party member's build to fit specific roles with magic spells, stat enhancements, and passive skills, is largely responsible for that. Despite being essentially same, it's not any worse for wear due to how intelligent it is, offering a degree of adaptability that significantly impacts everyone's daily activities.  Rebirth's combat delivers an embarrassment of resources without overwhelming you when it matters most, thanks to the Synergies gained in Folios, the plethora of weapon skills acquired along the adventure, and potent Summons that may alter the tide of any encounter. 

Even with all the resources at your disposal, important encounters may become really difficult. Bosses force you to put in a lot of effort to win since they are throwing so much at you, and it is this amount of effort that makes fighting so rewarding. It is expected of you to balance their assault while attempting to develop ATB and take advantage of their unique weaknesses. There was, however, occasionally a sense that the design of some of these more formidable foes violated the fundamentals of the combat system, creating a disconnect between your party's abilities and those of the adversary. There are some enemies that move so quickly across the battlefield that even the lock-on technology finds it difficult to track them. It can also occasionally be annoying to keep getting thrown back or caught in multi-hit combos. When an attack such as this interrupts a spell and your ATB bar has already been burned, it's at best annoying and at worst extremely aggravating. Fortunately, these frustrating periods don't obscure the heights to which Rebirth can rise; with sufficient skill, planning, and cunning, even the most difficult conflicts can be won with excitement

The Verdict

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth impressively builds off of what Remake set in motion as both a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenge and depth, and as an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long. After 82 hours to finish the main story and complete a decent chunk of sidequests and optional activities, there's still much to be done, making this pivotal section of the original feel absolutely massive. Minigames, sidequests, and other enticing diversions fill the spaces of its vast and sprawling regions, painting a new and more vivid picture of these familiar locations. But more than just being filled with things to do, Rebirth is often a powerful representation of Final Fantasy VII's most memorable qualities. It does fumble the execution of its ending, getting caught up in the mess of its multiple twisting timelines, but new moments and the overarching journey manage to evoke a deeper sense of reflection in spite of that. So, for as flawed as parts of how this classic has been reimagined might be, Rebirth still stands out as something both thrilling and unexpectedly impactful.