'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth' review: A magical materia tour Final Fantasy fans will love
After a long wait, fans of the Final Fantasy role-playing game series have something big to look forward to this February: the release of "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth."
"Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" is the second in a trilogy of video games adapting the 1997 PlayStation role-playing game "Final Fantasy VII" into a modern epic. "Rebirth" is set to debut on February 29, 2024 as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. It'll appear on the PC for gamers who prefer to play on their desktop or laptop computer (or even the ROG Ally) by May 2024.
Square Enix provided me with a code to explore "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" ahead of the game's release. I completed the game so I can share my thoughts on the latest entry in the Final Fantasy RPG series -- and whether I think it's worth your time.
Read on for my take on the second game in the "Remake" trilogy. You can tap the button below to pre-order a copy of the game.
Why I love 'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth'
"Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" begins exactly where the prior installment "Final Fantasy VII Remake" leaves off. That means knowledge of the previous game is required if you want to understand or appreciate the narrative the way it was meant to be experienced. It's a heavily story-driven adventure, and this is the second game of the trilogy.
At the beginning of the game, Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, Aerith Gainsborough, Barret Wallace, and Red XIII have escaped the slums of Midgar and are on their way to the nearest settlement: Kalm. There, Cloud recounts his version of the incident that took place in his hometown five years prior and emphasizes why the villainous Sephiroth, Cloud's old comrade from SOLDIER, is a threat -- not to mention the horrifying Jenova.
From there, the game follows the story beats from the original PlayStation "Final Fantasy VII" pretty closely -- everything important, story-wise, makes the cut. You'll still head down the same narrative path, though there are some significant alterations in the form of "alternate universe" whispers.
Some areas, like Kalm and Gongaga, feel like almost completely new locations with new setpieces and side quests to explore. In the original "Final Fantasy VII," Kalm took up a single panning screen. In "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth," it is now an expanded area full of people. While still smaller than Midgar, these once-minor locations now feel vital and alive in a way that couldn't be expressed on the PlayStation in 1997.
The treatment Kalm receives extends throughout the game. You still follow the party's journey across the massive world map, but it's been scaled up appropriately and filled with side activities to complete. While "Remake" was a linear experience, "Rebirth" is much more of an open-world odyssey that encourages you to pause your hunt for Sephiroth and explore. So often, in fact, that I amassed 40 hours of gameplay before the final third of the game due to my insistence on seeing everything there is to see.
While I appreciate the ability to break away from the storyline to do my own thing, the game faces some pacing issues. If you're a completionist, it's easy to become overwhelmed with how much there is to do. There are combat challenges, special locations to explore and tons of story-based side quests. There's also a collectible card game called Queen's Blood that encourages you to challenge players around the world. This alone can add hours to the adventure if you want to collect all the cards and best every single opponent (it's tempting to want to do so).
Because there's so much to do, I was feeling a bit fatigued between main quest segments. As soon as I stopped trying to complete every little thing that popped up, the game became much more enjoyable. Fortunately, aside from times when fast travel is locked for story reasons, you can always go back and complete side content at your leisure.
The world of "Final Fantasy VII" has never looked or sounded better. So much care has been put into presenting each of the characters as their own living, breathing person that it's almost laughable to think they were so identifiable back when they were polygonal sprites. While I loved and appreciated the characters back in the '90s, their glow-up for "Rebirth" is undeniable, from Cloud's every visible pore to Tifa's shiny loose ponytail.
The only real design change I didn't like was to the moogles, one of "Final Fantasy's" many mascots. They were made to resemble Ewok-like teddy bears in "Rebirth" with their eyes open, shining black voids that give them a creepy quality. Everything else, down to Red XIII's various collars and Barret's changing gun arms, looked fantastic – even if the visuals don't always match up with the weapons' descriptions.
I found some of the voice actors' performances a bit grating, namely a very startling change-up from a particular character later on in the game who begins using a completely different affect. While the voice change was on purpose, it didn't quite seem a good choice for the party member. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is beautiful and expansive, from the original orchestral arrangements to the game's iconic tracks to the fun, poppy vocal tracks from side characters that came up unexpectedly.
'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth' final thoughts
I had gone into playing "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" expecting a lot, since the original game was such an important part of my "career" as a gamer, and since "Final Fantasy VII Remake" felt so special. But I came away pleasantly surprised. It's been a major experience to see the game brought to life once more with such love and care.
Though I have my own nitpicks with the overall structure and things like voices and character designs, overall I found "Rebirth" to be a fantastic value, with a beautiful storyline, memorable characters and plenty of reasons to return to the game again and again. If the story of "Final Fantasy VII" has become this beautiful and expansive by its second entry in the trilogy, I can only imagine where the third game will take us.
