Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Review – A Worthy Successor To 2020’s Remake

As someone who never played the original Final Fantasy 7, I had a fun time with 2020’s remake. Sure, there were some problems with its execution, but I didn’t have the same impressions about its story as the old fans had.

So, naturally, I also approached Rebirth with an open mind, excited for not only the improvements the sequel would bring but also what kind of mysteries and wonders the developers had in store for me in the lands that stretch beyond Midgard.

Story And Setting

Rebirth picks up right where Remake left us off. Cloud, along with Tifa, Aerith, Barrett, and Red XIII, escapes Midgard in the hunt of Sephiroth to save the world from the foreshadowed future. Shirna and its goons also take on the role of secondary antagonists, pursuing Cloud and his friends in the aftermath of the Midgard bombings.

This breadcrumb trail narrative structure felt a little slow at first as the journey took me from town to town without any big twist happening to keep me glued to the narrative. However, this also turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing me to approach the side content without any second thoughts. 

The juxtaposition of lighthearted and upbeat characters within a narrative focused on defying destiny and thwarting the impending threat of Sephiroth establishes the game’s tone

But when things really got going, I did not want to stray away from the story. 

A Character-Centric Tale About Defying Destiny

Despite what I said, Final Fantasy 7 is ultimately about its characters. These characters need to work so the story can accurately land its narrative beats because if you can’t relate with these characters, you will not like the story at all. And in my opinion, it absolutely delivers in that aspect. 

Yuffie, the youthful and charming Materia hunter, helps us look at the story through the eyes of an amateur teenage girl, while Caith Saith, the fortune teller, drops hints on what’s to come. Barret, the most mature of the bunch, plays the father figure role, while Cloud cares deeply about the party despite his introverted and blunt nature. Tifa and Aerith keep the atmosphere lighthearted with their sympathetic and outgoing nature.

However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some faults with its execution, but my personal major qualm was the voice-over work, which didn’t land the way it should’ve.

The juxtaposition of lighthearted and upbeat characters within a narrative focused on defying destiny and thwarting the impending threat of Sephiroth establishes the game’s tone, rendering Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth a captivating story.

However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some faults with its execution, but my personal major qualm was the voice-over work, which didn’t land the way it should’ve. I feel that Cloud’s voice acting, in particular, wasn’t on par with the rest of the cast, and some of his scenes felt weird rather than being in line with his character.

Additionally, the voice acting of some of the Open World NPCs also felt average at best, which at times even made unintentional scenes funny but also hurt the story in the process.

Lands Beyond Midgard

The entirety of Remake was set in Midgard, and throughout the course of the game, you never even catch a glimpse of the outside world. Midgard, the Shirna-built Metropolis, was oppressive and restricted by a steel sky that stretched over the horizon. Rebirth, however, features vast and varied environments that give a solid sense of scale and freedom.

The world depicted in Rebirth dwarfs the scale of the prequel’s Midgard.

The world of Rebirth was bigger than my expectations. Diverse locations like jungles, forests, deserts, metropolises, slums, temples, outskirts, villages, and both developed and underdeveloped towns added to the sense of adventure and journey. The world depicted in Rebirth dwarfs the scale of the prequel’s Midgard.

Each region I visited had its own story, with its own set of characters, culture, shops, themes, and quests. While some of its soundtracks did start to mix in with each other without standing out, the varied themes of Chocobos were a real highlight. The Chocobo theme changed according to my region, and its catchy music arrangement makes it memorable.

Gameplay

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth renovates rather than innovates. It further polishes the foundations laid down by Remake and builds upon them. If Remake was a two-story building, then Rebirth is four stories. Let’s start with the main course, the combat. First of all, it takes all the lessons the team learned in Intergrade and directly implements them into Rebirth.

Each party member has its own set of synergy skills and abilities that change depending on who the party members are. For Example, Cloud with Aerith can unleash spell-oriented attacks, while with Barret, he can focus more on ranged enemies, adding another layer of depth to its combat and counterattacks. Like Yuffie, all party members can now perfect block, completely negating all incoming damage.

Cloud’s skills and moveset are tweaked to allow him to remain airborne and take down enemies via melee combat

Skill trees are also rearranged, and different accessories come with much higher materia slots, leading to more variation in character builds. While Tifa, Barret, Aerith, and Yuffie feel mostly the same, Cloud is the party member who underwent the most change. Aerial combat was one of my biggest issues in Remake, as there was basically no means of engaging in melee fights with airborne enemies until the Intergrade arrived.

Cloud’s skills and moveset are tweaked to allow him to remain airborne and take down enemies via melee combat. New additions like Red XIII and Caith Sith also keep things fresh. Red XIII is exactly how you’d expect a beast to fight, and his moveset really make him great for solo play. Caith Sith, on the other hand, has a slightly bigger repertoire that includes using his fortune dice for status effects and Moogle for physical damage.

Fun Mini-Games, But What About Side Quests And Open World Activities?

Side Quests are definitely a step above its predecessor. They now have a proper structure and design behind them that makes each feel different from the others. The team behind Rebirth prioritized quality over quantity, and it shows. At some points, the game introduced its own set of special mechanics just for the quest’s sake, like a torch that illuminated the monster’s footprints. 

Additionally, each side quest is attached to a different party member, which adds to the party banter and helps deepen your relationship with them. This was an aspect that I found lacking in FF16, and fortunately, FF7 Rebirth doesn’t suffer from the same issue.

Mini-games are just as fun as showcased in the pre-launch trailers, and the game has even more surprises in store. My only complaint with the mini-games is that some offered little variation in maps or modes, and the reward incentives behind them didn’t give me much reason to revisit. Nevertheless, the fun factor is present in all of them.

By far, my favorite of them all was The Queen’s Blood, which is FF7 Rebirth’s version of Gwent. It is just as addicting as you’d expect, and it’s also the most polished. If Square were to launch a game based solely on this, I believe it would be equally successful.

Regrettably, the most abundant activities in the game also happen to be its least compelling.

With all that said, this is where my praise ends for its side content, as Open World or Intel Activities left much to be desired. These activities come in different forms, like activation towers, combat encounters, divine intel, and more, but honestly, none had any semblance of excitement.

While the rewards from these activities were worth it, they were repetitive and boring. Regrettably, the most abundant activities in the game also happen to be its least compelling.

Visuals And Performance

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth maintained a solid 60 FPS throughout my review period, but the price it paid was steep. Image Quality was a common issue throughout my playtime, heavily affecting my first impressions of many of its locations. While indoor locations were tolerable, the open-world locations were blurry and unpleasing.

The facial features of the party members phased in and out, depending on their distance from Cloud. Other graphical features like anti-aliasing and shadows also felt low in quality, and the shimmering caused by them was very visible throughout.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth maintained a solid 60 FPS throughout my review period, but the price it paid was steep.

Texture pop-ins were also very noticeable when exploring different open-world sections. As someone who prefers 60 FPS in action-oriented games, I feel that the performance mode of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was a letdown.

However, the graphics mode was much better and polished. The higher-resolution textures and character models really popped out, adding to the beauty of the overall world. If you can stand 30 FPS, I strongly recommend playing Final Fantasy 7 in Graphics Mode, as their little compromise on visuals in this mode.

Verdict

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is bigger in scope, providing a solid narrative and riveting gameplay that makes you fall in love with the Unknown Journey all over again. While I hoped the game would have more emotional strings in the first half, it makes up for that in its rollercoaster second half.

Rebirth seamlessly enhances numerous sequences and world-building with rich new experiences from its side content to the dozens of mini-games. While the visuals and fidelity experience may be slightly concerning, I can’t understate how much FF7 Rebirth succeeds in making you look forward to the final installment of the Remake Trilogy.

This has been my Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles. 

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