Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

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You can’t help but wonder: in ten years, what will we be remaking and remastering? Will everyone be waiting on the edge of their seats for a remaster of Forspoken? Are we going to be aching to play the new and fantastic remake of Redfall? Maybe the reason we keep coming back to familiar wells is that we know the water’s good, as opposed to the new stream that may or may not be full of parasites. Something like that.

Today’s point is that Final Fantasy VII was good, Final Fantasy VII Remake was also good, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is also very, very good. Let’s take a look.

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Rebirth picks up right where Remake left off – our heroes, the rebel group Avalanche, have managed to escape the dystopian city of Midgar. Finding themselves in the outside world, Cloud and company go off on an adventure in search of the villainous Sephiroth, whose evil schemes have only just begun. Cloud, of course, has a history with Sephiroth, and their shared past will color the adventures to come. That’s all very heavy, though, as much of the actual adventure to come will consist of adorable minigames and scouring the land for hidden goodies. We’ll save the world, sure, it’ll just take a minute to get around to it.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth takes the action-RPG framework laid by the previous game, Remake, and expands on it in an incredibly satisfying manner. Remake couldn’t help but feel like a tech demo from time to time. This was a game that had maybe outgrown the PlayStation 4 even before it was released, and the seams ended up bulging a bit as a result. Every time Cloud slooooowly sidestepped his way through a cramped space, for instance, it was an effort to keep the game in line with the PS4’s hard drive. We’re in the modern era now, though, and that means advances in technology and console design have allowed for a Final Fantasy VII experience that’s a lot more true to the franchise.

Don’t get it twisted – this is still an action-RPG, though the turn-based option from Remake is still around if you’re going to bite down and insist that gosh darn it, this is still 1997. For the rest of us, though, Remake’s combat was a graphically impressive spectacle, and Rebirth takes the next step and turns the experience into a legitimately good time. Cloud and the rest of the team, including newcomers Red XIII and Cait Sith, each have their own unique combat styles that offer a different experience depending on who you’re controlling. Meanwhile, characters that aren’t actively under your control can be tweaked with readily-available materia to give them a little more autonomy.

Speaking of which, the materia system itself is as great as it’s ever been, allowing you to combine magic, special abilities, passive buffs and more to create a character that really feels like your own. Even classic favorites like the Morph and Enemy Skill abilities return, which is a surprise in the modern era.

The biggest change to the whole affair, though, is the Synergy system, which allows characters to team up for combo attacks a la Chrono Trigger. Synergy really ties the whole system together, as there are options for regular use (Cloud batting Barret’s gunfire into enemies is a classic) as well as the heavy damage super moves you’d expect. It’s a lot of fun to mix and match characters, learning the intricacies of playing as each and combining their skills to get the most out of your team. Remake’s combat often fell into the trap of battles feeling like puzzles with a specific solution, but Rebirth loosens up a little and gives the player some freedom.

Freedom’s the name of the game here, really. You’ve got a wide open world to explore in true post-Breath of the Wild fashion and it’s packed to the brim with all kinds of things to do and see. Much as with the plot, we’re taking classic moments and situations from the original Final Fantasy VII and remixing them here, offering plenty of nostalgia while topping things off with something new. Chadley, the researcher from Remake, returns to offer our heroes all manner of side activities, from battles against rare monsters to discovering hidden lore about the Planet, and there’s plenty of other sidequests besides. You can craft gear, learn about monsters, create wild new materia and more. The Gold Saucer even makes a return with its pile of minigames!

The grim, edgy FFVII from Remake is still present and accounted for, but it’s expanded upon with plenty of the classic Final Fantasy charm. Bottom line: why couldn’t Final Fantasy XVI have been like this?

One thing that XVI and Rebirth have in common is that they’re both fantastic-looking games. Rebirth again builds upon the foundation of Remake by putting the PS5’s more advanced technology to work. The name of the game here is scale more than detail; the sheer size of the open-world is a little shocking compared to Remake’s cramped quarters and can compare with any similar game around, and while not every single puddle is as reflective as Marvel fans would have you believe it should be, the overall experience is cohesive and gorgeous. Likewise, there’s little to complain about from a sound perspective as well, with classic tunes given new life in the modern age and joined by plenty of original tracks besides, to say nothing of the solid voice acting in both English and Japanese.

You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a must-play for PS5 owners who are even vaguely into large-scale JRPGs or want to revisit a true classic. Add onto all this the fact that, well, this is one of the most beloved Final Fantasy stories being retold in style and you’ve got yourself a winner. Play Remake if you haven’t, look up the plot if you must, but Rebirth is a solid experience through and through that makes one anxious for the concluding chapter. Don’t miss this one.