Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

by Camrin Santchi
reviewed on PC
Something Old, Something New
When Final Fantasy VII: Remake came out in 2020 as an updated rerelease of the iconic 1997 game that is considered to this day to be one of Square Enix's best, fans quickly discovered that the mechanics and graphics were not the only things that had changed in the almost 20 years since the original release - but the story itself was also altered in some strange ways. The ending of Final Fantasy VII: Remake ties directly into the beginning of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, so if anyone has not yet played that game, this reviewer highly recommends it before jumping into Rebirth!
At the culmination of Remake, the protagonists are thrown into a battle against ghostlike beings called Whispers they have encountered several times throughout Remake, typically doing what they could to set things on a predetermined path when there were divergences- namely, the path of the original Final Fantasy VII.
Defeating these Whispers allowed Cloud and his allies to start forging their own path into the future rather than being restricted by fate and destiny, so Rebirth begins on those terms, following very similar steps to the original but now with the expectation that things will not all be the exact same as they were back in 1997. That being said, the game seems to almost expect you to know what originally occurred at several key points, specifically to acknowledge how different things may now turn out with the Whispers defeated.
A Planet Worth Saving
The planet of Rebirth is an absolutely gorgeous one, although it takes a pretty powerful PC to handle it - although verified on the Steam Deck it needs to be at the lowest settings and even then it encounters some issues in particularly crowded locales. That being said, when Rebirth is running on all cylinders it is an absurdly gorgeous game, from the garish lights of the Gold Saucer to the ethereal glow of the mako energy, from the gorgeous fields to the ominous caverns. Rebirth is a beautiful looking game, provided you have a PC that can handle it. The music is also varied and beautiful, from recognizable character themes and remade environmental tunes, to even music that is completely new and original to the new game!
Tons to Do
When it came out in the 90's, Final Fantasy VII was known for having a large amount of content, and Rebirth has done an insane amount with what was already there - and added plenty of new things as well. Side quests populate the wilds of the world and encourage plenty of exploration when you aren't following along with the main quest. But one of the first things that will come to mind for any returning players it would be the Gold Saucer, essentially a fantasy Las Vegas with six varied mini-games to choose from that can prove to be an incredibly fun but also super distracting time. The world may need saving, but those mini-games have one heck of a siren song to them!
Let's Rumble!
Rebirth's combat is quite engaging, and improves upon what was already there in Remake - players use standard attacks to build up an Ability gauge, and when they have a bar they can slow down the game to a near pause in order to reliably select an action that is much more effect, from signature abilities to magic. Rebirth drastically improves air and ranged options, one of the more stringent issues within Remake, and it also includes synergy attacks that involve teaming up characters for powerful or incredibly effective combo moves. This player has always been a sucker for combo moves, so this was a welcome addition to an already engaging combat system.
A Story Nearly 30 Years In the Making
When you're finally able to pull yourself away from the side-content that is constantly calling your name, the main story of Rebirth is a gripping experience. There aren't too many things that can be said without heavy spoilers, but with themes of environmentalism, love, loss, and consequences, the story is filled with great moments of both heart and hurt that are sure to keep a player hooked for the many hour investment that it will take to see it through to the end. Even with how heavy this story can be at times, there are of course many a moment that are good for a laugh, some of which are even depending on your choices- like setting a specific route for a rail-cart segment in order to mess with some of your allies.
The End Slowly Approaches
By the end of Rebirth, Cloud and the others aren't at the ending of Final Fantasy VII by a wide margin, so the eventual third game rounding out this trilogy is sure to be quite a large one. With a huge amount of content, a deep story, and combat that improves upon the previous game's style, players may end up falling in love with the world of Final Fantasy VII all over again, or alternatively for the first time if they have yet to play this gem and its initial remake. That is not recommended by any means, the game tends to expect you to have played Final Fantasy VII as well as Remake, however, so keep that in mind before you mosey into Rebirth!
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9.7
fun score
Pros
Improved combat, deep story, gorgeous graphics and music, and tons of side-activities.
Cons
Stuttering in crowded areas, some load-in issues.