Bilawal Bashir 
Our review of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth shows that it’s more of a reimagining than a straight remake. It’s a far cry from a simple remaster. It goes above and beyond when retelling a nearly 30-year-old story. The primary story beats remain the same, but so much has changed since the 1997 original that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth can be considered a whole new venture.
Players still see Cloud and the gang in action, all rendered and animated in great detail. The game is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake, released in 2020, and its story picks up right where it ended in that installment. A recap is available for gamers jumping directly into the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but playing the first game is highly recommended.
The Good:
- Incredible visuals and particle effects.
- Interesting gameplay goes well beyond button-mashing.
The Bad:
- The open world can make some things tedious.
Review Details:
Platforms Available: PlayStation 5
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Official release date: February 29, 2024
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth reimagines the original game
Despite all the changes and reimaginings, our review shows that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth remains in some ways similar to the original version. The conspiracies, the experiments, and the epic scenes are mostly still here. Gone are the pixelated graphics and text-based dialog exchanges, replaced by gorgeous visuals and high-quality voice acting. Developers have shown they are willing to take significant risks with the story, especially given the ending of Remake. The story doesn’t strictly follow the original. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth retells that original story in multiple ways while keeping the core characters the same.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth continues the story of Cloud and his eco-terrorist gang. Cloud is still with Avalanche and is now going after Sephiroth. The group aims to take down Shrina Electric Power company, which is siphoning the planet’s natural releases to manufacture Mako energy.
Square Enix chose to tell a newer, fresher story rather than retread the original. Die-hard purists of Final Fantasy VII might be turned off, but overall, it’s a good story that’ll keep gamers glued to the screen. The changes aren’t limited to just the story and graphics,either. Developers made a switch to semi-open-world map design, too. The expansive world is divided into six interconnected regions, allowing players to explore in whatever order.
The game’s progression is linear, but the world is vast and populated by new things to discover and explore. The Gongaga region was an optional location in the original game, comprising just a few screens. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth fleshes it out in great detail, making it a whole new jungle region. There’s even a Mako reactor dungeon in the newly-expanded Gongaga. The game gives a great level of attention to all of its areas, making them a joy to explore.
FF7 Rebirth is filled to the brim with stuff to do
The open areas in FF7 Rebirth are filled with stuff to do, so much so that it can sometimes become tedious, especially for completionists. However, the wealth of variety in activities will keep most players engaged. Take Chocobo Racing, for example. It’s a whole other game stuffed inside Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. There are a lot of tracks to race, with plenty of Chocobo theme mixes to boot. Boost drifting around corners and coming out a winner is always fun.
Combat is still a hybrid of action and strategy, as introduced in the previous remake. Real-time attacks raise the ATB gauge, which is then used to activate abilities in a paused game state.
Rebirth builds upon the already excellent combat system. The most significant change is the inclusion of synergy attacks. This system encourages switching characters frequently to unleash big combo attacks. The combat has depth, as button-mashing won’t go far here. Learning about the enemy’s weaknesses, using summons, and executing limit break moves bring even greater depth to the combat.
Exploration is fun and rewards players for going off the beaten path. Of course, cutting straight into the main story is possible, but gamers would miss out on so much wonderfully crafted content that it’s not recommended for the first play-through.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth takes cues from Ubisoft and makes players climb towers to discover activities, which wasn’t our favorite part of the game in our review. Activities range from taming chocobos to activating crystals and performing entire side quests. While fatigue may creep in by the end, most activities are rewarding.
gameland.gg’s bottom line: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a true reimagining that brings a classic into the modern world with gorgeous visuals and a sufficiently compelling story.
