I’m writing this as the credits roll on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth with the intention of getting my feelings out about the game as soon as I finished it.
And by gods, did I love this game.
I’ve been a massive fan of Final Fantasy 7 since I was 7. I couldn’t play it on the PS1 as I never owned one, but I managed to find it on PC at a game store. It was the game that introduced me to RPGs and I’ve been a fan since. I never beat the game as a kid, I got to the Northern Crater but wanted to do some leveling up and just never got back to it. I didn’t end up beating it until 2009 once it dropped on the PSP. I’ve beaten it a few times now and own it on so many different platforms (more than I own of Skyrim). It was also the reason I got into my animation/game design program as I was determined to remake the game myself if Square Enix wasn’t going to.
Imagine my surprise when the remake was announced at the 2015 E3. I screamed in joy.
And now we’re on Rebirth, with the final game on the horizon.
What a time it is to be a Final Fantasy 7 fan.
But to bring it back to why I’m even writing this, I loved Rebirth. This easily is my game of the year for 2024. I can’t see anything else coming out and beating it. There’s just so much this game got right, from the combat and the synergy attacks, the Persona-like relationship building experiences with your party, to the party relationships. I don’t want to stop playing this game because I don’t want to leave this group, it’s just that good.
So let’s break down why Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is my game of the year.
Just a quick side note: all photos included in this were taken by me while I played the game.
// STORY
I don’t want to get too spoilery for this, so I won’t be giving a rundown of what happens. I’m just going to be vague about it. While there were some changes to the story from the original, there weren’t any that felt out of place. Just as an example, Yuffie, one of the new party members, was an optional character in the original as was Vincent. They now feel integral to the plot, Yuffie a bit more than Vincent but that’s just the nature of when you meet both. You also meet Cid a bit sooner too and story wise, it also makes sense. There’s more of a reason for him to be a party member, considering some things you learn about him and the events of the game.
There were also some slight changes from the original at certain story beats. While I could see this bothering some people, I was generally fine with it. Again, I don’t want to get into spoiler territory so I won’t give examples, but certain story beats that were slightly altered were handled with care. In the same vein, they also fleshed out some characters’ backstories a bit more. It wasn’t anything major, but just little elements that helped round them out more.
The moments that remained the same were also just so well done, Barret and Nanaki’s especially. John Eric Bentley, the voice actor of Barret, was phenomenal when it came to Barret’s backstory/story line in Remake. He moved me to tears. That point in the original was emotional but seeing it so well acted, it became one of my favourite parts of the game. Even if you don’t plan on playing this game, you should look up some videos of his Corel scenes. It’ll be a disappointment if he’s not nominated for any awards because he should be. He just brought so much depth to Barret and he deserves to be recognised for doing so. As for Nanaki’s, his story beat was always my favourite part in the original. There are some lessons Nanaki learns when he goes back home but just to see it happen with today’s technology, another moment that moved me to tears.
Some of the new characters introduced in Remake also make a return, which was really nice to see. I’m glad they weren’t left behind in Midgar as while they were just NPCs, they did add flair to Remake, and continued to do so here.
We also got some new characters, some that made their appearances from the original, and some that came from other games in the Final Fantasy 7 series. This was another thing I really liked as the world and story of Final Fantasy 7 has gotten more fleshed out since the original’s release. It makes sense these characters would also appear in the Remake trilogy.
Finally, while I said I wasn’t going to get spoilery, I just wanted to mention one thing: the Gold Saucer 2nd date part in Chapter 12. I will be going back to see the rest of them, as I’ve only seen Tifa’s (and got the intimate one too) but they went above and beyond for this part. The beautiful opening dance sequence with a special guest (not saying who), then moving to a rendition of Loveless G with the whole cast and ending with a magical musical number. I, unsurprisingly, bawled my eyes out once this scene was done.
I also appreciated the goofiness from the original returning in Rebirth. I think a lot of people have this notion that Final Fantasy 7 is a serious game and while it can be, it’s also equally goofy. People have likely seen a gif of a polygon Nanaki from the OG standing on two legs and hopping around the deck of a ship or the scene at the Honey Bee Inn where a bunch of macho dudes in speedos join Cloud. That energy is in Rebirth and honestly, they dialed it up a notch. I was so here for it. The goofiness just added a special something, and in some moments, was a real bonding experience for the entire party as well as for recurring characters. There’s a moment with Rude, one of the Turks, in Junon that is very memorable and wasn’t in the original. It’s so silly and unexpected, but I was very there for it. It really rounds him out as a person, so you’re not just seeing his as an employee of Shinra but as a person who has interests outside of his job.
They also did a really excellent job of showing the bonds between characters outside of the party. There’s a specific group, known as the Turks, who are recurring characters throughout the series, and there’s a moment near the end where you could really feel they care for their boss, just outside of him being their boss. You can tell the group is tight knit and cares for one another.
While I could include the party mechanics in this portion as they do go together with the story, I’m going to make it its own section because I want to talk about it a bit more than just in terms of the story.
// PARTY MECHANICS
I just want to get this out of the way: PLEASE BRING BACK THE RELATIONSHIP MECHANIC IN THE FINAL GAME, SQUARE ENIX. I cannot overstate how much this added to the game. This was one of the things that appealed to me about the Persona series games as it allows you the opportunity to bond with your party just outside of story moments. Being able to do that in Rebirth really added something to the game as you watched each party member become close friends with Cloud. While a lot of this was done through the side quests, there were also moments when you were in cities where you could talk to each party members and depending on your answer to them, it would affect their relationship with Cloud.
Secondly, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted a game that allows you to travel with your entire party. Baldur’s Gate 3 allowed you to interact with everyone at camp. I did like this mechanic but after a while, I found myself interacting less and less with the people who I left behind at camp. I wasn’t able to build bonds with the other characters I didn’t have in my party at all times and I feel like the game would have benefited being able to travel with everyone and hearing everyone talking to each other while moving around the world. In Rebirth, that’s what you get. Everyone travels with you (albeit certain moments that are story scripted) at all times. Even if you’re not controlling some party members, they are still there fighting with you, running around the world with you. You can hear them bantering with each other as you travel around the world. They themselves naturally develop bonds with each other, not just Cloud, through these moments, and with you the player. I was already attached to these characters as I’ve played the original so many times, but it was through these moments and conversations, I was able to develop more love for them and made me care about them even more. I’ve seen similar sentiments online from other people who have played through Rebirth and the original, even from some people who may not have been attached to some of these characters before.
One good example is with Yuffie, who I’ve loved since the original. As previously mentioned, she didn’t have a very big role in the original game. INTERmission helped flesh her out as a character and Rebirth continued to do so by fleshing out her backstory more and giving her relevance through some of the story beats. They also fleshed her out through other moments in the game, like when she would banter with Barret and Cloud, her developing friendships with Tifa and Aerith, and most importantly, her singing random songs to different pieces of Final Fantasy 7 music, like her I am so bored song to her own theme or the riding on a chocobo song to the chocobo theme. They didn’t have to add that, but they did and it really helps round her out as a person, showing you she’s more than her obsession with getting materia.
Another way to improve your relationship with your party members is through Synergy abilities and skills. You’ll notice a notification in combat sometimes, saying your relationship has improved with so and so after using one. I don’t want to get too into these here though because I want to talk about them more in combat, so this is a good segue for that.
// COMBAT
Synergy was initially introduced in the INTERmission DLC with Yuffie and Sonan as it wasn’t initially in Remake. They’ve since improved on it from INTERmission, including two types: synergy abilities and synergy skills. Synergy abilities are team-up attacks you can initiate once your meter is at the required amount and can do a variety of things (some split your ATB bar into 3, some do damage and increase your limit break level, some do damage and give you unlimited MP for a limited time, some do damage and prolong the stagger condition). There’s a special animation for all of them, and while I’ve read some guides suggesting it’s best to switch to another character who isn’t involved in the ability to continue fighting, I’ve never done that as I like watching them. They just look really cool and some are kind of silly. Synergy skills aren’t as powerful as abilities, but they can be used more often. They both add a bit of flair to combat as you feel like you’re teaming up with each other to take down your foes. You unlock both abilities and skills in the Folio, which is Rebirth’s way of leveling up your characters stats. It’s very reminiscent of the Final Fantasy 10 sphere grid.
As for the actual combat, Remake’s combat returns. I enjoyed it in Remake and I still enjoy it here. I love being able to attack in real time but also open the menu and slow things down to take a few seconds to plan an attack. I also loved the new playable characters. Nanaki, Cait Sith and Yuffie were fun to control, with Yuffie becoming a permanent member of my party and the character I controlled the most. Her ability to both use her giant throwing star weapons to attack in melee but also throw it and use it from a distance, paired with elemental damage thanks to Ninjutsu. I’d use this a lot of the time over materia because casting spells took too long whereas I could easily change the element of Yuffie’s throwing star whenever I got a single ATB bar (which was rather fast because of her loadout). I did have some trouble with timing my blocks when it came to Nanaki, which is important because of his Vengeance ability (it builds faster when you time your blocks right so you take no damage), but the steadfast block materia did help.
// MINI-GAMES
There were so many damn mini-games in this game and that’s not even hyperbole either. I was already aware it was going to have some considering what this portion of the game covers but they included so much more than what was at the Gold Saucer. There’s about 24 in total, some that you can find at the Gold Saucer like the chocobo racing, G-Bike and 3D-Brawler (there’s more than these too) but others are littered around the world. One of the most surprising ones was Queen’s Blood, a card mini-game. It ended up having its own sub-plot that I was not expecting at all. I found myself wanting to do the matches as soon as I could just so I could discover what the hell was going on (and I did—so worth it).
My other favourite mini-game was the chocobo racing. I loved the inclusion of that in the original and spent so much time on it, trying to breed the gold chocobo to get Knights of the Round. The way it worked in the original was a bit more tricky, but they improved on it in Rebirth. It has more Mario Kart vibes now with gathering power-ups and obstacles (including also going off the track). I spent a lot of time doing the races and actually will go back and do more eventually. I liked that the gear you obtained for your birds came into play as they all had different abilities and would improve your stats differently. Even your birds have their own abilities and stats. Just very well thought out. The chocobo racing and Queen’s Blood could be their own games and I would play the shit out of them.
Some of them were rather frustrating though. Glide de Chocobo was the first one I got really frustrated with. It since got an update and I’ve heard the hit boxes for the targets now register properly, making it easy to do. They also don’t fully explain the whole dive to get air mechanic, which a lot of people, myself included, figured out on their own. I completed the first course to get Yuffie’s weapon but the last two I just got the first high score to finish the quest.
The other mini-game I had issues with was the piano. I was fine for all the songs but “Two Legs? Nothin’ to It”. It was the only song I could only get a B on—my highest score was 16300. There’s just too much going on for my brain to register at once and I get so confused as it goes on. . I spent hours trying and then I’d take a break and wouldn’t touch it again for a few days. I just ended up giving up because it didn’t matter all that much since it’s optional. I will have to try it again some day even I want to try for the platinum trophy since you need all As in the songs you can find to get the trophy for that. I’ve since spoken with other people who have played the game and have been total the notes are actually off, which is what’s making it confusing for your brain to register what is going on. Hopefully this gets updated.
To be fair, even though I didn’t enjoy all the mini-games, it doesn’t change my opinion of the game. They’re optional outside of having to do some for side quests, but you only have to beat the lowest score to do that. It may take you a few tries but I find that’s because it’s learning how the mini-games work versus just reading the tutorial. If you’re a trophy hunter, yes it can be more frustrating but I’m sure you’re used to that (I know I am from the platinums I’ve gotten). It’s very easy to just not do most of these if you’re struggling. I also recommend looking at guides or forums or even Reddit if you’re having trouble as that’s what I did when I was struggling with some. Some of the tips do really help.
I actually forgot to bitch about one. The fucking moogle mini game!!!! Oh my fucking GOD I hate these damn moogles!! AND I LOVE MOOGLES. But this mini game! Moogle Merchant, I’m sorry but you can collect your own mooglets. They’re hell spawns. The higher the mischief level, the higher their mischief and it got so frustrating near the end. “OVER HERE!” they say.
NO, GO AWAY, I SAY.
There is a pay-off for doing them at least but this was not my favourite part at all.
Speaking of side quests (hey look at me with another segue), that’s what’s up next! I’m going to actually include the world intel as well as the open world mechanics here since they kind of go together.
// SIDE QUESTS/WORLD INTEL/OPEN WORLD MECHANICS
Side quests return from Remake and they’ve been improved on. They have added more depth to each one by tying them to a party member. Your relationship with each member increases after the completion of each one. They gave you the opportunity to learn something about each member based on how they reacted to the problem—whether they wanted to help in earnest or just wanting to see how something went. The best side quests were the ones where you were following the dogs because they both had the best music, both the follow music and the battle music. I was singing the bow wow wow part for quite a while. Although these are also entirely optional, I recommend doing them anyway. The only one I didn’t do was the very last one as, quite frankly, I didn’t have the patience for it at the time. It’s something I can go back to at a later time.
World Intel is another type of side quest, with Chadley being the one you are doing this for. There are a few different types you’ll find yourself completing: the towers, which when you complete them, give you the location of other intel spots, combat intel (including a boss for each area), the protorelics, the treasure hunts, the lifesprings (which you give the locations of these treasure hunts) and the summon temples. This is sort of where it gets an Assassin’s Creed vibe with how Ubisoft handles their open world but I found that Square Enix handled it better. A lot of Assassin’s Creed open world activities feel like things you could do because it’s there but there’s no drive or purpose to complete them. Each of these intel locations you complete earns you something—combat earns you further combat challenges at Chadley’s simulator, which allows you to get more materia. Doing intel in the first places gives you points you need to buy materia Chadley already has on hand, which cannot be purchased at any of the stores. The lifesprings bring you to the treasure hunts which allows you to find transmuter chips to create new items like different types of potions and equipment (this is a new thing to Rebirth). The temples lower the difficulty level for the summon combat simulations, making it easier to obtain them. The protorelic is its own separate questline that has its own subplot and a worthy payoff in more than one instance (PLEASE DO THE COSMO CANYON ONES. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED, I PROMISE). I never felt like the payoff was worth it when I played through the open world Assasin’s Creed games.
I 100%ed the world intel, including the protorelic questline. I’m really happy I did as there’s a little something special for doing it. It gives reason to why Chadley has asked Cloud to do this, and considering the events of the game, it makes sense. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend either watching the cutscene online or completing the world intel including the protorelic questline. It won’t trigger otherwise.
To get around this massive world, which spans 8 different regions with 7 having some kind of world intel, there were a few diverse ways of doing so. One method was by chocobo and each region had a special ability each chocobo could do, mirroring the different colours from the original. I still don’t know how the Nibel chocobos get around exactly but it’s great and I love it. It’s probably my favourite chocobo traversal method.
Two other vehicles also appear and fans of the original may possibly recognise them. The first one you get I really liked and was a lot of fun to use. I may have gone off some cliffs sometimes just because I could.
Sorry Yuffie.
// VISUALS
I was playing on graphics mode as, for once, the performance mode seemed too fast for me (usually this is not the case). I didn’t really have an issue with the framerate on graphics, but there were some graphical issues that did come up while I played. Some of the textures on the assets could be low resolution at times, which also happened with Remake. It’s something that can be fixed later as Rebirth was, but it was something I did notice at times. The game also did suffer from some texture pop-ins, especially in the 4th region while you were in the open world. I also found the mountains were very low resolution in the 6th region. It didn’t ruin my experience, as I’ve played worse, but I think it’s still important to mention this so people are aware. Square Enix did release a patch to at least help people experiencing issues with performance mode, but as of the time this was written, the issues I experienced have not been fixed.
There was also some lighting issues. I know performance mode had it worse because Square Enix had to release a patch to fix the very scary shadows the characters got because of it, but graphics didn’t get a patch like that. I found it was less the shadows and sometimes things were just too bright and it diluted the character models a bit, making them look a bit flat. This was never a problem in the cutscenes and it more so came up while traversing around. I have some screenshots I took that show what I mean. Again, these aren’t like big massive things, but nothing is perfect.
I found the lip sync improved in Rebirth as did the facial animations. Square Enix’s cutscenes always impress but I found some of the outside cutscene conversations a little stiffy in Remake and the lip movements were just…off, even outside of the it being dubbed. Even the model’s mouths looked strange—it’s hard to explain but if you look up footage from Remake or have played it, you know what I mean. That’s not really present in Rebirth. I was playing at the same time as a few of my friends and one of them mentioned it was so hard to tell sometimes what was a cutscene and what wasn’t just from how good things looked outside of the cutscenes.
Some of the locations were also stunning. The lifesprings became one of my favourite intel quests just because I loved how they looked. They’d also play a version of Final Fantasy 7’s opening theme once you got to them. It was also just cool to see so many of these locations that were teeny tiny when I was a kid be developed into these massive cities or massive sprawling open locations that aren’t just an empty plot of land but filled with life outside of monsters (like you could see deer running around in some regions). They really took the time to grow out the world.
// MUSIC
The last thing I want to talk about is the music. Final Fantasy 7’s music has always held a special place in my heart because it was the first game score I listened to when I was a kid and it got me into video game music, and in turn, movie/tv scores. I was geeking out the entire time, picking up hints of the original pieces of music, such as the themes to various places or important pieces of music from the game. I can’t even begin to describe just how many different variations of the battle music you will hear throughout the entire game because there’s just so much.
The open world locations also have some of the best music. The 4th region you go to is one of my favourites and I’ve gone back to listen to it on YouTube because it’s just that good. They also have a variety of different themes for when you’re on choco-back. While I was always a fan of the chocobo theme that played while you were riding in the original, I know some people were not as it just continuously looped. I’m happy to report they did not go that direction in Rebirth. It does play at least the first time you get on your chocobo, and plays through once, only to go back to the world theme.
The piano pieces for the songs you can play are simply beautiful. I was crying while trying to play one of them (how many times have I mentioned this game has made me cry?? There’s times I haven’t even mentioned because that’s spoiler territory!) just from how pretty it was.
I own Remake’s soundtrack and am looking forward to when Rebirth’s drops as I got to have it.
// CONCLUSION
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, to put it simply, slaps. It’s easily my game of the year. The story is great, I got to build bonds with these characters not just through cutscenes but through the side quests I took with them, the fights we fought in and the conversations we had. Also I cannot overstated how amazing it was just to travel *everywhere* with my whole party. You feel more like a cohesive unit and you’re able to form attachments to characters that you don’t even use because of it. I actually give a shit about all of them because of it. No one has taken a back seat because they’re just off somewhere because I’m not using them.
There were some flaws like some of the mini games and the graphical issues I previously mentioned, but it doesn’t ultimately tarnish my opinion of the game, unlike, say, if you asked me about Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
It’s going to be a long wait for the final installment. I’m hoping maybe we’ll get another DLC installment like we did with Yuffie to hold us over until the last part, maybe with Vincent or Cid. If we don’t, I’m okay with that too.
I don’t know what’s going to happen but I can’t wait to find out.
Until then, I’m going to come up with 50 million theories on what the hell is happening. Maybe I’ll even do a more spoiler version of this with some of my theories in the future….
