Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Review

Summary

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a monumental sequel that revitalizes the classic game with stunning open-world regions, enriched side content, and a revamped combat system featuring Synergy abilities. The game's ambition to create a new timeline, while occasionally convoluted, offers a fresh perspective on a beloved story. Despite a complex ending, Rebirth's emotional depth and character development, enhanced by modern tech and voice acting, make it a compelling and impactful journey that resonates with fans and newcomers alike.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a reimagining that surpasses expectations, offering a fresh take on a beloved game with new mechanics and open-world regions.
• 🎮 The game's combat system is enhanced with new mechanics like Synergy abilities, making battles more strategic and rewarding.
• 🌍 The overworld is divided into open regions that are rich in side content, providing a deeper exploration of familiar places.
• 🌱 The game emphasizes environmental preservation, showing the world's struggle to survive the effects of Mako energy.
• 📈 The progression system includes 'folios' that unlock perks and abilities, adding another layer to character development.
• 🤝 Synergy skills allow for dynamic combat, with party members working together to exploit enemy weaknesses.
• 👾 New and returning characters, like Red 13 and Yuffie, bring variety to the party, each with unique abilities and playstyles.
• 🃏 The inclusion of a card game, Queen's Blood, adds a fun and engaging side activity with its own story.
• 🎭 The narrative is a mix of heart-wrenching drama and lighthearted moments, balancing the game's tone effectively.
• 🔮 The game's conclusion is ambitious but somewhat convoluted, dealing with alternate timelines and leaving some aspects undefined.

Q & A

What is the player's reaction to the possibilities presented at the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake?

The player feels overwhelmed with a yearning and excitement for the seemingly infinite possibilities of what could come next.

How does Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's combat system differ from the original game?

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth introduces new mechanics and party members, making the combat system fresh and intricate.

What is the significance of the open regions in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

The open regions in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth are full of enjoyable side content, enriching places the player thought they knew well.

How does the game's theme of environmental preservation manifest in the game world?

The game world shows a planet barely hanging on due to the destructive effects of Mako energy, reinforcing the theme of environmental preservation.

What is the role of the new progression system called 'Folios' in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

Folios is an additional progression system that unlocks perks and abilities for each character, enhancing the gameplay experience.

How do Synergy abilities and Synergy skills impact the combat in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

Synergy abilities and skills complement the combat system by filling gaps and making party members work in tandem, adding flexibility and strategy.

What challenges do players face with the new enemy mechanics in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

Some enemies move at high speeds, challenging the player's ability to keep up with the targeting system and manage combat effectively.

How does the card game 'Queen's Blood' contribute to the game's experience?

Queen's Blood is an outstanding addition that offers smart design and an entire Side Story, providing hours of engaging gameplay.

What is the impact of the game's open regions on the main story's focus?

The open regions can sometimes cause a loss of focus on the main story due to the numerous diversions, which might detract from the game's initial urgency.

How does Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth balance its tone between darkness and sorrow with moments of levity?

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth strikes a delicate tonal balance, allowing for moments of levity and humor while still addressing the game's darker themes.

What are the player's thoughts on the execution of the game's conclusion?

The player feels that the conclusion is convoluted and undefined, which lessens its impact, despite the potential for a powerful narrative.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: A Reimagined Masterpiece

The script discusses the impact of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, highlighting the game's ability to exceed expectations by redefining the combat mechanics and expanding the open-world experience. The game's narrative is described as compelling and emotionally resonant, with a focus on environmental themes and character development. The script praises the game's side content, which enriches the familiar settings and provides a more immersive experience. Despite some narrative complexities, the game is celebrated for its depth and the emotional journey it offers.

05:01

🎮 Engaging Combat and Mini-Games in Rebirth

This paragraph delves into the combat system of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, emphasizing the strategic depth and the addition of Synergy abilities that enhance the gameplay experience. The introduction of a card game, Queen's Blood, is highlighted as a standout feature with its own engaging side story. The narrative also addresses the pacing issues and occasional gameplay lulls but ultimately concludes that these minor issues do not detract from the overall enjoyment and emotional depth of the game.

10:05

🌍 A Vast and Vivid World: Exploring Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

The final paragraph of the script focuses on the expansive and detailed world of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which is filled with mini-games, side quests, and optional activities that contribute to a rich and immersive experience. The game's ending is critiqued for its complexity and lack of clarity, but the overall journey is praised for its emotional impact and reflection on life's complexities. The script concludes by acknowledging the game's ability to resonate with players and its standing as a significant part of the Final Fantasy legacy.

Keywords

💡Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth refers to the sequel to the game 'Final Fantasy 7 Remake'. It is a continuation of the story that was reimagined in the 2020 release. The script describes it as a game that 'left me overwhelmed with a yearning I had really felt from a game before', indicating the high expectations and emotional investment players have in this sequel. The game is noted for its 'impeccable combat' and 'gorgeous open regions', suggesting a rich and immersive gaming experience.

💡Open Regions

Open regions in the context of the script refer to the game's design where players can explore vast, detailed environments that are part of the game world. The script mentions that 'splitting the Originals over world into gorgeous open regions full of enjoyable side content enriches places I thought I knew so well', highlighting how the open-world design enhances the player's experience by providing a sense of depth and discovery.

💡Synergy Abilities

Synergy Abilities are special cooperative attacks in the game that involve party members working together to execute powerful moves. The script describes them as 'powerful partner attacks that lay on heavy damage and can grant bonuses', emphasizing their significance in combat strategy and the depth they add to the gameplay mechanics.

💡Folios

Folios are an additional progression system in the game that unlocks perks and abilities for each character. The script mentions that 'nearly every task rewards you with XP for your party level to advance and an additional progression system called Folios', indicating that Folios are a layer of character customization and growth that adds complexity to the game's leveling system.

💡Pressure and Stagger Systems

These are combat mechanics in the game that push players to understand and strategize their actions in fights. The script states that 'the returning pressure and stagger systems once again push you towards understanding Combat on a deeper level', suggesting that these mechanics require players to think tactically about their moves and the timing of their attacks.

💡Queen's Blood

Queen's Blood is a card game within the game world of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The script describes it as 'an outstanding addition that had me seeking hours into it', indicating that it is a compelling mini-game that adds variety and depth to the overall gaming experience.

💡Environmental Preservation

Environmental preservation is a theme within the game's narrative, as mentioned in the script with 'reinforcing the ongoing theme of environmental preservation and that this is a planet worth fighting for'. This theme is woven into the game's story, making it not just a backdrop but an integral part of the game's message and world-building.

💡Mako Energy

Mako Energy is a fictional energy source in the Final Fantasy universe, and the script refers to it as 'the destructive effect of Mako energy'. It is a central element in the game's world, often associated with the exploitation of the planet's resources and the ecological consequences that follow.

💡Red 13

Red 13 is a character in the game, and the script mentions that 'the finally playable Red 13 can turn defense into offense with his Vengeance stance and fast Combos'. This indicates that Red 13 has unique abilities and playstyle, contributing to the diversity of character options and combat strategies available to players.

💡Defying Fate

Defying fate is a thematic element in the game's narrative, as the script suggests with 'rebuilding Final Fantasy 7 story for a new generation has also come along with the theme of defying your supposed fate'. This theme is explored through the game's plot and characters, offering players a story that challenges predestination and encourages agency.

Highlights

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth offers seemingly infinite possibilities, leaving players overwhelmed with excitement.

The game's combat is revamped with new mechanics and party members, enhancing the player experience.

The original game world is split into open regions, enriching familiar places with enjoyable side content.

The game's ambition to create a new timeline can be both inspiring and overly complex.

The game's environmental theme reinforces the ongoing message of environmental preservation.

Exploring each region's survival despite Mako energy's destructive effects is a powerful narrative element.

The game's world map embraces modern open-world design conventions, including activating towers for map tasks.

Side stories uplift the game's human element, making players feel more connected to the world.

The game introduces a new progression system called 'folios' that unlocks perks and abilities for each character.

Synergy abilities and skills add depth to the combat system, making battles more strategic and rewarding.

The game's returning cast fights with the same vigor as in the remake, with new enemies and mechanics adding variety.

The game's card game, Queen's Blood, is an outstanding addition with a compelling side story.

The game's main story is heart-wrenching and compelling, though it takes time to come into focus.

The game's open regions and diversions can sometimes lose the threat of the main mission's urgency.

The game's tonal balance is impressive, capturing both darkness and sorrow while maintaining charm.

The game's writing, while cheesy at times, contains genuine messages about life and friendship.

The game's theme of defying fate is powerful, though the execution of the new timeline can be convoluted.

The game's ending, while flawed, offers sobering messages about letting go and accepting life's end.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth stands out as thrilling and impactful, despite some flaws in its reimagining.

Transcripts

standing on the edge of midgar's

expressway at the end of Final Fantasy 7

remake the seemingly infinite

possibilities of what could come next

left me overwhelmed with a yearning I

had really felt from a game before so in

several ways Final Fantasy 7 rebirth is

my wildest imagination made manifest its

impeccable combat is made fresh again

with clever new mechanics and party

members and splitting The Originals over

world into gorgeous open regions full of

enjoyable side content enriches places I

thought I knew so well that lets this

reimagining once again stand as both a

stunning reconstruction of a game I've

cherished since 1997 as well as an

interesting new interpretation of it

however rebirths continuing ambition to

create a new timeline for Final Fantasy

7 can bounce between onsp spiring and

overly convoluted that's left me

conflicted about parts of the execution

of that new Direction but after spending

more than 80 hours to finish the the

main story and a decent chunk of side

content there's no denying that rebirth

is an amazing journey despite that and

one I'll remember fondly as a eagerly

anticipate the third Act of this rebuild

of Final Fantasy 7 very

good fill your Hollow

heart with

rage as soon as I stepped foot onto the

grasslands the first of six regions that

makeup rebirth I was stunned by its

impressive scale the cut scene

introducing the reformed Overworld shows

aith taking in the beauty of a natural

world she'd never seen before only to

have red 13 remind us that this world is

still dying from the inside but in

reality it's barely hanging

on reinforcing the ongoing theme of

environmental preservation and that this

is a planet worth fighting for there's

something powerful in exploring each

corner of these regions just to see how

they've clung on to life and spite of

the destructive effect of Mako energy

and there are stories to be told in the

breathtaking views alone and there it

was the first step on our new journey of

course a game this massive also comes

with a somewhat intimidating world map

that has embraced many modern open world

design conventions that includes

activating Towers to Mark tasks on your

map but rebirth manages to transcend

that well-worn Trope as I went from

region to region connecting with people

and helping with their struggles I often

found compelling little side stories

that uplift its human

element the more I peeled back the

layers of all the activities that fill

these zones the more engrossed I got in

clearing every icon I could SEO was in

midgar we fought him whatever happened

he's alive but why come back

now nearly every task rewards you with

XP for your party level to advance an

additional progression system called

folios which unlocks perks and abilities

for each character the biggest additions

are Synergy abilities powerful partner

attacks that lay on heavy damage and can

grant bonuses like extending stagger

Windows filling the limit break bar or

temporarily negating all MP

costs you'll also access Synergy skills

that can be used on the fly to make

combat more flexible a favorite of mine

was having Barrett launch Tia into the

air to get her within melee range of

flying

enemies synergies complement an already

intricate combat system by filling gaps

in the action making the combat loot

more complete and having party members

work in tandem is always Charming to see

run like a

tooo the returning pressure and stagger

systems once again push you towards

understanding Combat on a deeper level

since stronger enemies won't go down

through simple button mashing having the

Tactical foresight to orchestrate an

offensive push that exploits an enemy's

specific vulnerabilities and the skill

necessary to execute it all is so

rewarding and the pressure of aggressive

unforgiving opponents really makes you

work for those satisfying moments and

stay on surprise

thanks so much for everything while the

returning cast all fight just as they

did in remake new enemies and mechanics

encourage you to bring out more in your

party members yui can be an absolute

Menace now with a party around her and a

full game to build out her skill set

standing out as the most dynamic

character of the

bunch the finally playable red 13 can

turn defense into offense with his

Vengeance stance and fast Combos and

destructive abilities like Stardust Ray

can make short work of enemies you're

ruin constantly switching between

characters and setting them up to play

their parts offers both a constant

Variety in the momentto moment action

and the satisfaction of playing the

field General

now however at times there was a little

dissonance between how your party

functions and what the enemy is capable

of doing certain foes zip around the

battlefield at such high speeds that

even the targeting system has trouble

keeping up and getting constantly

knocked back or caught in multi-hit

combos is an occasional annoyance

thankfully these brief moments of

frustration never overshadow The Soaring

Heights rebirths combat reaches with

enough practice preparation and wits

even the hardest battles are a thrill to

conquer

it unironically some of the best battles

are actually in the new card game

Queen's blood it's an outstanding

addition that had me seeking hours into

it not only is it smartly designed

there's an entire Side Story that builds

up around it as you progress exploring

the origins of Queen's blood itself and

going in some wild and unpredictable

directions you won't want to

miss while the larger story rebirth

tells is a heart-wrenching and

compelling one it does take a while for

it to initially come into Focus after

opening with the hard hitting flashback

of the tragedy at neheim Cloud anda's

Hometown you'll spend a lot of time

getting acquainted with the flow of the

open regions and they many diversions in

between a handful of critical plot

points by frontloading a lot of those

diversions in Min games it can lose the

threat of what cloud and the Gang were

even supposed to be doing in the first

place don't get me wrong many of these

activities are a joy in their own right

and a few of them make for memorable

moments of levity but a little restraint

could have helped keep the focus on the

parts I cared about most for as cool as

the junon marching miname and the

Queen's blood matches are there's also

the occasional slow paced crate moving

puzzle or a stealth section to unlock a

Region's chocoo to bog down the

momentum that said these are ultimately

small blemishes on what is largely a

fantastic revision of Final Fantasy 7

and if anything the more robust Mini

Games capture just how goofy the PS1

classic always was and leading into that

absurdism works wonders for staying true

to its identity rebirth manages to

strike a delicate tonal balance as well

which is impressive for a story full of

darkness and sorrow the planet's very

existence is is at risk with shinra's

destructive nature and seph's calamitous

Ambitions looming the smoke rising from

the rubble is reminiscent of a funeral P

Cloud himself is a Broken Man an

unreliable narrator and a complicated

protagonist and in the highest Fidelity

of modern tech his slight but telling

mannerisms speak as loud as anything he

said in the original script nearly every

party member has their moment to shine

in this Arc of Final Fantasy 7 and

through impeccable cinematic stylings

and top tier voice performances the cast

teetering between hope and despair is on

Full display sorry we're

late for the love of where the hell have

you two be on a date be's backstory was

already Unforgettable but there's a

newfound authenticity to the struggles

he faces and painful resolutions that

await

him those modern qualities along with

the reimagined script give additional

depth to Red 13 and round him out as a

more complete character too aith becomes

an emotional leader and the relationship

between her and Tifa grows stronger and

more believable as they confide in each

other and bear the brunt of Cloud's

baggage so did something happen between

you and

Tifa rebirth is often cheesy in its

writing and Revels in its melod drama

but that's part of its charm inside the

cloying displays of friendship and the

theatrical pleas to protect the planet

are undeniably genuine messages about

how we carry ourselves in our own lives

that tone lets this particular brand of

storytelling strike a cord as

effectively as it does elevating rebirth

above many of its contemporaries we're

taking

off rebuilding Final Fantasy 7 story for

a new generation has also come along

with the theme of defying your supposed

fate which was made explicit toward the

end of remake with the convergence of

alternate timelines affecting each other

but while this new take on the classic

story has the potential to be equally as

powerful it pains me to say that rebirth

fumbles the execution avoiding any

spoilers The events of its conclusion

and the ensuing aftermath are portrayed

in a way that is both convoluted and

undefined robbing it of its impact it's

a case of trying to do too much without

the connective tissue to bring it all

together cryptic messages and nuanced

meanings can be well and good but

sometimes stories have to speak plainly

about what is actually happening and

rebirth does not when it needs to most

but even with the messy delivery of its

conclusion some of the new scenes

surrounding that finale do offer

sobering messages about G letting go and

the acceptance of life's eventual end

These Quiet Moments encourage a

different kind of reflection that the

original wasn't able to touch on how we

make sense of our lives and our place in

a world full of tragedy is a complicated

and messy Endeavor that seems full of

contradictions and rebirth makes that

fittingly clear so even though the New

Path these remakes are trying to forge

is both fascinating and flawed Final

Fantasy 7 Story Once Again manages to

hold a poignant mirror up to our own

world 27 years later the life's

dream it is the very essence of our

star the blood coursing through its

planetary

veins Final Fantasy 7 rebirth

impressively builds off of what remakes

set in motion as both a best-in-class

action RPG full of exciting challenge in

depth and as an awe inspiring Recreation

of a world that has meant so much to so

many for so long after 82 hours to

finish the main story and complete a

decent chunk of side quests and optional

activities there's still so much to be

done making this pivotal section of the

original feel absolutely massive mini

gamees side quests and other enticing

diversions fill the spaces of its vast

and sprawling regions painting a new and

more Vivid picture of these familiar

locations but more than just being

filled with things to do rebirth is

often a powerful representation of Final

Fantasy 7's most memorable qualities it

does fumble the execution of its ending

getting caught up in the mess of its

multiple twisting timelines but new

moments and the overarching Journey

managed to evoke a deeper sense of

reflection in spite of that so for as

flawed as parts of how this classic has

been reimagined might be rebirth still

stands out as something both thrilling

and unexpectedly impactful still

alive

miraculously yeah for more on the wave

of great RPGs to hit early 2024 be sure

to check out our review of like a dragon

infinite wealth and my review of Persona

3 reload and for everything else stick

with IGN I will reclaim our world

[Applause]

[Music]