Final Fantasy VII Rebirth | PS5 Review

Sharing my thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth might be the most daunting piece of writing I’ve had to attempt this year. When I reviewed Remake back in 2020, I gave it a perfect score. It was exactly what I wanted in a modern take on arguably one of the most famous video games of all time. Now that I’ve worked my way through the second act, Rebirth, I’m positively torn. It’s a vastly superior experience on so many levels. The combat is improved, the reimagined soundtrack makes the memorable moments even more impactful, and the relationships between characters are stronger than ever. Yet I didn’t give it the coveted “10 out of 10” this time around. Why is that? Part of me wonders if I had expectations for repeated perfection that made me scrutinize this chapter more now that the novelty of Final Fantasy VII‘s remake being a reality has worn off. As much as I adore Rebirth, it’s not quite a flawless victory. I’ll leave it up to you whether that’s a fault of mine or that of Square Enix.

Act II, Scene 1

It feels odd to have to dance around spoilers for a story that was first told in 1997. I’ve often been criticized for avoiding discussing the massive twist in Final Fantasy VII that my co-host refers to as the “No, I am your father” of video games. Look, if you know what I’m talking about, then you know. But the burning question that’s been lingering in many of our minds is whether or not that huge event still takes place. Thanks to some creative liberties taken in Remake with the familiar story, anything could happen at this point. And I was dripping with anticipation to find out what transpires in this arc of this beloved narrative.

When we last left Cloud and company, they faced off against Sephiroth just outside of Midgar after an exciting chase sequence. After escaping, the troupe has a chance to catch their breath. During this time, Cloud takes the opportunity to share with his friends the events that transpired in his hometown years ago. After all, Tifa is really the only other one who was there to see it, so the team needs some clarification about their enemy. This flashback sequence is playable as we witness a young Cloud heading to Nibelheim with his mentor, Sephiroth. And we are introduced to the first “replay” of very familiar scenes from the original game.

From that point on, the story’s main plot centers around tracking down Sephiroth and stopping him from destroying the planet. That’s more of the bookends of the narrative, however, as a good portion of the meat of the story revolves around learning about our beloved characters. Some moments are familiar, others are in an unexpected order. But the sheer joy I had witnessing iconic moments from the late 90s with modern sensibilities took my breath away. Every scene is handled impeccably, and not just because of the technical prowess of the PS5 over the original PlayStation. Dialogue beats make more sense, and there’s genuine emotion portrayed in facial expressions and through voice. We all had to use our imaginations to fill in the gaps while playing Final Fantasy VII back in the day. Rebirth gives us a projection of what our mind’s eye saw, and I’m so thankful I was able to experience it.

Creating Bonds

I know I should move on to talk about the game’s mechanic’s, but I need to address more of the character interactions involved here. Although the protagonists of the story were introduced in Remake, they’re given even more life in Rebirth. In most narrative devices, character development takes place predominantly in the first act. We witness our heroes getting to know each other before they start on their journey towards an overwhelming threat. That certainly took place in 2020, but it takes a far deeper turn with the latest chapter.

One of the more impressive feats that Rebirth pulls off is in its way to grow relationships between individual characters instead of just the group as a whole. Cloud can accept side quests along the way that are focused particularly on one of his allies. If you complete these quests, your bond with that character grows. It’s a beautiful sight to behold seeing familiar faces have real moments that mean something despite the impending doom threatening their very existence. It makes completing these tasks a joy instead of a chore. It even made one of my co-hosts grow to love a character that he previously despised.

Speaking of Yuffie, she’s not the only new addition to the crew. Sure, she made her appearance in Intermission after Remake‘s initial release, but we also get Cait Sith as a playable character. While I was not expecting his voice to sound the way it does, it fit better than I would have imagined. Vincent and Cid also make appearances, although sadly neither of them are playable. I’m assuming we’ll just have to wait for the finale to be able to experience that. But it was a lot of fun to see them again.

Let’s not forget Zack, a more minor character in the original that takes a more important role here. His presence is clouded in mystery throughout the game, but his arc burned my curiosity all the way through the end. He was a huge reason why I wanted to push the story forward as much as possible. I still feel like I have more questions than answers, but my hope is that the landing sticks in Act III.

A Nearly Blissful Experience

There’s so much to unpack with the gameplay in Rebirth. The combat somehow manages to be even more utterly enjoyable with every encounter. There have been so many tweaks to the formula that improve the quality of gameplay. I truly have no idea how they’re going to top it with Reunion. (OK, we don’t know if that’s the official title, but come on.)

The action/turn-based hybrid returns, but with some extras that give you plenty more options to take out your foes. For starters, there’s the folios. These act as individual skill trees for each character. Admittedly, I really didn’t like this RPG element at all. Most of the options overwhelmed me more than actually making me feel more powerful. The one benefit I appreciated was the ability system. As you progress, you’re able to unlock elemental abilities that don’t expend MP or require materia to be attached to your gear. This means you still have options to exploit weaknesses with a party member that initially isn’t equipped to do so. They might not be as powerful as their magic-infused counterparts, but they do more damage than regular attacks.

One of the other larger changes in this chapter is the addition of an open world as opposed to the more linear path in the last game. That’s not to say the entire planet is open to you. You’ll discover new hubs the further you progress in the story, but each one has its own fog of war that is a ton of fun explore. You’ll even have to climb towers to discover new locations on the map. For a hot minute, I felt like I was playing a Ubisoft game. What’s nice is that you have the option to clear the map if you want, but it’s not necessary. The rewards are great, however, and the side missions I mentioned above are well worth your time if you love these characters as much as I do.

Fancy a Mini Game?

I know that Final Fantasy VII had its fair share of mini games. Who can forget the pull-up challenge or the many arcade games available at the Gold Saucer? Rebirth takes that mentality and cranks it up to eleven. Nearly everything you do revolves around a mini game. While most are quick bursts that don’t take very long, some stop the narrative to a screeching halt. Even discovering random collectibles on the map includes a quick QTE or clever game mechanic. I appreciate the variety, but I’d prefer if more of them weren’t mandatory.

If you’re an “enquiring minds need to know” type of person when it comes to narrative, these roadblocks are often frustrating. I’m in the camp of people who actually like Queen’s Blood, the game’s card game. What I didn’t like was being forced to play in a tournament that required something like five or six rounds of gameplay in order to move the story forward.

The overabundance of extras to do in Rebirth may have been a glorious dream when I was a kid and had nothing but time on my hands. Back then, I did those activities to prolong the life of a game I had saved up for after several months. Unfortunately, this time around I completed all of the objectives in the first area and then moved on only to complete story-related side quests. If you know anything about my gameplay habits, this was a hard rule for me to break.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Final Verdict

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the reason I play as many games as I do. I’m forever seeking the occasional high that so few games are able to provide as they did in my younger years when my mind was full of wonder, free from the negativity of adulthood. Is it perfect? No. The open world could use some tweaks, particularly when traversing with a chocobo. They’ve somehow made Chadley even more annoying than before. And yes, the mini games are almost too much. But none of that kept me from an experience that I won’t soon forget. The last game in this trilogy might be my most anticipated game of the century, but this RPG more than satisfies my craving for a universe I love. Thank you to all those involved for providing me with equal parts nostalgia and fresh experiences that will be burned into my brain for years to come.

To hear me talk more about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, be sure to listen to our March 6th podcast episode around the 41:36 time stamp.

This review is based on a purchased PlayStation 5 copy of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It is exclusive to this platform.