Released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII is hailed by many as one of the best-made video games of all time. It is a cultural phenomenon, and continues to captivate millions of gamers worldwide, through the game itself, several spin-off titles, an orchestral score, and its own feature-length film.
So when developers Square Enix announced plans to revisit the game in a brand new trilogy, many were apprehensive. Meddling with perfection is a risky business, after all.
Thankfully for fans, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is an utterly spellbinding game from start to finish. It manages to pay the ultimate homage to its source material, taking you on an exhilarating journey that reignites your love for the world and its characters. All the while, Rebirth bravely takes risks in the storyline to make a name for itself.
Make no mistake, this is the game of your childhood, but with a difference. Jaw-dropping visuals, never-before-heard dialogue, and beautifully executed gameplay bring this piece of gaming history into the modern era, preserving all of its magic in the process.
A spoiler-free look at Rebirth's story
As the second instalment in the trilogy, Rebirth takes place at a time when the world is, quite frankly, a mess. There’s a war on the horizon between Shinra and Wutai, and the devastation of the Midgar Slums being crushed is made all the worse when Cloud Strife and his friends are blamed.
As wanted fugitives, they travel around the world trying to escape the clutches of Shinra, while Aerith, as the last remaining race of Cetra, begins to learn the role she must play in saving the planet from future destruction.
All the while, Cloud is piecing together the motives of the game’s true villain, Sephiroth, looking for answers about their shared history, eerie connection, and the mental degradation Cloud is slowly succumbing to.
What makes Rebirth new and exciting is that this time around, the sinister Sephiroth demonstrates an almost omnipotent knowledge of his fate. Like events in the previous game, he actively tries to influence events in his favour.
In this way, familiar stories and events of Final Fantasy VII, which we all know and love and may feel protective over, can be reimagined with subtle changes, brand-new supporting content, or complete plot overhauls.
This gives rise to the potentially controversial nature of Rebirth, as so much of the original’s game storylines are contained within its scope, including the fate of Aerith, one of the seismic events in all of gaming history.
So, do fans have anything to be worried about?
While I won’t spoil any specific changes you’ll encounter, as a lifelong fan of the original, I will say this – I loved everything the game threw at me. Rebirth doesn’t threaten the purity or essence of the original story – rather, it enhances and embraces it.
Every new twist feels purposeful and offers a fresh perspective for fans to dissect. Events along the story will have your mouth ajar, catching you off-guard in the best possible way. That said, Rebirth can ask even more questions than it answers. Story theorists will have unlimited ammunition trying to imagine what could possibly happen next for Cloud and company.
The enormous open world of Rebirth is realized
Part of Final Fantasy VII’s charm was its amazing worldbuilding. So many locations made lasting impressions on gamers through the years. With Rebirth, your fondest memories will be transformed even more.
From the military outpost of Junon with its towering canon to the destitute wastelands of Corel, to the tranquil peaks of Cosmo Canyon, the wild jungles of Gongaga, and the craggy peaks of Nibel, each biome or hub in Rebirth is itself an endless sea of exploration.
Old characters and locations promise entirely new experiences. Sure, you might think you’re familiar with an area before visiting, but seeing the game with these visuals and hearing the dialogue spoken for the first time will help recapture the magic of playing it for the first time. And the music is simply astounding, with thrt soundtrack becoming as much a storyteller of the game as anything else.
Regions are not static, point-and-click adventures either, but are alive and interactive. You’ll find yourself searching the ins and outs of every shack, every tent, and every crevice just to cover every bit of lore the game could potentially throw at you.
All the while, you’ll bear witness to the sheer destruction and devastation Shinra inflicts on the planet. Broken machinery, abandoned towns, polluted citizens, and absolute squalor are found all over the world and bring to the forefront that the planet is on borrowed time. Mysteriously cloaked men, all scrambling around the world looking for their ‘reunion,’ are found at all corners and help connect each region into one bigger location.
That said, as crucial as the main questline might feel, there’s always time to ride a Chocobo and discover something off the beaten track. Minigames are found virtually everywhere, ranging from the iconic Chocobo Racing and Fort Condor games, to the new card game Queen’s Blood and much more.
Concentrating solely on story quests will rob you of some of the game’s most memorable stories and charm. Instead, check the notice board frequently for new side-quests and reactivae each region’s communication towers early, to see what points of interest you can explore.
The party just keeps getting bigger
Characters are at the heart of every great Final Fantasy game. And Rebirth is no exception. The game promises brand new party members to learn and play alongside staples like Cloud, Barret, Tifa, and Aerith, who remain relatively unchanged from the previous game.
Red XIII comes equipped with a unique ‘Vengeance’ mode, allowing him to take damage and dish it back tenfold. Yuffie now becomes a canon member of the party, and comes packed with a full arsenal of ninja abilities. Your eyes will never quick be able to focus on her lightning speed around the battlefield.
And then there’s Cait Sith, a robotic cat with a thick Scottish accent, who is easily the franchise’s zaniest and polarizing character. Controlling him as he’s running around with his trusty megaphone or while riding atop a giant Moogle is just a level of the chaos Rebirth needed to bring to the battlefield.
Like the previous remake, the leveling system is as easy or complex as you want, and strategists will revel in the copious ways of developing character playstyles, allowing you to focus on developing special niche roles, equipping and linking particular material for unique results, or simply giving everyone a little bit of everything – just in case.
Characters can now synergize with one another throughout a battle to perform outlandish cinematic moves that offer buffs or enormous damage. Building your combos to unlock and execute these moves will help ensure you survive some of the game’s most demanding fights.
Switching characters and teams between fights is effortless, allowing you to mix it up whenever and if ever you fancy. Idle characters follow you everywhere you go on screen and even on the sidelines of battles, throwing the odd auto attack into the fray for added spectacle. Shared EXP gains mean you’re never penalized for sticking to your favourites in this game.
Signature villains are back with a bang
But what are great heroes without great villains? Thankfully, Rebirth uses the game’s wide arsenal of evil to sate your appetite for drama. President Rufus, Scarlet, Hojo, and the Turks all make exciting returns to the screen, reminding you that while the events of Midgar may well be in the rear mirror, the enemies you made are still keen on tormenting you.
Rebirth allows for some poetic license on boss fights, which now promise multiple stages, new mechanics to learn, and superb cut-scenes to convince you that you’re watching a feature-length movie instead of a video game.
But all of these pale in comparison to the one and only Sephiroth. And it’s in Rebirth that we learn the true extent of his power, his ambition, and his corruption. His relationship with Cloud and Aerith and the cat-and-mouse game you play with him across the world set the game’s momentum to an all-time high.
You need only see the fall of a single black feather in the background of a scene to get instant chills – and remember that Sephiroth is well and truly in control over the entire game.
Feel the might of fearsome foes in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth with immersive PS5 haptics 🐍
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) February 23, 2024
Square Enix devs explain how the RPG sequel harnesses DualSense controller tech: https://t.co/D1Wjn8VkL5 pic.twitter.com/Lw8RUZMunl
Conclusion
Final Fantasy Rebirth is a ground-breaking entry into the Final Fantasy pantheon, paying homage to the source material while bravely carving its own path forward.
The simplest of scenes will invoke a myriad of nostalgia for fans. No matter how familiar you are with the original game, nothing will prepare you for experiencing the much-loved story in this new, modern way.
Whether it’s the fast-paced combat, that signature orchestral soundtrack, or the twists and turns the plot will unexpectedly throw at you, your time exploring the length and breadth of Gaia will be extraordinary.
For newcomers who want to see what the fuss is about, I would recommend playing the original game before tackling Rebirth. Though almost thirty years old, it is a timeless experience that will equip you with all the background you need to appreciate the risks this game is willing to take.
It may only be the end of February, but a major contender for Game of the Year 2024 has already arrived.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is available on PlayStation 5 on February 29th. A demo containing Nibelheim and the Junion region is available to play now.
