Final Fantasy VII Rebirth does a great job of retelling one of the all time greats in the JRPG genre. It keeps a lot of the story the same but expands on it as well as adding a few extra layers. As always I split my reviews into 3 categories, Story, Characters, and Gameplay with story getting the most weight
Story 10/10
If they had just done nothing but retell this portion of the original, I would have probably given it a 9. But, for me, the additions to the story, the extra layers, and all of the parts that today's technology allows the story teller to illustrate that the 90's technology doesn't just brings this story to it's perfection. You pick up right after the remake (which I strongly suggest you play first as well as integrade dlc) where Cloud and his companions are headed out into the world to try and track down Sephiroth. I'll be honest, the story takes a while to get going. However, it's not a huge detriment because of how quickly the world opens up and you are handed so many fun things to do and to explore. If you've played the 90's version you know where the story is supposed to go. The story progression reminds me A LOT of FFX which happens to be my favorite video game of all time. You get the feeling this is a sad story but you don't quite know why (if you haven't played the 90's version that is). The story is fantastic all around. If I had to knock it at all, I would say that sometimes the overall "silliness" of the game can be a little off putting. Maybe that's just me being 20 years older than I was when I played the original VII. That being said, this isn't enough to detract from the overall greatness that is the crux of the FFVII story.
Characters 10/10
There isn't much to say here. If you know anything about final fantasy, you know these characters. The development that you see in these characters is astounding. Watching Barret deal with his terrible past, Aerith coming to terms with her destiny, Red XIII finding out who he is, Cait Sith, wrestling with his allegiances, Tifa trying to figure out Cloud and what that means for her, and Yuffie just growing up in general. You get the feeling these characters are truly in it together and you are right there with them. Sephiroth has always been amazing...and he still is here. The new twist on Shinra is fantastic as well. Cloud is....well Cloud. He's probably the dullest character out of all of them but he's supposed to be. He's barely there a lot of times degrading from the experiments done on him. He loses his grip on reality and you get a front row seat to watch him continue to spiral. I'm betting the 3rd game is really going to be interesting here....
Gameplay 8.5/10
It's so hard to knock this game's gameplay because there is sooooo much here that is so great. First let's just talk about the open world feeling. I loved it. They plop you into several big open spaces and basically say "do what you want, here's a ton of fun sidequests to do or just continue on with the story". The sidequests are fun and force you to explore the various maps. Such a huge improvement over remake with this. Oh and the character side quests...such a vast improvement. No longer are you going from house to house collecting crap (yeah the remake sidequests are aaawwwffuulll). Each sidequest actually has some thought in it...and i feel like they've decreased the number of them..which is a good thing. Some quests up your relationship status with certain characters which is great and adds an additional layer to the game. Queens blood was such an amazing addition to the game. I love this card game and the story behind it was such a nice touch. Best minigame since blitzball (the FFX version...not X-2)
The battle mechanics I feel have improved over the first one. The game forces you to use different party make ups and most are story driven. That can be irritating sometimes and switching materia and equipment around can also be irritating but all in all I think this is a positive. I really enjoyed how the game kind of forces you to switch around between characters during the fight so you can maximize your damage and really learn how to play all the characters.
There are a few things though that just really detract from the gameplay. First is the forced slow walking. I know this sounds nitpicky but man...the places where they force you to walk at a leisurely pace are too often way drawn out and overly long...and boring. Next...what was that Cait Sith portion of Nibelheim manor? I almost quit on that part...not really but it was the worst part of the game by far. In general, most of the mini games were fun and a nice distraction from the main story...but at times i did feel they were too much of a distraction. At times in the game, I found myself getting irritated with all of the games I was being forced to play and just wanted to get back to the story. It was that good. While I completed 100% of all of the maps, I didn't find myself to enthused with completing all of the Chapley stuff. The battle simulator tasks and quests just didn't really do it for me. I did a good chunk of it but it wasn't good enough to motivate me to complete it. Though i did a lot more of it than i did in remake. I know I mentioned this earlier but I think it's worth repeating here. Sometimes the game was just...silly. Sometimes the characters just acted stupid and juvenile. I know this is commonplace in a lot of JRPG's and that's fine but this game really had a more mature feel to it and I found myself getting pulled out of the experience when some character randomly acts like a 5 year old or does something just to be silly that makes no sense.
Overall 9.5/10
Honestly this is the best FF game I've played in probably 15-20 years. I said the same thing about 5 months ago when I finished FF XVI. I really liked that game. The mature take, the characters, the world. All of it was really interesting and I enjoyed it thoroughly. But Rebirth just had so much good in it you have to put it on top. Outside of FFX and IX, this is probably the best FF game since those. I know I wrote a whole paragraph above about nitpicking the gameplay (and some of those weren't nitpicks...some of those were just straight up detractions of a great game) but honestly the rest is just so good. I played this game for 100+ hours. I could not have done that if any part of it wasn't pretty awesome. And this game delivers in a big way. I can't wait until the 3rd game.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - Exclusive Amazon Edition (PS5)
4.7 | 1,796 ratings
Price: 55.06
Last update: 12-29-2024
About this item
The Amazon Exclusive Edition includes a FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH PS5 controller skin (inside the case) featuring Cloud and Sephiroth. This PS5 controller skin provides full coverage without buttons or sensor interference.
An Expansive World: As the party searches for Sephiroth, explore the beautiful, expansive regions of the world and open up new areas to discover through unique forms of transportation
Deepen their relationships to unleash powerful team based combos
An Evolved Battle System: Combine strategic thinking with thrilling action combat alongside your comrades, including newly added characters
Beyond the Walls of Fate: In this standalone adventure for fans and newcomers, Cloud and his comrades venture across the planet, their fates unwritten, making each step outside the dystopian city of Midgar fresh and mysterious
An Expansive World: As the party searches for Sephiroth, explore the beautiful, expansive regions of the world and open up new areas to discover through unique forms of transportation
Deepen their relationships to unleash powerful team based combos
An Evolved Battle System: Combine strategic thinking with thrilling action combat alongside your comrades, including newly added characters
Beyond the Walls of Fate: In this standalone adventure for fans and newcomers, Cloud and his comrades venture across the planet, their fates unwritten, making each step outside the dystopian city of Midgar fresh and mysterious
From the manufacturer
Top reviews from the United States
KingNothingA great retelling of one of the best stories in all of video gaming
VincentRemake Sequel
Vincent
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
There is way more expanded story, characters and lore compared PS1 original (I’ll list some after the of review). Even more than FFVII Remake as it leans into a multiverse scenario
Don’t expect a flashy spectacle throughout. It’s not really a bingeable game for me personally compared to the first game. There are some slow segments with forced immersion via mini-games/side quests that had me put down the game several times. But they do make the lore, story and characters more relatable by the end. It’s the culmination of the events that make it great rather than individual moments of the game
Personal interactions between characters/traversal dialogue is really good. Especially with Yuffie and Barret
You switch up are party more in this game. A lot of party splitting throughout
Gamplay remains relatively the same as the first game, except you get 3 new characters (2 if you count Yuffie in Intergrade DLC) to play with who have their own unique playstyle/move list. The synergize mechanic from the first game’s DLC return in Rebirth where two party members team up to do a strong attack or give buffs to each other. Its like limit break meter but focused on 2 of 3 characters active in battle. Meter fills faster if you switch party members during combat
More open world than the first game. You can ride chocobos after taming wild ones. Disappointed that they are region specific and there’s no one chocobo that follows you through your journey. You do get to ride a 8 wheeler dune buggy in the desert which is nice
There are new traversal mechanics like grapple hooks and climbing sections
There’s a relationship dialogue mechanic which have you build up to gain enough affection to ask someone out at the Golden Saucer. There isn’t multiple stages/events to the relationship like in Persona series for example, just an single date end goal like in original
Locations are much larger with more buildings and events going on. For example: Kalm has at least 3x as many buildings, costa del sol is a large vacation destination where you use segways to get around, and Golden Saucers actually feels like an amusement park you can walk around in.
Speaking of locations; story beats we won’t be visiting in Part 2/Rebirth will be covered in permanent fog of war on your map, or blocked by debris and roadblocks like Midgar and Fort Condor . Don’t expect to visit every area in entire trilogy in this game, or look at the map mid-game and think you have 100s of more hours to go. Game is only comprised of 15 chapters
Music is really good. I like how some music tracks transitions into another by fading in instead of skipping making the game more immersive
-Final Take:
Despite the pacing issues at times; the overall story and gameplay is very good and one of best in the franchise. Can’t wait for the last game in the trilogy
-List of Story Changes (spoilers ahead):
Has a lot of scenes with Zack (from crisis core) sprinkled throughout the game. Cloud and Zack team up at the end due to multiverse convergence event and fight sephiroth together. Cissnei makes an appearance but she’s basically a plot progression cameo in one of the villages you pass through
Roche is one of the main antagonist in this game
You meet the Planet Weapons earlier
You fight the snake boss in swamp instead of outrun it
Instead of saving Priscillia from fish sea monster, you save Yuffie
Yuffie and Vincent (not playable, most likely in part 3 of series to keep gameplay fresh) is main stay on your team instead of optional. You must face Vincent in a boss battle
Cloud is disguised as a solider during the parade in original. This time; Cloud, Tifa and Aerith dress up as soldiers and you are the captain in charge of parade march
Shrina boat is now a huge cruise ship. There’s a Queens Blood (card game) tournament held on ship
Barrett gone missing in this one and you must play chocoboo race first to get into area to find Barett
Dine dies of Shinra shootout instead of suicide
Gongaga is a required destination for plot progression (where you meet Cissnei)
You meet Cid earlier since you need a plane to reach Cosmo Canon
Keystone whereabout location is not a scavenger hunt this time to get info. Cait Sith just tell you where it is. You must fight Don Corno to get keystone
The on-stage play in original at Golden Saucer is now a theatrical VR experience
Ancient Temple is a long series of puzzles and boss battles instead of a maze
Temple contain room of trails where you get tragic backstory for each playable character
Aerith doesn’t die (?) or she’s a least a force ghost
Sephiroth end goal is not to just destroy the earth, but every universe in the multiverse
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