For some time now, the Final Fantasy franchise has fallen into a slumber that has lasted at least more than fifteen years since the release of Final Fantasy X for the PlayStation 2 console.

Fortunately, with the recent release of some excellent Final Fantasy games, such as FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, and Final Fantasy XVI, the classic franchise has alluded to its former standards and quality. In this sense, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is the culmination of this rise and a huge game, by the way.

Since Rebirth was recently released, I've put together a review to give the most lost players a critical and transparent examination of this title. With that said, let's land on Gaia, find Mako, and reveal the best aspects of this Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review.

• Release Date : February 29, 2024

• Developer : Square Enix Creative Business Unit I

• Publisher: Square Enix

• Platforms : PlayStation 5

• Metascore : 93

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is the last Final Fantasy game of the fantasy anthology media franchise, taking us back to the classic game from 1997 but with improvements for every point of view.

It is the second chapter of the new FFVII remake trilogy, whose first release was FFVII: Remake. This first segment marked the introduction of the 1997 title, the Cloud’s journey and his friends through the slums of Midgar.

Four years after the release of Remake, Square Enix released this second part of the trilogy. This title promises to expand the experience to levels never seen before, with a wonderful world map, deeper character development, and a new story worth playing. Rebirth manages to modernize the way Final Fantasy VII felt all those years ago.

As we mentioned before, Rebirth is the highly anticipated second part of the FFVII: Remake trilogy, a three-piece work of art that came to revolutionize the FF franchise and probably the history of video games forever.

As you know (if you played the first chapter), in the Remake, you are limited to the city of Midgar, the pizza-shaped cyberpunk city built of weight plates. The events of this first part of the adventure take us from the moment Cloud Strife joins Avalanche to the moment he and his companions leave Midgar.

While Remake quickly became one of my top PlayStation 4 games, resonating with gamers around the world, it left me wanting more. As a fan of the original 1997 title, I know that Final Fantasy VII offers many features that Remake only hints at. However, Rebirth's win for the most anticipated award at The Game Awards 2023 says a lot about its potential.

Beyond this, Rebirth promises and delivers everything expected and even more! The overall feeling as you progress through the adventure is that of an awe-inspiring recreation of the original title and taking it to its limits.

Most players who played Final Fantasy VII: Remake agree that this title has some of the best combat systems you can currently find in any role-playing video game. This is because the Remake cleverly combines real-time action combat with the ATB gauge of the classic installments of the franchise. This combination allows you to hit enemies as if you were playing hack-and-slash, as well as think about strategies for casting spells, using items, and planning a strategy.

However, most players who experienced this first game knew that the battle system still had a lot to offer if the developers went further. And that's exactly what happens in Rebirth, a natural development of the battle system seen in FF VII Remake.

Aerith and Tifa are delivering combos.

Now, thanks to new additions like the “Synergize” mechanic, characters can time their attacks to deal even more damage to enemies, giving you a new level of interaction and deeper fights. This mechanic, added to the exciting challenges and enemies that you will find in every corner of the world, undoubtedly elevates Rebirth to another level on the RPG scale.

The battles feature a unique blend of action and strategy, with the new addition of synergy skills and abilities that increase the excitement of combat as you fight on!

Unlike FFVII: Remake, FFVII: Rebirth is an open-world game divided into several smaller areas interconnected at certain points. It may not be similar to the open world you can experience in The Witcher III or Forbidden West, but the world of Rebirth is so big that you probably won't have time to fully explore it.

If you think about the original Final Fantasy VII map, it was a map of all of Gaia, the FFVII planet, containing several regions, settlements, caves, dungeons, and other vast and sprawling regions to explore. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth takes that map and gives it a realistic scale that, at times, feels overwhelming.

Costa del Sol shore.

This map contains all the classic places of the original titles, such as Gold Saucer, Kalm, Junon, Costa del Sol, Cosmo Canyon, and more, all of them in never-seen proportions! The sensation of vastness is amazing! Besides, within these familiar locations, you’ll experience all the memorable moments of the 1997 title and new storylines that are worth investigating.

It is known that some Final Fantasy titles include card games, highlighting the Triple Triad of Final Fantasy VIII. This simple but fantastic trading card game is clearly the best in the series. At least until now!

FFVII: Rebirth integrates an original card game called Queens's Blood. AND – SPOILERS! It's surprising and addictive. Although Queen's Blood is a little more complicated than the Triple Triad - and the Tetra Master from Final Fantasy IX - it stands out for the possibilities and strategy options you can adopt.

Cloud attempts to play a Queen’s Blood match.

Every match of Queen's Blood is an exciting challenge! You will have to defeat several opponents throughout your journey to collect better cards and build an unbeatable deck that will allow you to obtain even more powerful cards.

The best thing about Queen's Blood, besides the original rules, is the plot behind all the opponents you will encounter in every corner of Gaia. Each character has a sad or deep story that led them to be a player. Plus, the information these characters can offer you will really expand your understanding of the FFVII universe.

“There's no point in wasting our time worrying about fate if we can't change it.”

-Cloud Strife.

Nothing new; most fans of the Final Fantasy universe know that FFVII has some of the best casts in the entire franchise. Of course, in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, you can find the same main characters as in the original Final Fantasy 7, plus some new ones relevant to the plot.

Still, the cast is expanded in comparison to the successor. For example, Red XIII, whom you couldn’t control in FFVII: Remake, now joins your party, delivering his own set of incredible attacks and interesting combos. But in addition to him, you’ll find other highly charismatic characters, such as Yuffie and Cid, who improve the interrelationship between the old group.

Aerith, Barret, Cloud, and Tifa.

Kazushige Nojima, the writer behind Rebirth, gave the characters a deep backstory that enriches their personalities and motivations. In this sense, the entire group improves on the original main story, which is something I can see throughout the Remake series.

And what about these incredible bad guys you face during your journey? Most of them are a vivid picture of evil – Sephiroth, I am talking about you – and have memorable qualities – wicked qualities – that you won’t forget in the short term.

Chocobo Chick

And pay attention to the Chocobos! Our favorite mascots across the franchise look better than ever! And they're really important to the plot.

This phenomenal second act of the Remake trilogy has about thirty minigames. They are so varied and unique that you will really spend hours and hours trying to reach new records. Of course, some minigames are better, and some are harder than others.

Gold Saucer is the authorized location where most of these mini-games are found. Of course, some of them also appeared in the original title. Still, in this second game in the Remake franchise, they deliver unexpectedly impactful gameplay and add a new flavor to the overall experience.

Cloud plays the piano in Tifa’s house.

The best thing about these minigames is that they look greatly integrated into what is happening on the screen, functioning as an expansion of the story. Moreover, given that the entire world is teeming with these mini-games, you'll hardly find a moment to be bored or indulge in quiet contemplation.

In a nutshell, Rebirth is full of Minigames and other enticing diversions that, eventually, you will discover as you progress through the game. In this sense, Rebirth is a powerful representation of Final Fantasy VII's most memorable minigames but in better shape.

Like most games of recent times, whether for PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth allows you to choose between two modes: performance mode and graphics mode. Since the first mode achieves impressive results in terms of performance, reaching 60 FPS, the graphics mode is the right choice for players who want to experience the world of FFVII: Rebirth and all its details in the best way possible.

The graphics mode is suitable for rendering a powerful, high-definition representation of Gaia. The textures, models, trees, grass and other details look incredible, not to mention the new enemies in your path and geographical features that really create the best settings for exploration and battle.

The performance mode is also a delight and represents the best presentation for players eager to unleash fast-paced battles and experience the world without delays. Unfortunately, in performance mode, the graphics are just smoothly polished and environments appear out of focus and blurry.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth involves many main and side quests as well as optional activities that you can do from start to finish. After all, Rebirth is a role-playing title so featuring hundreds of missions is a must in this type of game.

Finishing the main story and completing a decent chunk of sidequests and optional activities will likely take you over eighty hours. From this point, there's still much to be done, making this pivotal section of the original game feel absolutely massive.

Since Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is a title with several chapters, hundreds of items, and missions to complete, it will probably take you over a hundred and fifty hours to complete all the content and more if you want the game to go platinum. So, be prepared to embark on an overarching journey across a world full of content and missions to complete.

As you probably know – if you played Final Fantasy VII: Remake – in this new version of this all-time classic, multiple twisted timelines make this trilogy differ a little from the original game. So far, there are exactly two timelines, but probably, in the third chapter of the trilogy, other time streams will be added to create new memorable moments and endings.

However, Rebirth follows the plot of the original title very closely. Of course, it all happens in an impeccable open-world design where the game's most important events still occur. It means that the story begins immediately after escaping the city of Midgar in search of the fallen hero, Sephiroth. From there, the plot is an extensive package of old and new events that seamlessly intertwine with each other.

Sephiroth in the Nibelheim flames.

But that is not all! Rebirth provides a deeper sense of interaction between characters and the plot, expanding the stories behind each character. Do you remember that sad story of Barret and Dyne in Corel Prison? Now you will cry like never before.

I know that FFVII Rebirth will be very controversial in the coming weeks and months due to the decisions the writers and developers made about crucial events. Is it possible that FFVII characters can have a new life at the end of the story? You'll have to play it to find out.

Many specialists and seasoned players are already saying that Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is a clear candidate for GOTY 2024. Playing this game from start to finish, I can safely say that this is true: Rebirth will probably win the prize at the end of this year. The rest is history!

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth impressively builds on what FFVII: Remake set as the best action RPG of its kind. In this second part, Cloud and his team are led through the classic regions of Gaia, which contain all the elements of the classic title. The only thing left is to play it and draw your reflection and conclusion.

I hope you have enjoyed my writings and this Rebirth review. If you haven't played it yet, do so! Rebirth is probably a game that will mark your life forever.