Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth effortlessly carries the daunting weight of its own significance.

A handful of hours into Rebirth, players are fresh off Cloud’s recollection of the incident in Nibelheim, one of the Final Fantasy franchise’s most significant moments in a singular title rife with them. The emotional knife is seemingly soothed with a figurative calm in the literal town of Kalm, a haven for Cloud’s party since their escape from both Sephiroth and the confines of Midgar.

In this junction, players are graced with the opportunity to run through the streets of this densely detailed town. Teeming with NPCs, dialog chatter, shops, and card games. I spent over an hour blissfully soaking in the agonizing amount of detail poured into this first stop of what would be a sprawling journey. The 27 years between a PlayStation 1 and a PlayStation 5 incarnation of this singular town are baffling, yet it feels as if no time has passed.

Throughout the DNA of Rebirth is, of course, Final Fantasy VII, unyielding, untouched.

That horrifying tragedy at Nibelheim was just as gutting now as it was then. But now, 27 years later, Square Enix has the technology that original team was not equipped with. Decades ago, our imaginations did much of the heavy lifting. It smoothed out the sharp, angular polygons. It added shelves of detailed merchandise at the shop Nibelheim’s denizens would rifle through. It placed gardens in need of tilling and pockets of people conversing. It made the water at Tifa and Cloud’s meeting place shimmer.

Sephiroth bathing the town in fire is a more pungent sting in Rebirth because this is how it was always meant to look, sound, play, and feel. Kalm, like nearly every inch of Rebirth, is a labor of love and devotion towards one of gaming’s crowning achievements. Why would I want to leave, knowing the trials ahead?

When the Final Fantasy VII Remake was officially willed into existence at Sony’s E3 2015 conference, Kyle Bosman in Gametrailers’ viral reaction moment exclaimed, “You maniacs, what are you doing? Midgar looks exactly like that.” Years later, when actual footage of Remake was shown, that statement felt all the more prophetic.

Four years ago, a project that had been teased since the PlayStation 2 era was finally available in players’ hands. Square Enix somehow stretched around five hours worth of content into a 40-hour saga. But in our minds, in 1997 or any subsequent year, did Final Fantasy VII feel any less sprawling or significant? Many would likely argue that the original’s handful of screens comprising the Sector 7 Slums was no less livelier than Remake‘s version, packed with side quests and vendors.

While the “Midgar section” of Final Fantasy VII was only a small sliver of the game’s three discs, the context Remake infused into the original’s narrative was worthwhile, if not somewhat bloated. But, like Bosman said, Midgar in Remake looks exactly as it should, the way god–or in this case, Yoshinori Kitase, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Tetsuya Nomura, and others–intended.

But with Rebirth, it is wildly apparent that this trio of Final Fantasy VII games is amounting to more than just mere looks.

That cozy hour or so in Kalm was not just spent recovering from the Nibelheim whirlwind and entry-level acclimation of the mechanics established in Remake and Intergrade. It involves adjusting to a narrative intent upon deviating from the known events of a beloved game, questioning how and why these variations exist. But Kalm also establishes a kind of thoughtful intimacy only a few games hold for their world, one that constantly reaffirms Final Fantasy VII‘s place in history and one emboldened by Rebirth.

In the footprint of Rebirth, Kalm is a minor blip but also a significant stepping stone. Players may not know it while they rummage through the streets but there is a palpable sense of losing one’s self in Rebirth. Where Remake was laser-focused on Midgar and setting pieces in motion, Rebirth acts as exposition on the expansive world of the planet at large. Kalm is a kind of walled garden where players can see a taste of the outside world past its tall cottages and shops. It is also here Cloud can briefly interact with Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII, showing that dialog responses can influence the budding relationship system Rebirth implements. Right after an intense battle and riveting emotional burst of narrative, Rebirth merely asks players to relax and soak in the atmosphere.

And then the gate into the Grasslands opens up and shatters expectations of what Rebirth is.

Shortly before Remake‘s reveal in 2015, The Witcher 3 exploded onto the scene and altered the concept of open world RPGs. The ripples felt by the game initially made Fallout 4, which released soon after, feel dated; years later its reliance on meaningful side quests and embellished world-building were a boon to Ubisoft’s dated toolkit and storytelling for the genre as a whole. But The Witcher 3 would also be considered a “Western” RPG akin to Skyrim or Mass Effect.

Up until its 13th entry, Final Fantasy was decidedly turn-based and what many of us would classify as a “Japanese” RPG, along with the Persona and Dragon Quest series. As Western RPGs continuously worked to one-up their open worlds and player-driven narratives, JRPGs pushed themselves as well, becoming more stylish and technically complex. Square Enix has increasingly tried to straddle both sides of the fence with Final Fantasy while making each one notably distinct

Rebirth feels like the confluence between two moderately harmonious factions, becoming perhaps the most astute distillation of what makes all these varying ideals work.

Once I began to traverse the Grasslands–Rebirth‘s first open area–and was met with small farms, areas of interest, side quests, crafting materials, Chocobos, and a foggy map, my eyes widened. While Midgar was brought to life as a fully-formed city, it distinctly acted as one in terms of exploration and content as well. Quest givers would task Cloud and crew with scenarios that usually required going back and forth between grungy streets and corporate steel. In the Grasslands alone, players are asked to fight a monster by a small beach, trek through rocky terrain to pluck some flowers, and run across hills to interact with a materia lifespring.

At first blush, Square Enix looks to be attempting to replicate a tried and true formula of an open world map besieged by towers and check marks. And while in a reductive sense that may be true, it misses the meaning and execution.

Unfortunately, it took me several hours (possibly 20 or more) to recognize the machinations behind the choices made in Rebirth‘s structure, likely in its third open area. And once I did, my appreciation for the game deepened but also my ability to recognize how meaningful these additions were to improving what made Final Fantasy VII a cornerstone of gaming.

Remake introduced us to the first group of key players in the Final Fantasy VII narrative. Events in Midgar triggered their determination to rectify past trauma and carve out a hopeful future for the world and its people. But where do you go from there, especially with the work done to transform and alter the narrative in provocative ways? To make any future path for Cloud and his compatriots believable, players need to understand these characters and their bonds on a deeper level.

Final Fantasy VII features an immensely memorable cast that are not only visually distinct but were written with a rare complexity for the time that was usually reserved for games released by Squaresoft and Enix. But now players are treated to an unprecedented amount of characterization for this diverse cast, one that has mostly aged well. But Rebirth is a rare opportunity to revisit any themes or motivations that could have been expanded upon, story beats that had to be cut out because of limited space.

As expected, much of the heaviest lifting to elevate Cloud and crew is done through the voice acting. The American voice cast both new and old continue to drive home that they are the definitive versions of characters who have gone through several iterations and interpretations over the years. Final Fantasy XVI‘s Clive is one of the strongest performances across the franchise but there is something about the way this particular cast bounces off each other and the range of emotions the characters experience. Deep loss, warm appreciation, and abject joy don’t feel performative, like any good actor is able to pull off.

Following their clash with Sephiroth and the specter of destiny, the party is venturing out in the world to stop a potentially calamitous event that would spell doom for their planet. What follows is an exhaustive journey across the varying locales that have made Final Fantasy VII so beloved. Costa del Sol and the Golden Saucer are now booming hubs that can handle hundreds of NPCs and points of interest, transforming them into the embodiment of our imaginative power. Cosmo Canyon’s rocky reds are broken up with cliffs and ravines that stretch for miles, its observatory now stretching up to the heavens.

Despite having such notable characters and setpieces, Final Fantasy VII was never an entirely coherent piece of gaming. By RPG standards of the time–which usually climaxed with reality-ending gods–Final Fantasy VII gets incredibly weird in places. Rebirth–and by extension, Remake–have the breathable space to provide these headier topics the development they need to be fleshed out with the conviction of voice acting and better writing standards and a localization that isn’t ruthlessly rushed.

I chuckled a few times that for a large portion of Rebirth, Cloud and his party were frequently chasing down men in hooded black robes that could only mumble. Oh! There they are on the beach. Oh! There they are on a cruise ship. Yes there is a reason behind it that is deathly serious. And much of Rebirth‘s narrative is gripping with emotion but, unlike Remake, its pacing is both lenient and taut.

One important factor to note in my time playing Rebirth is that after 55 hours, I completed the story on Normal difficulty with most of that time being spent mainlining the story. A few boss fights were troublesome in their difficulty and drawn-out struggle (where one that took me 10 minutes on Normal would take half that time or less on Easy). Should you wish to make a mad rush for the end credits, I would perhaps suggest playing Rebirth on Easy. Much of that is due to the fact that on Normal and Dynamic difficultly, the game rewards players for its absolute engagement with the mainline narrative and its bountiful wealth of side content.

Rebirth is a video game where you often do not feel like you are actually in one that has a firm set of rules. You lose yourself in the characters, their journey, and the content awaiting them in the world.

There was absolutely a struggle to not get swallowed up by Rebirth.

While it may sound insane, I put about 150 hours into The Witcher 3 and never came close to its final moments but was still immensely satisfied by my time with the game. Before I accelerated my games writing, such a monstrous open-world RPG was a treat but still rather imposing. Rebirth, while massive, cheerfully ping-pongs players between its numerous things to do, making time an almost forgettable factor in the experience.

Narratively, Square Enix truly wanted to expand the concept of Final Fantasy VII and what its smaller or untold stories could mean in a modern context. Rebirth has one-off side quests that do not dramatically affect the core of the original but still act as a “day in the life” slice that most of us would have begged for before games began to give us the kitchen sink in universes that hadn’t earned it. Nothing feels as mindless as Clive’s fetch quests from last year but that may also be an extension of Rebirth having its roots in turn-based action rather that XVI‘s onslaught.

But there is a fundamental gameplay loop spread across these massive zones players should take time to experience should they wish to truly allow Rebirth to blossom. Where its breathtaking vistas are modernized and phenomenally populated, Rebirth acts as one of the better open-world RPGs I’ve had my hands on. Android Chadley is back but this time he wants Cloud’s assistance to understand more about the world. This is conducted by interacting with numerous Remnawave Towers across the world that reveal and triangulate new points of interest. Yes, we have towers in a Final Fantasy game everyone!

Chadley’s curiosity is beneficial towards the player because the more done in a zone–whether it be the Grasslands, Junon, Gongaga, or elsewhere–rewards points that can be cashed in for new Materia. Players will be tasked with combat tests usually requiring players to pressure, stagger, and kill an enemy under a time limit, which are crucial aspects of the game’s core combat. Protorelics are highly rewarding treasure hunts that culminate in unique gameplay moments. Lifesprings reveal codex entries about the world but also shower the player with crafting materials.

Why waste gil when all those rocks and vegetation picked up with a simple triangle press can be used to create potions and equipment? Item transmutation rewards players who scour the open-world, giving the materials needed to fulfill recipes. Craft something the first time and gain experience towards the crafting level which opens up new recipes. Go on a relic hunt for Chadley, sniff out treasure with your Chocobo, and unlock new recipes. While I only casually interacted with item crafting mainly just to gain the first-time XP, there’s an obvious path to success for players who rely on frequent item usage, especially Potions, Ethers, and Phoenix Downs. I’d like to imagine those challenge runs where players try and beat the game using only items could be viable here because of transmutation. But the ability to unlock enhanced versions of equipment also pushes players towards engaging with side content.

The inclination to still view these activities as underwhelming and not entirely meaningful may be quite strong for those exhausted on the formula. But I still think the strength of Final Fantasy VII‘s world and characters elevates most of this content. It possesses the hallmarks of triple-A game design of the modern era but nestles itself in a classic feel. Still not satisfied? Well, side quest completion improves Cloud’s relationship with at least one party member; meaning that later story elements influenced by this unintrusive mechanic can occur while still allowing players to select Cloud’s responses they may prefer and still raise relationship levels.

Leveling up characters through battle or completed side content will add to the party’s overall XP pool. When a new party level is reached, Folio points are awarded that let players invest in a Final Fantasy X-like Sphere Grid of upgrades. With the Folio, a character will be granted permanent buffs like HP and MP boosts, damage resistances, and more specific quirks like Yuffie getting a free cast of Faith on a successful steal or Barret getting Regen as soon as he enters battle.

Through Folios, players can also unlock magic-based skills that aren’t reliant on Materia being equipped. This fixes a massive issue with Remake where players may find themselves stuck because characters don’t have the right Materia for a fight where a boss or enemy is resistant or immune to a damage type. These magic abilities don’t do as much damage as actual spells but when unlocked can also boost the damage of the corresponding magic spell when used.

Expanding upon the synergy system introduced in the Yuffie-centric spin-off, Rebirth has players unlock synergy skills and abilities through the Folio system. Synergy Skills are used by holding R1 and pressing a face button based on which party members players want to work together. When enough Synergy Skills have been performed, a Synergy Ability can be executed for a flashy attack that is usually either absurdly hilarious or entirely badass. Synergy Abilities have great utility such as providing 3 ATB segments, upgrading Limit Breaks, or extending an enemy’s stagger meter.

However, Synergy Skills went over my head for several hours, as did most of the finer points of the Folio system. While Rebirth on Normal difficulty strives for balance, it gets to a point where players either have to grind out levels or truly interact with the various systems in place. The biggest hurdle is likely Synergy Skills that exist as moves that can straight out cancel out enemy attacks, negate damage, or provide counterattacks. With Aerith active, a player might activate the Bodyguard skill that has Barret or Red XIII stand in front of her to avoid damage. Tifa can be launched in the air to deliver a series of blows or Cait Sith can magically infuse Cloud’s attacks. The Synergy system in Rebirth can be casually approached to just toss in a few random moves to build the ATB meter but they are more important when timed correctly to maximize defense and damage output.

Rebirth‘s core combat doesn’t stray from the foundations laid by Remake. Unique weapon abilities that can be permanently unlocked through use and proficiency remain but gone are the tiers of upgrades that can be applied to each weapon. Most weapons are geared towards a certain stat-based playstyle but has a few unique nodes that can be equipped with boosts as characters level up. Materia is slightly less frustrating because players can filter by type. But because Rebirth is still fairly menu-heavy, cycling through Materia really made me wish for loadouts, especially when swapping Materia between varying party members.

When unfolding the multiple layers of Rebirth‘s combat it is moderately straightforward. But in the latter chapters of the game and when tackling unique combat challenges, players need to rely on leveling up Materia and truly specializing characters. While I couldn’t get too in the weeds, I know that Remake had some outrageous builds and I know Rebirth will only further diversify what players are capable of.

By all accounts, Rebirth has one of the best combat and customization systems across Final Fantasy. It may not have the numbing amount of jobs that V did or the pure turn-based systems of old but this exceptional balance between ideologies has been crystalized to cater to die-hard fans of the past and present.

Outside of those grueling boss fight and swift open-world encounters, Rebirth strings together a ludicrous amount of mini-games that are present not only in the Golden Saucer but peppered into the main narrative.

Players who are stringently opposed to narrative diversion are likely to bristle at the frequent tonal shifts provided by Rebirth. A harrowing boss fight leads into a section where Cloud grabs onto a dolphin and players swim it around an obstacle course to gain speed. A silly segment where everyone turns into a uniquely visualized toad is an easily missed side quest. Barret engages in a shooting gallery numerous times. The G-Bike section from Remake is recreated as an arcade game. And Cait Sith spends time throwing boxes around a Shinra facility in one of the game’s slowest bits of forced progression.

And remember Gwent? Remember how lots of games are trying to come up with their own bespoke in-universe games with crazy rules? Well hey, I remember Triple Triad and that was long before Gwent. Either way, Rebirth introduces Queen’s Blood, a ruthlessly addicting card game that, much like the main game, only grows in complexity as time goes on. Without going too much into it, Queen’s Blood has opposing players lay down cards on a 5×3 grid. Each card is worth a set amount of points and, when placed, can influence nearby squares. Maybe it adds a pawn piece to a square indicating a higher-level card can be placed in that square, maybe it takes away points from your card or the enemy’s card. It’s a quest for dominance and across the world Cloud can challenge other players, including dogs, Chocobos, and those near-catatonic robed guys.

These countless “diversions” from Rebirth‘s narrative rarely feel as such. Despite the significant implications Remake had on the Final Fantasy VII canon, similar stakes existed in the original.

In recent years, the phrase “ludonarrative dissonance” has continuously frustrated me in its application to games. I have mentioned before that it doesn’t bother me that Nathan Drake murders hundreds of pirates while still being a damn funny guy. Sometimes a game needs to be just that, while still being objectively “fun” in a mechanical sense. Uncharted‘s stories were always great and its gameplay simply got better.

But what happens when the world is ending? When Ganon has overtaken Hyrule? When robot dinosaurs threaten to destroy humanity? When an alien life form from 2000 years ago crashed into the planet and is attempting to summon a meteor to destroy existence? Would you be playing cards or going on dates in a Ferris Wheel or racing Chocobos? Yeah, you’d probably just cry yourself to sleep or count the days until the moon crashed into everything. Most of us didn’t care 27 years ago and we shouldn’t care now.

Rebirth establishes the shifting moods embodied by the best JRPGs of past eras, a vibe I’ve seen pulled off wonderfully in recent Yakuza games. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Cid, and Vincent don’t exist in a heroic bubble where they devote their growth entirely to saving the world. Final Fantasy has always been at its strongest when it shows characters emoting through a variety of situations. We used to cry and gasp when a grouping of pixels was able to express loss at their homes being destroyed and love being ripped away. I can see the ancient polygons of that fateful moment between Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth, give a chuckle, but still reel from the gut punch.

None of those moments would be earned if we didn’t watch this cast grow through both the fun and the failure. It’s just that now, Rebirth is on such a technically astute level that it all becomes more realistic than ever before. Intense moments of narrative significance were allowed to simmer before cooling off. No moment in Rebirth felt abrupt unless it needed to be.

Escalating every single moment in Rebirth is the impeccable, pitch-perfect soundtrack done by Nobuo Uematsu, Mitsuto Suzuki, and Masashi Hamauzu. Using Uematsu’s timeless work from the original, a foundation is built upon which hundreds of tracks are embellished upon. Hearing the bouncy Chocobo theme turn into a tense piece as the party rushes to aid those in need made me pause for a moment to make sure my ears were real. The way these famous notes are swirled and remixed into content-appropriate ways is an unmatched skill. Truly, this is one of the best soundtracks to a game of all time. It may seem hyperbolic and in need of more time to recognize but that feeling is just too omnipresent over the course of Rebirth. And if these are tunes you’ve never heard before… well I’m sorry you will miss that deep resonance but I can’t imagine them not planting roots in your subconscious now.

On a technical level, Rebirth performs at an incredible level. It is one of the most densely lush, vibrant, and packed pieces of gaming from beginning to end. My time was spent primarily in Graphics mode, wanting the most visually appealing experience out the gate. I haven’t been a 60fps convert yet because I just don’t want to make the sacrifice in fidelity. But in 4K, Rebirth is colorful, ripe with detail, and unquestionably one of the most beautiful interpretations a player or fan could ask for. NPCs, who dwelled in cookie-cutter territory in Remake, now look like real people who don’t share a handful of facial models. In Performance mode, that swell in framerate is noticeable and, as it stands, strips the visuals a bit severely at times, making the game look a touch blurry in spots. Even with an emphasis on graphics, there are noticeable spots where the textures lose most detail or seem to have very little at all. But then I remember the current party is running around the whole time and ready to burst in with a special move when things go really bad, and I can’t complain. Before launch, Square Enix is releasing a patch which should address a number of bugs and other issues, making most of these complaints null. So is the plight of a game in this state. But it never detracted from what Rebirth accomplishes.

And when the credits roll, what players will be left with is nothing but breathtaking. The journey of Final Fantasy VII and getting it to this point has been Herculean. The thought of altering the narrative in any way is likely tantamount to blasphemy for many but care has been given to not only offer a different take on this universe, but one that is dedicated to preserving the emotional focal points and big moments behind the original.

Remake was a subtle diversion of expectations, being both literal and figurative in name. Those same logistics and weaving of new and old applies to Rebirth, leaving a million guesses for what the third and final entry of this gaming epic will be named. Those still completely fresh to the world of Final Fantasy VII may climb a complex hill when trying to comprehend the significance of Rebirth. The writers make it apparent that pre-established canon is fair game and that knowledge of it may be crucial to enjoyment. Yet even as the subversion happen, I was more captivated than I would be if the game played out beat for beat as the original. But no amount of recalibration changes Rebirth‘s status as a near miracle of execution, one that will be talked about until those missing pieces finally fall into place. And boy what a ride it will be.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth codifies the long-lasting significance of JRPGs from the mid to late ’90s, an era in which developers finally had the tools to tell captivating sagas with little compromise. In 2024, Square Enix captures and recontextualizes 1997’s opus with an unyielding vision, building out its world and preserving it with a keen eye for how it fits into the modern landscape. With a cast of characters and a boundless world that has resonated with players for decades, that emotional core is not untouched, merely reborn.