This is one of if not the best game I've ever played. I've enjoyed games over the few years but nothing has grabbed me the way that these Final Fantasy VII Remake games have done. I loved the first part and thankfully Rebirth is a natural continuation of that game and everything that it did well but with great additions such as the open world, new characters and the new synergy battle system, while it's very similar to the first part there is enough new here to keep it fresh.

The best part of this game is simply it's characters and there relationships with each other and how this whole game really allows for them to have great interactions with each other, this is helped of course by the open world which gives the game a lot of space to tell it's story and I think it really works as a juxtaposition to the first part where Midgar could feel dark and claustrophobic, this game is bright and open, I just love how much of this game feels like a hangout game with all these great characters, and while the open world can feel a bit bloated much of the side content is really fun to do and I rarely felt bored or like I was wasting my time doing them.

There are a couple of issues I have with the game however, While yes I mentioned that I loved much of the side content I think they could do with scaling it down a bit for the next game as there is too much particularly when it came to the mini-games and how many times it wants you to play all of them to a 100% everything, I did most of the side content until the end where I did get a bit frustrated by how much more it was throwing at me and it was driving me away from the story so I decided to focus on completing the game and then possibly come back to finish everything else. My other issue with the game is I'm not entirely sure about the multiverse different timeline stuff the game has going on with it's story, this generally is a story trope that doesn't work for me and here I'm having a couple of the same problems where it feels like they don't want to commit entirely to killing Aerith off, we'll have to see what they do in the next game but I think I'd prefer that they would make a more definitive decision even if they decided to be bold and change that part of the story as while that would be a massive change from the original games story I think that decision would feel more impactful, as I don't think Aerith's death hits with the same impact in this game because of all this multiverse stuff along with the boss fight that's placed all around it. A lot of this for me more depends on how the story goes in the next part and what they decide to do, I don't have the ending here but it does leave me with quite a few questions, Up until this point however I absolutely loved the rest of the story so it doesn't change how I feel about this game as a whole.

I cannot wait until the next part of this remake and I hope that it sticks the landing as we are getting close to having the best video game trilogy ever made, this is a must play game and I struggle to see anything else topping it for game of the year and as it currently is game of the decade.

Final Fantast VII Rebirt was by far my most anticipated game of 2024, and overall I think is a fine addition to the series, as well as a good follow up to Final Fantasy VII Remake.

The gameplay is fantastic, being substantially better than the previous entry. It feels fast and fluid, and a lot of characters who did not feel as good to play (Aerith in particular) received some much needed upgrades. In addition, the two entirely new playable characters, Red XIII and Cait Sith, bring their own unique movesets to the table and keep the gameplay feeling fresh. In addition, the new progression system allows for greater flexibility, as well as the introduction of combo attacks which feel incredibly satisfying to pull off.

The story, much like the original, is incredibly moving, and has enough twists and turns from the original to make it feel at least somewhat new. The characterization, for Barrett in particular, is much more in depth from the previous games. The only downside about the story is that oftentimes it can be confusing to parse through, especially the sections where you play as Zack. I was hoping for some definite answers by the end of the game, and was left still confused, and I likely will be until the final installment is released.

The game has a very large open world with many side activities to do, and while it is good to have a lot of content, I feel like this game might have overdone it. There was a point in the game, around when I reached Cosmo Canyon, that I could feel myself hitting a wall. I had nearly 50 hours into the game at that point, and knowing where the end of the game was, I knew I had quite some time still until I got there.

Overall I think Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a very good game, and certainly a technical marvel. I think if the story were cleaned up a bit, and the side content was trimmed down, it would certainly be one of the all time greats.

This is mostly a stream of conscious since I just finished the game and have a lot of half formed opinions and things I wanna write down before I move on and don’t think about the game again, so this will probably be pretty terribly written, apologies.

I could go on and on about the myriad issues I have with this game - the terrible menus, the monotonous, brainless dungeon “puzzles,” the egregious padding in the main story (about 80% of this feels like easily cut filler), how the combat, despite being packed with new mechanics and abilities, is ultimately less enjoyable than Remake due to encounters being designed around being beat by tons of possible party combinations (probably due to the open-world nature, so designers can’t assume your party setup unless it’s a pre-determined section), the ubislop open world, the literal checklist that pops up when you finish any side activity (also, chocobo wrangling is genuinely one of the worst side activities in a triple-A game, i’d go as far as saying worse than tailing missions), the desperate attempts to try be funny almost all the time that only ever hits some of the time, the poor dialouge outside of the main cast and so on

But more than anything, the worst part of this game is how it strips the story of any thematic substance or meaning. There’s no edge to it; it’s primarily concerned with setup, more so than even Remake was. It feels like an MCU film that’s constantly setting up the broader universe rather than focusing on being a good story in its own right. All stakes are removed due to the multiverse— a prime example of this is Aerith’s death - she doesn’t die; she just exists as some sort of lifestream planet guardian to oppose Sephiroth. And even if she did die, don’t worry, there’s probably a universe where she’s alive! All of this just really neuters the emotional weight.

Also, this is the Glup Shitto-fication of the original FF7 story. It just wants you to go “wow, look at this in 4K! Remember when we only saw that on the PS1? Remember Cissnei from the PSP? She’s so cool in 4K, isn’t she! How cool would it be if Zack and Cloud teamed up to fight Sephiroth! Don’t you want to see that? What about Tifa and Aeriths toes? We spent so much time rendering them, please stare at them” It just feels so fanservice-y in a way that remake didn’t, I can’t put my finger on it. Plus, none of the emotional scenes that once hit just don’t anymore due to the reimagining. I wonder if this issue would exist if it was a straight remake? I don’t think it would because the game would just be a simple retelling, in trying to be something different but also the same it has actively made some plot points worse that were once great. Where the whole meta narrative (with the whispers) added a cool mystery to remake, here the meta narrative gets in the way of what was once great.

As a small example off the top of my head of Remake having a little more nuance, I recall when Barret calls out not only the higher-ups at Shinra but also those at the bottom, calling them complicit in Shinra’s actions just by being on their payroll, regardless of how little they contribute. This is a genuinely difficult question, especially as Remake explores the abject poverty of those who don’t work for Shinra and how being an employee means having a chance at a good life (Jessie’s story is a great example). Rebirth never asks any questions as nuanced or uncomfortable as this; it just wants you to dwell on the trite, tired multiverse and what the fuck the guy from the mobile gacha game is up to behind the scenes.

The closest this game gets to having an actual theme is within the last few chapters, starting with Aerith waffling about living in the past, and at some point the game has you reliving the crisis core Aerith date as sort of a exploration of the pointlessness of reliving past events? But this game is obsessed with the past? obsessed with legitimising and validating all the compilation of ffvii media that came before it - despite the entire ending of Remake being you defeated fate and a new journey awaits, this game follows the OG VII even closer? and then tries to take the piss out the idea of living in the past? it’s just so badly done.

I genuinely can’t stand how unserious this game is too, it never treats anything with the proper weight it deserves, everything is a joke, and when it’s serious, the game needs to shove something else down your throat in case your brain has time to sit and process what actually happened. From the death of Dyne being interrupted by cartoon character mecha frog fight to the whole Gi are aliens exposition immediately after Nanaki learns about his father. Also why does Dyne have to die in a Hollywood bombastic shooting scene? especially when cloud and co were holding down the fort. Was the suicide angle too poignant? too thoughtful?

The game is just so insincere and emotionally shallow at times man, i hate that scene with aerith as a child during her trial where she goes to ask for help and a guy gets pushed into her and he turns round and insults her, a literal child. Its such a clearly desperate attempt to try make the player sad cause the writers don’t seem to know how to actually write a sad scene. I literally rolled my eyes when it happened. This might be a stretch and a bit cynical but it does feel like it’s trying to paint poor or impoverished people in a bad light and kind of show shinra is right to be patrolling their neighbourhoods with armed personnel, cause they’re all dangerous, even towards children, except for a select few.

I dunno, my heads all over the place with this game in regard to story, all I know is I came out the other end really hating the narrative.

HOWEVER

Queen’s Blood is so fucking good, it’s so good, it’s up there with Triple Triad, please release a standalone version I’m begging.