Final Fantasy VII Rebirth made me cry, made me laugh, made me feel fuzzy in my chest. It destroyed my sleep schedule and I'm still trying to get that back on track.
It does 99% of things right. I do have some nitpicks, but when your only issues with a game are nitpicks, you know it's phenomenal.
It is wonderful to have some semblance of old-school Final Fantasy towns again, but in HD. The towns feel lived-in just as they do in Remake but have that same classic feel to them we've wanted.
The open-world is comparable to Ubisoft or Horizon... but like, actually good? Unlocking towers only posts 2-3 markers on your map at the most, and all of the side content feels like it's worth doing. You do side quests to boost relationship values, you do crystal spots for crafting materials and to unlock more things, the dig sites unlock new crafting recipes, etc etc. None of this feels overwhelming at all since it's not dense like other open-world games. Open-world fatigue was never due to the core design of open-worlds, it was due to them being designed in a way that exhausts you. Square understands that here and makes it so it doesn't drain you like other open-world games do. There are a plethora of fast travel points and transporation can be called directly to you at any time with a button. Chocobos also just show up automatically when you reach a place you need them too.
Good lord is Chadley annoying though. He talks way too much. I was always neutral on Chadley but this game made me hate him. MAI is adorable though and I wish there was more of her.
The side quests are actually interesting now. The dungeons don't feel like hallways like Remake. It's like they mixed Remake with a classic Final Fantasy (which makes sense for a remake) and it works so splendidly.
Characters are better than they've ever been. Standouts are Tifa, Barret, and Yuffie in particular. Tifa is no longer just a pretty face, and they've done plenty to build her as her as a character compared to the OG and explore the weird relationship she has with Cloud. Barret's voice acting is simply fantastic and he manages to go from emotional to angry to amusing so effortlessly. Yuffie actually feels like a character now, and she's integrated perfectly into the story to a point that the uninformed might think she's always been a part of it. Of course everyone else is still voice acted very well and fantastic in their own right.
As a big Vincent stan, I gotta say I like Matt Mercer but he's the only recast that feels like a downgrade. Steve Blum is just too iconic of a voice to replace, honestly. But Matt does a good take on Vincent nonetheless. (Give me a Deepground DLC, Square)
The subtle changes to the story were great, such as Tifa and Aerith actually being part of the Junon parade segment, or Yuffie being the one drowning in Under Junon when the party arrives.
The story overall? Fantastic, but I think the finale of Disc 1 in the original is better than the finale here. While I'm satisfied with the sum of its parts and how it ends in Rebirth, Square has made it unnecessarily confusing. Is it Kingdom Hearts-ish? I detested that claim for Remake and I still do, but for Rebirth, I'd get it... BUT I'd compare it to a specific KH game rather than the whole series. If I said which one I'd spoil it.
Regardless, the finale is still something I'm happy with as a fan of the OG. I do think a lot of the confusing bits were just there in an attempt to make a good finale for the game. They're ending a whole game here, not just Disc 1. So yeah. I also wish Bone Village and Rocket Town were in the game. I wish Cid and Vincent were playable. There will always be things the OG does better than this game.
I think fans will be a little disappointed about where Zack's story ends up going, since it still has more questions around it than answers.
But if you asked me if this game in addition to Remake is better than the OG. Recency bias says 90% yes. Give it a few months and ask me again though. It'd be pretty darn close. (Can I say 'damn' on here?)
It's a masterpiece, hands down.
Score: 96
It does 99% of things right. I do have some nitpicks, but when your only issues with a game are nitpicks, you know it's phenomenal.
It is wonderful to have some semblance of old-school Final Fantasy towns again, but in HD. The towns feel lived-in just as they do in Remake but have that same classic feel to them we've wanted.
The open-world is comparable to Ubisoft or Horizon... but like, actually good? Unlocking towers only posts 2-3 markers on your map at the most, and all of the side content feels like it's worth doing. You do side quests to boost relationship values, you do crystal spots for crafting materials and to unlock more things, the dig sites unlock new crafting recipes, etc etc. None of this feels overwhelming at all since it's not dense like other open-world games. Open-world fatigue was never due to the core design of open-worlds, it was due to them being designed in a way that exhausts you. Square understands that here and makes it so it doesn't drain you like other open-world games do. There are a plethora of fast travel points and transporation can be called directly to you at any time with a button. Chocobos also just show up automatically when you reach a place you need them too.
Good lord is Chadley annoying though. He talks way too much. I was always neutral on Chadley but this game made me hate him. MAI is adorable though and I wish there was more of her.
The side quests are actually interesting now. The dungeons don't feel like hallways like Remake. It's like they mixed Remake with a classic Final Fantasy (which makes sense for a remake) and it works so splendidly.
Characters are better than they've ever been. Standouts are Tifa, Barret, and Yuffie in particular. Tifa is no longer just a pretty face, and they've done plenty to build her as her as a character compared to the OG and explore the weird relationship she has with Cloud. Barret's voice acting is simply fantastic and he manages to go from emotional to angry to amusing so effortlessly. Yuffie actually feels like a character now, and she's integrated perfectly into the story to a point that the uninformed might think she's always been a part of it. Of course everyone else is still voice acted very well and fantastic in their own right.
As a big Vincent stan, I gotta say I like Matt Mercer but he's the only recast that feels like a downgrade. Steve Blum is just too iconic of a voice to replace, honestly. But Matt does a good take on Vincent nonetheless. (Give me a Deepground DLC, Square)
The subtle changes to the story were great, such as Tifa and Aerith actually being part of the Junon parade segment, or Yuffie being the one drowning in Under Junon when the party arrives.
The story overall? Fantastic, but I think the finale of Disc 1 in the original is better than the finale here. While I'm satisfied with the sum of its parts and how it ends in Rebirth, Square has made it unnecessarily confusing. Is it Kingdom Hearts-ish? I detested that claim for Remake and I still do, but for Rebirth, I'd get it... BUT I'd compare it to a specific KH game rather than the whole series. If I said which one I'd spoil it.
Regardless, the finale is still something I'm happy with as a fan of the OG. I do think a lot of the confusing bits were just there in an attempt to make a good finale for the game. They're ending a whole game here, not just Disc 1. So yeah. I also wish Bone Village and Rocket Town were in the game. I wish Cid and Vincent were playable. There will always be things the OG does better than this game.
I think fans will be a little disappointed about where Zack's story ends up going, since it still has more questions around it than answers.
But if you asked me if this game in addition to Remake is better than the OG. Recency bias says 90% yes. Give it a few months and ask me again though. It'd be pretty darn close. (Can I say 'damn' on here?)
It's a masterpiece, hands down.
Score: 96