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Boy oh boy, my expectations for this game were exorbitantly high and yet, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth exceeded almost all of them.
It took me a few years to appreciate what Remake is and what it was doing and I still do have a few major problems with it. Some of them lie within the nature of Midgar itself. Rebirth on the other hand is a near perfect game.
I only have a few minor issues with it, such as the resolution in performance mode or the framerate in graphics mode. The game struggled to load some textures during in-game cutscenes, such things. But I’m not petty, that doesn’t drag down the game that much. I’m not a fan of a few mini games, as well. I think this game does have amazing mini games, most of them are very well integrated into the story and the quality is top notch, but I wish the piano mini game had some accessibility options. It’s literally impossible for my brain to focus on two sticks for the piano. It just says no, even if it’s the easiest song with the slowest rhythm. So I wish there was a way for people like me to clear the songs some other way. The other mini game that infuriated me was the chocobo gliding. Not that it’s hard or impossible for me to clear, but I don’t know why they thought it’d be a great idea to not be able to move the camera in order to spot the rings? I heard they fixed it in the latest patch already, but I didn’t try it and I already had to suffer anyway.
I also didn’t enjoy the Cait Sith part in Shinra’s Villa, but that’s about it.
There’s nothing else I could complain about. As I mentioned, a nearly perfect game.
This game took everything that was great in Remake and refined it on so, so, so many levels. Be it the materia system, the easy to learn but hard to master combat system, the mechanics, the exploration in the open world or during linear sections or the RPG elements. You need to know, I’m a bit conservative when it comes to the definition of “RPG” or “JRPG”, so I rarely (not never) consider action RPGs “JRPGs”, sometimes not even truly “RPG”, but the RPG elements in Rebirth are so well thought-out and deep that I’m calling this one a full-fledged JRPG. I consider the Tales series JRPG, as well, just as another example, but I do not consider NieR: Automata a JRPG, even though it’s one of my absolute favorite games of all time. And I do not consider Final Fantasy XVI a JRPG or RPG in any way.
Rebirth really puts XVI into perspective, huh? Better story, dynamic party members that interact with you and with each other, each character is beautifully written, meaningful or silly side quests, Cloud can actually run fast, there’s much more to explore, the soundtrack is a lot better, you can catch chocobos, high quality mini games, great mechanics, actual RPG elements, accessories and equipments do more than giving you 0.1 second less of a cooldown for just one skill. Final Fantasy XVII really needs to be more like Rebirth, because Rebirth is unironically as good as the golden era Final Fantasy games that are VI to X. It’s full of heart and soul. It’s a love letter not only to Final Fantasy VII, but to the best era this series ever had. Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game of all time and Rebirth made me love it even more, while knowing the original (and Crisis Core) makes me love Rebirth even more, as well.
As to the story, I don’t want to leave spoilers in here, but I loved every second of it. Even the “ending” that is controversial to some of players.
And I got Tifa as my date. You KNOW why this scene is GREAT.
It took me a few years to appreciate what Remake is and what it was doing and I still do have a few major problems with it. Some of them lie within the nature of Midgar itself. Rebirth on the other hand is a near perfect game.
I only have a few minor issues with it, such as the resolution in performance mode or the framerate in graphics mode. The game struggled to load some textures during in-game cutscenes, such things. But I’m not petty, that doesn’t drag down the game that much. I’m not a fan of a few mini games, as well. I think this game does have amazing mini games, most of them are very well integrated into the story and the quality is top notch, but I wish the piano mini game had some accessibility options. It’s literally impossible for my brain to focus on two sticks for the piano. It just says no, even if it’s the easiest song with the slowest rhythm. So I wish there was a way for people like me to clear the songs some other way. The other mini game that infuriated me was the chocobo gliding. Not that it’s hard or impossible for me to clear, but I don’t know why they thought it’d be a great idea to not be able to move the camera in order to spot the rings? I heard they fixed it in the latest patch already, but I didn’t try it and I already had to suffer anyway.
I also didn’t enjoy the Cait Sith part in Shinra’s Villa, but that’s about it.
There’s nothing else I could complain about. As I mentioned, a nearly perfect game.
This game took everything that was great in Remake and refined it on so, so, so many levels. Be it the materia system, the easy to learn but hard to master combat system, the mechanics, the exploration in the open world or during linear sections or the RPG elements. You need to know, I’m a bit conservative when it comes to the definition of “RPG” or “JRPG”, so I rarely (not never) consider action RPGs “JRPGs”, sometimes not even truly “RPG”, but the RPG elements in Rebirth are so well thought-out and deep that I’m calling this one a full-fledged JRPG. I consider the Tales series JRPG, as well, just as another example, but I do not consider NieR: Automata a JRPG, even though it’s one of my absolute favorite games of all time. And I do not consider Final Fantasy XVI a JRPG or RPG in any way.
Rebirth really puts XVI into perspective, huh? Better story, dynamic party members that interact with you and with each other, each character is beautifully written, meaningful or silly side quests, Cloud can actually run fast, there’s much more to explore, the soundtrack is a lot better, you can catch chocobos, high quality mini games, great mechanics, actual RPG elements, accessories and equipments do more than giving you 0.1 second less of a cooldown for just one skill. Final Fantasy XVII really needs to be more like Rebirth, because Rebirth is unironically as good as the golden era Final Fantasy games that are VI to X. It’s full of heart and soul. It’s a love letter not only to Final Fantasy VII, but to the best era this series ever had. Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game of all time and Rebirth made me love it even more, while knowing the original (and Crisis Core) makes me love Rebirth even more, as well.
As to the story, I don’t want to leave spoilers in here, but I loved every second of it. Even the “ending” that is controversial to some of players.
And I got Tifa as my date. You KNOW why this scene is GREAT.
This review contains spoilers
Forewarning: This is LONG
First and foremost, "Final Fantasy VII" has always been one of the most impactful names for me personally as I have been a fan of the characters and the entries with the FFVII name going on two decades now. My first introduction to Final Fantasy (VII) characters was through the Kingdom Hearts games on the PS2 (shout out my pops) and my first Final Fantasy was X. However, in time I would have the privilege of playing through FFVII in time (and watching Advent Children) and fell in love with its world, story, characters, and everything else in between. An iconic PSX era game that had yet to get some sort of remake treatment like the incredible marvels that were Resident Evil or Metal Gear Solid, and after being teased with that PS3 tech demo way back when, our dreams came true in March of 2020 when "Final Fantasy VII Remake" released. I was ecstatic for Remake, but even more so for Rebirth because of the amazing moments and locations to be shown in modern graphics. While in Remake, we only got to experience Midgar, I was grateful that Rebirth was going to be "more" and give us that freedom that the original and other Final Fantasy games tend to offer. Sure, Remake had really great moments and scenes, but devoting one whole game to just the first location had a lot of filler and slow pacing, but it really elevated all of these characters I love. The best thing about this whole Remake treatment is seeing these beloved characters come to life, showing emotions and having the ability to develop even further. The wait for Rebirth was long, but worth the wait. From the iconic Gold Saucer to Cosmo Canyon, I was one-hundred percent pleased with how these iconic gaming monuments and moments were portrayed. This game absolutely consumed me from release day to when I concluded it, a span of two weeks. While I work and go to school, Rebirth was the thing I was most eager to dive in to when I had my free time. My game time clocked well in over 100 hours and I had practically done about 90% of the various side content and haven't even touched hard mode. Burnt out at the moment, but I will be working towards that platinum in time.
While Rebirth, at its core, still has the same combat as Remake (which is a great thing, mind you), there is a lot more to do with it. With the addition of three more playable characters from Remake's four, there is much you can do in terms of playstyle and team set ups. Yuffie, already loved her playstyle from Episode INTERmission, adds so much to the team and stayed in it most of the time from her recruitment at the end of chapter six. Red XIII being playable after being a NPC teammate in the previous entry, was awesome because of how fun he is, as well. Cait Sith, who has always been a benchwarmer for me in the original, had his moments here, but as far as combat goes I was not too big on him, but his character is a lot better here. The skill tree, differing much from Remake’s method to upgrades, offers much more and grants a lot more range for you to decide on what you want to invest in first for your characters. The synergy abilites and skills you can unlock allow a lot of opportunities for different team combinations to mix things up. I am a big fan of the new weapon abilities and I had a lot of fun with the combat getting in to every possible fight I could with the game's broad maps.
The open world in Rebirth is truly fascinating. I enjoyed exploring the areas alongside my party and it's neat that even the members that were benched still run around with you- I truly wish more JRPG's did that. There is a LOT to do, so much in fact, that I definitely would get overwhelmed at points and it didn't help that Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon weren't necessarily the best maps to fill out. Thankfully, Nibelheim felt fresh when I got there. Chadley's intel felt fun and rewarding and it's neat that some of those objectives are changed up in every map. Finding those Chocobo stops, or eagerly finding the divine intel to add a cool summon to my lineup, was a good time. Of course, once you get access to the Chocobo in the designated area, it makes traversal easier especially since some require in order to access certain intel. With having these open areas, it makes side quests have a lot more room to be extended, too. Overall, it feels satisfying to fill out what you are able of the map to get all of the intel and find ingredients to craft great items, but I wish navigation was better mostly in certain maps like those previously stated.
The amount of minigames in Rebirth is truly impressive. As a Triple Triad enthusiast, I fell in love with Queen's Blood quickly and was eager to find new cards and opponents and wasted no time in completing the respective questline for it. I already knew the Gold Saucer was going to be packed to the brim with things to do as the original had, including an improved Chocobo racing game. I honestly enjoyed every game there and 3D Brawler’s harder stages were an interesting challenge. Fort Condor is back from INTERmission and I love how the characters look like their original models, but I enjoyed it more there than here. I loved the “Fall Guys” inspired stages where you have the Toad status. Costa del Sol has some really fun minigames, such as a more “puzzley” way to tackle Queen’s Blood, and a carnival inspired shooting minigame which I enjoyed, and a soccer like one where you play as Red XIII. There is a lot to do, ranging from a rhythm game and catching Moogles, so it feels enticing to tackle harder difficulties or shoot for that high score to get those awesome rewards for your party. Overall, the quality can shift in these minigames and some are better than others, but overall really solid for everything this game offers.
Music has always been a big highlight to me in not just Final Fantasy titles, but JRPGs in general. I had no doubt after how spectacular Remake’s OST was, that this OST was going to be no different. Uematsu is a legendary composer and his reimagined works in here are amazing. “Cosmo Canyon” comes to mind as being my favorite as well as the different renditions of “On Our Way,” which is my favorite track from the original. Renditions of character themes are also well executed here. There is a lot of standout new tracks that I love, such as “Salmon’s/Stamp’s Theme,” and the “Speed Square Entrance.” The music is perfect in this game and I found myself just standing still in areas to just bask in its beauty.
The story adapts a lot of iconic moments faithfully, while not afraid to add things or change it up. Epic moments were done perfectly, such as the Junon parade or captivating the magic of the Gold Saucer. Aerith’s death also didn’t have that same effect that the original game had, but it was still an intense scene that led to a lot of cool fights and other scenes. I really liked Cissnei’s inclusion in Gongaga, too. It was obvious from Remake, that they were trying to include things from FFVII’s compilation media, which of course is not a bad idea. It adds the ability to have more epic moments with the beloved cast of FFVII, like having Cloud and Zack fight Sephiroth together was almost like a childhood dream come true. While the multiple timelines and ending confused me, I spent a lot of time watching and listening to various analyses. Our third entry still seems to be promising despite still some confusion on uncertainty of things will play out. I personally believe the best thing about this whole remake project, as I stated in my introduction, is the ability to further these characters in their development aspects. Yuffie, being an optional character in original, was bland in that title, but here, thanks to the events of INTERmission and being mandatory, show that she has a motive against Shinra and fits in perfectly with the cast. Acting as the annoying sibling and almost like a daughter to Barret, but doesn’t lose her materia obsessive character trait everyone knows her for. Truth be told, her and Barret are the best characters in this game from a written and development standpoint because of the moments they are given. Barret’s backstory has always been an important moment upon reaching North Corel, but here it was executed amazingly and brought tears to my eyes. It’s interesting how Cid was included here, which differs from his original introduction to the original game, but I personally really like it. I have always been uncertain about the inclusion of the whispers in Remake, but I am warming up to them here in Rebirth and while slightly a little more confused, I hope we get the clarity we deserve in the final part.
As far as the flow of the game, I think the main story suffers from some pacing issues and forces the player to engage in minigames to progress the story. For example, after spending hours to complete the various side stuff and wanting to move forward with the story, there are times you are forced to engage in more similar things to continue. While I know the original had them to an extent and side stuff is optional, they work in some places and don’t work in others. The whole Junon Parade is fine, as it was in the original, or even riding the dolphin to start that whole ordeal- but asides from character moments, having to do a bunch of minigames to progress the chapter in Costa del Sol, or upon visits to the Gold Saucer, halts the momentum of moments being built up like the dive in to Barret’s past. What I am trying to say is some chapters are better than others, but some are flawed forcing a player to do something they may not want to do, and I am looking at you Cait Sith chapter 11 section…
Some personal thoughts, starting off with was that I was overall pleased with this game. Stated in my introduction, the world of FFVII is very dear to me and seeing these characters and world I love brought to life like this is beautiful. I love the cast, one of my favorite JRPG casts of all time, and this remake project has made me love these characters even beyond that. While I always loved Aerith, Yuffie, and Barret, their moments here made me feel stronger towards them and this includes Cait Sith. Square Enix has always developed the most magical experiences I have ever had in my life and they did not fall short here. There is a LOT more I can say about this game and everything in between, but I will conclude it here.
Overall, Rebirth is a very strong sequel to Remake that has a LOT to do and furthered the limit (no pun intended) as to what this remake project is capable of. Definitely my GOTY 2024 so far. I'm excited to see what part III holds for us, such as the styles of play that Vincent and Cid will add. I hope to see more iconic moments and locations done just as breathtaking, such as Wutai, and traveling the amazing world that Final Fantasy VII presents on the legendary gaming airship, the Highwind.
First and foremost, "Final Fantasy VII" has always been one of the most impactful names for me personally as I have been a fan of the characters and the entries with the FFVII name going on two decades now. My first introduction to Final Fantasy (VII) characters was through the Kingdom Hearts games on the PS2 (shout out my pops) and my first Final Fantasy was X. However, in time I would have the privilege of playing through FFVII in time (and watching Advent Children) and fell in love with its world, story, characters, and everything else in between. An iconic PSX era game that had yet to get some sort of remake treatment like the incredible marvels that were Resident Evil or Metal Gear Solid, and after being teased with that PS3 tech demo way back when, our dreams came true in March of 2020 when "Final Fantasy VII Remake" released. I was ecstatic for Remake, but even more so for Rebirth because of the amazing moments and locations to be shown in modern graphics. While in Remake, we only got to experience Midgar, I was grateful that Rebirth was going to be "more" and give us that freedom that the original and other Final Fantasy games tend to offer. Sure, Remake had really great moments and scenes, but devoting one whole game to just the first location had a lot of filler and slow pacing, but it really elevated all of these characters I love. The best thing about this whole Remake treatment is seeing these beloved characters come to life, showing emotions and having the ability to develop even further. The wait for Rebirth was long, but worth the wait. From the iconic Gold Saucer to Cosmo Canyon, I was one-hundred percent pleased with how these iconic gaming monuments and moments were portrayed. This game absolutely consumed me from release day to when I concluded it, a span of two weeks. While I work and go to school, Rebirth was the thing I was most eager to dive in to when I had my free time. My game time clocked well in over 100 hours and I had practically done about 90% of the various side content and haven't even touched hard mode. Burnt out at the moment, but I will be working towards that platinum in time.
While Rebirth, at its core, still has the same combat as Remake (which is a great thing, mind you), there is a lot more to do with it. With the addition of three more playable characters from Remake's four, there is much you can do in terms of playstyle and team set ups. Yuffie, already loved her playstyle from Episode INTERmission, adds so much to the team and stayed in it most of the time from her recruitment at the end of chapter six. Red XIII being playable after being a NPC teammate in the previous entry, was awesome because of how fun he is, as well. Cait Sith, who has always been a benchwarmer for me in the original, had his moments here, but as far as combat goes I was not too big on him, but his character is a lot better here. The skill tree, differing much from Remake’s method to upgrades, offers much more and grants a lot more range for you to decide on what you want to invest in first for your characters. The synergy abilites and skills you can unlock allow a lot of opportunities for different team combinations to mix things up. I am a big fan of the new weapon abilities and I had a lot of fun with the combat getting in to every possible fight I could with the game's broad maps.
The open world in Rebirth is truly fascinating. I enjoyed exploring the areas alongside my party and it's neat that even the members that were benched still run around with you- I truly wish more JRPG's did that. There is a LOT to do, so much in fact, that I definitely would get overwhelmed at points and it didn't help that Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon weren't necessarily the best maps to fill out. Thankfully, Nibelheim felt fresh when I got there. Chadley's intel felt fun and rewarding and it's neat that some of those objectives are changed up in every map. Finding those Chocobo stops, or eagerly finding the divine intel to add a cool summon to my lineup, was a good time. Of course, once you get access to the Chocobo in the designated area, it makes traversal easier especially since some require in order to access certain intel. With having these open areas, it makes side quests have a lot more room to be extended, too. Overall, it feels satisfying to fill out what you are able of the map to get all of the intel and find ingredients to craft great items, but I wish navigation was better mostly in certain maps like those previously stated.
The amount of minigames in Rebirth is truly impressive. As a Triple Triad enthusiast, I fell in love with Queen's Blood quickly and was eager to find new cards and opponents and wasted no time in completing the respective questline for it. I already knew the Gold Saucer was going to be packed to the brim with things to do as the original had, including an improved Chocobo racing game. I honestly enjoyed every game there and 3D Brawler’s harder stages were an interesting challenge. Fort Condor is back from INTERmission and I love how the characters look like their original models, but I enjoyed it more there than here. I loved the “Fall Guys” inspired stages where you have the Toad status. Costa del Sol has some really fun minigames, such as a more “puzzley” way to tackle Queen’s Blood, and a carnival inspired shooting minigame which I enjoyed, and a soccer like one where you play as Red XIII. There is a lot to do, ranging from a rhythm game and catching Moogles, so it feels enticing to tackle harder difficulties or shoot for that high score to get those awesome rewards for your party. Overall, the quality can shift in these minigames and some are better than others, but overall really solid for everything this game offers.
Music has always been a big highlight to me in not just Final Fantasy titles, but JRPGs in general. I had no doubt after how spectacular Remake’s OST was, that this OST was going to be no different. Uematsu is a legendary composer and his reimagined works in here are amazing. “Cosmo Canyon” comes to mind as being my favorite as well as the different renditions of “On Our Way,” which is my favorite track from the original. Renditions of character themes are also well executed here. There is a lot of standout new tracks that I love, such as “Salmon’s/Stamp’s Theme,” and the “Speed Square Entrance.” The music is perfect in this game and I found myself just standing still in areas to just bask in its beauty.
The story adapts a lot of iconic moments faithfully, while not afraid to add things or change it up. Epic moments were done perfectly, such as the Junon parade or captivating the magic of the Gold Saucer. Aerith’s death also didn’t have that same effect that the original game had, but it was still an intense scene that led to a lot of cool fights and other scenes. I really liked Cissnei’s inclusion in Gongaga, too. It was obvious from Remake, that they were trying to include things from FFVII’s compilation media, which of course is not a bad idea. It adds the ability to have more epic moments with the beloved cast of FFVII, like having Cloud and Zack fight Sephiroth together was almost like a childhood dream come true. While the multiple timelines and ending confused me, I spent a lot of time watching and listening to various analyses. Our third entry still seems to be promising despite still some confusion on uncertainty of things will play out. I personally believe the best thing about this whole remake project, as I stated in my introduction, is the ability to further these characters in their development aspects. Yuffie, being an optional character in original, was bland in that title, but here, thanks to the events of INTERmission and being mandatory, show that she has a motive against Shinra and fits in perfectly with the cast. Acting as the annoying sibling and almost like a daughter to Barret, but doesn’t lose her materia obsessive character trait everyone knows her for. Truth be told, her and Barret are the best characters in this game from a written and development standpoint because of the moments they are given. Barret’s backstory has always been an important moment upon reaching North Corel, but here it was executed amazingly and brought tears to my eyes. It’s interesting how Cid was included here, which differs from his original introduction to the original game, but I personally really like it. I have always been uncertain about the inclusion of the whispers in Remake, but I am warming up to them here in Rebirth and while slightly a little more confused, I hope we get the clarity we deserve in the final part.
As far as the flow of the game, I think the main story suffers from some pacing issues and forces the player to engage in minigames to progress the story. For example, after spending hours to complete the various side stuff and wanting to move forward with the story, there are times you are forced to engage in more similar things to continue. While I know the original had them to an extent and side stuff is optional, they work in some places and don’t work in others. The whole Junon Parade is fine, as it was in the original, or even riding the dolphin to start that whole ordeal- but asides from character moments, having to do a bunch of minigames to progress the chapter in Costa del Sol, or upon visits to the Gold Saucer, halts the momentum of moments being built up like the dive in to Barret’s past. What I am trying to say is some chapters are better than others, but some are flawed forcing a player to do something they may not want to do, and I am looking at you Cait Sith chapter 11 section…
Some personal thoughts, starting off with was that I was overall pleased with this game. Stated in my introduction, the world of FFVII is very dear to me and seeing these characters and world I love brought to life like this is beautiful. I love the cast, one of my favorite JRPG casts of all time, and this remake project has made me love these characters even beyond that. While I always loved Aerith, Yuffie, and Barret, their moments here made me feel stronger towards them and this includes Cait Sith. Square Enix has always developed the most magical experiences I have ever had in my life and they did not fall short here. There is a LOT more I can say about this game and everything in between, but I will conclude it here.
Overall, Rebirth is a very strong sequel to Remake that has a LOT to do and furthered the limit (no pun intended) as to what this remake project is capable of. Definitely my GOTY 2024 so far. I'm excited to see what part III holds for us, such as the styles of play that Vincent and Cid will add. I hope to see more iconic moments and locations done just as breathtaking, such as Wutai, and traveling the amazing world that Final Fantasy VII presents on the legendary gaming airship, the Highwind.
This game leaves me feeling very strange. It nails so much of what makes a Final Fantasy game or even a good RPG special: a colorful and fleshed out cast of characters, engaging and customizable combat mechanics that make use of a whole party, and a lot of fun side content including probably the best card game in the series. This comes with a big drawback, which is that it’s still an incomplete remake of an existing game.
Rebirth is a much bigger game than the original FFVII, and with the amount of time you’ll spend playing it you’ll experience many more moments of characterization with the game’s cast. This is where it improves greatly on the original game’s biggest weakness, and I’d also argue an improvement from Remake when it comes to integrating these into the plot—which is admittedly more loose than it was in Midgar.
While the size of the game does indeed add a lot to the player’s experience in that regard, it’s also the reason why I’m unlikely to replay it. The story beats are still very similar to that of the original game’s, and many of them are tonally undercut by either the game’s more over the top presentation or newer elements added in. In all honesty I was kind of expecting more to have changed this time around, but like Remake it followed much of the same plot as the original but with a few adaptational differences. The distinctly new material makes up a very small amount of this game’s story, and still leaves the player with a lot of questions—putting the pressure on part 3 to deliver.
All in all, this is a very good game, and a worthwhile experience for anyone who wants more of Final Fantasy VII’s world and cast. I do also think it’s interesting to see how sensibilities have changed since the original game was made, and the decisions that Square makes when telling a story from 1997 to today’s audience with far more resources available to them. But there’s this nagging in my head that tells me they could have also made something more worthwhile if they’d taken everything that made this game great and channeled it into an entirely new Final Fantasy game instead.
Rebirth is a much bigger game than the original FFVII, and with the amount of time you’ll spend playing it you’ll experience many more moments of characterization with the game’s cast. This is where it improves greatly on the original game’s biggest weakness, and I’d also argue an improvement from Remake when it comes to integrating these into the plot—which is admittedly more loose than it was in Midgar.
While the size of the game does indeed add a lot to the player’s experience in that regard, it’s also the reason why I’m unlikely to replay it. The story beats are still very similar to that of the original game’s, and many of them are tonally undercut by either the game’s more over the top presentation or newer elements added in. In all honesty I was kind of expecting more to have changed this time around, but like Remake it followed much of the same plot as the original but with a few adaptational differences. The distinctly new material makes up a very small amount of this game’s story, and still leaves the player with a lot of questions—putting the pressure on part 3 to deliver.
All in all, this is a very good game, and a worthwhile experience for anyone who wants more of Final Fantasy VII’s world and cast. I do also think it’s interesting to see how sensibilities have changed since the original game was made, and the decisions that Square makes when telling a story from 1997 to today’s audience with far more resources available to them. But there’s this nagging in my head that tells me they could have also made something more worthwhile if they’d taken everything that made this game great and channeled it into an entirely new Final Fantasy game instead.
Dead Rising 3
2013
This is where DR starts to lose focus. You're way too powerful in this zombie-populated world and nothing feels threatening or memorable. Most of the staple mechanics of the series are gutted in place of ill-inspired psychos and a focus on killing zombies above all else. Took itself far too seriously and the moodier tone hurts it greatly.
Don’t get me wrong, I like this game a lot. I think its soundtrack is one of the best if the series, It’s gameplay is top tier, the writing is on point, all the callbacks and future teases are incredible, and C’s story especially improves him to being at least a top 5 character in the series. The problem is nothing really happens in this game. This could have just been an email.
Sea of Stars
2023
This is Chrono Trigger if it was bad
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is everything I wanted and then some.
Well, to clarify, 95% of it is everything I wanted and then some. That 5% isn't nearly enough to kibosh the entire experience for me but the fact that the vast majority of it was truly stellar is a triumph, honestly.
Rebirth needed to do a lot following up from Remake, and it does pretty much all of it to such a high level that it's baffling that a game of this magnitude could even be possible in such a short development time. Of course, I'm referring to both playtime and scale, but also to how lovingly crafted and relentlessly charming it is in all 60+ hours of the journey it takes you on, with only a handful of missteps along the way.
The overarching narrative and, most of all, the character writing in Rebirth are the strongest they've ever been. Characters that were presented well in the original are somehow made even better here, with backstory and banter that's consistently such a treat to listen to. If you manage to even make Cait Sith compelling, then you've got a real winner on your hands. The story beats and their wider implications differ from the original, as with Remake, and not all of them hit. However, again, the vast majority of them I found to be much more compelling than ever before, thanks to the greatly expanded scenes and dialogue present throughout.
The ending is indeed as divisive as you might have heard and while I won't go into it here, I did enjoy what it presented; however, I can absolutely see where and why people would dislike it, as the execution feels very slapdash. I totally get what they were going for and it went the way I figured it would but it's indicative of an ending that's spinning too many plates at once, both narratively and thematically.
But as I said, that falls under the 5% that wasn't as stellar as the rest of the package.
Gameplay-wise, there's not really much to add that hasn't already been pointed out by everyone else—it's just Remake but better, with tighter controls for each of the characters and much more mobility with air combos and team attacks now entering into the mix to make battles feel far more dynamic than they were before. When you get into a flow state with it, particularly during the game's many boss battles, it feels great and is a natural extension of the formula they crafted in the previous game.
As for Rebirth's open world, ultimately, I found it to be the poster child for the phrase 'too much of a good thing'. It's filled with the usual Ubisoft open-world guff of towers and challenging enemy encounters that seem to mostly exist simply to pad out the exploration some more, but there are also some truly excellent side quests and artifact hunts that feed into the game's larger narrative and world-building that are almost always worth seeing through.
And then there's Queen's Blood. I'm not even a fan of card games at all and QB just dominated my playthrough. Honestly, if Square releases it as a standalone game on the level of Hearthstone, I'm going to be even more unemployed than I already am.
All of this extra stuff is really great; however, it's an absolute overabundance. By chapter 12, you basically get given another 10+ hours of new side content to do and at that point, I just wanted to see the story through to the end.
Regardless, FF7 Rebirth is a real 'above and beyond' type sequel. It's by no means perfect and it has its faults here and there, but those highs are so high that the third entry will have to do a lot to supersede it.
9.5/10
Well, to clarify, 95% of it is everything I wanted and then some. That 5% isn't nearly enough to kibosh the entire experience for me but the fact that the vast majority of it was truly stellar is a triumph, honestly.
Rebirth needed to do a lot following up from Remake, and it does pretty much all of it to such a high level that it's baffling that a game of this magnitude could even be possible in such a short development time. Of course, I'm referring to both playtime and scale, but also to how lovingly crafted and relentlessly charming it is in all 60+ hours of the journey it takes you on, with only a handful of missteps along the way.
The overarching narrative and, most of all, the character writing in Rebirth are the strongest they've ever been. Characters that were presented well in the original are somehow made even better here, with backstory and banter that's consistently such a treat to listen to. If you manage to even make Cait Sith compelling, then you've got a real winner on your hands. The story beats and their wider implications differ from the original, as with Remake, and not all of them hit. However, again, the vast majority of them I found to be much more compelling than ever before, thanks to the greatly expanded scenes and dialogue present throughout.
The ending is indeed as divisive as you might have heard and while I won't go into it here, I did enjoy what it presented; however, I can absolutely see where and why people would dislike it, as the execution feels very slapdash. I totally get what they were going for and it went the way I figured it would but it's indicative of an ending that's spinning too many plates at once, both narratively and thematically.
But as I said, that falls under the 5% that wasn't as stellar as the rest of the package.
Gameplay-wise, there's not really much to add that hasn't already been pointed out by everyone else—it's just Remake but better, with tighter controls for each of the characters and much more mobility with air combos and team attacks now entering into the mix to make battles feel far more dynamic than they were before. When you get into a flow state with it, particularly during the game's many boss battles, it feels great and is a natural extension of the formula they crafted in the previous game.
As for Rebirth's open world, ultimately, I found it to be the poster child for the phrase 'too much of a good thing'. It's filled with the usual Ubisoft open-world guff of towers and challenging enemy encounters that seem to mostly exist simply to pad out the exploration some more, but there are also some truly excellent side quests and artifact hunts that feed into the game's larger narrative and world-building that are almost always worth seeing through.
And then there's Queen's Blood. I'm not even a fan of card games at all and QB just dominated my playthrough. Honestly, if Square releases it as a standalone game on the level of Hearthstone, I'm going to be even more unemployed than I already am.
All of this extra stuff is really great; however, it's an absolute overabundance. By chapter 12, you basically get given another 10+ hours of new side content to do and at that point, I just wanted to see the story through to the end.
Regardless, FF7 Rebirth is a real 'above and beyond' type sequel. It's by no means perfect and it has its faults here and there, but those highs are so high that the third entry will have to do a lot to supersede it.
9.5/10
Skull and Bones
2024
The water looks good sometimes
This review contains spoilers
Despite having a myriad of combat issues and some of the weakest villians in the franchise, LAD:Infinite Wealth still manages to stick the landing thanks to its phenomenal cast and rock solid story.
While Like A Dragon focused on Ichibans adjustment to the modern world and discovering what happened to his Yakuza family, Infinite Wealth pivots to a search for his allegedly alive mother, with plenty of twist and turns that complicate this simple task. As someone who admittedly didn't care much for LADs story, I'm pleasantly surprised that Infinite Wealths hooked me from the very start. A main reason for this being in part to just how good Infinite Wealths main cast is in comparison to LAD, with a much better sense of comradery between the party (both new and old) and much better side characters. Eric Tomizawa and Chitose Fujinomiya make for outstanding additions to the Heroes Of Tommorow that contrast Ichiban in a way that makes them so much more interesting when compared to LADs party (Nanba still da goat though). Of course Kiryu also comes to Hawaii (with his dumb haircut) and the dynamic between both dragons make for some pretty memorable moments throughout. Besides those IWs supporting cast is also pretty damn good, with my favorite belonging to the creepy but cool Yabai, who channels Kuze in his determination to bring Ichiban down. Combat has also had some improvements, with the main one being the ability to actually move around. While it isn't as important as RGG thought it would, I still appreciate the addition and other things like the combo attacks and changing tag team moves to a bar instead of just another MP move also make things better overall. The job system is also much better in regards to switching, as most of the stats come from levels instead of jobs, which was something so simple I can't believe it wasn't in LAD originally. On the subject of the hub I do think Hawaii is one of the better large maps in the series, with so much to do it can be overwhelming. From crazy delivery to Suijimon league the game has plenty to do on top of the usual content like substories (which remain pretty solid but a bit weaker compared to LAD cuz most of them are callbacks to it). Although I will say all of Kiryus exclusive side stories fucking rule and that's purely because of the amazing fan service they all offer.
Before I get into the story I'd say the biggest issue with Infinite Wealth is just how much of it feels like RGG didn't learn what made the combat in Like A Dragon so rough. While the job system changes and movement are welcome additions the endgame still devolves into spamming whatever does the most damage while barely chipping away at the massive health pools bosses have. I'd also say that the incentive to switch jobs isn't really a thing for Ichiban/Kiryu as Hero and Dragon Of Dojima reign supreme for the entirety of the game (DOD in particular gets fucking RIDICULOUS in the second half). I'd also say that Infinite Wealths grind can be a bit worse compared to LAD, with frequent visits to the dungeon being necessary for some of the later bits (thankfully the dungeons are much improved from LAD and offer multiple versions). On a more subjective note the side content in this game really didn't appeal to me, with the Sujimon league being incredibly basic and boring alongside farming sim (which I don't care about).
STORY SPOILERS START HERE
Infinite Wealths story is pretty great but MAN are these villains pretty weak overall. Starting with Tatara Hisuka the vtuber that cancels Ichiban early in the story and jumpstarts his adventure to Hawaii. I actually didn't mind the idea of a vtuber being the catalyst for so much of the games drama but what hurts her is just how predictable the reveal feels. Not only because of how skeevy Chitose is for a majority of the story but also because RGG decided to show her directly messaging the villians at the end of one of the chapters (which feels so fucking weird since other twist villians like Baba did the concept so much better). Dwight Mendez (voiced and mocapped by Danny Trejo) isn't too bad but I wish he had more screen time because he appears near the start of the game and just goes away until the very end, though his final scene might just be one of the goriest in an RGG game. On the Hawaii side of the story is Bryce Fairchild, a cult leader who channels the Jingweon Mafia from 2 (and some parts of Bleach Japan). He has some pretty unsettling moments and an awesome boss fight but is also revealed really fucking early and just dissapears until the endgame (noticing a pattern?). Probably the best villian is Eiji Mitamura (or Ei-chan as Ichiban calls him). A former Bleach Japan member who has a bone to pick with the Yakuza, he serves as the most consistently appearing character and has some pretty great moments (especially in the ending). Going from him to the main dude is Masataka Ebina, the half brother of Ichiban and man also stiffed by the Yakuza (mainly cuz his Dad basically ruined his life). While it is a bit of treading old ground for the villians to be connected with Ichibans past I don't actually mind it in IW and his motivation is pretty solid. What I have issue with is HE'S FUCKING KIRYUS MAIN VILLIAN. Bringing back Kiryu from 6 isn't a bad idea on paper and I do think IW gives him a pretty solid sendoff (though I still like how 6 did it more) but his reasoning to fight Ebina feet incredibly forced, with the excuse of wanting to be forgiven feeling nonsensical since all the stuff that happened to Ebina being far before Kiryu's tenure as fourth chairman. All these combine to make villians that almost rival 4 in how meh they are (though Munakata is still the absolute worst).
STORY SPOILERS END
At the end of the day Infinite Wealth is just another Yakuza RPG. A great locale and story hamstrung by a system that just makes the entire experience drag. I'm hoping that the Judgment side series continues because this RPG future for the once brawler series is starting to grind my gears.
8/10
While Like A Dragon focused on Ichibans adjustment to the modern world and discovering what happened to his Yakuza family, Infinite Wealth pivots to a search for his allegedly alive mother, with plenty of twist and turns that complicate this simple task. As someone who admittedly didn't care much for LADs story, I'm pleasantly surprised that Infinite Wealths hooked me from the very start. A main reason for this being in part to just how good Infinite Wealths main cast is in comparison to LAD, with a much better sense of comradery between the party (both new and old) and much better side characters. Eric Tomizawa and Chitose Fujinomiya make for outstanding additions to the Heroes Of Tommorow that contrast Ichiban in a way that makes them so much more interesting when compared to LADs party (Nanba still da goat though). Of course Kiryu also comes to Hawaii (with his dumb haircut) and the dynamic between both dragons make for some pretty memorable moments throughout. Besides those IWs supporting cast is also pretty damn good, with my favorite belonging to the creepy but cool Yabai, who channels Kuze in his determination to bring Ichiban down. Combat has also had some improvements, with the main one being the ability to actually move around. While it isn't as important as RGG thought it would, I still appreciate the addition and other things like the combo attacks and changing tag team moves to a bar instead of just another MP move also make things better overall. The job system is also much better in regards to switching, as most of the stats come from levels instead of jobs, which was something so simple I can't believe it wasn't in LAD originally. On the subject of the hub I do think Hawaii is one of the better large maps in the series, with so much to do it can be overwhelming. From crazy delivery to Suijimon league the game has plenty to do on top of the usual content like substories (which remain pretty solid but a bit weaker compared to LAD cuz most of them are callbacks to it). Although I will say all of Kiryus exclusive side stories fucking rule and that's purely because of the amazing fan service they all offer.
Before I get into the story I'd say the biggest issue with Infinite Wealth is just how much of it feels like RGG didn't learn what made the combat in Like A Dragon so rough. While the job system changes and movement are welcome additions the endgame still devolves into spamming whatever does the most damage while barely chipping away at the massive health pools bosses have. I'd also say that the incentive to switch jobs isn't really a thing for Ichiban/Kiryu as Hero and Dragon Of Dojima reign supreme for the entirety of the game (DOD in particular gets fucking RIDICULOUS in the second half). I'd also say that Infinite Wealths grind can be a bit worse compared to LAD, with frequent visits to the dungeon being necessary for some of the later bits (thankfully the dungeons are much improved from LAD and offer multiple versions). On a more subjective note the side content in this game really didn't appeal to me, with the Sujimon league being incredibly basic and boring alongside farming sim (which I don't care about).
STORY SPOILERS START HERE
Infinite Wealths story is pretty great but MAN are these villains pretty weak overall. Starting with Tatara Hisuka the vtuber that cancels Ichiban early in the story and jumpstarts his adventure to Hawaii. I actually didn't mind the idea of a vtuber being the catalyst for so much of the games drama but what hurts her is just how predictable the reveal feels. Not only because of how skeevy Chitose is for a majority of the story but also because RGG decided to show her directly messaging the villians at the end of one of the chapters (which feels so fucking weird since other twist villians like Baba did the concept so much better). Dwight Mendez (voiced and mocapped by Danny Trejo) isn't too bad but I wish he had more screen time because he appears near the start of the game and just goes away until the very end, though his final scene might just be one of the goriest in an RGG game. On the Hawaii side of the story is Bryce Fairchild, a cult leader who channels the Jingweon Mafia from 2 (and some parts of Bleach Japan). He has some pretty unsettling moments and an awesome boss fight but is also revealed really fucking early and just dissapears until the endgame (noticing a pattern?). Probably the best villian is Eiji Mitamura (or Ei-chan as Ichiban calls him). A former Bleach Japan member who has a bone to pick with the Yakuza, he serves as the most consistently appearing character and has some pretty great moments (especially in the ending). Going from him to the main dude is Masataka Ebina, the half brother of Ichiban and man also stiffed by the Yakuza (mainly cuz his Dad basically ruined his life). While it is a bit of treading old ground for the villians to be connected with Ichibans past I don't actually mind it in IW and his motivation is pretty solid. What I have issue with is HE'S FUCKING KIRYUS MAIN VILLIAN. Bringing back Kiryu from 6 isn't a bad idea on paper and I do think IW gives him a pretty solid sendoff (though I still like how 6 did it more) but his reasoning to fight Ebina feet incredibly forced, with the excuse of wanting to be forgiven feeling nonsensical since all the stuff that happened to Ebina being far before Kiryu's tenure as fourth chairman. All these combine to make villians that almost rival 4 in how meh they are (though Munakata is still the absolute worst).
STORY SPOILERS END
At the end of the day Infinite Wealth is just another Yakuza RPG. A great locale and story hamstrung by a system that just makes the entire experience drag. I'm hoping that the Judgment side series continues because this RPG future for the once brawler series is starting to grind my gears.
8/10
Tekken 8
2024
My first Tekken and one I bought purely for the multiplayer. Don't have much else to say besides its a fantastic fighter with one of the most impressive rosters in a modern FG.
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