Reviews from

in the past


the characters make the world of FF7 for me, and just getting to spend more time with them was what i needed

Crazy improvement over FF7 remake when it comes to gameplay. Making it snappier definitely was the way to go about it.

i genuinely loved the story telling, my only gripe w it is that the some of open world/mini games werent really enjoyable and didnt wanna pick it up at a point

This review contains spoilers

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.


Love what they have done with the characters and story so far with REMAKE and now ReBirth, i also quite like the combat. I did not like the open world.

THIS IS LEGIT THE WORST OPEN WORLD GAME I THINK I HAVE EVER PLAYED, PADDING ALL OVER THE PLACE BIGGEST WASTE OF MY TIME GAME OF ALL TIME WHY DO I HAVE TO WATCH CLOUD MOVE SLOW AS FUCK USING A HOOVER? WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG TO CLIMB THINGS? OHH ANOTHER TOWER! CATCH A CHOCOBO FOR THE 10TH TIME!!

Gus was funny

This review contains spoilers

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.

"Marge, I'm confused. Is this a happy ending or a sad ending?"
"It's an ending. That's enough."

bullet points since i have too much to say:
• open world aspect was done well, fun exploration + pretty environments (it’s insane when you compare it to the og visually)
• characters felt so fleshed out and full of life, their interactions were so cute
• main cast had incredible voice acting as always
• beautiful ost !!!
• sooo much extra content with side quests/protorelic missions/gathering intel
•mini games were fun but if you are a completionist it feels like too many especially cause some of them are SO difficult to master
• different chocobos for each area… need i say more
• as someone who hates card games in my
video games - queen’s blood was so much fun
• aerti costa del sol outfits <3
• also barret in his sailor suit
• gold saucer was just as whimsical as i dreamed
• chapter 13 & 14 were masterpieces
• story changes were very cool and interesting to me… also so much foreshadowing, they are cheeky af
• no playable vincent + cid is kinda evil
• i ended the game with 1800 screenshots


This review contains spoilers

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.

Really good but the moments which should have been easy slam dunks in terms of their emotional impact often fell a little flat, mostly because they were never allowed time to breathe. Great ending though and gameplay is very fun.

Not 5 stars because it is far from perfect (the open world aspect gets a bit tiring/repetitive by the end, some of the minigames were HAIR-SPLITTING to say the least, etc.) but still a very very very enjoyable second part for this remake of a game I didn't have to chance to grow up with :)

finished the game more confused than i was going into it. there wasnt as much story progression as i would have liked. most of the big moments that happen, happens at the end. i would prefer if there were more story throughout the beginning and middle. amazing combat, big improvement from remake and great characters as usual

This game is the sole reason I bought a PS5 so I could play it on launch. One of my most anticipated games ever and it absolutely delivered. Throughout the whole experience I kept pinching myself to see if this is real and it somehow is.

When you first get to Junon this game slams on the gas and simply does not let go. Every chapter all of that just manages to top itself one after another. Whether its playing as Yuffie for the first time, a fucking Queen's Blood tournament, every single second in Costa Del Sol, every fucking second in the Golden Saucer, Tifa going into the fucking lifestream, introduction to Cait Sith and Vincent, its just packed to the brim with legendary moments.

I will say this game is nowhere near as emotional as the first one and this is as good as a place as ever to talk about my thoughts on that ending. I say a tweet that sums it up well: "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a perfect game with the most gooner ending ever." And I wholeheartedly agree, what the fuck was square thinking when making Aerith's death a fucking bait and switch. That's supposed to be the biggest death in history, and you troll the players then give no time to process and jump into (albeit very fucking sick) 10 part fight.

However, it doesn't affect my rating because of how good everything else is. I also think it only hits half as hard because that scene where she returns to fight Sephiroth next to Cloud had me YELLING at 3am. But yeah, music bangs, characters bang, story bang, so excited for the story to stick the landing.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug of Video Games
the 2nd 1/3 of a story, stretched with filler and made up bullshit

But if i were to say one nice thing
This is the best gameplay modern ff has to offer but that really isnt saying that much

Respectfully, I have no idea what to say.
That story was so phenomenal but so confusing at the same time. But not an annoying confusion- an intriguing confusion. Honestly, my only complaint about the game is how some chapters' pacing is weird. The first chapter in the Corel region is just minigames, but other than this, I could look past it. The gameplay is fun, nothing new, but nothing bad. It's tried and tested. The materia is fun to use, and upgrading weapons is easy. The traversal methods (chocobo, buggy, plane/boat) are well made. I did mostly fast travel but riding on Chocoback isn't too bad!

The game is chock-full of minigames, side content, optional boss fights, and so much more. This was the first game (I think since I was 13) to entice me to do most of the optional content. My first play through of the game was 122 hours. I have NEVER done that with a game. I am so glad that this final fantasy was stellar, compared to the shit we got last year (ff16).

I cannot wait for part 3, the last Re- ff7 game :(

Man I’m so conflicted, the game is good. Combat is great and the story at times is wonderful. But I can’t lie and say it wasn’t a slog to get through around chapter 11. The story at most times just felt stretched way too thin. Splitting the game up in 3 parts may have been a mistake. I am now super apprehensive about the next title. Hopefully they take the feedback. This title while very fun to play, is not game of the year potential.

Verwirrend. Hoffe es zahlt sich im letzten Teil aus, könnte sehr gut oder sehr schlecht werden.

Game of the year no contest 🥱🥱🥱

Genuinely one of the best gaming experiences I've had if not the best. I have so much to say about the massive scale of this game and how awesome it is in every aspect.

1. The story. FFVII revolves around a group of resistance fighters battling against a corrupt government that plans to exterminate the natural resources for selfish needs. Along with that, is a higher being who is eager to become a god after realizing his capabilities to do so. Basically, political ideologies with hints of science fiction fantasy about alternate worlds and reality.

2. The gameplay mechanics. FFVII Re series have a unique turn based RPG system where you use a variety of character abilities and spells. I am in love playing with FF7R because of this. There are so many combinations you can use and it's just so much fun to spam stopping time and play.

3. The graphics and animation. It's Unreal Engine which is very self-explanatory. Everything looks great. The visuals from character designs, cutscenes, environment, and UI are flawless.

4. The open world aspect. Although not a complete open world game where you can fly, climb, swim underwater, and do real life human stuff, it is still such a step up from the previous Remake. Exploration may sometimes feel clunky but at the end of the day, it's easy to navigate and learn.

5. The soundtrack and score. New and old soundtracks incorporated. Whatever you do and wherever in the game you do it, there is a distinct sound played.

6. The fanservice. The dating, the relationships, the outfit changes, Tifa and Aerith, Zack crumbs, Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind teaser, the ending, and of course Cloud's personality. I won't say much except... if you know, you know.

Overall, you can really tell Square Enix put their heart and soul into this game. The expansion of one of the most beloved games of all time is well deserved. And SE did it with justice.

And just like that, like Sephiroth, I too, am waiting.

Eu não consegui esperar e comprei um PS5 só pra jogar o Rebirth kkkkkkk Felizmente foi uma experiência maravilhosa, como eu sempre sonhei de um remake de Final Fantasy 7. Seja nos momentos épicos ou nos mais simples, me emocionei mais do que eu imaginava nesses 3 meses que joguei.

Preciso falar dos mini-games: alguns poderiam ser um jogo completo de tão bem feitos! Apesar de que em alguns momentos eu senti uma "encheção de linguiça", eu nem ligava pra fazer tudo que eu podia. Como dito pela própria Square, o mundo aberto foi inspirado em jogos como The Witcher e Horizon, e as suas missões secundárias são únicas, algumas com mecânicas próprias, tornando-as interessantíssimas.

Eu sempre "brinquei" dizendo que a Square poderia fazer um dorama de FF7 e foi isso que eu recebi kkkkkkk Ao menos na minha mente. Parecia um idiota reagindo a cada mínima interação entre a Tifa e o Cloud - como eu amo eles, misericórdia. Outra coisa fenomenal foi o fato de que todos os personagens foram muito bem desenvolvidos e tiveram tempo de tela suficiente para tal. Ampliaram muito as relações e interações do grupo, além das características individuais.

A gameplay é perfeita. A Square aprimorou ainda mais o sistema anteriormente visto no remake e eu não tenho praticamente nada para reclamar. A trilha sonora está SEM COMENTÁRIOS. Me emocionei horrores naquele capítulo 12 com a apresentação da Aerith, e o que falar da emblemática One Winged Angel do Sephirot? Os visuais estão belíssimos, não cansei de admirar, ainda mais quando a Tifa estava em cena. Nunca tirei tanto print.

Não ficaria surpreso se ele ganhasse um GOTY mesmo sendo remake, porque merece, e até agora é o meu favorito de 2024. Estou ansioso pra última parte desse que é meu FF favorito, só espero não precisar comprar outro console só pra isso uhsauhsa Por favor Square, lança ainda nessa geração!

Nota Final: Tifa/Cloud 🤏🏻🥺❤️

Final Fantasy - Ranked

A game that I grow increasingly frustrated with as I look back on it. I loved how all of the main story beats were represented and fleshed out here -- but that was almost a foregone conclusion. As a kid I played FF7 over and over again, so some part of me deep down was always going to be satisfied just seeing moments from it revisited with spectacular modern production values. But in the end I'm human, I can't deny that I enjoyed seeing the game I grew up with re-imagined like this.

Everything else, though... well, I was mostly playing the game because it told me to play it, let's say. I don't think the quest design is completely banal, there were a number that I enjoyed, but in retrospect I barely remember what I was doing in this game other than going down checklists, checklists, checklists. Couple this with a battle system that is far too involved for how goddamn long the game is and by the end I was having a miserable time. I don't often turn down the difficulty in games, but in Rebirth I set it to easy towards the end simply because I wanted to get it over with. I wish I felt differently about a game that recreated part of my childhood but there's only so far nostalgia can carry you.

I didn't enjoy the last chapter as much as I would because it seemed rushed.

This review contains spoilers

the ending: went through at least 15 different emotions in the span of a couple of minutes, but what remained constant was me screaming. SE, this is emotional terrorism


my life will never be the same again. this game has ruined me. cloud and aerith will forever keep changing me, their relationship pierces straight into my heart and soul. the cast is beyond perfection. i couldn't breathe through the tears.

Combat and characters interaction is amazing. It's 10/10 for me until the convoluted multiverse garbage and unnecessary confused ending ruined it all. Anyway it's the best FF since XII.

Square absolutely cooked with this game. Better and way more fleshed out than FF7 Remake (even if the plot calls for it).

Story was great, world was phenomenal, and the combat was amazing. Each playable character plays so well and I enjoyed being able to switch between them during battles. Square keeps putting a lot of care into these “remakes” and I’m loving them

Only gripe is that the last section felt a bit too long and the final boss fight could’ve used some QOL touches such as being able to skip the cutscene that begins before it but overall, fantastic experience