Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was a game I went in with somewhat high, but tempered expectations. I enjoyed Remake more than most I feel, but it still didn't quite hit the standard that the vast majority hold the property to. I expected much of the same out of Rebirth as I got out of Remake i.e. great characterization, solid combat, obviously stunning visuals, but also some of its downsides like quest design, bossfights, whisper shenanigans, and pacing, only covering the material that post-Midgar did in the original. I'm pretty glad to admit that for the most part, I was pretty wrong.
I want to get the negatives out of the way so I can gush about the positives. Firstly, exploration isn't great. I get it's trying to go for the same semi-open world approach that games like FFXII or the Xenoblade series are known for, but the objectives for each region are pretty stale and begin to wear themselves out by Corel. None of this is helped by the game's floaty movement, which is 100% a byproduct of the game's realism, but it doesn't suit this style of game at all. The combat trials are honestly pretty fun, but I can't help but feel they could've gone just a little bit further with it.
Another of the game's weakness is its tone. A little too faithful to the original perhaps, with the tonal whiplash being especially jarring during chapter 8 and 12. The game's faithfulness is a double-edged sword; it undoubtedly gives the game this soul that lets us known that it is invariably Final Fantasy VII in every respect and that it isn't ashamed of its identity, but I feel that there's a time and place for everything, and the game's goofier elements could've been placed a lot better.
Aside from those two major elephants in the room, I think it's safe to say that, in nearly every respect, this game is a massive, MASSIVE step up from Remake, holy shit. I want to emphasize the one thing Remake did well, which was its characterization. Virtually all of the main cast was a step up from how they were in the original, and Rebirth is no different. Everyone is given time to shine, be it in the story or the sidequests, not to mention the cast dynamics that do a great deal in carrying this main party into one of my favorites in ALL of gaming, no joke. The cast really gets the time to grow close with one another ,which (potential spoilers (?)) makes a certain character's betrayal hit harder than it ever did in the original.
Special attention needs to be given to how the original's most iconic moments were adapted. Some might say this was to the detriment of the game, citing how the fate/destiny shit ruins "that" moment, but personally speaking, I thought that it, as well as numerous other moments were massive upgrades from the original, charging them with all the emotion and gravitas a game of this scale warrants.
Combat had me worried after the first few hours, though I can now confidently say that it is indeed great. Not perfect, with the upgrade system and materia reslotting still being a tad annoying, but the flow of combat and the sheer amount of options you are given more than makes up for those tiny flaws. Not to mention that this time around, the bosses are actually really good and fun, for the most part at least. I need to make mention of chapter 11's main boss, which was probably my favorite in the whole game. The final boss stretch sucks tho.
Story is the most contentious. I can't really talk about it in detail without spoiling, but I honestly enjoyed it, fate shenanigans and all. I'll just leave it at this: Rebirth's story and ending made it so that part 3 is either a masterpiece that lives up to the story's ambition, or a total nonsensical crapshoot of a story that fumbles the bag. Either way, consider me excited for part 3.
I want to get the negatives out of the way so I can gush about the positives. Firstly, exploration isn't great. I get it's trying to go for the same semi-open world approach that games like FFXII or the Xenoblade series are known for, but the objectives for each region are pretty stale and begin to wear themselves out by Corel. None of this is helped by the game's floaty movement, which is 100% a byproduct of the game's realism, but it doesn't suit this style of game at all. The combat trials are honestly pretty fun, but I can't help but feel they could've gone just a little bit further with it.
Another of the game's weakness is its tone. A little too faithful to the original perhaps, with the tonal whiplash being especially jarring during chapter 8 and 12. The game's faithfulness is a double-edged sword; it undoubtedly gives the game this soul that lets us known that it is invariably Final Fantasy VII in every respect and that it isn't ashamed of its identity, but I feel that there's a time and place for everything, and the game's goofier elements could've been placed a lot better.
Aside from those two major elephants in the room, I think it's safe to say that, in nearly every respect, this game is a massive, MASSIVE step up from Remake, holy shit. I want to emphasize the one thing Remake did well, which was its characterization. Virtually all of the main cast was a step up from how they were in the original, and Rebirth is no different. Everyone is given time to shine, be it in the story or the sidequests, not to mention the cast dynamics that do a great deal in carrying this main party into one of my favorites in ALL of gaming, no joke. The cast really gets the time to grow close with one another ,which (potential spoilers (?)) makes a certain character's betrayal hit harder than it ever did in the original.
Special attention needs to be given to how the original's most iconic moments were adapted. Some might say this was to the detriment of the game, citing how the fate/destiny shit ruins "that" moment, but personally speaking, I thought that it, as well as numerous other moments were massive upgrades from the original, charging them with all the emotion and gravitas a game of this scale warrants.
Combat had me worried after the first few hours, though I can now confidently say that it is indeed great. Not perfect, with the upgrade system and materia reslotting still being a tad annoying, but the flow of combat and the sheer amount of options you are given more than makes up for those tiny flaws. Not to mention that this time around, the bosses are actually really good and fun, for the most part at least. I need to make mention of chapter 11's main boss, which was probably my favorite in the whole game. The final boss stretch sucks tho.
Story is the most contentious. I can't really talk about it in detail without spoiling, but I honestly enjoyed it, fate shenanigans and all. I'll just leave it at this: Rebirth's story and ending made it so that part 3 is either a masterpiece that lives up to the story's ambition, or a total nonsensical crapshoot of a story that fumbles the bag. Either way, consider me excited for part 3.