Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a phenomenal game marred by some poor narrative decisions. I think the major strengths of the game are exploration, combat, and the party. The various regions and the way they are fleshed out over the course of the game is simply great. From the Grasslands to Nibel, every area was unique and offered a variety of interesting things to do (even if it got a little repetitive at times).

The story telling of the main quest is my largest issue with the game and honestly what prevents me from giving it a 10/10. The multiverse shenanigans present in Rebirth diminish the larger stakes of the game and really blunt the emotional connection to the story. Zack's story felt tacked on for no apparent reason other than to explain that the multiverse exists and there is crossover (no clue why he is on the box art). I had hopes that Square-Enix would swing for the fences and really do something different with the ending (like they alluded to in Remake) but in the end I don't really mind that they stuck with the original story beat and had Aerith die at Sephiroth's hand. What bothers me is that it was such a hollow and confusing process. After the credits rolled, I couldn't help but think that Square-Enix is trying to have their cake and eat it too by making her a "force-ghost". In the end, nothing felt resolved. No major story elements were addressed and it felt very disappointing.

I do love this game and am excited for the final entry. But they really dropped the ball with the main-quest story telling here.