Extremely hard to talk about the positives and negatives of this game without getting into spoilers but I'm going to do my best.
Real quick I'll give a tl;dr on my overall thoughts: fantastic game with strong emotional highs, with some stumbling lows, but overall still ends up one of the best games in the series.

The game is basically split in half and my opinion is that while the Ichiban half starts and ends EXTREMELY strong its a bit messy pacing wise, the Kiryu half is extremely strong though and an amazing love letter to the entire series. Elements of Kiryu's story hit extremely close to my personal life and I will love this game forever for telling the story it chooses too. I wish certain parts were a bit tighter but overall its another fantastic game.

I think the combat is the best the series has seen so far and I hope we get more RPGs like this ! The minigames are also great, all fun and nothing super frustrating or janky like past entries. I'd buy and play a full game version of Dondoko Island.

I don't want to say too much more, I loved this game, I loved experiencing it, and I am excited to see what happens next.

(Demo abandoned)

What the fuck are we doing? How the hell did Dark Souls 3 become the template for action games?

"Oh, it's the potential for good levels!" But what would good level design even look like in this context? Dark Souls 1 has a simple combat system that doesn't rely on large open spaces without obstacles. This way the player can be trusted to defend themselves in most terrain, which in turn enables designs like Blighttown, Sen's Fortress, New Londo Ruins, etc. where enemies can meaningfully interact with the level geometry. One can argue how consistently applied or successful this was in practice, but there is a solid design goal there that's still visible even up to Elden Ring (as scattershot as that game is).

As you make combat systems and enemy AI more complex though, generally you'll have to start making the simplifying assumptions of plenty of open space and no blocking terrain, which in turn restricts your level design capabilities. This is fine if you build the game accordingly, i.e. most of the classic linear action games. But Dark Souls 3 likes do not actually seem to be aware of this and so have dragged along huge amounts of bloat sections (Stellar Blade: swimming, keypads, climbing) so they can continue to pretend that the spaces between fights have any relation to the actual mechanics.

Similarly constructed arguments can also be made for the following Souls systems, which I will leave as an exercise to the reader: items, camera, pacing, leveling.

So I guess the whole point of these games is to grit your teeth so that you can experience the combat system? But is the combat really all that interesting? The camera limits how many aggressive enemies you can reasonably handle at once, and not being able to hitstun enemies with normal attacks pushes you into hit and run defensive play, which in turn pushes you to abuse the simplistic, timing-based parrying and iframe systems that all these games are cursed with. Why bother when you can just play Nioh 2, which commits all the soulslike sins above but at least has actually interesting resource management, accessible hitstun, deep weapon movesets, and so on. Why play any of these games at all when you can play Monster Hunter where the defensive, commitment driven style that soulslikes are known for is a hundred times better executed?

This whole subgenre is a complete dead-end design wise and doesn't look to be getting better anytime soon. What a mess.

Writing this review is bittersweet for me, as I'm a die-hard fan of the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy VII on the original PlayStation was a pivotal game that shaped my gaming journey, introducing me to a genre I've never looked back from. Witnessing its Remake (and now its Rebirth as part 2 of 3) triggered a profound reaction in me, making it the remake I've longed for the most.

That said, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth has left me conflicted. While it boasts moments of soaring highs, it also descends into valleys of significant lows. I'll refrain from delving into the story, as its impact is highly subjective and I believe the game is worth experiencing for oneself. Is it perfect? No, but it continues to explore unique themes and twist tropes in refreshing ways that I hope will be further explored.

Approaching this review after completing a blind run through the main game, my perspective might evolve if, and it's a big if, I manage to achieve 100% completion. However, at this point, I don't foresee the desire to grind out the rest.

The combat feels refined from the remake, yet it still suffers from frustrating moments. The blend of action RPG with a turn-based system is starting to show its age, and while the stagger system may be the best version of it, it's evident that it's been utilized across multiple games. However, I appreciate the introduction of new character combos (synergy) that add flair and satisfaction, especially when finishing off enemies.

Truthfully I might just not be good at this version of action RPG. Some battles proved exceedingly frustrating, surpassing the challenges of even the most daunting encounters in Souls-like games. There seems to be a lack of action cancelling or sufficient invincibility frames, though I can't pinpoint the exact issue. It's possible my age is catching up with me!

The last open-world Final Fantasy, XV, received mixed reviews for its lackluster implementation. However, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth manages to both shine and falter in its open-world design. The side quests are exceptional, building upon the success of meaningful story additions seen in previous titles. With over twenty side quests, each offering unique player interactions, the game avoids common MMO-trope requirements, providing a refreshing experience.

Each area feels meticulously crafted, offering familiar yet fresh vistas. However, some areas are cumbersome to navigate due to the absence of a jump button or limited climbing options. Despite this, the variety of activities in each area, from relic hunting to unique monster slaying, ensures engagement without overwhelming the player.

Character growth undergoes slight changes with the addition of "folios" for each character, although this doesn't significantly deviate from previous systems. Weapon leveling follows a flat scale, which, while forgettable for the most part, adds some depth to customization. Materia makes a return with minor tweaks, with the enemy skill materia standing out as particularly noteworthy as well as some new support materia combos that do aid the party in their battles.

Overall, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is a solid game, though it falls short of securing a place among my most cherished gaming experiences in the series. However, it's possible that a more complete picture will emerge with the release of the entire arc of the remake. With the anticipated release of the third installment in 2027, despite my reservations with Rebirth, I eagerly await Resurrection... or Revival... or Regeneration. Yeah, my money's on Regeneration.

Man I really don't even know what to say about this game, I play tons of games its my main hobby, and RPGs are my favorite and this might be one of the best I've ever played, the writing is fantastic (especially the character writing and voice acting performances) very fun and often funny and heartfelt in a way I rarely feel from RPGs lately. The towns and cities are full of life and unique culture and lots of things to do and people to talk too.

The combat is easy to pick up with a lot of depth for individual characters, groups and gear/materia combinations. It fixes all of my problems with XVI (no whimsy, no real towns, no minigames, no life, weird misogyny, no party, stale combat) and then some, I was worried I no longer liked Final Fantasy but its really just whatever CBU3 is..trying to do. It's fun, its heartfelt, it isnt afraid to be both a love letter to the original and something entirely new, its just refreshing while still being nostalgic and familiar. My ONLY complaints about the game are: a 4k, 45 fps mode would do wonders, performance mode feels great but sacrifices a ton of visual fidelity and quality mode looks great but 30fps feels awful in the combat. There are a small handful of minigames that are kinda bad, i think most of them are at least decent and more that are actually good, there's one in particular that verges on being an accessibility issue that I could see preventing some people from 100%ing the game. And my final complaint is that it ended, even after 99 hours I was not ready to let go of this world and characters, I'm so excited to get back into the post-game content and hard mode that I'm struggling to even pay attention to other releases right now. This review might not mean anything to most people but after a lot of disappointment thank you Rebirth for making me remember why I love Final Fantasy and making me feel like I can love it again.