Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Reviews
The biggest departures in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s story feel like fan fiction. There is no restraint when it comes to Sephiroth and there’s too much emphasis on the love triangle to please the repugnant shippers. There should have been more effort to focus on the internal struggle of the characters instead of the “Will she/he, won’t she/he?” aspect of the story.
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is a huge improvement over FFVII Remake because it doesn’t need to stretch the 3-hour closed portion of its source material to the point of insane padding. Unfortunately, the last quarter of the game’s plot is really not doing it for me and falls flat, thus derailing the entire narrative that opens up more questions and answers. Regardless, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is an ambitious and well-made take on a huge chunk of a 1997 JRPG wonderchild and does justify the purchase of the PlayStation 5 for what it offers. Final Fantasy VII fans from back than and the remake will find a lot to love and cherish here. Just make sure you’ve done your homework before jumping in.
A while ago I wrote that this was one of my most difficult reviews. That's because Rebirth does everything it can to make it as difficult as possible to love this game. Despite the adjustments, the main story is still fantastic, the soundtrack is great and so are the graphics during cutscenes. The open zones are not necessarily bad, but they are overcrowded with meaningless content that only functions as filler and not enough combat. When Rebirth opens everything up and you can dive into the combat or the story, then you can enjoy it. It's a shame that the game does everything it can to pull you out of there and saddle you with boring meaningless padding. Rebirth is at times brilliant, fantastic, beautiful and leaves you as an emotional wreck. It's just that it's interrupted so often that the entire outcome leans more toward "okay" and not what it could have been.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth tried to take over the baton from the chic Remake, but instead of a concentrated story adventure, it offered all the worst trends of open-world games, did not really deepen the events familiar from FF VII, and at the same time broke one of the most important plot points of the original "finale".
Review in Russian | Read full review
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is surprisingly fun, comical and further improves on the already excellent ATB combat system. It's already one of the contenders for best game of the year.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
FF7 Rebirth is bigger in scope, providing a solid narrative and riveting gameplay that makes you fall in love again with the Unknown Journey.
Maybe it'd be nice to say that we all should have gotten over Final Fantasy VII by now instead of fawning over the world and its characters. But far from being the simple note-for-note reprise of the original that it could have been, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth swings for the fences to be a big and original thing that feels like a full game even while it is, functionally, the middle. It has weaknesses like combat I'm not wholly sold on and maybe a bit too much start-and-stop through gameplay, but if you've been looking forward to the game, you will not be disappointed. And if you want to experience the full story, this is a really good time.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a big step in the right direction that’s unfortunately held back by graphical anomalies and open world tropes. It’s an emotional rollercoaster ride that’s heavily back loaded. It'll pull on your heart strings and make you invested in each character more than ever before. It helps that all the memorable moments from the original are not only retained, but strengthened thanks to the graphical prowess of the PlayStation 5. Combat also remains highly engaging, with slight modifications that only enhance the experience further. Unfortunately, Rebirth is also marred with baffling design choices that stifle its greatness. It's filled with mini-games that thankfully are mostly in side quests, as their controls and function leave much to desire. At the very least they will keep you interested as it never gets stale. On top of that, while most of the graphics will have you impressed, low resolution textures and geometry are spliced in the most confusing of ways, only pulling you out of the immersion. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has its share of issues that prevent it from greatness, but whether you’re a dire hard fan or relatively new to the saga, this remains an RPG for the ages.
Rebirth‘s world is gorgeous and fun and quirky, even if the delivery of its stories can feel a bit stilted and rote, and it turns the finale of Remake into the impetus to re envision a phenomenal cast in ways I adore. Along the way, it becomes big, perhaps even bigger than Final Fantasy VII ever needed to be, but that excess provides quite a bit to love.
Throughout, Cloud and his motley troupe of friends are given the space and opportunity to be more than just heroes, even more than just friends, or potentially lovers, but human beings who are rightfully unsure of what power they have to stop the inevitable. These are still the familiar heroes on the same journey they were on in 1997, unsure of their roles as eco-terrorists turned fugitives on a nebulous quest against a force of unfathomable, alien evil, but more than just the size and scale of Rebirth as an RPG, there’s so much more catharsis in the telling.
If you can push through the tedium of its open world busywork and padded storytelling, there's a great sequel at the heart of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It retains all of Remake's most important strengths, but builds on an already brilliant combat system, and excels at showcasing an iconic RPG setting. If you enjoyed Remake and you have fond memories of the PS1 original, you'll likely love every minute of Rebirth's memorable, character-focused adventure.
Credit to the developers for combining a tightly authored narrative arc with a compelling and wide-ranging new combat system that somehow satisfies everyone – almost
For better and worse alike, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the most impressively ambitious game Square has made since FF’s golden age. It’s glorious, in spite of painful little flaws.
While there is a lot to love in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, it left me disappointed in its main narrative. I wish it was more focused on telling the story set out in Remake and its constant need to push the kitchen sink into each plot beat wore on my resolve throughout the game.
Rebirth keeps its narrative focus on characters while bringing a new dimension to combat, but it stumbles in pivotal moments.
Rebirth is a playful take on an emo classic that's bloated but full of character in a bid to justify its own existence.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth extends the experience of the original in many ways for the good but fails with that on the world itself and its side activities through odd design decisions. Besides that, the gameplay improved immensly over Remake and the sheer amount of main missions and nice surprises for fans, makes it very easy to look past its shortcomings.
Review in German | Read full review
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth provides a nostalgic trip with its enthralling story, beloved characters, and dynamic combat. However, its Ubisoft-influenced open-world design detracts from the experience, alongside technical shortcomings. Nonetheless, it remains a must-play for fans
The second instalment in Square Enix's epic three-part retelling of its most famous game opens up the world for players to explore. Read on.
The best of Remake exists in Rebirth, but the various open-world areas surrounding it – the parts that make Rebirth unique from its predecessor – sometimes miss the mark.