By Shawn Tonge
Rebirth is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. Featuring crude language, violence, and some minor instances of blood, this game may not be suitable for children under the age of 13.
This long-awaited Playstation 5 title is the second installment in a three-part reimagining of Final Fantasy VII, the critically acclaimed 1997 roleplaying game from developer Square Enix.
It follows the continuing adventures of Cloud Strife and his companions as they set off on a journey pursuing Sephiroth, a superhuman who seeks to wipe out all life. Along the way, they explore the planet, clash with powerful corporation Shinra, and meet new teammates.
The previous game in the series, FF7 Remake, was based entirely in the high-tech city of Midgar. This aspect led to some impressive worldbuilding and gave players a real sense of place, but it also made the game feel small and claustrophobic compared to the massive scale of the original.
Rebirth leaves Midgar behind and takes the characters on a globetrotting adventure in a sprawling open world, its six regions teeming with life and personality. Each of these environments is fleshed out through side quests and tons of minigames, including a full-fledged trading card game in the style of Gwent from the Witcher series.
In recent years, Square Enix has been moving away from the classic turn-based combat their flagship franchise was built on and focusing more on action. Rebirth offers the best of both worlds with gameplay that combines the two approaches seamlessly.
In the original game’s Active Time Battle (ATB) system, you would wait passively for a meter to fill before you could act with each character. Building on this mechanic, Rebirth has you fight your enemies in real time, each attack you land on an opponent filling the bar further.
Once the ATB meter is full, you can pause the combat and choose from a host of different actions, ranging from powerful team-up moves to summoning legendary entities that will aid your party. You switch back and forth between three characters chosen from a roster of seven, each possessing their own playstyles with many options for customization. The result is a beautifully intricate system that is both frantic and strategic.
There’s also an alternate Classic setting where the player characters attack on their own while you dictate their special actions, emulating the turn-based battles of the original game. I personally found this mode rather dull compared to the hack-and-slash adrenaline of the new system, but it may be a good option for old-school RPG purists.
Remake deviated from the original story in some major ways, which left some fans of the franchise weary about how Rebirth’s narrative would change the plot further. These fears were largely unfounded as the story stays quite faithful while also adding in new elements like an impending war between nations and cutaways to an alternate timeline.
Composed by the peerless Nobuo Uematsu, the soundtrack for the original Final Fantasy VII is considered one of the all-time greatest game soundtracks. Rebirth is filled with outstanding remixes of Uematsu’s work as well as plenty of great new tracks. My personal favorites include the big band score from the showdown with Roche and the wild guitar solos from a secret boss fight late in the game.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth pulls off the daunting task of remaking a true classic, modernizing and evolving the gameplay while also crafting an engaging, emotional narrative. I cannot recommend this game enough, both for fans of the original and those who are new to the franchise.
According to Sony, Rebirth will be exclusive to the Playstation 5 for a limited time. It will be released on other platforms sometime after the end of May.
