Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PC) – Review
Even after so many years, the Final Fantasy franchise is going strong into the modern era. But that doesn’t mean the classic games get less love, as several remakes have been made recently. On the forefront has been the remake of Final Fantasy VII, now split up into a trilogy of games. The first one, simply called Final Fantasy VII Remake, came out in 2020. And then last year, we saw Final Fantasy VII Rebirth released as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. Since last month, that game is also available for PC players. So we can take another dip into the world of Gaia, to see if one of the most awarded RPGs of all time still entertains as much as it used to.
Story
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth picks up right where Remake leaves off, despite the game being promoted as a ‘standalone’ on the Steam page. We think anybody dropping into this title unprepared will be beaten over the head with names and terms they don’t have context for, though there is a lengthy recap you can watch on the main menu that summarizes the event of the first game.
After escaping the capital city Midgar and becoming wanted men in the town of Kalm, Cloud and his friends must flee and journey across the grassland to track Big Bad Sephiroth, whose plans are drawing in followers. Cloud’s party is branded as eco-terrorists and chased down by the Shinra Electric Power Company, who are themselves more like an oppressive regime mining the world’s mako – an energy source that will spell the end of the world if it is fully depleted. The cast travels across various locations, several relevant to the members’ tragic pasts, and the game also picks up some new faces along the way. As usual, there are a bunch of sidequests too that allow you to deepen your understanding of your party members and build a better relationship with them. As this is the middle game in a trilogy, do not expect a proper conclusion that ties up all loose ends. You’ll have to play the upcoming Final Fantasy for that.
Graphics
Aside from the expanded and completely reworked plot, one of the main assets of this remake is the update to the game’s graphics. If you have a PC with some girth to it, you can fully enjoy the absolutely stunning animations and environments this game offers. A glance at any screenshot will show you that the game looks gorgeous and very much does utilize the existence of modern graphics cards. The character designs are great still, and we had no issue with the fluidity of the cutscenes or combat on PC. Since large sections of the game are open-world, we have to mention the diversity in locations to discover, which in turn keeps things from growing stale in a visual sense. You got everything from ancient runes to modern cities.
Sound
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a good grasp on what elements should be changed to make a compelling remake, and what elements should be left untouched because they hit the mark in the original. The soundtrack would be an excellent example. A lot of the tracks remain exactly the same as their original counterparts, respecting the immense influence Nobuo Uematsu has had on the Final Fantasy franchise. Nothing beats the final boss fight with an epic choir setting the mood. We also have no complaint about the voice acting, with the entire cast putting down a solid performance.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is almost identical to its predecessor, offering a fluid action RPG experience with very intuitive combat. The remake trilogy has swapped out the turn-based combat from the original release for real-time combat where you can effortlessly switch between characters during the battle. If you don’t want to control every character, you can turn up the AI that controls them, but for the best combos, handling most stuff yourself is key. During combat, your ATB gauge slowly fills up, which allows you to whip out special attacks and other fancy tricks. Time those right, and you can do an unprecedented amount of damage. It’s fun to experiment with different combos and party setups.
While the smooth gameplay is a great asset, Rebirth doesn’t completely forgo strategy. You can have up to three active members in your party, each member having unique skills and attacks. So choosing your party and gearing them up for different encounters is a lot of fun too. Like in most RPGs, Cloud and his friends also level up throughout the adventure. This, combined with the developing relationships with your party members, gives the game a tangible sense of progress.
In between combat, you can explore the mostly open world, gradually revealing more of the map. While the plot remains linear, you can finish it at your own pace. There are a lot of sidequests and minigames, though we have to say that after a while, most of them felt very grindy to us and weren’t as fun anymore. We did like the original card game ‘The Queen’s Blood’ which is a recurring activity in sidequests. But apart from that one, the running back and forth got a bit tedious at times. Thankfully you can jump on a Chocobo to speed things up, or fast travel across the map.
Conclusion
We find that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the PC holds up as well as the PlayStation version and brings the same enjoyment as Remake. For fans, this is a solid reimagining while for new players the more modern gameplay and graphics are sure to draw people over. While not all sidequests managed to entertain us, this is a very solid entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. We’ll certainly be looking forward to the next installment.
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