Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review – beyond fantasy

I have a theory about how Tecuja Nomura, the key game graphic artist, artist and designer behind the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series for many years, comes up with his future games and their parts. Considering his megalomaniacal art style, I’m pretty sure he first imagines as epic a scene as possible and only then figures out how and why it actually happened. This is precisely the impression that both parts of the modern version of Final Fantasy 7 made on me in many moments. However, this does not change the fact that the scenes are really impressive and that the rest of the writers, designers and other creators in the team managed to erase the “Nomura madness” more than in a dignified manner. In the case of Rebirth, we got a JRPG that is completely out of the ordinary with its scope, variety, setting… but also its soul.

• Platform: PS5
• Date of publication: 29/02/2024
• Manufacturer: Square Enix (Japan)
• Genre: JRPG
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: No
• Data to download: 150 GB
• Game Time: 40 – 130 hours
• Price: CZK 1,999 (Alza)

A story within a story

Anyone who has played the first part of this modern “remake trilogy” already knows that this series is much more than just a retelling of the original version of the game from the nineties. It’s not just that everything is of course much nicer and more elaborate, nor that the story as such is properly expanded and enriched – after all, in the original game, for example, there was no dubbing at all. But the main change reaches much deeper, and thanks to it, the creators can afford to completely change some essential events, or add characters, events or locations to the game that had nothing to do in the original story, or at least not in this form. It’s not worth walking around the hot mess – the modern trilogy is not a remake, it is a very cleverly disguised “continuation” of the original saga, in which a number of events “seemingly” repeat themselves.

I’d actually love to have a good time with someone who has never played anything in the Final Fantasy 7 series and these two new games are his very first encounter with the mercenary Cloud and his gang of “eco-terrorists”. I’m guessing that even such a player will very much enjoy the great group of characters and their funny and touching interactions, as well as the gripping story of the fight for the survival of the entire planet, facing a devastating disaster. From time to time, though, you’ll probably be scratching your head at what strange characters pop up here and there – of course, these are references to the expanded world of the original game, from movies, companion games, and so on. On the contrary, a devoted fan will alternate the joy of perfectly enhanced beloved passages with disillusionment and, in the best case, amazement at how radically the story changes and branches in places. And everyone can count on getting unexpected surprises.

This series is much more than just a retelling of the original version of the game.

As the story of the original game is not only ranked by me as one of the best in the history of the entire medium, I still insist that I would rather do without those radical changes. But at the same time, I can’t deny that they make the game extremely exciting, mysterious and unpredictable even for the most devoted of fans. In the case of Rebirth, it seemed to me that the creators were a little afraid of the idea of ​​completely deviating from the original, so you can count on the fact that most of it will take place according to the original classic. Similar to the case of the first remake, however, there will be a significantly wilder finale and changes in the very end. But the most important thing remains that the finale of Rebirth is very strong in terms of story and emotion, although I was most horrified and moved in other places than I expected. And it still remains true that this is the best treatment and presentation of the beloved characters, who thus became even more likable and legendary. You will be very happy to go on any expedition with this group.

Games within a game

After the first part, which was completely disarming audio-visually, we were all excited to see what it would be like to go outside the city limits and into the open countryside in this stunning rendition. And that moment in Rebirth certainly did not disappoint, most people’s jaws probably dropped from how wonderful the exteriors are in this game, especially since these are views of places that we have known for years in a completely different design. But the surprise does not end with the visual beauty – the creators were able to seamlessly connect the entire huge and colorful world with its locations, so traveling through it is a real pleasure. At the same time, they were able to fill the world with all kinds of hiding places, rewards and, above all, activities, that it is not only easy, but especially very fun to sink a hundred hours into this game instead of a few dozen.

It’s easy to sink a hundred hours into this game instead of a few dozen.

As far as activities go, even within the main story we’re treated to a heaping helping of all sorts of mini-games and “game-within-a-game”, including a totally addicting card game that also tells its own story beyond the main story. In addition, you can play shooting games, strategy games, races, or various rhythmic or musical minigames. But at every turn, the game is extremely varied and inventive, so it’s an absolute pleasure to surrender to it and succumb to the next madness from its varied repertoire. Thanks to the smiling and touching reactions of your party, you will enjoy practically anything the game has to offer. Although there were moments when some of the activity managed to get on my nerves, it was mostly just because I wanted to continue the main story as quickly as possible to see what happens next.

In addition to the megalomaniacal story and the wonderful game world full of all kinds of activities, another trump card of the game is also the combat system, which has received a number of improvements since last time, led by synergies between characters and the ability to cast spells without consuming mana, which dramatically changes your tactical options, and more complex bosses with of course they count on that. But the best feature of the fights for me was how dramatically different it is to play as each party member – almost as if you were playing a different game each time: one time a thresher, another a shooter, and so on. In addition to dynamic real-time combat, the game still offers the option of slowing down and a more deliberate “early turn” mode. More or less all aspects of Rebirth are simply pushed to the limit and the result is a game so rich, rich and impressive that you will hardly resist it.