Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth /IMPRESSIONS
“Will they, won’t they?” has been the question on everyone’s mind, ever since we found out that Final Fantasy VII Remake is taking the story of the beloved JRPG in a new, alternate timeline direction.
Will they kill off Aerith again, or will she somehow survive — I wouldn’t know, since I haven’t finished the game yet. And if you’re a Final Fantasy fan, you certainly don’t care what I have to say about it, since I’m sure you have already bought it and put an ungodly amount of hours into it. So I will approach it the only way I can — as someone who’s not a fan of the series, and someone who didn’t particularly like any of the Final Fantasy games I have played through in my life (which is to say FF XV, FF VII Remake and FF XVI).
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying that the series doesn’t have its qualities. It’s more that I never got along with its style, angsty protagonists and anime mannerisms of its characters. Especially when it comes to the series’ female characters, who behave, talk and nod their heads in such a ridiculous waifu manner. And the less said about the side quests I have suffered through in some of the previous games, the better.
Yet… I can still somehow feel the magic of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Probably because of all the hype that surrounds it and possibly because of some vague memories of playing at least through one of the three discs of the original FF VII, nudging me to appreciate Rebirth’s over the top action, interesting looking monsters, and its world full of breathtaking vistas.
And it’s that world that is the biggest difference between Remake and Rebirth. This time, it is much more open, and it will let you explore it much more freely, whether you just want to fight some monsters and Shinra soldiers, whether you enjoy exploration in search of side quests and countless mini-games. Of those, Queen’s Blood is definitely one of the highlights I have discovered so far — it gives you a deck of cards and requires not only some tactical card game skills, but also thoughtful deck-building and additional exploration if you want to find new opponents all over the game’s world, reminding me of hours and hours I’ve spent on Gwent in Geralt’s last adventure.
On the other hand, combat is mostly the same as it was in Remake — you will be attacking enemies with regular attacks, which will in turn fill in some bars in the interface (whose names I forgot), enabling you to use your characters’ skills and items. Of course, you will also have the option to switch between and play as different party members, as well as the option to issue commands to those you’re not currently controlling. On top of that, you also have special and flashy Limit Break attacks, fan favourite Summons (that… well, summon huge Final Fantasy deities), and some new skills that will see pairs of characters performing unique synchronised attacks.
In practice, combat is solid and can get quite challenging during some boss encounters, and I have a feeling that it could easily pull you through the game even if/when you get annoyed by some of its other segments (like the already mentioned annoying anime characters).
As for the story, it sees our gang of (in)famous eco-terrorists led by Cloud Strife leaving the streets of Midgar behind them, and setting off for much greener and nicer pastures. There, they will continue with their attempts to save the world from the ecological catastrophe caused by greedy corporations (seems like an evergreen theme, eh?), while at the same time chasing after the series’ iconic villain Sephiroth, trying to figure out what he’s actually up to — and what’s the deal with some weird timeline inconsistencies.
And while the themes of the game’s story are interesting, and its world beautiful and full of stuff to see and do, I still can not get over its characters, and the ways they move, talk and behave. Which brings me to another one of my complaints, namely the game’s inconsistent look. For example, environments you explore can look wonderful and rich in detail, but also full of low resolution textures, while the game’s art style caused me even more headaches with its discrepancy between the look of main characters and various NPCs and inhabitants of Final Fantasy VII’s world. Which is to say that, just like in Remake, main characters are very detailed and sport overdesigned outfits, spiky hair, huge swords and gun-arms, while the regular people around them look like stock photo models posing for a cheap fast fashion outlet from your nearest mall.
So, yeah, you could say that I dislike many aspects of Rebirth, just like I disliked many aspects of previous Final Fantasy games that I’ve played. But, at the same time, it seems better than Remake so far, and I can’t deny that there’s something there, pulling me deeper into the game every time I boot it up, whether it’s another over the top action sequence, some crazy new monster, or a new wonderful vista bathing in the golden light of a setting sun.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth | developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit I | publisher: Square Enix | platforms: PlayStation 5
