Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth Review (PS5): Fighting Fate

With the Whispers dispelled at the end of Remake and the promise of Cloud and his ragtag group of freedom fighters holding their own destiny in their hands, a terrible burden is placed on them heading into Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth. Not only do they need to now carry the story into the wider world of Gaia, but also maintain that level of depth and detail established in Remake. That is all without mentioning the task of delivering a satisfying resolution to a particularly notorious moment from the original game — either by holding true or subverting it. 

None of these problems have easy answers, and Rebirth doesn’t tackle all of them with grace, but the strength of its characters and intelligent choices on what to trim down and what to expand on is what will make it as enduring as the original.

Before Crisis

Rebirth has the benefit of a major event looming in the distance to cap off this middle chapter but still has to make the journey to whatever conclusion awaits compelling. That’s a tricky situation for a game to navigate, yet Rebirth knows its strengths and plays to them with precision. No step of the journey comes without a deeper understanding of at least one character. As optimistic and eager as they may seem, each one has their own internal battles to fight, and the way they bleed into their words and actions feels genuine and honest.

Despite the expanded size of the core cast, each one is given a chance to explore and develop themselves. While they all are handled with tact and maturity, often hitting on deeply relatable themes, that doesn’t mean they’re wrapped up with a bow by the end. Indeed, most of the trauma and personal demons our cast face are not the kind that can be slain as easily as physical monsters, and their arcs are all the stronger for it.

As many of the greatest middle chapters are, Rebirth is the most dire. Hope is at an all-time low on a personal and global scale, with Cloud fighting to find his identity while haunted by the deceiving voice of Sephiroth and the world itself thrashing back against the forces draining it of life. Seeing this group of charming yet flawed individuals form unshakable bonds in the face of such overwhelming circumstances is as inspiring as it is gripping.

Dilly-Dally, Shilly-Shally

Without the core group’s personalities brimming through nearly every scene, in no small part due to the voice cast’s impeccable performances, Rebirth would buckle under its own weight. Similarly, without the walls of Midgar containing its scope, it could’ve easily lost its focus trying to fill a landscape leagues larger with the same level of detail as was established under the plate. 

Every side quest offers both a small lesson about the world or character involved — typically both — as well as focus on one of your main cast. This can be anything from a mother sending money to her estranged son, prompting Barret to consider his own parenting responsibilities, to searching for a lost cat and learning a bit about Tifa’s childhood. 

Unfortunately, side quests are not enough to fill up the hubs as vast as Rebirth’s. What does end up populating your maps are serviceable tasks — activating towers, fighting enemies with specific requirements, small memory challenges — that all contribute to a larger total and a few rewards. What little novelty there is in doing some checklist-style activities in the world of Rebirth wears off very quickly. This is only exacerbated by the sheer amount in which the game repeats them and never adds anything. By the third or fourth hub with identical activities, I had no desire to engage with them in the slightest. 

Minigames are back in full force for Rebirth. While not quite on the same level as something like Dondoko Island from Infinite Wealth, games like Queen’s Blood and Chocobo Racing are deep enough to delay your quest for a few dozen hours if you choose. It’s a surprising amount of variety, but all are completely optional as well if nothing strikes your fancy.

Fight On!

Combat is the least changed part of the formula between Remake and Rebirth, and by no means is that a negative. Square Enix had an uphill battle proving it could change such a core part of the original, so it makes sense why it wouldn’t want to change what worked so well. 

What is new is the Synergy Abilities shared between characters. Aside from being another unlockable skill to spice up gameplay with a flashy move, it also serves to create a greater sense of comradery and development between every member of the cast. As bonds grow over the course of the game, new Synergy Abilities unlock that showcase each pair finding a way to combine their strengths into something greater. It makes combat feel like you’re a real team working together instead of three characters who just happen to be fighting the same enemy., we unfortunately still are forced to slowly crouch, squeeze, crawl, and hold down buttons for just long enough to be irritating. These pace breakers aren’t frequent when looking at the game as a whole but never feel anything but tedious when they do appear.

Good Night, Until Tomorrow

While fate is waiting to be written by the characters of Rebirth, I as the player only became more cognizant of my lack of agency as I drew near the conclusion. Whether fate would repeat itself or not, there is no escaping that creeping promise of tragedy in the final act. It’s a black shadow around the edges of every heartfelt character moment and bombastic boss battle. 

Not every step of this journey will feel satisfying at the moment, but I came to appreciate them in retrospect like you would thinking back on getting caught in the rain on vacation. If I didn’t know there was one more leg to this journey — one more adventure to take with these characters I’ve come to know and love in a new way — I may not have been strong enough to begin that final chapter. It’s hard not to get invested in this world, and once you do, you are sure to walk away with an inspiring and reflective experience.

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth was reviewed on the PS5 with a code provided by Square Enix. It will be available on February 29 as a PS5 exclusive.