4.5/5 ★ – BlueSorcerer's review of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

As the second game in the remake of Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a step above Remake in many respects. It is a more populated game compared to the first game, however this has more going in the game’s favor than against it. The worldbuilding and aesthetics are increasingly vibrant, with areas like the Grasslands, Costa del Soul, and the Golden Saucer (would love if this place existed) beaming with hues. In addition, several characters get a lot more development that adds to their intrigue. The game’s opening chapter recounts Cloud and Tifa’s venture in Nibelheim when Sephiroth was still a SOLDIER, as well as the latter’s encounter with the Jenova project that completely swayed his perspective into the villain that he now poses as. In chapter 8, Barret reunites with his old friend, Dyne, who he thought he lost when Shinra burned down his hometown of North Corel. But when the two reunite, Barret finds that Dyne has become mentally unstable and the latter believes that his only salvation to join with his deceased wife is to kill his daughter, Marlene. As a result, what ensues is a tragic bout against Dyne as Barret fights for the protection of Marlene, who he now raises. This was truly a hard plot point to witness given the deep emotional connection shared by the two characters. In chapter 10, Red XIII’s return to Cosmo Canyon sees him endeavor to become a Watcher of the Vale and protect his home. This adds more layers to Red XIII’s character making him a lot more introspective. In chapter 11, Tifa’s return to Nibelheim causes her to process deep-rooted trauma from her encounter with Sephiroth, the death of her father, and the Nibelheim incident. Her self-reflection grows her into a more open and supportive character, however her occasional non-verbal cues show that she is still trying to work past her insecurities. Yuffie, who joins the party in chapter 6, does not get a lot of individual moments that stand out, however her reflection on the events of Intermission as well as her experiences as Rebirth’s story progresses lead her desire to prove herself and become closer to the other characters. This added more maturity to Yuffie’s character that I liked to see. Cait Sith, a robot cat who joins the party in chapter 9, acts mainly as a source of comic relief and whimsy, however his shift from a double agent to a genuine party member—particularly with his efforts in chapter 13 when saving the other characters from the collapse of the Temple of the Ancients—causes him to become more respected while still retaining his playful personality. Vincent, a former turk who joins the party in chapter 11, does not see any major character development given his late introduction into the story, however I am sure that will be a focus of the final part of the remake. Similarly, Cloud does not appear to change a whole ton throughout the story. However, he still experiences character development through reflection of the Nibelheim incident, his failed attempt at becoming a SOLDIER, and the death of his comrade Zack Fair. Plus, Cloud’s reflections cause him to become more self-aware and connected to his party members—especially Tifa and Aerith. And speaking of Aerith, her character development is arguably the most significant in this game. Not only does she form stronger bonds with all of her party members, but she also presses to fully embrace her role as the last of the Cetra and face her destiny. It’s her interactions with Cloud specifically that express how vulnerable and fearful she is to accept her fate, but it is also thanks to Cloud and the other party members that she is able to accept and fulfill her responsibility. And it's these actions that lead to one of the most well-known parts of VII’s story reimagined: Aerith’s death at the hands of Sephiroth. At least, that’s what is implied. I have only played a little bit of the original game so I do not know the full specifics of Aerith’s death, but I do know that it occurs suddenly and without warning. Yet in Rebirth, Cloud is able to act on the scene and stop Sephiroth’s blade from piercing Aerith. However, the exchange still concludes with Aerith’s death after the perspective experiences distortion. My theory is that the scene where Cloud fights back Sephiroth’s blade exists in a separate world not central to the primary one, which may support three things. One, Aerith’s death in the primary reality. Two, Aerith’s appearance as a spirit in the primary reality that exists between worlds. And three, the connections that Zack’s experiences have with those of Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth. Zack’s story moments are confusing for me to pinpoint in regards to when and where they take place. But given the primary reality where Zack is confirmed to be dead, it might make sense as to why Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth exist the way that they do through his lens; they are from different worlds. Again, what I am speculating are just theories, so as to what all of this actually means is beyond my knowledge. Perhaps with the release of the final part of the remake, more will start to make sense. Still, Rebirth’s story is a grand continuation of that of Remake outside of its various complexities. In terms of the gameplay, the combat is largely the same. However, some additions were made to overworld mechanics. The most notable to me was the ability to jump up and down terrain. This made overworld travel smoother so that way you do not have to go all around a type of terrain when jumping should have been doable. Cloud also got a new move in combat that while not as significant in damage output, it is still very viable for attacking while being on the defensive. While sidestepping, you can press the attack button to launch sword slashes with a decent level of distance. I found myself using this technique a lot and it made Cloud a lot more fun to play as since he now does not have to be still to attack enemies. Cloud still remains my favorite character to play as for how well-rounded he is especially with attacks like Braver and Firebolt Blade, but I also got more use out of Barret for how much damage I could do with the right approach and attacks like Maximum Fury and Fire in the Hole. Aerith continued to be my healer primarily, however I got a lot of great use out of her magic abilities like the returning Soul Drain as well as other abilities like Sorcerous Storm and the Lustrous Shield. Tifa and Red XIII were effective for quick movement and attacks, with attacks like Focused Strike and Sidewinder being very useful. Yuffie was also great for dealing elemental damage with her Elemental Ninjutsu, making her very helpful against airborne threats. And Cait Sith, despite being my least favorite character to play as, is pretty effective with his moogle and dice conditions especially when his Limit Break is involved. There is definitely still a lot about the combat that I have yet to learn, but it was good to broaden my horizons with it more and learn some new things that I did not know previously. Developing this knowledge will be essential to the new bosses in this game, some of which being a rollercoaster of events. My favorite bosses were probably Roche, Dyne, the Forgotten Specimen, and Tseng and Elena. Some bosses like the Terror of the Deep, Jenova Experiment, Custom Valkyrie, Gigatrice, Diabolic Variant, and Rufus were a little more difficult to deal with, however I would not call them extremely stressful bosses altogether. That being said, Rebirth does have some of the hardest bosses that I have ever fought in a video game. Yes, even harder than the Hell House. Bosses like Midgardsormr and Red Dragon were surprisingly stressful for me to deal with, while other bosses like Gi Nattak and Demon Gate were just a lot to keep track of. However, the worst contenders for bosses in this game for me are the Jenova Lifeclinger and Sephiroth especially. Both bosses have so many phases attached to them, with the Jenova Lifeclinger having a slew of powerful attacks. But, Sephiroth is a beast unlike any boss I have fought before. And dare I say a bullshit beast. Sephiroth has a number of physical attacks like Skewer and Soaring Slash that can do a good amount of damage if not evaded or blocked. On the other hand, he has a number of projectile attacks like Whisper Cannon and Grip of Fate that can limit and restrict movement. But the most onerous moves at his disposal are Octaslash, Heartless Angel, Tempus Finis, and Octaslash Prime. What all of these moves have in common is that you can not avoid taking damage from them. But at the same time, Tempus Finis will transition into Octaslash Prime at the end of the fight if you do not take out Sephiroth in time and wipe out your entire party. Meanwhile, Heartless Angel drops the health of your party down to 1. If approached carefully, you can quickly regain health back if you have cure materia or the potions to spare, as well as through the use of Aerith’s Healing Wind. However, this still does not change the fact that Sephiroth’s attacks are so f*cking unfair. I was okay with just Cloud and Aerith in my party—using Cloud as the offense while Aerith provided magic and healing support—but this fight was still outrageously difficult. I spent 4 days just on the final phase of Sephiroth specifically, trying several strategies and doing my best to telegraph his movements. I learned so much about this phase of the boss just by playing it over and over again. But even then, I just barely squeezed out a win against him to beat the game. This was an absolute nightmare to endure and I honestly do not know if I want to play the end of the game for a long while. It was that stressful and unnecessarily brutal. Not to mention, chapters 13 and 14 cram a lot into the endgame which doesn’t help as much either. Still, beating this game—this freakin’ boss—was one of the most satisfying things I have ever accomplished. And as a player not well-experienced with RPGs, I think that is something. But regardless, the only other thing I have to talk about is the music. And like the first game, it’s great. My favorite tracks include: ● Another Buster Sword ● Trek Up Mt. Nibel Battle Mix ● Hollow Skies ● Battle Theme (Final Phase) ● Midgardsormr’s theme ● Main Theme (Shinra 8) ● Fun in the Sun (Costa del Soul) ● Wall Market Battle Theme ● Let’s Go Mt. Corel ● Custom Valkyrie's theme ● Outside the Corel Mine ● Ninjacrobatics ● All of the party members’ lofi and Event Square themes ● On Our Way (Event Square) ● Looming Dread ● Hopeful Tomorrow ● The Tragedy of Dyne ● Innocent ● Under the Apple Tree ● Under the Apple Tree (Prayer) ● Sky Blue Eyes (Arranged) ● Aerith’s theme (Gongaga) ● The Whispers Beckon ● Listen to the Cries of the Planet ● Tifa’s theme (Life Stream version) ● Cosmo Canyon (Relaxed) ● Cosmo Canyon (Bugenhagen) ● Lifestream (Cosmo Canyon Torch) ● Lifestream (Cave of the Gi) ● Cosmo Canyon Region (Irasceros) ● Avalanche theme ● Aerith’s theme (Nibelheim Tower) ● Forgotten Specimen ● Roche Boss Battle (Nibelheim) ● Will & Clara ● Tussle with the Turks (Gold Saucer Battle) ● Temple of the Ancients (Entrance) ● Temple of the Ancients (Labyrinth One) ● Listen to the Cries of the Planet (Battle) ● Elena and Tseng (Temple of the Ancients) ● Shrine of Trials (Cosmo Canyon) ● Trial of Yuffie (Sonnon) ● Trial of Yuffie (Trauma) ● Trial of Aerith (Train) ● Trial of Aerith (Trauma) ● Listen to the Cries of the Planet (Rage) ● Listen to the Cries of the Planet (Sleeping Forest Battle) ● Jenova X Aerith theme ● Jenova Lifeclinger’s theme ● One-Winged Angel ● Main Theme (Ending) ● Wake Up ● No Promises to Keep A lot of songs for sure, but this is only just over a fifth of the game’s full soundtrack. There truly is a plethora of songs in this game which I can’t commend the ambition for enough. Even then, in spite of the game’s more challenging bosses and overpopulation of elements, Rebirth is still a great continuation of Remake and expands upon what it can with a story as beefy as Final Fantasy 7. But alas, there’s still more to come. Oh yeah, I never even talked about the Queen’s Blood mechanic. Eh, it’s alright. I like how the one game I had to play to progress the story was the only one I actually won. Go figure I guess. Sounds like something Cloud would say.