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

Truly the Empire Strikes Back of gaming. I fully believe this may be my favorite game of all time. There is so much that’s was implemented, improved upon and perhaps even elevated over the original game. I’m gonna dive into several categories here. First off, story: Just as the original, this story of this game is utterly phenomenal. And it’s crazy to think they improved upon even that in this game😭 from the grasslands to the Temple of the Ancients, this is such a ride that makes you feel such humor and joy, as well as such deep hurt for all of our cast and their circumstances. But one thing that sticks out to me is how much they improved upon the Shinra parts of the story. The Rufus sub-plot for this is so cool and mysterious that I’m overjoyed they included this over how the OG did it. Never did I once feel pacing issues in this game, simply because it’s modeled to have you want to do things in between the story. And even if you don’t want to, you can do just that and the story will flow. It’s incredible. Plus the additional add to the mystery and intrigue that was already in the story in the first place?? Chef’s kiss. Now for the characters: This game has wholeheartedly solidified this cast as my number one. I don’t believe anything will top them. And this is insane having only first gotten into the franchise 2 years ago with Remake and then playing everything in the compilation afterwards… the build up all led to this. I have such a deep connection with these characters at this point I don’t even know where to begin, but I suppose it should obviously be Cloud. The level of character development he has is something I simply adore. You can tell he absolutely feels comfortable around everyone in the party, but the story tries so hard to push him away, which succeeds at times, only to push them even closer and make them stronger. Of course he seems like the dickhead he always will be, but he also deeply cares for everyone he’s close to. Next up is Tifa and Aerith, our two main heroines. I love these two so much. Their stories are so stellar and the way this story balances both of their importance is spectacular. On Tifa’s half, she’s the one susceptead to the Jenova plot the most, which absolutely makes sense! Her, Sephiroth, Cloud and Jenova have all been connected since Nibelheim, and it’s all come full circle to push Tifa and Cloud through thick and thin. But her teach doesn’t end there. So much callback to her Avalanche days and how they’ve shaped her into who she is currently, along with Zangan and Dr. Shieran’s impact, Tifa wouldn’t be who we know her as of it wasn’t for all of them, not just Cloud. But seeing as this is also a love story, her connection with Cloud is the pinnacle, and you can see that every time they’re together. As for Aerith, she’s no slacker in her importance of this story as well. Aerith is the whole party’s connection between the past and the future, even with her memories taken away. She is the connection between this timeline and Zack’s too! So much of her role in this game is her importance to both Zack and Cloud, how she is the one that can push them both to their limits and become better people because of her. Aerith can come off as harsh and especially selfish when talking to Cloud, but I feel that can be seen as her fear of both the unknown and not knowing how Cloud will take some things she has to say. To be quite honest, Aerith may seem untruthful here, but that can go for almost everyone in this party. Hell, this story basically happens because they all lie to each other! Anyway, the last two chapters really strike home how special Aerith is, and how important she is to this world being saved… even with Sephiroth at his strongest. Now I’ll talk about Barret! His writing in this game is so goddamn good. His role among the party as the older fatherly figure is something you can’t help but smile at. Especially when it comes to Cloud or Yuffie! His story at Corel is so powerful, it hit even harder in this game than in the OG. His self dread at what happened to his home, as well as what happened to his wife and Dyne puts so much sadness into the players. The confrontation with Dyne especially. That fight, hell, that whole sequence in the game is so good it gives me inspiration for my own story and characters. “You carry that guilt… that weight…” being Dyne’s last words to Barret, showing he doesn’t want him to ever let go of what he did, to ever let go of what made him what he is today… simply empowering shit right there. Even though Red XIII did get a whole story section, I’ll still compile him with Yuffie, Cait, Cid and Vincent here. Red is such a funny character in this game, it’s great. Having that knowledge charade going on while still being playful for his age provided some of the best comedy in the game, and after Cosmo Canyon he really is the little brother of the party, vowing to make his father, Seto, proud as a watcher. Then we have the little sister, Yuffie. Having her being a mandatory character for this trilogy was the one of the best decisions they could’ve made for this game. She is so much better than her original incarnation you can almost say they’re two different people. Her dynamic with Cloud, Barret and Red provides so much fun for an already hilarious group of people. And her being a huge CloTi enthusiast is such stupid fun. I also appreciate them expanding more on the Wutai situation as well as her connection with the circumstances. Onto Cait Sith, my personal favorite comedy relief character in this game. I love this tiny Scottish cat! He may be a stinking traitor, but he is so much fun beforehand that I let it go (until it happened in the story). He’s written a lot better in this game, I actually felt for him in that moment, opposed to how it happened in the OG. Now for the character that changed the most, Cid Highwind. Once the abusive, ex-space pilot, now the charming, Han Solo character, it truly is jarring to see how much they changed his character. It’s not bad though! I actually quite like it over his OG incarnation. I also really like his connection with Aerith and Ifalna! Can’t wait to see what Rocket Town has in store for us next game. And last but not least, Vincent Valentine. It honestly surprised me how much screen time he had in this game, only being here for 3 chapters. I love that he’s the actual wise and knowledgeable character in the party, and his cool, mysterious aura remains even here. Matt Mercer fucking KILLED IT voicing him by the way. Now I’ll talk the antagonists! Mainly Sephiroth and Rufus: Rufus in this game is SO. MUCH. BETTER. The way he’s treated in the OG seems embarrassing compared to his role here. He has so much more presence, intrigue, and charisma that it’s always a treat whenever he’s on screen. I truly can’t explain how much I value his involvement throughout the story, making him one of my favorite antagonists that I’ve seen in a while. Sephiroth is crazy in this game! He is absolutely everywhere and is taking the full reigns role make sure he gets what he wants. You COULD say his mysterious presence is gone, but I don’t agree with that. He is the villain of this game, always has been. He absolutely deserves to have a lot more screen time and involvement in the story. Speaking of taking the reins, his doing that to Cloud throughout this game truly pushes it to the edge and simply MOVES it. Creating such tension between the party, but creating such closeness with them trying to help Cloud anyway they can. I truly cannot wait to see what his ultimate goal is, the Reunion, and how it’ll shake this franchise to its core. Now, let’s talk about the beloved gameplay: The combat in this game is genuinely some of the best shit I’ve ever played. The team improved so much of one of my already favorite combat systems, and pushed it to its absolute peak. Perfect blocking, perfect dodging, synergy skills, gear to enhance the ways you can play to fit your own style… they put so much love and care into this and you can simply tell. This all coupled with the fact that you have to pay attention to the mobs and bosses you fight to exploit their unique mechanics, it’s truly a blessing. Not to mention HOW MUCH FUN EVERY CHARACTER IS. One of the main gripes of Remake is how much of slog it is to play as Aerith or Barret, and they fucking listened and MADE SURE every character was fun as fuck to play. Let’s talk about our minigames. How did they implement so many different games into this ONE? I genuinely want to know. I believe there is something for everyone here, and even if there isn’t, all of it is mostly OPTIONAL. THAT’S THE THING. If you don’t like certain side content… you don’t have to do it and it won’t impact your experience or enjoyment. Stand out games to me are Queen’s Blood, 3D Brawler, G Bike and Chocobo Racing, but those are just the ones you can always do. Simply put, the amount of effort they put into making this game so faithful, shit, ABOVE faithful is revolutionary. Next up, I want to talk about the world: Making a world of this size, making it this vast, with THIS much variety, you just have to give the team a round of applause. I always feel there’s something to do in this world. BECAUSE THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO DO. They have made sure that this world never felt empty or boring and made it to have so much charm within each region. There are times when I feel an area is annoying to get through, but trust me when I say the great ass OST helps take my mind off things. This open world is an astounding achievement, believe me. Speaking of OST, the music is actually godly in this game. Over 400 tracks and almost all of them are good as fuck. This might go down as one of the best video game soundtracks of all time. To finish this up, I just want to say I love this game with my whole heart. It’s everything I could’ve hoped for and more. It’s all but reaffirmed that this franchise, this story, these characters will always bring joy to my heart. “No Promises Await at Journey’s End.” 10/10.