That’s why “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” is even better than its predecessor

The first part of the “Final Fantasy VII” remake, released in April 2020, was quite linear and offered rather complicated levels. Things are different in the second of the three planned installments, “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.” Extensive open world sections, a significantly expanded combat and character system and new mini-games await you here. As our practical experience in London shows, not everything is perfect and some pressing questions still remain unanswered.

Brave in telling stories, sometimes timid in staging

While its predecessor offered only a very small part of the original’s story, the plot of “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” from the forced exodus from Midgar at the end of its predecessor to reaching the “Forgotten City” spans a significantly larger part of story. Developer Square Enix follows the 1997 classic in terms of story, but is not afraid to deviate more in details. We don’t yet know exactly how far the makers will go in later passages. The prologue chapter, in which you experience a playable flashback and control Cloud and Sephiroth together in battle, at least suggests that Square Enix dares to be braver. This doesn’t go so far as to offend those familiar with the original, but it does ensure that the adventure still feels fresh to them and has a few surprises in store.

The story is generally staged in an appealing and exciting way in the form of high-quality dialogue and cutscenes, such as when the Shindra forces invade the city of Kalm to arrest the main hero Cloud Strife and his companions. In some passages the developers slow down the pace a little too much, often indirectly, by temporarily limiting your interaction options. This by no means ruins the atmosphere, but does not change the fact that individual scenes cannot fully develop their drama. Overall, the production is still good, but not perfect.

Valuable open world and mini games

With “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,” the remake won’t be a pure open-world role-playing game. Unlike the first part, you now more often enter vast areas, which you can explore very freely and take on countless bonus missions and challenges. In ‘Rebirth’ you reach the first of these open zones in the second act in the form of the grassland at the foot of the town of Kalm. If you want, you can follow the main mission linearly.

But you can just as easily commit to the extensive, but fortunately not extensive, offering. You’ll soon meet Chadley, Cloud’s friend from part 1, who offers you a wide variety of research assignments. Immediately within the world you will be confronted with challenges where you have to achieve certain objectives. When fighting some poison rats, it’s important not to get poisoned by the little beasts or cause a shock effect on them during the fight.

The various task types also include mini-game-style challenges in the mushroom-shaped houses of the adorable Moogles. You can also take part in races on the Chocobos available early in the game, or take on particularly large chunks such as a ferocious Titan in Chadley’s battle simulator. For all this or for participating in duels in the internal trading card game “Blood of the Queen”, there are of course additional experience points, rewards in the form of special materials to customize your equipment and more. It remains to be seen how much this optional offering will become mandatory to keep up later.

As long as Square Enix doesn’t overdo it, the open-world content is absolutely welcome. So far we have found the additional content to be a valuable offering and not a chore. What’s also really nice about exploring the open areas is that the four companions available at the beginning all visibly follow you around the world. So they actually climb after you to a treasure chest on an old aqueduct. And if you do, they’ll all jump on the back of a chocobo. Including the wolfish colleague Red.

Synchronized forces

In “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,” Square Enix also significantly expands the combat and character system. At its core, it still offers a good mix of effectively presented action and tactical depth, with you always able to choose between an active and a classic variant, more reminiscent of the original’s ‘Active Time Battle’ system. In addition to the energy bar for ATB and limit attacks, there is now a third for the new synchro attacks, in which, for example, Cloud and Aerith can unleash a powerful combo together.

You must first activate the available attacks using the character-specific codes and you can upgrade their power through the different types of powerful materia substances, but also by improving the relationships between the heroes. Because the team level achieved, the materials used and other things sometimes also influence how quickly the ATB and limit bars charge in battle, the system now offers much more room for experimentation or for unlocking advantages that better suit your play style.

In the long run, the increased complexity of the system could potentially become too much for one or two players. We do not see any acute danger of this yet. However, we were only able to play “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” for over three hours at the event, of which just over an hour was spent on the prologue chapter, which played quite quickly. However, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that the more complex system could lead to game balance issues later on, at least for those of you who want to focus more on the main mission.

Better despite still unanswered questions

Even after the detailed hands-on of “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,” a number of questions still remain unanswered. Especially when it comes to the significantly more complex character and progression system and possible effects on game balance. Other than that, our impressions from London are almost exclusively positive. The combat system is more diverse, brings more action and tactical depth. The visual presentation is considerably better than that of its predecessor. And the open areas, with the greater freedom to play and the wide range of side missions and activities, are sure to leave you wanting more.

In brief: “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” would have to show serious weaknesses later in order not to significantly surpass its predecessor. They cannot be completely ruled out, but we are confident that “Rebirth” can meet even the highest expectations.