The Review
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth released in February 2024 as a PS5 exclusive and represents Square Enix's most ambitious undertaking in decades. The party leaves Midgar for the open world, and Square constructed six distinct open-world regions - from the Grasslands to the Cosmo Canyon desert to the Gold Saucer's surrounding plains. Each region has its own side content ecosystem, and the sheer volume of it is both the game's greatest strength and most exhausting quality.
The combat system is the best in the series: a seamless blend of real-time action and ATB strategy that lets you switch between party members mid-fight, chain abilities, and execute synchronized attacks. The character-specific mechanics - Tifa's combo windows, Barret's burst mode, Red XIII's vengeance gauge - make each party member feel genuinely different to play. The Gold Saucer is a spectacular achievement, a full resort island of minigames that would be DLC in any other game.
The criticisms are real. The open world is padded with repetitive Chadley objectives and map-clearing tasks that dilute the pacing. The ending - a multiverse-inflected departure from the original - divided the fanbase sharply, with some finding it emotionally devastating and others finding it incoherent. The game demands Remake familiarity and rewards it with extraordinary fan-service moments. As a middle chapter, it ends without resolution, which is inherent to its structure.
