Review: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

The time has come to discuss Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It is with great pleasure that I write this review. I say this because, it took me almost an entire year to complete this game. That might be the longest it has ever taken me to complete a single title. Yes, this is a BIG game. But I’ve played through games just as large in the past and they didn’t take nearly as long to complete. The reason it took me so long to finish this title was due to what seemed like a never-ending slew of real life events that demanded my attention. But finally, over the holidays, I managed to find enough downtime to see this game through to the end. With that said, I’m eager to share my thoughts.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in a trilogy of games that retell the original Final Fantasy VII story. With that in mind, this review is going to assume that you are familiar with the plot for Final Fantasy VII. The events of this game take place immediately after the end of Final Fantasy VII Remake (the escape from Midgar) and cover the portion of the original game in which the characters explore the world outside of the city. As hinted in Remake, the events in this game make it very clear that the story has deviated from the original VII and now follow a completely unique alternate timeline. This is something that’s expected to ramp up even more with the next entry in the series. I should also mention that Rebirth was originally released as a Playstation 5 exclusive. But a PC port will be available within days of this review being posted.

As you might expect from Square Enix, there are several flavors of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to choose from. The Standard Edition includes the base game. The Deluxe Edition includes the base game, art book and soundtrack, and several DLC items.(There’s also a digital version of this edition that includes digital versions of the art book and soundtrack along with the DLC.) And finally there’s a Collectors Edition, which includes everything mentioned previously with the addition of a collectable playarts statue. – But wait! Don’t forget the pre-order bonuses! Different pre-order bonuses were available for both US and UK players. There’s also a number of bonus DLC items for players that have save files for Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Intergrade on their console. At the time of this writing, it is currently impossible to obtain all of the optional DLC without having pre-ordered multiple copies of the game from both the US and UK stores. Of course, knowing Square Enix, all of this DLC will likely be made available for purchase at some point in the future. Still, this is frustrating, as several of these DLC items are in-game summons that the majority of players are going to want to collect. Boo.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was marketed as a flagship title for the PS5. This game was designed to put the power of the system on display. Having now played the game to completion, I can attest that it does just that. This is true both in terms of graphical power and the user interface experience. Aside from being absolutely stunning, the game takes full advantage of the PS5’s speedy memory and ultra quick loading times. Plus, this game takes advantage of both the speaker and the motion controls present in the PS5 controller. Developers were also sure to take feedback from Remake and incorporate both a more open world and a more flexible combat system.

Combat is similar to what was seen in Remake, but with a little more polish. Players who experienced Intermission, will have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the combat in this game. The Synergy mechanic from the Intermission DLC is present here (with a little refinement). Other familiar elements like the Pressure and Stagger systems from Remake also return in this chapter. The big change in the combat system here is the uniqueness of each playable character. As it was before, each character has their own gimmick when it comes to combat. But this time around, everything feels a bit more balanced and better paced. I personally found the combat system in this game to be quite a bit of fun and much more engaging than I expected. It took me a considerable portion of the game to really get my head into it. But once I figured out all the nuances, I was quite pleased.

One of the complaints many gamers had about Remake was that it often times felt very much “on rails”. That is certainly not the case with game. Rebirth takes the completely opposite approach. Having now left the confines of Midgar, the party is now able to explore the open world. And it is a VERY open world. The explorable areas in this game are vast and filled with various encounters. Which brings me to my next point… SIDE CONTENT.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is chock-full of optional side-content and mini games. I can’t stress how strongly I mean that. These days, RPGs typically have the main quest line and then each town or area in the game has a number of side quests to complete for additional experience or rewards. This is true with Rebirth. But alongside this formula is an entirely separate system of research and exploration-related quests. These often come from a specific NPC, Chadley, who sends the player out to various remote locations in the game world. From here, they do battle with various monsters, uncover information on mythical beasts, seek out buried treasure, or assist with raising Chocobos and wrangling errant moogles. Completing these quests are often necessary for obtaining new summons and powerful equipment. Also, completing these optional quests also unlocks various virtual reality battles that include even more completion rewards.

But even outside of all these side quests, Rebirth contains what seems like an endless list of mini games – almost too many, if I’m being honest about it. One of my favorites is a collectable card game called Queen’s Blood. Like most Final Fantasy card games, Queen’s Blood is very addictive and extremely tactical. I had a blast playing it and unraveling the side story associated with it. But there’s plenty of other mini games that deserve a mention as well. The list also includes things like chocobo racing, piano recitals, a real time strategy game (Fort Condor), a shooting gallery, and even an ab-crunching competition… the list goes on and on. It’s actually pretty insane how much there is to see and do.

I’m never one to complain when a developer includes lots of bonus content in their games. But in the case of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, there’s so much to do, that it actually proves to be a distraction from the main game. When playing, I found myself getting so side trekked by all of the optional content, that I would often lose sight of the main objective.

Whenever I play a Final Fantasy title, I make it my goal to obtain nearly every optional weapon and to complete every optional boss fight. However, if I were to try to do that before completing my review, it would be another year before I could grind through everything that this game has to offer. There’s that much content packed into this title. But optional fluff aside, there’s other reasons to replay this game once you’ve completed it.

Rebirth features a character affinity mechanic. As you progress through the main story, Cloud has the opportunity to interact with each of the other characters in a number of ways. Their bond with Cloud will change depending on the choices the player makes. All of this comes to a head towards the end of the game when Cloud goes on a “date” with one of the characters. You’re realistically only able to see one of these dates per playthrough. So, gamers who want to experience all of the possible cutscenes will need to replay the game multiple times. (Alternately, new menu options for manually choosing the companion become available after the first playthrough is complete)

Upon completing the game for the first time, players are able to replay the game again from whatever chapter they like. When doing so, all previous progress is saved. This means that you don’t have to stress about making sure that you finish every single quest or minigame during your initial playthrough. In fact, even though it sort of breaks the immersion, saving a good portion of the side quests and mini games for a subsequent playthrough is probably the most efficient way to handle things. Not to mention that a number of EXP rewards are only available by playing the game on Hard Mode, which is only unlocked after you complete the game once.

I spent a little bit of this review almost complaining about the amount of optional content included in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It’s true that there’s so much to do in this game that it can feel a little overwhelming at first. Not to mention, several of these challenges are downright silly. In fact, early in the game I was planning in my head just how I was going to gripe and moan about it when it came time to write this review. But in retrospect, I have to say, my opinion on the subject has changed. Yes, several of these mini games can be annoying time sinks, but one should never complain about TOO MUCH content. In a time when most games are released in an arguably incomplete state, or have large portions of their content carved out only to be sold later on as DLC, it’s actually nice to have a full, complete game to enjoy right out of the gate. There’s no online content in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the developers have declared that there will be no future paid downloadable content. Personally, I find this refreshing.

Now that we are two games in to the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, it’s becoming very interesting to see just how Square Enix is handling the task of “re-making” one of their most beloved titles. All of the things that fans could ask for have been represented here in one way or the other. On top of that, SE has taken this opportunity to introduce a number of new characters and locations, all of which do a great job of fleshing out this beloved setting even more. Playing both Remake and this feel similar to watching the Director’s Cut of your favorite old movie. It’s a pretty surreal gaming experience.

Having spent nearly a year playing this game off and on, I can tell you that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is an absolute masterpiece and it is a showcase title for the Playstation 5 or Playstation 5 Pro. If you only own a single PS5 title, this game should be it. Just don’t do what I did and let the optional content distract you from the main game… There’s plenty of opportunity to tackle everything this game has to offer once you’ve completed the main story.

Version Reviewed: PS5

Difficulty: Variable – This game features multiple difficulty settings. The default setting is “Normal” and it is what I recommend for most players. Early battles are relatively easy, but the difficulty slowly ramps up as the game goes on. Not to mention, several of the optional battles are pretty darn brutal. Players who don’t take the time to familiarize themselves with the combat system are likely to have a much harder time than those that do. The “Easy” setting turns the game into a cake walk. So much so that I really don’t recommend it unless you simply want to enjoy the story with no challenge whatsoever. It really simplifies things to the point where there’s not much challenge at all. Once you’ve completed the game you unlock the ability to play “Hard” mode. This is the exact mirror image of “Easy” – this mode will test your mettle in just about every way imaginable. On the upside, experience is earned at a much higher rate when playing in this mode. Certain in-game rewards are only available in “Hard” mode, so despite the increased difficulty, it’s actually worth a look if you’re a completionist trying to 100% the game. Finally, there’s a fourth option called “Dynamic”. Dynamic Mode will adjust the difficulty to match the skill level of the player. I personally did not spend much time testing the Dynamic setting, so I can’t really attest to how effective it might be.

Multiplayer: None.

Story: As was the case with the original game, the story in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is simple amazing. It’s faithful to the original while adding a slew of new details and several surprising twists. Concepts and tidbits of lore that were only teased in the original game as fully explored in this new retelling of the story.

Originality: Even though this is a remake of a classic title, there’s plenty of new characters and plot points to keep older fans on the edge of their seats. The vast array of mini games and open world exploration make this feel like nothing else in the Final Fantasy franchise.

Soundtrack: Again, one of the best things about FFVII is the music. That hasn’t changed with this Remake. All of the classic pieces are here, re-recorded and presented in the best quality yet. Plus, there’s a number of new numbers introduced that are destined to be instant classics. The soundtrack to this game is simply superb, as is the voice acting.

Fun: This is one of those unique games that’s likely to appeal to both fans of RPG and action games. It is easy to get distracted from the main game, and admittedly several of the open world maps get pretty confusing to navigate. So it’s easy to feel lost or frustrated at times. But the good outweighs the bad considerably.

Graphics: When it comes to graphics, this game showcases the very best the PS5 has to offer. There are options to choose just how detailed you want the game to be, but honestly, any setting you choose is going to look pretty good.

Playcontrol: No major issues. For the most part, the game controls fairly well. The only real annoyance comes in terms of navigating some terrain or positioning yourself in the right spot to climb up and down ladders. But aside from that, everything else is solid.

Downloadable Content: Some promotional items, pre-order perks, and collector’s edition bonuses.

Mature Content: Strong language.

Value: As you might expect, this game sells at a premium price of $70.00 for the standard edition or $100 for the Deluxe. The physical collector’s edition is a whopping $350!! For most players, the standard edition is all you’ll need. But, if you’re a fan and you want the majority of the bonus DLC, the Deluxe edition is there. I can’t say the bonuses are worth the extra $30, however.

Overall score (1-100): 95 – As was the case with Remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a near perfect game. Some of the extra content makes it easy to get distracted the main quest, and that often leads to feeling overwhelmed at times. But of course, I’d rather have a game with too much to do than not enough. Also, it once again feels like nearly all of the DLC were items already in the game and then excised out after the fact to try to make a few extra bucks by up-selling to the Deluxe edition. This is a trend that I despise, but it’s par for the course these days. If you are a fan of VII, you’re going to want to experience this game.

Original System: PS5

Available today on: PS5, PC – (Updated as of Early Winter 2025)

Best Modern Experience: PS5 – (Updated as of Early Winter 2025)

Other Reviews In This Series:

Main Series:

I – II – III – IV – V – VI – VII – VIII – IX – X – X2 – XI – XII – XIII – XIII 2 – XIII Lightning Returns – XIV – XV – XVI