168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Square Enix first announced that it would be remaking 1997's 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy 7 in 2015, and eventually, it was revealed that the final product would be split into a trilogy of games. Rebirth is the second title in the project and picks up right where Cloud and his friends left off in Remake, outside Midgar with a world of en🍒dless possibilities in front🎉 of them.

Launching on February 29, 2024, Rebirth takes everything from 2020's Remake and expands upon it to create a dense journey full of beautiful locations, engaging side activities, and staggering character growth. It's a massive game that simultaneously sets up the final chapter while knowing how to have a good time along the way, but is it worth it?

Review

In Lead Features Editor's Jade King's article "Fin꧟al Fantasy 7 Rebirth Review - Leave The Past Behind, But Never Fo🧔rget It", she praised the game's ability to expand on the original's characters, locations, and stories in meaningful ways without feeling like padding. It takes small moments that would only last a few minutes in 1997 and turns them into hour-long side quests that include engaging dialogue with party members and unique songs that will be stuck in your head for days.

I’ve never seen a Final Fantasy game feel this alive befꦍ❀ore. Even if nostalgia plays an integral part in my own connection to it, so much love has gone into expanding upon the memories I already have.

King reflects on her time with the original Final Fantasy 7 throughout her review, and was shocked by how frequently Rebirth recontextualizes familiar events with additional character beats🅘 and world-building. "Across its 14 chapters, I found myself consistently surprised and impressed with how a tale so historically versed in melodrama managed to move me with compelling character stories and expanded lore that takes dated PlayStation pixels and turns them into something magnificent."

Even better is how frequently Rebirth questions these events and if they are even canon or not. Some characters seem like they know more than they should a💧bout the events of the original Final Fantasy 7, while others seem to actively work against the iconic storyline to form something else entirely. "Nothing is as it seems, with Rebirth constantly adjusting our expectatio🗹ns with set pieces, characters, and locations familiar on the surface, yet hiding much more beneath it all."

Nostalgia aside, Rebirth successfully creates an open world that feels alive and worth exploring. You'll spend hours at a time in regions like the Grasslands or Junon, but 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:these regions never grow old as you search for resources, towers, and so much more. "What I loved most is how Square Enix has taken these old foundations and given them new life, 🦹sprinkling storytelling and lore across an oddly restrained open world where every little quest and discovery is worth seeking out."

Beyond the endlessly engaging open world, King also praises Rebirth's combat system, which provides you with endless possibilities when it comes to who you want to have in your party and how you want them to contribute during battles. The biggest change between Remake and Rebirth is 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the introduction of Synergy attacks and💧 abilities - moves between two party members that can range fro🌞m providing buffs to offensive skills that can quickly take down larger targets.

Using these abilities will tighten the bond between Cloud and whoever he uses these special skills with, providing you with plenty of reasons to switch characters out to see these worthwhile interactions. "At first, I expected this system to be relatively barebones, thrown in to emulate contemporaries like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Witcher 3 without considering the type of storytelling that bes𝄹t accommodates this type of mechanic. Like so much of Rebirth, however, I was swiftly ༺proven wrong."

All of these small moments, from completing side quests to unleashing devastating Synergy skills, result in excellent character development that is heightened by Rebirth's fantastic writing. After spending over 30 hours with these characters in Remake, it is fascinating to see where this story takes them, even if you've played the original game before. "Compared to the original game, the extra time taken to make certain twists and turns land hit so much harder this time without resorting to lazy fan service or deviations from the canon purely for the sake of it."

Ultimately, King's biggest complaint about Rebirth - aside from the fact that Tifa and Aerith don't kiss - is the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:absurd number of minigames that are introduced throughout the entire adventure. Even as you approach the end of the game, you'll occasionally have to deal with mechanics-heavy or frustrating side activities to unlock better accessories, equipment, or at its worst, story content.

"Square Enix has taken the task of fleshing out the original game very seriously, and that means Chocobo Racing is the Finaꦍl Fantasy kart racer we’ve always wanted, while you’ll also find functional pianos for playing with exhaustive🥀 note charts and a digital card game known as Queen’s Blood that has more than enough depth to be a standalone digital release. I haven’t even touched on Fort Condor, Run Wild, Desert Rush, several different rhythm games, or the countless new distractions at the Gold Saucer."

King gave Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Four and a Half stars out of Five, complimenting how much heart went into each aspect of the game and praising both it's ambition and scale. "Part of me wanted Rebirth to recapture fleeting moments of my upbringing, but I much prefer how this story and the people behind it have grown alongside me, revealing an opportunity to present this epic in a different light that can only be managed with the benefit of hindsight. I have no idea where it goes now, and that just might be its greatest achievement."

Time Expenditure

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a massive game, and whether you're playing it for the story or to see everything there is to see, you should 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:expect t📖o spend a decent amount of time with Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and the rest of the crew. If you decide to focus solely on the main story, you should expect to spend roughly 40 hours with the game before you finish it.

If you want to complete the main story and everything else that Rebirth has to offer, we have found that it takes somewhere between 100 and 120 hours to finish it all. Times will vary depending on what mode you're playing on, how often you fail and replay certain minigames, and much more. Either way, Rebirth is easily one of the longest Final Fantasy games ev꧋er made.

Cost

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is currently 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a PlayStation 5 exclusive and can be purchased either digitally or physically, depending on your preferences. The base version of the game will cost you $69.99 USD either way, but there are different versio☂ns that mi🌳ght be worth looking into.

If you prefer purchasing physical editions of games, there are three different options for Rebirth. Aside from the standard edition, there is also a Deluxe Edition and Collector's Edition out there if you can find them. The former costs $99.99 USD, while the Collector's Edition costs $349.99 USD.

If you would rather keep everything digital, there are a handful of options to choose from aside from the standard version of the game. These are the Digital Deluxe Edition for $89.99 USD, the Digital Twin Pack for $99.99 USD, and the Digital Deluxe Twin Pack for $119.99 USD.

If you're still on the fence about whether Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is worth your time and money, there is a free demo on the PlayStation 5 that allows you to play through most of the game's first chapter and run around in one of the many regions to get a feel for exploration.

What Players Are Saying

One Of The Greatest Games Of All Time - Jerel Levy

There's a beautiful balance between humor and seriousness that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth does so well. You'll laugh, cry, and feel every emotion in between as a grand adventure unfolds before your eyes. With an epic story that you won't find in any other game, engaging side content, characters you'll see grow over the course of your time, and synergy skills and abilities that are as cool as the characters that perform them, you won't regret getting lost in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It's a once-in-a-lifetime JRPG that'll be a classic staple for years to come, setting the standard for what games in the genre can be.

A Faithful Remake In The Most Unexpected Way - Hilton Webster

While Final Fantasy 7 Remake billed itself as෴ just an expansion of the Midgar section of the original game, it soon proved to be a more ambitious idea altogether. The same can be said of Rebirth.

In the original game, it becomes more unfocused after Midgar and until the Temple Of The Ancients. It is packed with minigames, new characters, diverse locales and heaps more. And Rebirth is the exact same. It doesn't have the same cohesion as Remake, yet it is brimming with content that never skims on quality. The increased emphasis on pure gameplay over story might not be for everyone, but those who loved the original Final Fantasy 7 will adore Rebirth's dutiful and imaginative recreation of its middle section.

The JRPG Genre At Its Peak - Seth Parmer

Even with some minor open-world woes, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth offers one of this generation's best JRPG experiences. It is overflowing with fantastic characters, robust stories, and an unbelievable combat system that is constantly exhilarating and rewarding. Much like Remake before it, Rebirth offers the definitive way to experience this section of the beloved and groundbreaking story of Cloud and his beloved cast of party members.

While it may not be the best jumping-on poi🌜nt for the series, anyone who is a fan of the original or got their foot in the door with Remake will be in for a treat from start to finish with Rebirth. This is a must-play for not only JRPG fa🌞ns but for anyone who loves and cherishes this world and characters, offering an unforgettable experience from beginning to end!

Peak Fantasy - Quinton O'Connor

Maybe you’ve played and enjoyed other recent entries in this beloved 𓂃series, like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16. Maybe you haven’t. Maybe you’ve disliked the franchise’s direction for decades. Regardless, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth stands a good chance at pulling you in. This is heyday Final Fantasy; Rebirth is so richly imbued with the gameplay diversity that helped to define the series’ golden era that, if it hadn’t been for all the lavish modern production values, I might have suspected I&rsq🀅uo;d been transported back to the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The battle system is a blast, with heaps of customization potential. But it’s thaꦡt aforementioned diversity that blows me away. Queen’s Blood is a terrific card game. Chocobo racing is far more involved than I had dared to hope it would be. And there are so many other things you’ll get drawn into, including dozens of side quests that are almost universally more interesting than Remake’💯s.

The characters shine the brightest of💦 all. Square Enix has imbued an iconic cast with the best writing that they’ve ever been given. I’m especially fond of Barret Wallace, whose reimagined arc in Rebirth is a profound step up from what he had in the original Final Fantasy 7. And to be clear, I loved it there, too. But everyone else is also great. Yuffie Kisaragi is bloody hilarious; Aerith Gainsborough will weave her way into gamers’ hearts with greater gusto than ever; and protagonist Cloud Strife’s personal growth continues in spades.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be tough to top in 2024, and I can’t recomm🍒꧂end it enough.