Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - Exclusive Amazon Edition (PS5)

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth does a great job of retelling one of the all time greats in the JRPG genre. It keeps a lot of the story the same but expands on it as well as adding a few extra layers. As always I split my reviews into 3 categories, Story, Characters, and Gameplay with story getting the most weight Story 10/10 If they had just done nothing but retell this portion of the original, I would have probably given it a 9. But, for me, the additions to the story, the extra layers, and all of the parts that today's technology allows the story teller to illustrate that the 90's technology doesn't just brings this story to it's perfection. You pick up right after the remake (which I strongly suggest you play first as well as integrade dlc) where Cloud and his companions are headed out into the world to try and track down Sephiroth. I'll be honest, the story takes a while to get going. However, it's not a huge detriment because of how quickly the world opens up and you are handed so many fun things to do and to explore. If you've played the 90's version you know where the story is supposed to go. The story progression reminds me A LOT of FFX which happens to be my favorite video game of all time. You get the feeling this is a sad story but you don't quite know why (if you haven't played the 90's version that is). The story is fantastic all around. If I had to knock it at all, I would say that sometimes the overall "silliness" of the game can be a little off putting. Maybe that's just me being 20 years older than I was when I played the original VII. That being said, this isn't enough to detract from the overall greatness that is the crux of the FFVII story. Characters 10/10 There isn't much to say here. If you know anything about final fantasy, you know these characters. The development that you see in these characters is astounding. Watching Barret deal with his terrible past, Aerith coming to terms with her destiny, Red XIII finding out who he is, Cait Sith, wrestling with his allegiances, Tifa trying to figure out Cloud and what that means for her, and Yuffie just growing up in general. You get the feeling these characters are truly in it together and you are right there with them. Sephiroth has always been amazing...and he still is here. The new twist on Shinra is fantastic as well. Cloud is....well Cloud. He's probably the dullest character out of all of them but he's supposed to be. He's barely there a lot of times degrading from the experiments done on him. He loses his grip on reality and you get a front row seat to watch him continue to spiral. I'm betting the 3rd game is really going to be interesting here.... Gameplay 8.5/10 It's so hard to knock this game's gameplay because there is sooooo much here that is so great. First let's just talk about the open world feeling. I loved it. They plop you into several big open spaces and basically say "do what you want, here's a ton of fun sidequests to do or just continue on with the story". The sidequests are fun and force you to explore the various maps. Such a huge improvement over remake with this. Oh and the character side quests...such a vast improvement. No longer are you going from house to house collecting crap (yeah the remake sidequests are aaawwwffuulll). Each sidequest actually has some thought in it...and i feel like they've decreased the number of them..which is a good thing. Some quests up your relationship status with certain characters which is great and adds an additional layer to the game. Queens blood was such an amazing addition to the game. I love this card game and the story behind it was such a nice touch. Best minigame since blitzball (the FFX version...not X-2) The battle mechanics I feel have improved over the first one. The game forces you to use different party make ups and most are story driven. That can be irritating sometimes and switching materia and equipment around can also be irritating but all in all I think this is a positive. I really enjoyed how the game kind of forces you to switch around between characters during the fight so you can maximize your damage and really learn how to play all the characters. There are a few things though that just really detract from the gameplay. First is the forced slow walking. I know this sounds nitpicky but man...the places where they force you to walk at a leisurely pace are too often way drawn out and overly long...and boring. Next...what was that Cait Sith portion of Nibelheim manor? I almost quit on that part...not really but it was the worst part of the game by far. In general, most of the mini games were fun and a nice distraction from the main story...but at times i did feel they were too much of a distraction. At times in the game, I found myself getting irritated with all of the games I was being forced to play and just wanted to get back to the story. It was that good. While I completed 100% of all of the maps, I didn't find myself to enthused with completing all of the Chapley stuff. The battle simulator tasks and quests just didn't really do it for me. I did a good chunk of it but it wasn't good enough to motivate me to complete it. Though i did a lot more of it than i did in remake. I know I mentioned this earlier but I think it's worth repeating here. Sometimes the game was just...silly. Sometimes the characters just acted stupid and juvenile. I know this is commonplace in a lot of JRPG's and that's fine but this game really had a more mature feel to it and I found myself getting pulled out of the experience when some character randomly acts like a 5 year old or does something just to be silly that makes no sense. Overall 9.5/10 Honestly this is the best FF game I've played in probably 15-20 years. I said the same thing about 5 months ago when I finished FF XVI. I really liked that game. The mature take, the characters, the world. All of it was really interesting and I enjoyed it thoroughly. But Rebirth just had so much good in it you have to put it on top. Outside of FFX and IX, this is probably the best FF game since those. I know I wrote a whole paragraph above about nitpicking the gameplay (and some of those weren't nitpicks...some of those were just straight up detractions of a great game) but honestly the rest is just so good. I played this game for 100+ hours. I could not have done that if any part of it wasn't pretty awesome. And this game delivers in a big way. I can't wait until the 3rd game.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth expands the remake saga with a massive world, stunning visuals, and a deeply emotional story. The combat blends strategy and action beautifully, and the character interactions feel richer than ever. This Amazon Exclusive Edition adds extra collectible value, making it a fantastic pick for fans and newcomers alike.

Sequel to Final Fantasy Remake. Reccomend you play the first game before jumping into this one. There is way more expanded story, characters and lore compared PS1 original (I’ll list some after the of review). Even more than FFVII Remake as it leans into a multiverse scenario Don’t expect a flashy spectacle throughout. It’s not really a bingeable game for me personally compared to the first game. There are some slow segments with forced immersion via mini-games/side quests that had me put down the game several times. But they do make the lore, story and characters more relatable by the end. It’s the culmination of the events that make it great rather than individual moments of the game Personal interactions between characters/traversal dialogue is really good. Especially with Yuffie and Barret You switch up are party more in this game. A lot of party splitting throughout Gamplay remains relatively the same as the first game, except you get 3 new characters (2 if you count Yuffie in Intergrade DLC) to play with who have their own unique playstyle/move list. The synergize mechanic from the first game’s DLC return in Rebirth where two party members team up to do a strong attack or give buffs to each other. Its like limit break meter but focused on 2 of 3 characters active in battle. Meter fills faster if you switch party members during combat More open world than the first game. You can ride chocobos after taming wild ones. Disappointed that they are region specific and there’s no one chocobo that follows you through your journey. You do get to ride a 8 wheeler dune buggy in the desert which is nice There are new traversal mechanics like grapple hooks and climbing sections There’s a relationship dialogue mechanic which have you build up to gain enough affection to ask someone out at the Golden Saucer. There isn’t multiple stages/events to the relationship like in Persona series for example, just an single date end goal like in original Locations are much larger with more buildings and events going on. For example: Kalm has at least 3x as many buildings, costa del sol is a large vacation destination where you use segways to get around, and Golden Saucers actually feels like an amusement park you can walk around in. Speaking of locations; story beats we won’t be visiting in Part 2/Rebirth will be covered in permanent fog of war on your map, or blocked by debris and roadblocks like Midgar and Fort Condor . Don’t expect to visit every area in entire trilogy in this game, or look at the map mid-game and think you have 100s of more hours to go. Game is only comprised of 15 chapters Music is really good. I like how some music tracks transitions into another by fading in instead of skipping making the game more immersive -Final Take: Despite the pacing issues at times; the overall story and gameplay is very good and one of best in the franchise. Can’t wait for the last game in the trilogy -List of Story Changes (spoilers ahead): Has a lot of scenes with Zack (from crisis core) sprinkled throughout the game. Cloud and Zack team up at the end due to multiverse convergence event and fight sephiroth together. Cissnei makes an appearance but she’s basically a plot progression cameo in one of the villages you pass through Roche is one of the main antagonist in this game You meet the Planet Weapons earlier You fight the snake boss in swamp instead of outrun it Instead of saving Priscillia from fish sea monster, you save Yuffie Yuffie and Vincent (not playable, most likely in part 3 of series to keep gameplay fresh) is main stay on your team instead of optional. You must face Vincent in a boss battle Cloud is disguised as a solider during the parade in original. This time; Cloud, Tifa and Aerith dress up as soldiers and you are the captain in charge of parade march Shrina boat is now a huge cruise ship. There’s a Queens Blood (card game) tournament held on ship Barrett gone missing in this one and you must play chocoboo race first to get into area to find Barett Dine dies of Shinra shootout instead of suicide Gongaga is a required destination for plot progression (where you meet Cissnei) You meet Cid earlier since you need a plane to reach Cosmo Canon Keystone whereabout location is not a scavenger hunt this time to get info. Cait Sith just tell you where it is. You must fight Don Corno to get keystone The on-stage play in original at Golden Saucer is now a theatrical VR experience Ancient Temple is a long series of puzzles and boss battles instead of a maze Temple contain room of trails where you get tragic backstory for each playable character Aerith doesn’t die (?) or she’s a least a force ghost Sephiroth end goal is not to just destroy the earth, but every universe in the multiverse

*there are no spoilers in the following opinions!* The 1997 original holds one of the highest honors in my heart. It was the game that changed everything. First and foremost: This is not a remaster. This is a remake that respects the source material while making a few changes that (so far as of this middle installment of the 3 part remake) have in no way shattered the lore of the original game. They’re remaking one of the most beloved and impactful games of all time here. Yeah that’s a heck of a statement but what a tough job that is to ask of a team - and what an incredible job they’ve done. The gameplay is stellar. The battles retain enough of the original game to please the OG players while still keeping it accessible to a broader audience and a new era of gamers. The world is drop dead gorgeous! What an amazing semi-open world they’ve constructed here. The music playing throughout this game over each area and story beat has absolutely no right being this good. I remember humming the Gongaga forest music to myself one day at work and I can’t remember the last time I’ve caught myself humming a game’s music during the day. There is a lot of criticism for the first and second remake installments and it is completely unfounded. It is very polarizing often. Here is what I’ll say: if you go in to this game looking for a perfect retelling of the original you will be doing yourself and your enjoyment of an amazing experience in gaming. And with that being said, it does a spot on job with taking those 2D renders and blocky 1997 PS1 characters and perfectly placing them in a modern 3D retelling that hits as many of the same emotional beats as you can hope for. This is not a remaster it’s a remake…. There are certain liberties that have been taken. These of course may upset some fans but so far they’ve been a speck of sand in an hourglass of awesome gaming. I had a few things that I was not happy with but I’m hoping they will have a satisfying pay off in the conclusion of the series. Without going into spoilers, some of the slight changes have conflicted with the original. They are very minimal. Due to the story arc of the original title, they really couldn’t have done it the exact same way and it gave the same impact. All in all, it’s done respectfully, beautifully, and give this game its own unique feel and place in gaming history. If you played the original, or if you haven’t, and you enjoy this genre or just great AAA titles… Play these games as soon as possible. Bravo Square Enix. Anxiously awaiting the 3rd installment!

This game is adventurous and fun from beginning to end despite all the side quests. They made all characters playable in this game. It is not just Cloud running around all the time like in Remake. I thought the game hit it out the park with Cait Sith rolling around as a playable character. This game does the original justice with visual and storytelling. They took the original worth and brought it from Roblox-style to GTA-style. I didn’t want to play Part 2 after Remake because this game was going to be years upon years of waiting for the next one to come out. Felt like cash grab. I was wrong. I bought it when the price drop to $30. It was definitely going to be worth it at $70. Game also gave you a feeling of like binge watching a Netflix series while playing it. People seem to complain a lot about side quests but without them the game is lifeless, Point A to Point B, hack and slash game. Plus, you got to love the near impossible infamous “Chicken Side Quest” in this game. The Chicken side quest made the side quests interesting and I no longer have anything bad to say about the side quests.

The game has fantastic graphics, most of the time, and the combat is very engaging and a spectacle, but sometimes blurry visuals get in the way of appreciating the game worlds. Some of the game areas feel a bit like JRPG slop with the mid/low quality models and reuse of generic NPC characters but it's not a big deal, this is an area where video games in general can improve upon in the next generation or whatever, If you can get this game on sale it's a good pickup. I will say though, it can be pretty frustrating when you're really in the mood for the game's very fun combat, only to be forced to play a million minigames during the story. The mini games aren't bad on their own but being forced to do them is annoying. This isn't really a bad problem because it means the combat is very fun. It's definitely good the mini games are in the game though, it holds the spirit of the original game well. The golden saucer is crazy in this one lol.

Absolutely love this game. Having played the remake, i knew what i was getting into. Love the addition of the chocobos and the double team attacks.

I remember when the PS1 FFVII first released in 1997 as I paid it with the money I earned from my first job along with the console. I was immersed in the world and put in hundreds of hours in it. Now in my 40’s w/ family and played both intergrade & rebirth, I can say that Square hasn’t lost their touch. It’s an awesome feat for Square Enix to re-create Gaia into a 1:1 ratio. Ignore the other clowns saying the game is full of fluff etc. The mini games and other activities are there to make the world more alive and full of people with added back stories to care about. This is after all about saving the planet, would you like to save an empty boring world? In addition, the remake now combines story elements from other games like Crisis Core and the movie Advent Children just to name a few. People complaining that the game is split in three parts and feels like they’re being cheated of the full game… get over it. Try making a game of this magnitude and I bet you won’t be able to release this in time and expect to make money from it. At the end of the day this is a business, it’s great that they were able to remake the world with such detail and more content making the experience fresh. I’m glad they didn’t just make a remaster of the OG FFVII as I can just get a MOD online and play it with my PC. If you are on the fence on this game, don’t be. This is an experience you don’t want to miss. If you need further details please read other positive reviews and ignore the bad one as they don’t contribute much on how awesome this game is. Music 10/10 - they never disappoint Graphics 9/10 - a little blurry during performance mode, best played in graphics mode Story 10/10 - if you know the OG FFVII you’ll be surprised in the changes they made but for the better