It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since the first part of the Final Fantasy VII remake project was released. Square Enix completely nailed that first part with how much care and effort they put into remaking one of the biggest games of all time. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second part of the trilogy, had a lot to live up because of that. After over 106 hours with the game doing almost everything there is to do in the game, I can honestly say it not only meets the quality of Final Fantasy VII Remake, but far exceeds the expectations we had for it.

The first thing you’ll notice about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the sheer effort that the developers put into creating the game. You can feel that Square Enix put all the money into t From how beautiful the world is to how lived in the towns are with so many characters filling them up doing all sorts of different things, the game oozes style and quality. It feels like you’re playing a massive blockbuster game. The game might be on the level graphically as the PlayStation 5 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake, the trade off is how expansive the world is. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth makes Midgar in Remake feel minuscule in comparison.

While not a seamless open world, there are six massive areas to explore that are chock full of things to do. Yes, there are the typical open world flair such as towers that show things to you can do in the immediate area, minor discoveries that add world building, and combat trials. However, some of the side content is so engaging with some of the side quests adding so much to the world and character moments, thus making it stuff you’ll not want to miss. Then, there’s the absolute smorgasbord of minigames to play and earn the highest scores. Then, there’s the shining star of side content in the game with Queen’s Blood. Queen’s Blood is a card game similar to Gwent from The Witcher 3. Just like Gwent, Queen’s Blood is introduced early and is a completely addicting experience that’ll have you wanting to play more and could easily be spun off into its own standalone game.

Now, to the meat of it Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the combat. I already thought the combat in Final Fantasy VII Remake was incredible. However, the evolution to the combat in Rebirth makes it one of my absolute favorite combat systems in any party based RPG. The addition of the new characters, bringing the total of playable characters to seven, freshens up the combat experience completely. You can have three preset parties composed of whichever characters that can be switched between. Then,you have the ability to switch up which characters are in your active party at any given time outside of combat and specific story moments allowing you to try out a wide variety of different playstyles.

Not only are the new characters a great addition to combat the evolution of the Synergy mechanic introduced in the INTERmission DLC allows for combat to have an extra layer of depth. There are synergy skills that provide a little extra offense or defense for characters. Then, there are Synergy Abilities that allow two characters team up to perform a powerful double team move after performing enough ATB commands which provide an additional benefit such as granting another ATB gauge, more power against staggered enemies, or increasing your Limit powers. There are a plethora of different combinations of synergy abilities between the entire cast of characters. Plus, when your in a bind with low health you can team up with nonactive party members to perform a Synergy Ability.

Everything I mentioned so far are all toppings to the incredible story and characters that fill Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to the brim. The story is engrossing and full of moments that range from incredibly serious and emotional to completely wacky and full of fun. The game knows when to bring the emotion and levity without it feeling out of place. Plus, the new additions to the story add so much mystery and are so engrossing that you have to see what happens next. Even when the story gets pretty wild giving such little bread crumbs for you to pick up on.

The characters themselves are great. The main party are so enjoyable to be around and interact with, and the ability to deepen your bonds with them makes you want to engage with them even more. The chemistry between them all easily shows why they are one of the most iconic party of characters in gaming history. Then, there’s the antagonists. Sephiroth and his plans are so mysterious and he gives off such terrifying vibes whenever he shows up. The other antagonists are just as good with new Turks member Elena being such a fun addition and the expanded role of Rufus Shinra being the new president of the company becomes so engaging. As someone who never really play much of the original Final Fantasy VII, I’m so glad to really be experiencing the story and characters that are handled with so much love and respect for the first time.

Overall, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth turns the middle portion of one of the most beloved games of all time into its own 100+ hour immaculate experience. From the moment the game starts, you can see how much love and effort the developers put into making this a game that stands on it own and it carries all the way through until you finish the game, and the final moments leave so much intrigue going into the final part of the trilogy. So many were skeptical when Square Enix was going to split one game into multiple parts. However, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth shows just why Square Enix made the right decision and continues to knock it out of the park like we couldn’t believe.

Score: 10 out of 10

Reviewed on PlayStation 5