Review of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – Beyond Fantasy

I have a theory about how Tekuja Nomura, a key game graphics artist, artist and designer for many years who worked on the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series, comes up with his future games and their parts. Given his manic art style, I’m pretty sure he first imagines a scene as epic as possible before figuring out how and why it actually happened. That’s exactly what both parts of the modern version of Final Fantasy 7 left on me in many ways. However, this does not change the fact that the scenes are truly impressive and that the rest of the writers, designers and other creators on the team managed to more than adequately erase the “Nomura madness”. In the case of Rebirth, we got a completely unusual JRPG in its scope, variety, setting… but also in its soul.

• Platform: PS5
• Publication date: 02/29/2024
• Manufacturer: Square Enix (Japan)
• Genre: Japanese role-playing game
• Czech localization: No
• Multiplayer: No
• Download data: 150 GB
• Game time: 40 – 130 hours
• Price: 1999 CZK (Alza)

A story within a story

Anyone who played the first installment of this modern “remake trilogy” already knows that the series is much more than just a retelling of the original version of the game from the nineties. The point is not only that everything, of course, is much nicer and more elaborate, and not that the story as such is properly expanded and enriched – after all, in the original game, for example, there was no dubbing at all. But the main change goes much deeper, and thanks to it, the creators can afford to completely change some significant events or add characters, events or locations to the game that had nothing to do with the original story, or at least not with this one. form. There’s no point in walking through the hot mess – the modern trilogy is not a remake, it’s a very cleverly disguised “continuation” of the original saga, in which a number of events “seem to” repeat.

I’d actually really like to have a good time with someone who has never played anything from the Final Fantasy 7 series, and these two new games are his first encounter with the mercenary Cloud and his band of “eco-terrorists.” I imagine that even such a player will greatly enjoy the great group of characters and their funny and touching interactions, as well as the gripping story of the struggle for the survival of an entire planet facing a devastating disaster. However, from time to time you’ll probably find yourself wondering what strange characters pop up here and there – of course, these are references to the expanded world of the original game, from the films, companion games and so on. Instead, a dedicated fan will alternate between delight in the beautifully enhanced favorite passages and disappointment and, at best, amazement at how radically the story changes and diverges in places. And everyone can count on unexpected surprises.

This series is much more than just a retelling of the original game.

Since I not only consider the original game’s story to be one of the best in the history of the medium, I still insist that I would prefer to do without these radical changes. But at the same time, I can’t deny that they make the game extremely exciting, mysterious and unpredictable even for the most dedicated fans. In the case of Rebirth, it seemed to me that the creators were a little afraid of the idea of ​​deviating completely from the original, so you can count on the fact that most of it will take place according to the original classics. However, as with the first remake, the ending and changes at the very end will be significantly wilder. But the most important thing remains that the ending of Rebirth is very strong in both story and emotion, although most of all I was horrified and transported to other places than I expected. And it remains true that this is the best treatment and representation of beloved characters, who have become even more likeable and legendary because of it. You will be very happy to go on any expedition with this group.

Games within a game

After the first part, which was completely disarming audio-visually, we were all looking forward to getting out of the city and into nature with this stunning version. And this moment in Rebirth certainly did not disappoint, most people’s jaws probably dropped at how beautiful the exteriors in this game are, especially since these are views of places we have known for many years in a completely different design. But the surprise doesn’t end with the visual beauty – the creators managed to organically connect the entire huge and colorful world with its locations, so traveling through it is a real pleasure. In doing so, they were able to fill the world with all sorts of hiding places, rewards and, above all, activities, so that spending a hundred hours on this game instead of several is not only easy, but especially a lot of fun. dozen.

It’s easy to spend a hundred hours playing this game instead of several dozen.

As for the action, even within the main story there are a ton of mini-games and games-within-a-game to choose from, including a completely addictive card game that also tells its own story outside of the game. main story. In addition, you can play shooting games, strategy games, racing games, or various rhythm or music mini-games. But at every turn the game is extremely varied and inventive, so giving yourself over to it and succumbing to the next madness from its varied repertoire is a sheer pleasure. Thanks to your group’s smiling and touching reactions, you’ll enjoy almost everything the game has to offer. While there were times when some of the action got on my nerves, it was mostly just because I wanted to get through the main story as quickly as possible to see what would happen next.

In addition to the manic plot and a wonderful game world full of all kinds of activities, another trump card of the game is also the combat system, which has received a number of improvements since last time, led by synergy between characters and the ability to cast spells without spending mana, which radically changes your tactical capabilities, and more difficult bosses certainly count on it. But the best thing about the combat for me was how different each party member plays – almost as if you were playing a different game each time, once as a thresher, another as a shooter, and so on. In addition to the fast-paced real-time combat, the game still offers slow-motion capabilities and a more thoughtful “turn early” mode. More or less every aspect of Rebirth is simply pushed to the limit, and the result is a game so rich, rich and impressive that you’ll find it hard to resist.