In 2020 Square Enix gave a gift and at the same time a wrong to the fans of Final Fantasy VII, a game for the first PlayStation released in 1997 and since then the most recognizable episode of the saga, which reached its sixteenth chapter on PS5 last year. With the release of the first of three separate games, the project officially kicked off Final Fantasy VII Remakewhich on the one hand showed a great classic remade with modern graphics, on the other hand it made purists turn up their noses: the plot of the original showed script changes and unexpected twists in several places that foreshadowed new directions for Cloud's destiny , Aerith, Tifa and company. Final Fantasy VII Remake it ended with a cliffhanger that announced completely new twists in what would have been the sequel. Four years later Final Fantasy VII Rebirth it's reality, and this time the irons in the fire, in addition to being many, are also revealing of what director Naoki Hamaguchi and creative director Tetsuya Nomura have decided for this new series.
At the end of Remake we left the protagonist Cloud and his crew leaving from the city of Midgar, the setting of the game, in search of their arch-enemy Sephiroth and hunted by the evil Shinra corporation. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth it is therefore the story of the journey to reach the destination: here we will find cities, mysterious places, attractions and activities that offer a simply incredible variety. From both an artistic and technical perspective, the settings of the original come to life before our eyes with remarkable pomp and complexity. Just like in the predecessor, no puzzles that are too complicated or sections that are too long, but every single location in the game world and every single mission, even the secondary ones, are fun to play and contribute to the narrative and development of the larger and more detailed map that you will find ever seen in a Final Fantasy.
To re-propose in a modern key the large open area connecting the various locations, already present in the '97 game, Square Enix has decided to retrace the stylistic features of contemporary open worlds such as Zelda And Horizonbut absolutely in key Final Fantasy. The open space map does not offer absolute freedom of movement, but it is full of things to do, enemies to fight, missions to complete to unlock others or enrich your inventory. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth it then reiterates the developers' obsession with minigames, which here are numerous, complex and well made. And there is also a card game, Red Queen, which is a real challenge within a challenge. The character growth system is based on weapons and Materia, powerful components with the most disparate effects to be chosen carefully for millimetric strategic planning of the entire party. Although there are a maximum of three characters to control at one time, Rebirth it often forces the player to change roles and therefore makes it essential to level all the heroes.
The combat system is identical to that of Remake, therefore a mix between real-time action and abilities unlocked by the ATB, a bar that fills in time and allows you to unleash special moves and magic. During the selection of these the game time slows down almost to a standstill: the result is the perfect balance between strategy and frenetic pressing of the buttons. The addition of four new types of Synergies that can be activated between characters adds another full-bodied set of super moves, which among other things depend on the actual friendly relationships and the events that occurred during the plot. Then there are the Espers, imposing combat creatures that can be summoned if you come into possession of the corresponding Materia. New ones have been added to those from the first chapter, but just like for the experience level you have to start collecting them from scratch, because neither one nor the other are transferred from Rebirth. However, if you have save files in your console Final Fantasy VII Remake and of Episode INTERmission, it is possible to immediately recover two powerful Espers. In essence, the combat system is as good as ever, and even improved thanks to these additions and improved enemy intelligence.
In almost 50 hours of gameplay necessary to conclude the main plot and discover some secondary missions, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth it seems like a rebirth in every sense: Nomura has managed the miracle of writing a beautiful homage to the original game and at the same time breaking all the mold of contemporary role-playing games by returning to offer even the most savvy player that sense of wonder that was impossible don't try it in front of the polygons and pre-rendered backgrounds of Final Fantasy VII on the first PlayStation. Of course, the naiveties of the original are a heavy burden: some twists in the plot, some twists, some of the ex machina are here necessarily accentuated by the desire to reproduce them identically in a game today. Even the technical implementation, which has not taken a step forward compared to the PS5 version of Remake, it's not the high point of the whole experience. Those who prefer titles less focused on the plot will have to deal with long dialogues and forced and functional choices as the story progresses. It should be noted that the game has audio in English and Japanese and subtitles in Italian: the latter are based on the Japanese script of the game, creating a certain dissonance with the English, which instead adapted entire dialogues very differently.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is first and foremost dedicated to fans of the original and to the millions of players who were left in suspense after the ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake. And whether you look at it as a remake of a classic or as a new series in the universe of Final Fantasy, Rebirth it doesn't disappoint under any circumstances. It's an immense game, full of things to do, with perfect character characterization and exceptional writing for being so respectful of an original material that has almost thirty years of life behind it. The level of production is very high, and demonstrates that it is possible to take the best parts of a masterpiece of the past and transform it into a masterpiece of today.
Format: PS5 publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix, Creative Business Unit I Vote: 10/10
#Final #Fantasy #VII #Rebirth #PS5 #review
