Many gamers of the unique Ultimate Fantasy VII describe rising from Midgar onto the world map as a essential turning level — a second that enormously expanded what they thought scope of the sport could be. The hours spent in Remake’s Midgar, as inflexible as they’re at occasions (however for good motive), set the stage for the same shock. Cloud and firm enterprise right into a world that’s brightened by and considerable with concepts.
Whereas not every little thing glimmers on this new mild, it creates a world that’s wealthy in texture – not solely within the characters you meet and the locations you go, however within the number of gameplay itself. We’ve realized by now that this “Remake sequence” shouldn’t be merely replication, however a rethinking what these moments can imply for gamers outdated and new alike. In that context it presents a charming frontier, similar to these first footsteps exterior Midgar’s partitions.
When Sq. Enix revealed that Remake, the primary half in its bold trilogy reimagining of the corporate’s most well-known sport, would happen fully in Midgar, many followers had been… not happy. Whereas a substantial amount of story growth happens in Midgar within the unique FFVII, the dystopian cyberpunk metropolis constitutes merely the primary few hours of a 40-hour journey.
If there are two issues that by no means left my thoughts all through everything of my time with Rebirth, the primary is that the builders clearly took the creation of Midgar as a studying expertise earlier than daring to sort out a world so huge and different right here. (I’ll let you know the opposite factor a little bit later.) I don’t assume it will have been remotely throughout the realm of risk to construct this world if the muse hadn’t been beforehand established.
The outcomes of that basis permeate by means of each side of Rebirth. Not solely is the sport colossal in scale; the battle system has additionally superior into extra complicated and participating territory, and every of Remake’s character customization mechanics is richer and a bit extra strategic in nature.
Every part Outdated Is… New, However Additionally Outdated
Rebirth kicks off its plot with a chapter-long flashback sequence. Having arrived in Kalm, the primary settlement exterior the gloomy outskirts of Midgar, Cloud supplies important context for the occasions of 5 years previous, wherein hero-turned-villain Sephiroth quickly descends into narcissistic insanity and torches Cloud and Tifa’s hometown of Nibelheim. This intensive sequence numbers among the many unique sport’s iconic scenes, and it’s all the time felt like probably the most pure start line for the second installment on this trilogy.
It’s solely when the flashbacks conclude that the scale of Rebirth begins to disclose itself. Kalm is certainly one of seven main hub cities, and it’s one of many smallest at that. Dozens of NPCs populate every, with a good quantity that may be interacted with, and a formidable array of facet quests to finish. There are even a number of minor settlements strewn all through the sport’s six ‘open areas’ – monumental zones which represent the lands between Kalm, Junon, Costa del Sol, and past.
The story does precisely what Sq. Enix claimed it will. Which is to say, lots of the memorable moments from FFVII stay roughly intact, however they’ve been expanded into extra concerned affairs that give the terrific forged of characters much more to chew on. A few of these expansions work higher than others, however the general bundle left me thrilled to see how a lot the writers had in thoughts.
Certainly one of my favorites entails a significant arc for Barret Wallace, a standout character in any iteration, as he’s compelled to face the sins of his previous. If you recognize, you recognize – and it has been tailored brilliantly. My eyes watered a number of occasions. However even when these items doesn’t fairly hit the mark, the character writing is seldom lower than glorious. It’s a pleasure seeing this nice forged come collectively for his or her myriad trials and tribulations on the hunt for Sephiroth.
Forged Chemistry
Actually, Rebirth seizes each alternative to capitalize upon the deepening relationships between celebration members. All through a lot of the sport, Cloud’s bonds with them will be elevated by means of a mixture of co-starring facet quests and savvy dialogue selections. You’ll by no means actually tick anybody off for good – in spite of everything, these of us have to stay collectively by means of thick and skinny – however irritating them will lower their affection ranking.
This isn’t a horrible thought you probably have a particular date in thoughts for the Gold Saucer sequence that happens a lot afterward. Within the unique FFVII, a hidden stat dictated who would present up on a fateful night at this large amusement park to accompany Cloud for a group of joint actions that ranged from humorous and mawkish foreshadowing with Aerith to completely comedic with Barret.
The Gold Saucer sequence is, in fact, expanded significantly. It’s beautiful, it’s endearing – it’s Rebirth’s reply to Remake’s Honeybee Inn, and it’s definitely worth the wait. Even the Barret choice features a substantial amount of depth; it’s now not merely a joke, nevertheless it as a substitute affords an excellent deeper look into his previous.
So whereas the overarching plot has a slowness to it till a lot afterward – you’re sort of solely doing one factor right here for two-thirds of Rebirth’s runtime – I feel it will be a disgrace to guage too harshly on this regard. The characters themselves are the driving pressure behind this story. They are the plot. Moderately than being hurled by means of huge moments at breakneck pace, Sq. asks us to come back for the world-saving antics, however to remain for the individuals you’ll wish to save.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Rebirth’s tackle Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and all the remainder of them is the most effective these legendary heroes have ever had it. If Ultimate Fantasy VII gave us all a broad define of their personalities that also manages to really feel full in its personal approach, then Rebirth pulls the define into the forefront, and fills it with an attractive tapestry of human emotion. Even Cait Sith is nice, and that’s no straightforward trick.
Let me put this one other approach for these of you who will perceive this analogy firsthand. Rebirth is Sq. Enix’s Mass Impact 2. The center chapter in BioWare’s area opera trilogy put the brakes on Mass Impact’s central arc in favor of a extra episodic endeavor. Because of this, that sequence’ forged had the time to develop so totally, as their very own intimate tales held the limelight, that earlier than Mass Impact 3 rolled round, Commander Shepard and their crew had cemented themselves as certainly one of gaming’s all-time casts.
A Fairly Good World
These aforementioned facet quests are superior to those seen in Remake just about throughout the board. Whether or not you’re serving to Purple XIII monitor a scent or watching as Tifa conjures up a fan of her bodily prowess, the easy stuff clicks. But they’re the tip of the iceberg; there’s a lot extra to see and do, the largest of which being a game-long string of quests involving legendary artifacts referred to as Protorelics.
Every of those is prolonged, meticulously crafted, and bursting on the seams with narrative curveballs. Longtime Ultimate Fantasy followers ought to adore the antics of the series-recurring character on the middle of all of it.
What in regards to the world itself? How does it really feel whenever you’re trekking by means of it in-between the neat facet quests? Are these areas full of tertiary content material? The sort of content material that’s typically referred to within the gaming group as “content material for content material’s sake”?
Properly, sure and no. You’re going to acknowledge some frequent tropes. Scouring areas for crafting supplies, finding semi-hidden spots, the standard – and I don’t even wish to take into consideration what number of reviewers will evaluate Rebirth’s Remnawave Towers to options present in Murderer’s Creed and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. (Oops. I’m now certainly one of them.)
However this doesn’t really feel bloated. Crafting feeds into an ever-growing checklist of concoctions within the Merchandise Transmuter, a key merchandise with its personal level-up bar, a full suite of consumables, armor, and equipment to create, and extra. The semi-hidden spots typically embody intelligent little twists – child chocobos lead you to relaxation stops you’ll restore, owls will take you to Lifesprings (little bastions of the planet’s remaining pure splendor), and a sure form of field will launch a beam of sunshine to information you to shrines the place you possibly can energy up Rebirth’s suite of summon monsters. Hold an eye fixed out for rabbits, too, since a treasure is buried close by in your chocobo to dig up. It’s little stuff, nevertheless it enhances what may need been some boring options in a noteworthy approach.
Talking of chocobos, I’m fairly certain they’ve by no means earlier than been so totally built-in right into a Ultimate Fantasy. The unique sport’s chocobo racing returns in spades, Ultimate Fantasy IX’s chocobo treasure looking has already been talked about, and each regional breed can faucet into a novel potential to convey you to new locations. Which is technically one other OG FFVII staple, nevertheless it’s utilized far more liberally in Remake. You’ll be able to even gather gear units for them, which you’ll combine and match for each model and an affect on their racing stats.
Nonetheless Extra Minigames
Rebirth may have had this, plus the distinctive Protorelic minigames, and it may need been sufficient. It could have already been greater than different fashionable installments, together with Remake, by a substantial margin. However chocobo gameplay solely pecks the floor of what has been packed into this sport. Different minigames pop up at a fast price, a number of of which can be found for replay on the Gold Saucer. That’s par for the traditional Ultimate Fantasy course for a number of of them, however belief me, there’s a heck of much more.
Not all of it lands. A number of are extra irritating than participating. However like the sport that put Ultimate Fantasy on the Western map, it’s unimaginable how a lot the builders have dared to experiment. The result’s a sport that incorporates an nearly absurd quantity of range in its non-combat gameplay. It’s precisely this fixed range that stands as that second factor I take into consideration each time I boot up this sport. Rebirth is as a lot about its mechanical non sequiturs as it’s about battling, and that willingness to continuously experiment, to stuff the inventive envelope with the sudden, that’s one thing I adored in regards to the seventh by means of tenth mainline installments.
And I haven’t even talked about Queen’s Blood. That is Ultimate Fantasy’s reply to The Witcher 3’s Gwent, and it’s simply as deserving of some sort of standalone launch. I used to be over the moon when Sq. revealed that Rebirth would introduce an all-new in-game card sport; Ultimate Fantasy VIII’s Triple Triad and FFIX’s Tetra Grasp each excited me to no finish, however there hadn’t been one other of those since 2000.
I used to be unprepared for the way a lot depth is in Queen’s Blood, nonetheless; it’s in one other league from its predecessors. Each card has loads of taste, both merely by means of the tiles it impacts on the three-by-three sport board or by advantage of its talents. There aren’t a ton of talents, thoughts you, however they one way or the other all the time handle to really feel proper. Turning the cargo ship sequence right into a cruise ship with a Queen’s Blood event may go down as my favourite main full-blown story shift, and there may be a lot extra QB enjoyable available thereafter.
Nonetheless Extra Combating
Onto to the battle system — perhaps there’s rather less to say about it, because it’s an improve to what we’ve already skilled by means of Remake. However that’s to not say there haven’t been some actual game-changers. The most important of which is the introduction of Synergy Abilities, which are available in two kinds.
There’s a slew of stuff that you are able to do whenever you’ve acquired two particular characters in your celebration; Cloud and Barret, or Barret and Tifa, and so forth. These will be activated at any time after assigning them to your R1 menu. There are additionally a lot grander variations, which require each contributors to have constructed up a number of ‘costs’ by way of utilizing their character talents. As an example, Cloud can use assaults like Braver and Firebolt Blade, and every time he does so, he’s including a cost. If you wish to use a significant Synergy Talent with Tifa, you’ll want her to have as many costs, at which level your Synergy Talent is obtainable.
These are severely sturdy assaults, akin to dual-use Restrict Breaks (that are nonetheless within the sport, by the way in which), and a few are extra defensive than offensive. You may forged Haste on the entire celebration, or use United Refocus to briefly provide your group with three ATB bars. Or maybe you’ll profit from a much-needed group heal.
It did take me some time to gel with a few of these recent twists. The ATB-based elemental assaults that characters can be taught, that are comparatively low in injury output however make up for it by diversifying your celebration’s methods of dealing with enemy weaknesses? That every one made sense out of the gate. The concept I ought to now depend upon tapping R1 to routinely entry minor Synergy Abilities like Counterfire and Spell Blade? Not a lot. It isn’t sophisticated; it’s only a large shift from the extra easy battling of Remake, and I reckon some gamers will really feel equally bewildered for a bit.
These of you who weren’t but conscious that neither Cid Highwind nor Vincent Valentine be a part of the squad in a playable capability, effectively, I hate to interrupt it to you, however there it’s. Each their roles work effectively sufficient throughout the story, and Cid’s overworked providers are a lot helpful. However Vincent, particularly, seems like a clumsy character to depart on the sidelines. I can respect how a lot work will need to have been performed to provide us seven celebration members, thoughts you. And I guess they’ll each be a blast to deploy within the impending third title. It nonetheless would have been good!
These So-Known as ‘RPG Components’
Rebirth’s literary characterization is first-class, however what about its character customization? What types of methods are in place to broaden your celebration’s arsenal, to have them specialize to fit your play model, to see their stats and movepool develop over time? Each celebration member has their very own particular person Folio – assume Ultimate Fantasy X’s Sphere Grid, Ultimate Fantasy XIII’s Crystarium, so forth – the place you’ll spend accrued SP to advance your base stats, achieve new Synergy talents, and extra.
There’s a reasonable diploma of freedom, since SP takes a very long time (perhaps too lengthy) to reach, and also you’ll should resolve which instructions to take over time. I’d hesitate to name Folios deep, per se, however they’re a chunk of the RPG grind puzzle, not the entire image. Weapon upgrades return, albeit in a separate kind now, since their Crystarium-like Remake iteration has been changed with Folios. As a substitute, your weapons will degree up, and at every degree, they’ll achieve extra perks. You’ll then select a few these perks to equip, not not like Materia, shrugging off the remaining in the event that they don’t suit your model. This has the additional advantage of serving to to make every weapon really feel helpful in its personal approach.
Materia returns with gusto. The number of Materia orbs felt wanting in Remake. It suited the sport, however selecting and selecting which Materia to equip, to degree into extra highly effective kinds, to dictate my array of fight choices, that’s one thing I am keen on in regards to the unique FFVII, and it wasn’t fairly there but. Rebirth in all probability triples the variety of Materia, if no more so.
Some Materia combines two elemental spell teams, however grows at a slower price to compensate. One other, Merchandise Economizer, permits the wielder to make use of objects with out ready on ATB costs – there’s a heavy cooldown, in fact. There’s even FFVII’s personal iteration of Bravery and Religion, attack-boosting and defense-boosting spells.
All that is to say that Rebirth does a reasonably good job with its crunchier RPG mechanics. I hesitate to pluck the low-hanging fruit right here, as a result of I loved my time with it a lot, however that is frankly a warmly-welcome factor to say after Ultimate Fantasy XVI slightly dropped the ball on this entrance. I can’t think about I’ll be alone there.
Jaw-Dropping Setpieces; High quality-Dropping Efficiency
Rebirth hits a house run with its presentation each time the state of affairs fully requires it. Which is commonly. The Gold Saucer’s acquired a few of the most visually arresting and stunningly choreographed scenes within the medium. Rufus’ ceremony in Junon is one other deal with for the eyes. Every part pertaining to the final two main places is wealthy with a lot shade and element that my phrases can’t do it justice. Go see it for yourselves!
The artwork design is on-point. Kalm felt a bit too washed-out for my tastes (that wealthy blue shade scheme it beforehand possessed was sorely missed), nevertheless it’s nonetheless well-designed, unified in design with an environment all its personal. After Kalm, I didn’t as soon as lament subsequent modifications to Gaia’s plethora of locations. Cosmo Canyon’s grandeur stays intact. Gongaga is a jungle wonderland (that’s seen higher days, to make certain, however that’s the concept). Costa del Sol is the sizable tropical paradise that we needed to fake it was in 1997 when it had perhaps 5 buildings whole. Gaia’s turn into a murals.
It’s unlucky, then, that a lot of the element these magical locations comprise evaporates whenever you play Rebirth with the 60fps Efficiency Mode. Some areas are worse than others, however there’s a fixed softness and blur that kicks the picture high quality down a notch, and it’s so dangerous within the Gongaga area that the cover glints nonstop – it’s distracting sufficient to detract.
Thus, when you can’t abdomen the 30fps tradeoff of Graphics Mode, Rebirth’s visible constancy goes to swing like a pendulum for you. I caught with Graphics Mode, partly as a result of I don’t thoughts that sort of factor as a lot as some, and partly as a result of this sport’s artwork design is simply too golden to undergo so. However coming off of Remake’s silky-smooth Efficiency Mode – which had minimal graphical tradeoffs, too – it’s a step down. PS5 Professional when, proper?
Sounds Nice To Me
Right here’s one thing that no technical hiccup can squash: Rebirth’s soundtrack is an all-timer. As soon as once more, Remake lays the groundwork; the trilogy’s composers did a bang-up job there, and so they discovered a method that’s as scrumptious as it’s numerous. From the rip-roaring battle themes to the melancholy of Sector 5’s theme and the ending theme by Nobuo Uematsu that it components into, Remake’s a jam.
In leaving Midgar, nonetheless, the composers wanted to diversify even additional. These steel-beam excessive rises and dog-eats-dog backalleys want a mechanical rhythm as a rule, however had been out now. All over the place we go, the rhythm has to shift, or else the wellspring of particular person cultural flavors will fail to land even when each monitor is a winner in its personal proper.
Rising to this problem couldn’t have been straightforward, however the mad lads went and did it. The deserts surrounding North Corel sound nothing just like the seashores of Costa del Sol, and I’m not utilizing this comparability at random – the ‘Corel area’ encompasses each halves of the central continent’s southeast reaches. These aural paradigm shifts don’t simply sound nice. They hold you in your toes. Even when you’re deeply accustomed to FFVII’s setting, it’s not possible to securely predict what you’ll hear on the fringe of that subsequent horizon.
The soundtrack incorporates traditional FFVII motifs with such a deft hand that if somebody had advised me that Nobuo Uematsu, the chic composer behind the unique sport’s rating, had been the one to put in writing these tracks, I’d not have a lot as blinked. (Uematsu did devise Rebirth’s foremost theme “No Guarantees to Hold”, simply as he did with Remake’s “Hole”.) It isn’t afraid to convey completely new vibes to the desk both, just like the speakeasy sax on the middle of the Queen’s Blood’s jazzy match music, or the catchy refrain in components of the Gongaga area.
Rebirth continues to make use of the primary half’s expertise for environmental music that transitions pitch-perfectly into battle music after which again once more. That is all of the extra spectacular whenever you’re speaking a few sport that’s acquired to have at the least thirty situations of this. A robust transition can enrich the participant’s sense of immersion. A indisputable fact that clearly isn’t misplaced on Masashi Hamauzu, Mitsuto Suzuki, and the remainder of Rebirth’s composers.
Most interesting Fantasy
Because of its stellar forged and their more and more close-knit familial methods, Rebirth tugged at my heartstrings so many occasions. It jogged my memory that life is price dwelling, and hope springs everlasting. It additionally jogged my memory that I have to cherish those that matter to me, my ‘discovered household’, as they are saying, since you by no means know when an attractive second can take a darkish and heartbreaking flip. It’s an intensely humorous sport when it needs to be, and a complete tearjerker when it needs to be, and actually, it needs to be so many issues. Such ambition is worthy of admiration; the truth that it nails a lot of that is worthy of applause.
Extra cohesion on the technical entrance would have made it even higher. Possibly the builders may have performed one other move to make sure the worst minigames had been nearer to par with the most effective of them, too. (And dang it, not with the ability to play as Vincent is such a tease.)
These things must be mentioned. Repair all this, and also you may need an honest-to-goodness good online game. However the blemishes haven’t stopped the sport from hovering when it soars – and it’s nearly all the time hovering. Above all, it charmed the hell out of me in a approach I haven’t felt from Sq. Enix’s AAA choices because the early 2000s.
Ultimate Fantasy VII has caught with me for 27 years and counting. It was as formative a journey for me because it was for therefore many others in my age group. I knew going into Rebirth that I’d in all probability prefer it, however I used to be not ready for a sport that – ought to I reside one other 27 years – will keep on with me for simply as lengthy. Deliver on act three, Sq. Enix. This unknown journey continues.
Disclaimer: Overview code for Ultimate Fantasy VII Rebirth was offered by the writer Sq. Enix.