Final Fantasy VII is not the
greatest Final Fantasy. There, I said it. It’s by no means a bad game — at
least based on what little I’ve played of it, but I can’t shake the feeling that those
who dickride this entry over all others are wearing rose-colored shades and,
as such, are blinded by nostalgia bias. Welcome, my Bits ‘n’ Bobs, to The Pixcelation
Show; the only series on the ‘net to tackle the questions on everyone’s mind, such
as: if people are saying Final Fantasy VII is the greatest Final Fantasy, does that
mean they haven’t played Lightning Returns, the clearly superior game in every
way imaginable? I’m Pixcelation, and today’s episode will be an in-depth look at
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and what we have to look forward to in the third — and presumably
final — entry in this anticipated trilogy. Final Fantasy VII Remake — as absurd as that
name is — had been plagued by nostalgia bias since before its announcement at E3 2015.
Fans had been clamoring for a remake of this beloved JRPG since the tech demo was
shown off a mere decade earlier at E3 2005, making it clear what the PlayStation 3 could do. Because this was only a tech demo and not
a teaser for something actually being made, and because the game we now know as Final
Fantasy VII Remake wouldn’t hit shelves for another fifteen years, fans had plenty of time to
imagine what a complete overhaul of Final Fantasy VII would — or could — look like. It reminds me
of when we saw the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts II and our collective headcanons went bonkers
with what Kingdom Hearts III could be about, when … that’s not at all what it was teasing. In
the same way, I don’t believe anything found in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy could
live up to what exists in the fans’ minds. That’s usually how it goes with IPs that
inspire a lot of passionate headcanons. I say all this to make it clear
that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, like its predecessor before it, is not what you’d
expect from a remake of this classic title. But, despite its insistence that players will
“defy destiny,” the story is very much what you’d come to expect for better or for worse. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second
in a planned trilogy of games that serve as both remake and sequel to the
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. But, where Remake limited exploration to the
claustrophobic metropolis of Bette Midgar, Rebirth opens the entire world
of Gaia — for the most part. For players who recall the original game, Rebirth
starts with Cloud’s Nibelheim flashback in Kalm and ends with the shocking events at the Forgotten
Capital. As was the case with Remake, while this is indeed a … somewhat … loyal remake, at some
point the plot is lost, and it’s never really found again. I don’t want to dive too deep into
spoiler territory here, but I will say this: if you experienced the epic finale of Remake,
you’ll know there’s some wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff going on between
Aerith the Flower Girl and Sephiroth, the most silver-fox twink who ever did twunk.
And, you’ll either be overjoyed or infuriated to learn said multiversal shenanigans continue
here, though it still feels like the writers have absolutely no plan whatsoever and are
literally winging it until the credits roll. I’ll explain what Rebirth does wrong in more
detail a little later on, as first I want to highlight what it does right. To start,
it’s a breathtaking visual accomplishment; from the characters to the environments,
Rebirth outperforms its predecessor in every way imaginable. I mean, look at Kalm in the original
game and compare it with Kalm in Rebirth. In FF7, it was a rinky-dink town only useful as a safe
place for Cloud to unleash his unresolved angst. It’s still that in Rebirth, but the town’s been
expanded and now feels like a place where real people live their lives. I think that’s one of
the better things about this game; it makes the world feel less artificial, less like a video game
and more like a window into another dimension. Another example of this is the Gold Saucer. In
the original, it was filled with minigames and distractions, but it wasn’t the kind of place
I’d wanna visit were it to exist in reality. The Gold Saucer in Rebirth, on the other hand,
looks like a cross between a Vegas casino and a wheelbarrow filled with amphetamines. In fact,
while we’re talking about the Gold Saucer, this is a perfect time to discuss Rebirth’s
minigames, of which there are enough to keep you distracted from the main plot for
tens of hours, if that’s your style. There are at least 20 minigames scattered
across Gaia for your pleasure, but there are a handful I’d like to highlight here. I am
not traditionally a fan of deck builders, and this trend of including deck building minigames
in these big-budget adventures has annoyed me, but Queen’s Blood … is an exception. It scratched
a certain itch in my brain that inspired me to practically marathon its associated questline.
I had a really fun time with the Dolphin Show minigame in Lower Junon, which reminded
me of multiple water-based racing games, including Hydro Thunder and the jet-ski
levels in Crash Bandicoot. And, of course, there’s Jumpfrog, which proves Fall Guys’ impact
on the industry was felt even by Final Fantasy. I really applaud the developers for optimizing
combat significantly when compared with Remake. It’s one of those scenarios where — even though
I was playing on the easiest difficulty — I felt incentivized to master a variety of weapons
and skills when I would’ve normally stuck with the same loadout for the entire game, as I did
for most of Final Fantasy XVI. I recall several moments in Remake where I was road blocked by
a boss or puzzle that obstructed my progress, but the same can’t be said for Rebirth,
which makes me believe the game was made easier in comparison. I don’t believe
that’s a bad thing, as it only means more people will be able to make it to the
finale of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. But, speaking of the finale … well, that’s
a whole ‘nother can of worms, isn’t it? In a lot of ways, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
feels like the awkward middle child in the Remake family tree. I feel like it wasn’t met
with the same level of critical or commercial nostalgia as its older sibling, but at the
same time, it’s so massive and provides such value on its own, there’s little
reason for its youngest sibling — the yet-to-be-named final entry in the trilogy
— to exist aside from wrapping up the story. Let me explain. In Rebirth, you’re allowed
to fully explore the world of Gaia, with the exception of the Northern Continent
(which is partially explorable in the final chapters) and the westernmost stretch of land
where Wutai resides. As mentioned earlier, you can visit the Gold Saucer, where a
cavalcade of minigames can be played, including G-Bike, 3D Brawler, and Chocobo
Racing. There’s even an optional subplot where you have to confront the Final Fantasy
mainstay Gilgamesh, thanks to Sephiroth. If Rebirth is so tightly packed with content;
if it allows us to explore most of the world; it seems to me the third and final game will
be forced to retread a lot of territory from both Remake and Rebirth. I mean, sure —
there’s still a ton of story to be adapted, but I would hate for the finale to
have the same minigames as Rebirth, but with a shoehorned continuation of the Rebirth
questlines, if that makes sense. I don’t want to run into Billy or Sam again when their stories
have been satisfyingly concluded because the game needs a reason for players to participate
in Chocobo Racing again. I don’t want the third game to start us off at the Northern Continent
and force us to re-explore the entire world from scratch when we’ve already done that in Rebirth.
It might sound like I am bitching about a game that hasn’t come out in a video about a game
that has, but I say all this to point out that they included so much in the second game that
I worry they won’t have enough side content for the finale. I’m sure I am overthinking things
on that front, but it is a valid concern given the evidence we currently have. At least
it’s implied there’ll be new minigames added to the third game, like snowboarding
at the Gold Saucer, so that’s exciting. So, with that, I’d like to shift gears
and talk about the game’s ending, because … boy is it a mess. If you’d like
to avoid learning what happens at the end of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, click ahead to
the timestamp you see on screen now or forever hold your peace. If you don’t skip ahead
now, you forfeit all right to be a karen in the comments about being spoiled to the
game’s biggest moment. You have been warned! I mentioned it earlier, but in
the leadup to this game’s release, there was something in the air that made
us think something would happen a little differently in this timeline. Interviews with
Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura painted Nomura as “nervous” about Rebirth’s ending.
That, paired with the marketing tagline being “Defy Destiny Together,” made me believe
Aerith, who is killed by Sephiroth at the end of the original game’s first disc, would
somehow survive this alternate timeline. It’d be one thing if she didn’t
survive the events of Rebirth. I mean, that’d make sense given that’s what happened
in the original, but the final chapters are so unbelievably vague that I still don’t
know if Aerith died, if she survived, or if she exists somewhere in-between
life and death, like in another dimension. So, as Cloud ascends the steps leading
to Aerith, he pushes through a sea of White and Black Whispers, and for a moment, you
might think the big twist is that Cloud will be the one to kill Aerith this time. It’s then
that the One-Winged Angel himself descends, making us think he’ll be the one to do
it, which would totally make sense. But, at the very last second, Cloud swings his sword
and parries the attack. It doesn’t seem to matter, as reality shifts and Aerith collapses, leading
to … [sigh] … another epic battle sequence with a Jenova variant and Sephiroth. If I had a nickel
every time a Final Fantasy VII Remake game ended with an epic battle sequence with a Jenova variant
and Sephiroth, I’d have two nickels, but it’s very strange that it happened twice. If it were the
first time, that’d be one thing, but it’s not. It was around this point where I thought to myself
… ‘if we make it to the credits without an epic teamup between Zack and Cloud, then bringing him
back to life was kinda wasted potential,’ and as if reading my mind, we get an epic teamup
between Zack and Cloud. In fact, now seems like a good time to mention that bringing Zack
back to life was … ultimately wasted potential. I can’t express how hype I was at the end of
Remake, seeing the alternate version of Zack’s Last Stand where he survives and imagining
what that’d mean for the next game. So, you can imagine my distaste as I
discovered he was only alive in an alternate timeline that may or may not be a
sandbox dimension created by Aerith that may or may not be leaking into the primary
dimension … it makes no sense, y’all. In any case, the fight against Sephiroth
continues until … wait, what? Is that Aerith?! Yep! She might be alive, y’all! But … huh?? After
the battle, she fades into the lifestream?! Is she dead?! It certainly seems that way, based on how
everyone in the party is actively mourning her, but Cloud seems … undisturbed; in fact,
he can see and talk with an apparition of Aerith that everyone else … can’t. It
could be that she’s a lifestream ghost, or perhaps she’s a figment in Cloud’s demented
brain, but I’ve also heard this could be a sign that the timelines are merging as a result of
the party’s actions. I’m … so confused, y’all. So, it might go without saying, but while
I’m aware I have a ton of ‘big feelings’ about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, at the end
of the day … it’s a phenomenal, if flawed, work of art that deserves to be played. I am
— despite evidence to the contrary — looking forward to the third and final entry in
the Remake trilogy. I just want it to be the best final chapter it can be based on
where I believe its siblings have lacked. It’s a visually stunning masterpiece that
takes the original game’s caricatures of people and locations and adds a
layer of depth that brings them a little closer to reality. It has a ton of
side-content like minigames, collectibles, and quests that can distract you from the main
narrative if you need a palette cleanser. The combat system has been polished and optimized
to encourage customization and freedom, which helps to feel less like you’re just hitting
enemies over and over until they die, which can be a problem in other, more edgy
entries in the Final Fantasy franchise. On the other hand, the narrative suffers
from a lack of coherency in the last few chapters that sours the overall experience.
In addition, some of the coolest ideas fall flat the more you learn about them, which
points to a lack of thorough planning and disappoints, especially when said ideas seem
revolutionary for a Final Fantasy game. It also suffers from a plague of repetition
that doesn’t seem to be close to finished, given we have it on good authority the repetition
must continue into the final game in the trilogy. So, I must reiterate. Final Fantasy
VII — and Rebirth, by extension — is not the greatest Final Fantasy. But, I don’t
really think it needs to be … and that’s OK.
