“Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth” redefines gameplay
Final Fantasy VII is an installment of the Japanese fantasy series released in late January of 1997. The game has recently been revisited by developers Square Enix, resulting in a major revamp. The series will be released in three parts, with the first official part having been released in 2020. And now, we have finally welcomed the second game, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth four years later–making major leaps and bounds since its proprietor.
The first game outlined the same key story points that the original series had. You play as Cloud Strife, a stoic SOLDIER who is genetically amplified in order to fight for a large corporation known as Shinra. However, you realize the corporation isn’t all that great, cultivating major pollution and hurting the planet’s lifeforce (of course, this isn’t without crazy fantasy elements). The narrative follows Cloud as he begins to be plagued by his past, meeting with past friends and new allies to take down both the company and the crazy personalities lying within it.
The remake has amped up gameplay in a multitude of exciting and rich ways that enhance the story and player’s connection to the narrative. Cutscenes are added into gameplay left and right, managing to majorly surpass the scenes in part one in terms of quality and embedding, despite being cut from the same cloth. Most cutscenes go as far as extending themselves into battle, implementing immersive snippets to catch the attention of the player in unexpecting moments. The combat itself, while being similar to the first part, has also been reworked and edited to make for thrilling battles with smooth mechanics and unique environments–making fights even and intriguing.
Besides mechanics, the aesthetics and overall composition of the game explores new heights. Players can travel much more extensively than they had before across open country sides, cities, beaches and small towns–rather than specific areas that are related directly to the story like in part one. This cultivates a more open-world experience reliant on player decision. The scenery, environmental interactions, minigames and cutscenes all work together to create enjoyable quests and storylines that you actually want to finish, rather than just powering through the main quest because all the side quests are boring. Additionally, some quests or interactions will allow the player to choose from an array of different responses. Some responses will even alter how the character you are talking to views you, changing results of the storyline later in the game, adding an element of player choice that was absent in the first installment.
This combination of large environments and player dictation creates a hybrid of open-world and story-game aspects, appealing to a larger audience than it had before. The new battle mechanics make it easier for people to play, and anyone new to the Final Fantasy series would be able to play the VII remakes without having played any of the other series installments or having prior knowledge.
The only complaints old fans have posed so far would be the altering of the story itself, adding a multi-verse element that takes away from some emotional moments–but seeing where the story will go has piqued interest more than it has been deterred. If you are a fan of series like Monster Hunter, Resident Evil or any other RPG game, definitely try out the Final Fantasy VII remakes.
