Final Fantasy VII Reborn It is the sequel to 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake and the second in a trilogy of games that modernizes and expands on the 1997 classic Final Fantasy VII. So it’s the middle chapter in a series of games with an average play time of 70 to 80 hours, so there’s a lot of content that players might find useful to know.
Like the games that followed, Rebirth is an action-packed role-playing game (also known as an action RPG) with real-time combat and a lot of customization in how you arrange your characters. The storyline of “Remastered” is very linear and takes place in the gloomy industrial city of Midgar. Rebirth, on the other hand, has a vast and beautiful open world area with seemingly endless side quests, mini-games, and interesting areas to explore.
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I’ve played over 85 hours of Rebirth and I still There are three chapters left in the game, so I can confidently say that this game is huge – and probably has something for everyone. However, on the other hand, there are definitely some activities and sections that won’t interest you. Just know that much of the game, including most of its open-world areas, is completely optional.
That said, I recommend completing as many side quests as you can – each one pairs Cloud with Tifa, Aerith, Barret, or another member of the party for a little adventure that ranges from whimsical to The tones vary from excursions to tender backstory exposition. Taking on these side quests increases each party member’s relationship meter as they open up to our spiky-haired protagonist.
Many of the mini-games are optional, but they often have rich rewards waiting for players who beat the high scores. They’re very transparent about how much you’ll earn, so I won’t spend time on what’s worth doing – but I will recommend completing the Segway mini-game. It’s very simple, just requiring you to let the clouds slide a set distance in the game’s silliest transport mode, and the prize you win is an equip-and-forget accessory that will set you up for later in the game.
For the rest of the tip, I’ll keep Rebirth as spoiler-free as possible and briefly mention the mundane things found in the game’s later areas. Here are five things you need to know when starting Final Fantasy VII Reborn.
Review: What Happened in Final Fantasy VII Remake
Note: This section contains minor spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake. They’re minor, but if you haven’t played this game yet, I suggest you don’t spoil it for yourself just yet!
The first game in the trilogy set the tone for the subsequent series, which adapted and expanded the original 1997 game into a trilogy. As a result, there are a lot of side characters and moments in Remastered that weren’t in the original… or were very different.
The core concept of “Remastered” is that Cloud and company’s adventure deviates from the original gameplay of “Final Fantasy 7”, and ultimately they must fight directly against the ghostly Whisperer in an attempt to keep the team on the path of destiny. . It’s a smart way for the game’s creators, Square Enix, to modernize some of the most cherished parts of the beloved original game while giving players new ways to think about it – That is, should the story they know so well change?
Square Enix has its own official recap of Remastered, which can be found on Rebirth’s main menu and on YouTube — the shorter three-minute version is above, but the five-minute version has more context. However, there will be plenty of other characters and references popping up in Reborn, so I recommend a longer review: This 12-minute video by Another Eden Adventures is pretty comprehensive.
Because Rebirth continues Remastered’s departure from the plot of the original Final Fantasy VII (although it remains very faithful until the final hours of the game), you’ll fully understand the storyline by having played this classic game . But that’s by no means necessary: I’ve only watched half of the original, and I’m still ecstatic about Rebirth.
![The characters gaze at the sunset over the water, with a massive fortress in the distance.](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/3f32b6b47885a02395bd6fbfb15a6be27316a6e8/hub/2024/02/21/c8522aef-3c34-4d14-92f9-20ad26b36ea3/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-20240211122020.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
The game background needs to be photographed.
Know where to go in the gaming area
Once you start the rebirth and complete the first chapter, which serves as a prologue, the game gives you an open map and tells you to explore it. Generally speaking, there are two types of areas: open world areas and large cities.
Open world areas are large tracts of land filled with multiple categories of points of interest, and each point of interest needs to be interacted with to complete an area (and gain experience points from Chudley to purchase magic-giving materials – more See below for information about him). As with other open world games, there are towers to conquer, which will place nearby points of interest on your map.
Lifestream nodes will give you the area’s backstory and reveal areas you can mine with your chocobo to develop new crafting recipes. (Yes, there’s crafting—and no, it actually helps.) Dangerous groups of enemies can be defeated, eventually unlocking new moves in enemy skill materials, and the final zone boss offers amazing craftable accessory items . Moogle Huts offer rare items that can be purchased with all the moogle coins you collect (after you complete the mini-game, of course). “Primal” hunting provides a subplot in the game that may offer huge rewards when all areas are completed.
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look at this: Final Fantasy VII Reborn: Bringing ancient stories into a vast open world
Towns, on the other hand, are places where you spend your free time. Here is the weapon shop, which will provide weapons if you miss them on the battlefield (look for the purple box); the item shop where you can stock up on potions, phoenix potions, and card packs for the cosmic card game “Queen’s Blood”; and the bookstore, which lets You unlock more party members’ skills via a sphere-grid-like board. You’ll also find challenges for Queen’s Blood players to play, side quests to find on the large community board, and Chudley, who trades open-world intel (such as completed points of interest) for materials.
Chudley also has VR challenges, which can be completed to get more materials to unlock magic – when you start the game, you should complete each character’s starting VR mission, which will guide you to their fighting style (and Rewards you with simple materials). Even the characters returning from the remaster have had their skills changed slightly, so it’s worth doing these to familiarize yourself and get some easy rewards.
![A man carrying a giant sword rides a red Segway decorated with a garland of flowers.](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/6054d910b82a8b95f4b34742fe2286e5ad6ced42/hub/2024/02/21/5df087c4-6b65-4f3a-8f0b-afb3baeb7fac/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-20240215100433.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
The game has a keen eye for when goofy effects shine—like when epic hero Cloud rides a Segway like a fool.
Travel quickly and save time
While Remastered was limited to a linear story that traversed the slums and skyscrapers of Midgar, Rebirth is open-ended, with six huge areas in total, and there’s plenty to offer as you roam the empty edges of the map. Waiting for you to discover.
The first thing you have to do in each area is find the Chocobo Ranch or Stables. Not only do Chocobos serve as mounts to allow you to move faster, but you can’t fast travel without them. You’ll have to complete side quests or mini-games to unlock the chocobos in each area, but they’re worth it.
Fast travel is also quite generous in this game and is crucial for saving time, which is important when you’ve got hours to invest in it. This is where real-life technology reigns, as the PS5 you’re playing Rebirth on has super-fast loading speeds thanks to its SSD. Don’t hesitate to travel quickly even if the distance is short. The catch is that you have to discover a point of interest before you can fast travel to it, so make an extra hike to a tower or other area to get back there later.
Some areas have other modes of transportation that you can use with or instead of a Chocobo in some areas – if the game shows you can’t go further with a Chocobo, you may need a special vehicle.
Additionally, most areas have their own chocobo travel rewards, from climbing walls to bouncing on mushrooms. Sometimes you can tell by environmental cues, sometimes by holographic icons.
![A man (Claude) and a woman (Alice) stand on the edge of a cliff overlooking the coastal area below.](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/5cdc249cdbf86fb438844f41c98f43577104116f/hub/2024/02/21/dd183159-1255-4fc3-a08a-efbdc6d5f141/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-20240215234153.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
Now don’t worry about hitting everything
Cloud and Company will venture through these areas via a direct path from one open world area to the next, but you’ll find ways to return to previous areas. If you’re tired of completing your current open world checklist, move on and come back later. Most transportation options are from one adjacent area to the next, but later in the game you’ll be able to jump back to any of them for a negligible fee.
Even late in the game—in the 70 hours I played it—nothing is locked. Feel free to progress through the story and save the list of open world missions or difficult mini-games for later.
This also applies to the annoyingly tough optional bosses. While many of these missions will scale based on your level, such as the call to battle you can take on through Chadley’s VR Challenge, your character will get stronger as you progress through the game. Increasing weapon levels and acquiring more advanced armor will greatly increase the amount of materials each character can equip, and accessories only get better as the game progresses.
![Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa were all transformed into blocky versions of themselves, referencing their original 1997 designs.](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/415241784913bb19604674f123f0a7d4a4d0cd03/hub/2024/02/21/d09e0ecf-26ed-4ed9-8d86-34a50b9a125d/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-20240212093322.jpg?auto=webp&width=1200)
While some of the side quests look cool, they aren’t for everyone.
Give up things that are not fun
In the dozens of hours you play Rebirth, you’ll inevitably find something you don’t like. Trust me, there’s enough in the game to keep you entertained, so feel free to leave things behind to play again later, or never to play again.
For the most part, the extra content in this game is fun and worth playing through, and even sticking around to get key items. But I did have trouble playing some of the mini-games, giving up materials or accessories that teased me on the winner’s podium that I couldn’t reach. I’ll be the first to tell you, some of the side quests offer pretty lame rewards that make the time invested feel like a waste of time.
In-Game Diversion Queen’s Blood is a card game that is not for everyone. There are some important matches in the main story, so learning the basics will be helpful. You can also assemble preset decks to give you good tips on card strategy. But if you’re not interested, be sure to skip it – there are other activities to enjoy.
Finally, don’t worry too much if you’re skipping a lot of optional stuff just to stick to the story – the game doesn’t seem to have as many tough but unskippable bosses as Remastered (so far) There is no equivalent to Hell House), so players should not feel the need to perform unnecessary activities in order to keep up with the story combat. Be careful with your materials – Equip each character with HP Up and pack upgraded cleaning materials, just in case.
Final Fantasy VII Reborn: Photo Mode Screenshots from the Frontier
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