Final Fantasy VII has always been a story that transcends one game. The ’90s hit was much more than a successful JRPG, spawning an entire franchise of its own, including multiple games, a novel, several short stories, and two films, one of which is feature-length. This metaseries of Final Fantasy has been a powerhouse of storytelling for 20 years. When it came time to remake the original game, it should have come as no surprise that a proper, modern remaster of this incredible game would be, like the original itself, too big to fit into just one title.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second part of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, following Cloud and the gang after the events of Final Fantasy VII Remake, or “Intergrade,” as it’s more widely known by the PC community. As in the original 1997 classic, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth sees the group finally leaving Midgar and setting out into the wider world. Following a reimagined version of the original story, players familiar with the classic will notice that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth spans the events from leaving Midgar to arriving at the Forgotten Capital, though with some small changes to the order in which events occur. Wutai, for example, is not visited in this version of the story.
Fans of the series have certainly criticized the changes the remake series has made to the story, but I enjoyed the visit to Nibelheim. I won’t spoil it for newcomers, but visiting this area again was a nostalgic and emotional experience. It felt similar enough to the original canon, yet expanded on in all the right ways—something that applies to much of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s story.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth originally released on PlayStation 5 in February 2024, but PC players just now getting their hands on the game are in for what I believe is a much better experience.
One thing potential buyers of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth should be aware of is the game’s minimum system requirements.
According to comments online, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth marks a real next-gen gate for a lot of PC hardware. This is due to strict DirectX 12 requirements. If your system doesn’t meet these requirements, you won’t even be able to launch the game. For those with compatible systems, this won’t be an issue, but I’ve seen many people online frustrated by this. At a minimum, you’ll need an AMD Radeon RX 6600, Intel Arc A580, or Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060. Nvidia users will specifically need an RTX-series card.
That being said, the upgrade is absolutely worth it because Final Fantasy VII Rebirth looks incredible.
Final Fantasy VII Remake was a great-looking game, but its heavy use of browns and grays left something to be desired visually. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth shows just how amazing the team at Square Enix can make a game look with this engine. The party stepping out into the vibrant environments beyond Midgar is absolutely stunning. The open-world segment following the game’s lengthy but captivating introduction feels like stepping into a fantastical paradise that Tetsuya Nomura and Hironobu Sakaguchi have been waiting to show us since 1997.
Would-be buyers should also know that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth needs to run on a solid-state drive (SSD). For those unfamiliar, SSDs are much faster than traditional HDDs and are relatively affordable now. The game takes full advantage of SSD speed to deliver incredibly fast load times. The near-seamless experience made me forget I was playing a video game a couple of times.
I didn’t get to share my thoughts publicly on the remake’s new combat system when the first title released in 2020, but I personally love the direction the game took with its combat design. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth feels like an incredibly clever cross between a turn-based strategy game and an action RPG. The real-time action combat, which can be slowed or paused to trigger spells or attacks with their own locked animations, brilliantly combines the two. I love the strategy of turn-based games but dislike their lack of fast-paced action, so this design is essentially ideal for me.
If, for some reason, the story of Final Fantasy VII doesn’t appeal to you, then Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is not the game for you. The game unapologetically includes lengthy cutscenes and lots of dialogue, not only retelling but expanding on the original story. Those just looking to fight might find the frequent cutscenes off-putting—and probably should have played the Final Fantasy VII battle royale before it was shut down.
If you’re interested in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth but unfamiliar with the story, you’ll do yourself a disservice by not playing Intergrade first. This game is the second of a three-part installment and won’t ease new players into the story. Grab them both and get ready for an incredible back-to-back playthrough of a brilliantly done reimagining of one of the greatest RPGs of all time.
Oh, and the game’s photo mode allows you to take some fantastic pictures of Sephiroth. You’re welcome.
The Final Word
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth continues to blow me away with its thoughtful remake of one of the best games ever created, expanding the incredible story and opening up the gameplay to a more broadly appealing, exciting experience.
10
Try Hard Guides received a PC review code for this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is available on Steam, Epic Games, and PlayStation.
