168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a lot to prove. After Remake brought Zack Fair back to life and flirted with the subversion of fate and multiple universes in its reimagining, the upcoming sequel could go anywhere, and I’d be along for the ride. However, it also must build upon the gameplay and take its characters in directions that are both faithful and unique when compared to the 1997 classic. After spending an hour with it, it seems to possess everything needed to give its vast open world the return it deserves. It’s still poignantly melodramatic in ways 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy 16 often failed to be, leaning into its identity of anime absurdity while not once sacrificing the reverenc🌳e we have for this world and its character♎s.
The most impressive part about Final Fantasy 7 Remake is its authentic atmosphere. Even though it gave these characters a voice for the first time and depicted many locations with technology unfathomably removed from what came before, it still maintained the stylish yet melancholic dieselpunk of the original. Its opening mission makes a statement about what to expect from this three-pronged project and how 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Square Enix will be doing far more than reviving a classic for new audiences. Remake did this for Midgar, and now Rebirth must do the same for the rest of its world. Second impressions are ♈everything.
My preview at the Square Enix offices featured two distinct sections taken from two different points in the game. The first was a brief glimpse at Cloud, Sephiroth, and Tifa’s ascension of Mt. Nibel on the outskirts of Nibelheim, which fans will recall as a flashback sequence told by Cloud shortly after leaving Midgar. Chances are this sequence will be interspersed with comments from our party in the modern day, reminiscing by the warmth of a fireplace before setting off on the next leg of the journey. The second was a peek at the open world. Or, at least a small portion of it𒐪 outside Junon Harbour. Parts of the region were closed to ensure I didn’t venture too far off the beaten path, but that didn’t stop me from exploring as much as I could.
Scaling Mt. Nibel in the original game is an oddly dreamlike affair. Cloud is 𒁏recalling past events we’ll come to learn he played no part in, doling out the musings of an unreliable narrator blissfully unaware of his own duplicity. It’s glorified exposition but told in ways that make the player feel involved. Rebirth doubles down on this approach, giving us the freedom to switch be🃏tween Cloud and Sephiroth as they fight up the mountain before reaching the dark remnants of an abandoned reactor.
Sephiroth is ferociously powerful, dealing huge amounts of damage with his laughably long sword and a generous suite of abilities. Cloud is just a kid at this point, requiring assistance from his mentor to take down even basic enemies. It’s surreal to play this section with more agency, free to take my time and glance at snapshots of the past that will soon crumble away into nothing. Sephiroth is framed as a neutral figure of morality here, smiling as Cloud looks up to him like a hero from his wildest dreams. This will only make the coming tragedy🔴 all the harder to swallow.
When I first learned that Rebirth wouldn’t hold back with its open world, I was worried. The original game has a world map, but it is a largely empty space that only exists to connect different lo🎶cations and give the universe a more tangible sense of place. Here, it’s an open world in the modern definition. A place filled with optional activities, fierce battles, and content purely designed to suck up our time. Would it be a bloated mess similar to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or a curated masterclass like Red Dead Redemption 2? So far, it seems to land somewhere in the middle, ﷺalthough it’s far too soon for me to know for sure.
After emerging from a darkened tunnel in the bright splendour of Junon, we’re ushered onto our Chocobos and told to eliminate four different fiends in the area. Our main goal is to reach the town of Junon and advance th🉐e story, but exploration is encouraged far more than steaming through the narrative. So I do just that, walking in the opposite direction until I’m stopped in my tracks by the artificial barriers I mentioned earlier. Not before I stumble on a Baby Chocobo though, who, by following, I can unlock a post that doubles as both a fast travel point and a place where I can heal my party or summon mounts. It’s an adorable idea.
The landscape itself stood out the most to me. Aerith points out that despite everything we have done to tear this planet apart, pockets of beauty and nature still thrive. Animals can be found prancing about their natural habitats, while luscious greenery still pierces through the corporate smog and dire propaganda of the Shinra Corporation strewn across the worl🌱d. It🌊 is a dying planet that refuses to go out without a fight, and there’s a keen feeling of optimism as you explore and savour each pocket of life you come across. Points of interest are far more exciting thanks to a new AI companion who describes animals and locations you come across, likely pointing to some form of meta-progression completionists will love.
Combat is iterative rat𒅌her than evolutionary, which all of us expected, given this is the second game in a three part series. It feels smoother, with the majority of abilities returning alongside some worthw𒅌hile additions.
By pressing a shoulder button, you can now perform distinct team attacks with your allies, which seemingly operate on cooldowns and can deal massive amounts of damage. Red XIII is also playable for the first time and is similar to Tifa in his use of fast-paced strikes and skills that help buff his attack and defense. He’s also a talking dog who can ride a Chocobo, which is inherently hilarious. Combat is just as fast, strategic and challenging as before, but with far more characters and potential for synergy. Combine this with an enhanc🌼ed materia system and a new means of crafting items, and I can see Rebirth going much deeper very quickly.
I love to exist in this world, knowing it has stories to tell and characters who are struggling to make ends meet in the face of constant adversity. It also isn’t afraid to lean further into its bubbly personality for laughs and style, something Final Fantasy 16 failed at thanks to its overly dour personality and inspiration it took from Western fantasy epics like Game of Thrones and The W𒉰itcher. It is a different kind of game and a different kind of Final Fantasy.✨ Still worthwhile, but there is something more to Rebirth that I can’t wait to unearth.
Square Enix has taken my initial skepticism and morphed it into anticipation as I watch my nostalgia for this RPG classic subver𓆏ted before my very eyes. Here’s hoping it sticks the landing and nails the risky second chapter we’re all crossing our fingers for.
