Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Why Everyone Is Talking About 2024’s Boldest JRPG Remake

You know that feeling when you finish a game and nothing else hits quite the same way? The combat in other RPGs feels floaty, the worlds feel empty, the stories feel safe. You start scrolling your backlog, but deep down you're hunting for one thing: a game that completely takes over your brain again.

That's the gap so many story-driven gamers have been stuck in. You want modern visuals, smart combat, and a narrative with some actual teeth — not another forgettable open world checklist with a generic chosen-one plot.

This is exactly where Final Fantasy VII Rebirth crashes into your life.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: The Reinvention You Didn't Know You Needed

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second game in Square Enix's ambitious remake project of the 1997 classic, and it doesn't just retell the story — it actively rewrites your expectations of what a remake can be. Following on from Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rebirth picks up after the escape from Midgar and plunges you into a huge, fully explorable world across PS5, with a PC version announced for the future.

Instead of being a museum piece for nostalgia, Rebirth asks: what if we took the emotional core of the original and rebuilt everything else for players in 2024 and beyond?

That core question drives almost every design choice: the open zones, the revamped real-time combat with tactical depth, the character-driven side content, and the bold story changes that fans on Reddit and forums have been obsessing over since launch.

Why this specific model?

There are plenty of big-budget RPGs out right now, so why should you sink 60–100 hours into Final Fantasy VII Rebirth instead of something else?

First, the structure. Rebirth drops the claustrophobic corridors of Midgar in favor of large, handcrafted regions like the Grasslands, Junon, and Cosmo Canyon areas. They're not bloated Ubisoft-style maps; they're dense spaces that keep layering story, exploration, and character moments on top of each other. You're not just hoovering up icons — you're unlocking new dialogue, party interactions, and world lore that actually make the main story hit harder.

Then there's the combat. Rebirth iterates on FFVII Remake's hybrid system with faster switching between characters, new synergy abilities, and more build variety through Materia and gear. On PS5, battles feel snappy and fluid at 60 fps in Performance Mode, while still looking gorgeous in Graphics Mode. On higher difficulties, timing your ATB usage, synergizing party attacks, and staggering enemies turns into a satisfying dance that rewards skill rather than just level grinding.

Where Rebirth really separates itself, though, is its storytelling. It follows the key beats of the original FFVII (Kalm flashback, Mythril Mine, Junon, Gold Saucer, etc.), but uses the alternate-timeline threads teased in Remake to add mystery and tension. Longtime fans already know "what should happen" — so the game weaponizes that knowledge against you, playing with expectations in ways most remakes never dare to try. New players, meanwhile, get a rich, coherent narrative with some of the most memorable character writing in recent Final Fantasy history.

On top of that, the game makes your relationships matter. Party affinity, side quests, and choices feed into how characters react to you and even who you share certain key scenes with. It's not a full-on branching narrative, but it adds a personal flavor that turns the journey into your version of FFVII.

At a Glance: The Facts

Feature	User Benefit
Platform: PlayStation 5 (PS5)	Leverages PS5 SSD and power for fast loading, large zones, and cinematic visuals without constant waiting screens.
Combat: Hybrid real-time + tactical ATB system with Synergy abilities	Gives you action-game responsiveness plus the satisfying depth of classic JRPG planning; Synergy moves reward smart party setups.
Structure: Large semi-open world regions with story-driven exploration	Avoids mindless open-world bloat while still letting you roam, discover secrets, and engage with meaningful side content and mini-games.
Story: Expanded retelling of the original FFVII mid-section	Delivers iconic moments reimagined with new scenes, twists, and character development that hit both newcomers and veterans emotionally.
Visuals & Audio: High-end character models, cinematic cutscenes, re-orchestrated soundtrack	Makes every major scene feel like prestige TV-level production, with nostalgia-fueled tracks that have been fully modernized.
Playtime: ~40–60 hours main story, 80–100+ hours completionist	Plenty of content without feeling like a chore; side content is packed with character and world-building instead of filler.
Accessibility & Difficulty options	Multiple modes let you prioritize story, challenge, or a mix of both, making it approachable for new players while still tough on higher settings.

What Users Are Saying

A quick scroll through Reddit threads like r/FinalFantasy and r/Games, plus user impressions on major forums, paints a clear picture: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is widely loved, with a few consistent caveats.

The praise:

• Story and characters are the runaway stars. Players highlight how much more time you spend with Tifa, Aerith, Barret, Red XIII, and Yuffie, with many saying it's the first time these characters have ever truly felt "real" to them.
• Combat depth gets called out repeatedly. Many fans argue it's one of the strongest systems in modern JRPGs, especially when you play beyond the default Story mode.
• Side quests and mini-games aren't just fluff. From card games like Queen's Blood to chocobo-related challenges and region-specific tasks, players mention genuine laugh-out-loud and heartfelt moments hiding in optional content.
• Visuals and music are almost universally praised. The soundtrack rearrangements, in particular, are a big hit among veterans of the original FFVII.

The criticism:

• Some players feel the pacing sags in the middle due to the amount of optional content and mini-games, especially if you try to do everything before progressing the main story.
• Those expecting a one-to-one remake of the original story can be frustrated by the meta-narrative and timeline twists introduced in Remake and expanded here.
• A few users call out occasional camera quirks in tight combat scenarios and minor visual pop-in in some open areas.

But overall sentiment across community hubs is clear: Rebirth isn't just a nostalgia piece; for many, it's the best modern Final Fantasy and one of the standout RPGs of this generation.

Alternatives vs. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

If you're trying to decide whether to jump into Rebirth or go with another big RPG, here's where it stands in the current landscape:

• Versus Final Fantasy VII Remake: Remake is more linear and confined to Midgar, great if you want a tighter, more focused experience. Rebirth opens everything up, deepens systems, and offers more freedom — but assumes you either played Remake or at least know the story beats.
• Versus Final Fantasy XVI: FF16 leans heavily into pure action combat and a darker, more political story, almost like a playable prestige drama. Rebirth keeps stronger party dynamics, more RPG systems (Materia, builds, equipment), and more traditional JRPG vibes.
• Versus Western RPGs (Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield, etc.): Western RPGs usually lean on player choice and branching narratives. Rebirth is more authored and linear in its core story but compensates with finely tuned emotional pacing, stylish combat, and highly produced cinematic sequences.
• Versus other JRPGs (Tales of, Persona): Persona excels at social sim structure and turn-based combat, while Tales games focus on fast action and anime storytelling. Rebirth sits in between: heavier on spectacle than Persona, deeper systems and world detail than many Tales titles.

The bottom line: if you value cinematic storytelling, party chemistry, and hybrid combat over sandbox freedom or heavy role-playing choice, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is likely the best fit.

It's worth noting that the game is published by Square Enix Holdings Co. Ltd. (ISIN: JP3164630000), the long-running Japanese company behind the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises, which continues to position FFVII as its flagship global brand.

Final Verdict

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth isn't trying to be all things to all players. It knows exactly what it is: a lavish, emotionally charged, sometimes audacious reinterpretation of one of gaming's most beloved stories.

If you come in expecting a carbon copy of the 1997 game with prettier graphics, you'll be thrown off — and that's the point. Rebirth aims higher: it wants to make you feel what you felt back then, not just see what you saw. It builds on the foundation of Final Fantasy VII Remake, broadens the world, sharpens the combat, and doubles down on character-driven storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll.

Yes, there are moments where the pacing gets indulgent, and yes, the narrative gambles won't work for every purist. But when Rebirth is firing on all cylinders — a quiet conversation at a campfire, a bombastic boss fight scored with a reimagined classic theme, an unexpected twist on a scene you thought you knew by heart — there's almost nothing else like it in modern gaming.

If you've been waiting for a game to make you rearrange your evenings, overthink party builds, argue with friends about theories, and maybe even tear up a little over polygonal heroes made newly human, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth deserves a spot at the very top of your list.

It doesn't just revisit a legend. It remakes your relationship with it.