Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review: A wonderful action remake of a gaming classic

Gaming remakes are all the rage and diehard RPG fans have been waiting with bated breath for this one.

The original Final Fantasy VII was a huge success, a masterpiece for many in the 90s.

This is a complete update, lovingly remade for the modern gamer with tweaks and changes galore.

It is the second of three and has a lot to live up to after the first, named Remake, was widely well received.

And it’s gone from a modest play through to a mega 50-hour+ open world behemoth.

You star as protagonist Cloud Strife and his loyal companions as you explore a massive world outside Midgar, the setting of the first game, and pursue Sephiroth, one of the most iconic antagonists in video game history.

As the heroic team journeys and battles through an expansive world filled with beautiful environments and sprawling, explorable locales, their bonds are more important than ever – even affecting gameplay in the form of powerful new synergy attacks.

That means combining with your buddies to deal team-driven heavy blows on monsters and meanies that stand in your way.

It’s an action RPG where you’re fighting on the fly, combining good old fashioned singular button bashing with a more nuanced use of special skill sets, weapons and magic attacks as a wider team.

The game does a good job at easing you into the combat and, as you progress, it allows you to unlock new moves to really offer a plethora of battle styles.

It all plays beautifully on the PS5 DualSense joypad, and as the danger ramps up and the challenge increases, you’ll need all your brawling finesse to beat the toughest of nasties.

Visually this game is stunning and up there with last year’s Final Fantasy effort, number 17, which we loved.

And the expansive regions you explore across the game are varied, massive and packed full of cheeky side quests and mini games as well as the main story thread.

They include some bonkers little players, like Chocobo Racing, a fully-fledged trading card game called Queen’s Blood, a Virtua Fighter style Polygon brawler game and technique-perfecting piano playing sessions.

It’s all very Japanese in its feel and style, totally nuts at points and exactly why people love this series so much.

The consistent background sound and music is always epic and helps to differentiate the various regions and storytelling beats.

Overall, this a deep and wonderful game packed full of exploration, juicy combat and a strong story – if you can follow all the lore it pumps out.

Square Enix have done a great job again of delivering a unique Final Fantasy world, in this case revamped for the modern gamer from an old classic.

You’ll lose yourself for hours on end in Rebirth.

Now, get going soldier, the battle is very much waiting for you.

VERDICT 5/5