The Final Fantasy VII Remake sequel debuts with a massive open world, more mini-games and side quests, and the looming burden of changing destiny.

If you could change the story of a video game you loved as a child, would you do so? Or would you prefer to leave it as you remember it? This question is at the heart of Square Enix’s major project to remake the classic 1997 role-playing game, Final Fantasy VII, and the latest chapter has only just begun.

Fans of the original Final Fantasy VII were intrigued to see how Square Enix would modernize it with 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, and discovered an exciting combination of nostalgia and newness when the game boldly promised to deviate from the original storyline at the end. The new Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which will be released on February 29 for PS5, continues the story and sends the protagonists Cloud, Tifa, Aerith and Barret on another similar but different adventure. However, it is an adventure that is bigger than his in every way. As expected from its predecessor.

I’ve played 50 hours so far (and I’m far from finished), and I’ve enjoyed almost everything about Rebirth. What annoys me the most is that it doesn’t answer the biggest question raised by the previous game: how will Cloud and company change the story we know so well? Given this, it makes me wonder how many implied plot digressions are hidden in the final stages of the game. Aerith’s fate, one of the most infamous moments in Final Fantasy, awaits you there.

But the game exudes such charm and affection for the world Square Enix has built on the original’s scaffolding that my troubles are forgotten in a cheerful sea of ​​cacti and combat. I can patiently wait for the game to unfold, even if it will probably take another 20-30 hours to complete.

Rebirth is an adaptation of the middle part of the original Final Fantasy VII, where you break free from the industrial city of Midgar, stray from your destined path, and journey into a vast world. Metanarratively speaking, key elements of the classic FFVII story may be changed, but the game is in no rush to get there. Like other second chapters in the epic trilogy, Rebirth eases into a mix of fun exploration, thoughtful backstory, and silly casual gameplay.

After a short prologue in which Cloud recalls the tragic fall of series villain Sephiroth from popular war hero to insane killer, the group leaves the idyllic town of Kalm to explore beyond the borders. Square Enix has chosen to base the majority of the game on the open-world model of the Far Cry and Horizon games, a vast area filled with enemies, resources, lore nodes, and towers.

Many of these are optional, but you may miss out on some useful items or background information. Skipping side quests is not really recommended. As with the remake, some of the most satisfying moments for the characters are found in these short outings. As with the remake, there are plenty of mini-games and side quests both in and outside of the main story path, which add to the breadth and fun, and break up the repetitive list of ongoing open-world tasks.

One thing that remains constant, at least in the early stages of Rebirth, is the departure from the plot of the original Final Fantasy VII, although the remake ended with Aerith declaring that the next part of the journey “will be infinite and terrifying freedom.” In the end, players will mostly follow the rules of the original game, visiting cities and fighting bosses found in the original game. There are tantalizing hints that something has changed, and while Square Enix asks reviewers not to reveal certain things, illustrations scattered throughout the first half of the game indicate that characters who were supposed to be dead are present in what appears to be a parallel reality piece; instead, they are alive and vice versa.

What I found different compared to the original, and even compared to the remake, is the sheer amount of content. There’s still plenty to do. Now that players are no longer living in the cramped slums of Midgar, they can spend more time with their favorite spiky-haired protagonist and his friends by exploring vast areas and completing numerous side quests and optional activities.

What’s new in Rebirth?

Avid players have probably already read the initial reports at this point, and have also picked up the free Rebirth demo for PS5 owners. But after playing the game for dozens of hours, I got a good sense of how the Final Fantasy VII experience has been rebooted and reinvigorated.

First and foremost, and this is where I spent the most time: combat. Square Enix has smoothed out some of the original’s rougher parts and given more options when fighting enemies. There are new multi-character combo attacks, split into repeatable and more powerful synergy abilities, which temporarily buff abilities and give players more options in heated battles. While the former didn’t do much for me, the latter saved me from some sticky situations when I was low on health and mana, so it’s worth the investment.

Each character’s individual fighting style has been reworked to be unique and more fun, sometimes in simplistic ways. Cloud, for example, now has standard ranged attacks, making fighting airborne enemies much less annoying. A new blocking mechanic allows perfectly timed blocks to negate damage, and more materia types open up more possibilities for character building. Plus, after a certain amount of time, summon materia can be used in virtually every fight (not just against big bosses).

All these improvements have mitigated my frustration with the Remake’s combat system enough that combat is now more bearable and interesting, and anyone who had issues with the previous game will find Rebirth’s combat system more flexible and forgiving.

The open world lets you swap party members on the fly (from three pre-set party configurations), and during battles, non-party members will occasionally attack from the sidelines – a symbolic effort that charmingly reinforces the sense that the entire diverse group is in league with each other and is there for each other.

The game also introduces item crafting, allowing you to create potions and equipment in the field. Fortunately, this isn’t much harder than picking up the occasional resource from the ground along the way. Travel is easier, with the ability to jump over fences and ledges at the touch of a button, and you can also use chocobos, mounts, and even fast travel to traverse areas more easily.

But aside from the slight differences in combat and the new system, Rebirth has a very different feel to the Remake in terms of its use of space. In the remake, you’re no longer confined to the narrow corridors of Midgar, but can explore vast grasslands, traverse beautiful beaches, and scale rocky cliffs high above turquoise seas. A few secrets await you in unexplored corners of the map, but just as often you’ll find achingly beautiful vistas when you follow the path, a reward in itself. I’m familiar with the open world of Final Fantasy XII. There’s a sense of freedom when you roam the wilds of Rebirth on the back of a chocobo (chocoback?).

Early on, you’ll learn how to use the game’s photo mode, which you can access from the pause menu with the press of a button. It doesn’t take long before you find rock outcrops that are purposefully placed to overlook the valley below and the mountains beyond, or crafting materials that lure you to the edge of a cliff path. Breadcrumb trails that make you want to take more than just a place to take photos, but also to rest.

Whereas the original Final Fantasy VII offered players gorgeous pre-rendered backdrops as they roamed its polygonal areas, in Rebirth Square Enix subtly encourages players to just enjoy the beautiful land they’ve carefully constructed. More than any game I’ve ever played, Rebirth invites me to love the scenery, take photos, and share my gaming moments with my friends. (And once the game is released, I’ll finally be able to open the floodgates and send in all the screenshots I’ve collected!)

Side quests and mini games: The soul of FFVII Rebirth

The remake went all out in developing a new real-time combat system, a new art style, and lots of additional story in expanding the first third of Final Fantasy VII into a fully-fledged modern game. But for players like me who crave fun character moments, the minigames and sidequests were the best part. Rebirth takes that ethos even further, embracing the quirky weirdness at the heart of the original Final Fantasy VII and taking it to the next level.

As you battle megacorporations trying to drain the planet of its resources while trying to stop evil supersoldiers, the silliness of the minigames and sidequests feels human, communal, and vibrant. The nerd that I am now found myself in when it comes to riding dolphins or playing Rocket League with the animals as Red XIII often left me laughing when I found myself overwhelmed by the intensity of the minigame sequences. A mid-game side quest sees the return of Remake’s laid-back Johnny, helping him with his next successful plan at a seaside resort on the Costa del Sol. This was really fun. And the less you know about Fort Condor before you get to experience it for yourself, the better.

Then there’s Queen’s Blood, the new card game that’s conquering the continent. It takes time to understand the game’s complex rules and opaque flow, and it lacks the elegance and best theme song of Triple Triad, the best card game in the Final Fantasy series, but it also still lacks the novel three-lane approach of Queen’s. For players like me who need to interrupt their mission to save the world and play against NPCs who need to be humiliated, Blood is entertainment.

A legacy, a story remade, a not-so-final fantasy

The most important question every FFVII fan has is, how much of the original plot has been changed? And Square Enix’s biggest chance so far is to rewrite the biggest plot twist in gaming history (spoilers for a 27-year-old classic) to save kindhearted Aerith from a horrific death at the hands of villain Sephiroth.

I’m only 50 hours into the game, so I can’t answer that yet. But even if I did know, I don’t want this moment’s dilemma to overshadow everything Square Enix has done to make a fun game that celebrates a ragtag group of rock-bottom weirdos who defy heroic convention, and still learn to care for one another.

In the Remake, the fact that this time is different hits you, attacking Cloud at every turn with Whisper spirits plotting his fate. In contrast, Rebirth follows the early and mid-game characters on roughly the same path as the original plot, but it’s full of intimate character encounters, playful games, and silly but charming pranks. It doesn’t stray too far from the original Final Fantasy VII, but Rebirth is different because it allows these strangers to get closer to each other with every passing moment.

Trained by the game to find places to stop to take screenshots, I climbed these overlooks and sandbars, mountaintops and jungle waterfalls, and thought, “Oh, what a beautiful world Square Enix has created to surround this old world. They’re bringing history into a new reality. This planet is where I fight Shinra, along with the good friends I’ve met over time.