Summary
There is a lot riding on Cloud and company’s mission to put an end to Sephiroth inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but that doesn’t stop the game from flourishing in its everyday moments.Rebirth’s semi-open world formula lends itself to so many activities, from minigames to side quests, and it is through these more mundane sequences that the game’s world opens up.Rebirthtakes care in its attention to the finer details, encouraging players to stop and smell the roses as they traverse; helping to accentuate the party’s banter with each other, providing more context to characters' backstories, and even putting emphasis on less important NPCs lends merit toRebirth’s environmental designwhile making for some great moments.
In a world where fiends roam the land and the threat of the planet dying is ever-growing, it would have been easy forFinal Fantasy 7Rebirthto keep the remake trilogy’s ongoing narrative to a more serious tone. Instead, it manages to evoke these heavy themes while leaning on its lighthearted, and at times, comedic moments. Of course, the greater stakes ofRebirth’s plot are a constant weight on the party’s mind, but that doesn’t stop the game from letting both its characters and the player have some fun. This is especially important in the case of Cloud’s stoicism, asRebirthutilizes these moments to show him breaking down his walls with the team.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Gives its Party Some Well-Deserved Breathing Room
Strength in the Finer Details
While it can be argued thatRebirth’s approach to minigames might have been one too many, there’s no doubt that a few of them are successful, both in implementation and in their moments of narrative prominence. The boat ride to Costa del Sol is a testament to this, as the Queen’s Blood tournament that Cloud and the crew participate in shows whereRebirth’s strengths lie. The playful banter between Cloud and the team as they challenge each other is both memorable and comedic, as are the sequence’s finer details; from the receptionist slowly becoming a Cloud stan to the women’s yoga group stretching to the melodic sounds ofFF7’s main theme, there are plenty of small interactions and subtleties to pick up on.
Highlighting Character Motivations and Personalities Through Side Quest
These details extend toRebirth’s multiple locales, both in its overworld and side quests. The game’s side quest formula gives its individual party members a chance to shine, as these substories involve Cloud and a corresponding character tackling a task, from tracking down fiends with Red to picking flowers with Aerith. In many cases, these mundane moments help to serve bothRebirthand the originalFF7’s narrative, providing more context and backstory to characters that have been loved for decades. Working in tandem withRebirth’s party affinity meter, these quests show the game’s strengths in its more intimate moments – talking with Barret about Marlene growing up, discussing the effects of Hojo’s mistreatment with Red – though these dialogues may not be crucial to the plot, they’re noteworthy nonetheless.
The way thatRebirth’s side quests can give greater insight into its characters' own personal struggles and joys, even in more subtle ways, is important. Winning at the crunch competition with Tifa at Jules' gym, for example, shows her hesitancy about being complimented, a feat that ties into her self-esteem despite being worthy of praise. Her dialogue with Cloud about curating the menu for Seventh Heaven and the food they used to eat as kidsin Nibelheimgives more detail to her backstory while feeling authentic and engaging. These “everyday” moments that exist separate fromRebirth’s main plot are crucial to diving into these motivations, providing impact while demonstrating how the tragedies ofFF7linger not just on Cloud’s own mind.
Paying Homage to its Predecessors
Much ofRebirth’s downtime is punctuated by its use of music, paying homage to both the originalFF7andFF7 Remaketo help players take in the moment. From its piano minigame to moments like Cloud’s date with Aerith on Clamshell Beach, which utilizes the same “Collapsed Expressway” theme from the two’s nightadventure in Midgar,Rebirthoften utilizes this type of referential treatment to be nostalgic and comforting. Taking in the sights and experiencing everything the game has to offer lets players get the full experience of whatRebirthhas to offer, and stopping to smell the roses is key in showing how well-rounded its world and characters truly are.
