After Final Fantasy VII Remake shattered almost every expectation of what a remake could be, it feels like a deliberate act of comfort that the first chapter of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is so very familiar: the flashback to Cloud’s last mission with Sephiroth.
It begins with a long truck ride, where we find a young, doe-eyed Cloud doing stretches ahead of helping his hometown of Nibelheim with its monster problem while his team leader, Sephiroth, watches on with detached amusement. The same niceties that resulted in a more detailed Midgar in Remake help paint an even more detailed one of the flashback scene in Rebirth compared to the original Final Fantasy VII. Walking into Nibelheim, Sephiroth is almost a warm, doting presence, genuinely curious about the idea of having a hometown to return to. Cloud himself gets to wander the city, including its alleyways full of stray cats, prior to him and his entourage making their way up Mount Nibel. Along the way, he reconnects with neighbors, messes around with Tifa’s piano—a full-fledged, if somewhat clumsy, instrument, much like Last of Us Part II’s guitar—and meets her delightfully unhinged martial arts teacher, Rangan.
Much of the hike up Mount Nibel is familiar from the last preview, though playing through the whole segment from Nibelheim up to the Mako reactor is a grand adventure all its own, of falling bridges and monster ambushes. All the while, Tifa and Sephiroth gain a slow, if chilly, respect for one another. This, as much of Remake did, feels like the game we thought we were playing in 1997. What happens next, appropriately, represents a statement of purpose, a sudden turn where the game becomes mercilessly hostile to the idea of the player getting comfortable.
We come to see, as FF7 veterans will expect, the burning of Nibelheim after Sephiroth finds out who—and what—he actually is. Nibelheim’s citizens stand back from the flames, weeping over loved ones as their thatched-roof houses are reduced to ash. Anyone foolish enough to be caught in town by the time Cloud arrives is slaughtered by Sephiroth himself. The scene, once a dark but quiet moment of pathos, and home to one of the most iconic and dramatic money shots in gaming history, is now an absolute massacre, a terrifying sight to behold.
This is the bleak memory of home that takes us into Rebirth proper, a short period of calm in the town of, well, Kalm. Here, Cloud gets into a minor spat with Tifa, before then being cheered up by Aerith, learning about the game’s Folio system for upgrades, and playing Rebirth’s ridiculously addictive Triple Triad-like card game, Queen’s Blood, until Midgar soldiers come looking for our band of rebels and force them out into the open world.
It’s here that the grand scope of what Square Enix is attempting with Rebirth becomes crystal clear. There’s a very Lord of the Rings sort of vibe to the moment our entourage steps out into the lush, beautiful plains outside Midgar, not just because of the incredible view, but because of Cloud’s interactions with his friends, particularly with the relentlessly optimistic Aerith.
The swell of the classic and achingly beautiful overworld theme hits at the exact moment the team is free to wander with a new sense of purpose. Removed from the urban technological ruin of Midgar, the sheer vibrancy of the world is an almost jarring contrast with Remake, and that’s before the player actually starts accruing the game’s new mechanics.
After getting the team’s first chocobos and meeting tech nerd Chauncey again, you’re free to explore the countryside. Here it becomes clear how much Rebirth has expanded FF7’s most serene environment into a full-fledged open-world experience. There are creatures to hunt for Chauncey, side paths to get lost in—many of which are hiding armor, materia, and high-level enemies—and baby chocobos leading you to shelter. This critical path leads you to an encounter with the Midgar Zolom, the giant snake guarding the mountain pass to the Mythril Mines. There’s an Elden Ring sort of sensibility here, where the Zolom’s high level feels like a lethal suggestion that you need to explore more, level up, and find the arsenal necessary to kill him.
The sheer enormity of Rebirth is now clear, where such a small area of the original FF7 is as big as any Monster Hunter title to date, and with a comparable level of biodiversity. One only hopes that Rebirth doesn’t somehow forget that the successes of Remake stemmed from the strength of its characters and conflicts. Judging from how the opening moments of Rebirth lean so heavily on camaraderie and the sincere care these characters have toward each other, it’s safe to assume Cloud and his friends will be okay. Just don’t get comfortable.
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