Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC Review
Summary: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is still an amazing JRPG, and Its PC version elevates the experience it provides in all the right ways.
4.3
A Fantastic Rebirth
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is Square Enix’s second and penultimate installment in its Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy. The title launched almost a year ago, and now a PC version is finally being released. Despite its flaws, the game is still the best title from last year, and the PC features elevate the gameplay experience further.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth continues Cloud and his friends’ journey across the world. While the Remake focused on Midgar, Rebirth opens players up to the game’s vast, branching open world where they meet and interact with many more characters and go on more adventures. As such, the narrative is a lot more engaging as each arc sees Cloud and his group interact with many characters, all of whom are well-written and endearing. Many character and story arcs feature touching stories and hilarious moments and are all enjoyable in their own ways. While some moments in the narrative, especially earlier on, feel noticeably slow and dragged out, their peak moments are worth trudging through them.
Gameplay-wise, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth offers several gameplay and combat features not present in the Remake and enhances many elements. Like the previous installment, players can take advantage of combat features like Materia crafting and upgrades. There’s also a variety of new additions, including new weapons, that, combined with new Materia and upgrade options, offer new mesmerizing and powerful moves, some of which combine several elements in exchange for more MP consumption.
Players can also upgrade their arsenal of spells through the Foolio system, which, like traditional skill trees, allows Cloud and the gang to unlock more skills and increase their stats in various ways. The system works just as well as standard skill trees but is noticeably more limited, especially compared to other Final Fantasy games, and has less generally useful skills as well. However, learning which Materia does what and creating the best Materia combination is usually key to succeeding in combat. All in all, Rebirth provides players with many more customizable options that are really accessible.
And speaking of combat, fights in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are fast, fun, smooth, and feel positively weighty. Performing charged and quick attacks, combos, linked abilities, special abilities, spells, and finishing moves is quick and satisfying, and the transition when swapping between moves and characters is effortless. One of the highlights of the game is its many great bosses. Each boss fight differs from the last and offers unique, satisfying, and fun challenges for players.
In terms of visuals, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth looks excellent on PC. The game features a slew of vibrant, intricately designed locations, all of which are awe-inspiring, to say the least. The PC version elevates the viewing experience with better lighting and reflections across the board. Additionally, despite the game not needing it that much, textures noticeably have more detail. The Level of Detail (LoD) for background models and textures can both be freely configured in the settings, allowing for higher-quality graphics. Players can also reduce technical strain with the option to limit the number of NPCs that are on screen which is great for less powerful rigs.
The PC version also notably comes with a boost in frame rate via NVIDIA DLSS technology. This boosts the frame rate upwards of 120fps, making combat feel even smoother and more engaging than the PlayStation 5 version. In terms of performance, Rebirth’s PC version runs well for the majority. It is worth noting, however, that I ran into frame rate dips here and there, as well as some freezing in some parts. Thankfully, it wasn’t frequent enough to become a major issue as they only lasted the first few hours. Hopefully, these issues won’t go beyond the pre-release build.
Final Thoughts?
Lastly, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth features a great soundtrack—one of the best the franchise has ever seen. It features both high octane and beautifully melodic tunes that enhance their respective moments in the game. Overall, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is still an amazing JRPG, and Its PC version elevates the experience it provides in all the right ways.
About the Author
Abdul Saad Abdul Saad is a seasoned entertainment journalist and critic, and has been writing for five years on multiple gaming sites. When he isn't writing or playing the latest JRPG, he can be found coding games of his own or tinkering with something electrical.
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