These moments of world building add to the already outrageous variety of Rebirth. Its topography and biome change drastically from chapter to chapter, bringing not only new vistas, but also new modes of exploration and unique gameplay mechanics. (The battle system is built on the same structure as Remake’s while adding techniques like Synergies, which allow your party members to combine their attacks in different ways.)
I was shocked to discover, midway through the game, a foraging challenge that required carefully easing a mushroom from its root lest I break the head from the stalk and spoil the flavor. This activity appeared only once, for an inconsequential side mission, never to be seen again.
In spite of all this, or perhaps because of it, I found myself missing the simplicity and efficiency of the previous installment, and the original game too. As a teenager playing Final Fantasy VII in my bedroom, I was in awe of the visuals, of the way it depicted a planet in crisis. It was a message that stuck with me, and an important one, considering the real planet I was set to inherit.
I feel implicated, as a player, participating in Rebirth’s fun-filled approach. It seems to recognize a certain truth: Much like in our own lives, there are far too many competing activities to focus on the end goal, no matter how important it may be.
I played more than 70 hours of Rebirth on natural-resource-depleting equipment, displaying the game on an energy-sucking screen while shut up in my climate-controlled home. But I didn’t come away feeling grounded in any of this context. Instead, I remember winning a card tournament, clobbering baddies with finesse, collecting enough Chocobo feathers to finally purchase that rare saddle.
It’s hard to imagine what the end of the world looks like, not until it’s right at your door. Until then, might as well enjoy the games set before us. To do as Barret says upon stepping into the Golden Saucer: “Live it up while you can. Future’s not promised to no one.”
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be released for the PlayStation 5 on Feb. 29.
This review is supported by Critical Minded, an initiative to invest in the work of cultural critics from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
