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FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH is the second game in a trilogy, which are remakes, of Final Fantasy 7 - an all time favourite of fans. Square Enix has done us fans justice, and done FF7 justice in my honest opinion. Yes there are some changes to the story but, also IMO, these are much needed story changes to make the game BETTER and much more enjoyable.
I have played over 200 hours of this on my PS5, completed it to 100% and still to this date I crave more. It is a colossal undertaking for us competitionist's so below I am going to give some advice on the game and a small disclaimer, so let's get to it!
This review is MY opinion, MY own personal experience and MY thoughts. I am brutally honest when it comes to reviewing games. If you do not like my opinion, my time or respect my personal experience, please move on.

Some Advice

If you are a completionist like me you might be looking at FF7 Rebirth and saying to yourself "This will take to much time" - yes that is true, it will take about 70-120 hours to 100%, but please do not be put off. If you are a NEW player to the FF games, then again - you might be overwhelmed beyond belief with how much information you need to soak in.
⚫It's not a race. Please don't rush. If you rush the story or content you will be overwhelmed and at times just feel burnt out. This is a game you can play for months.
⚫Take the time to read the tutorials, they are there for a reason to help you understand what to do, how to achieve your goals and the amount of information is bountiful!
⚫If you are struggling with a mini-game, take a break. Try another mini-game or progress the story a little. It's always nice to take a step back for a bit.
⚫For your first time playing, please don't skip the cutscenes. At times you might be lost if you do or wondering "what just happened?". You can always hold in RT on a controller to skip it 1.5x or 2x speed, which is AMAZING.
⚫ Please play the first part as FF7 Rebirth is the SECOND part of a trilogy. You will be confused, lost and overwhelmed by how much you need to soak in and the story will make no sense if you havent played the first part.
⚫ If you want you can use MAP GENIE's interactive map online to find locations, items and quests. This is REALLY REALLY helpful. Especially if you have already completed the game like me (or you are new and just want to know where things are haha)

No more exclusives!!

Square Enix has also confirmed that they are no longer making console exclusives which is a MASSIVE win for us!! The only thing that is killing SE is SE itself and with this change, it might just come back from failure. Read about it yourself below:
https://www.gamereactor.eu/square-enix-producer-confirms-the-end-of-playstation-exclusivity-for-final-fantasy-games-1473953/#:~:text=In%20a%20recent%20interview%20with,exclusivity%20for%20its%20blockbuster%20franchises.

Pros

⚫ The PC launch of FF7 Rebirth comes with Improved lighting, enhanced visuals, DuelSense Wireless controller support (which I USE AND LOVE!!!), Nvidia DLSS functionality - which is fantastic, several graphics options for you to choose from, 4K 120 FPS (which is a little broken right now), improved mouse and keyboard support (I would not recommend M+KB).
⚫The animations for each character are amazing. Each character moves so fluently with each ability cast, with each movement made. It is really refreshing to see such detail nowadays with all these failed AAA games.
⚫ The new abilities - synergies - are amazing. Each one is done to perfection and makes the team feel more alive and bonded together. Now there's no more me leaving a party member doing nothing and only using one member for an entire fight.
⚫ The graphics are gorgeous. The characters, enemies, world... all of which look visually stunning and at times photo-realistic. Worthy of a postcard. I mean, look at this scene from the start of the game: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3416827391
⚫ The world is full of gorgeous locations for you to find and explore, with your trusted chocobo sidekick at your side, you get to explore a huge open world map that is just filled with life and vibrant locations.
⚫ The music is just... amazing. We all know that Final Fantasy has 10/10 music, Final Fantasy 7 is no exception. This is one of my favourite soundtracks from any final fantasy game.
⚫ The audio is also done to perfection. The sounds of each different ability cast, each different enemies movement, the Voice acting... everything is done to perfection.
⚫ If you are wanting a game that will last, countless hours, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has tonnes of side content and mini-games. All of which you can do at your own leisure. You are NOT forced to do or complete any of them at any point but this can sometimes sidetrack you from the main story for hours, which is why I am going to list this in Cons also.
⚫ If you have ever forgotten how to play anyone, the combat simulator from chadley has you covered, and it rewards you with materia. This is amazing as I know lot's of people waited almost a year to play and FF7 remake missed some REALLY needed tutorials at times.
⚫ The story is amazing from start to finish. i have played it on my PS5 before pc and its just heartbreaking, beautiful, unforgettable, and funny, and at times it will break your heart and almost make you cry. Sorry, I am not going to mention why.

Cons

⚫ If you are wanting a game that will last, countless hours, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has tonnes of side content and mini-games. All of which you can do at your own leisure. You are NOT forced to do or complete any of them at any point but this can sometimes sidetrack you from the main story for hours so the player might be feeling lost at times if you focus on side content and mini-games
⚫ The exploration can be to much to handle at times because just like the "con" listed above, this can deter the player from the main story quests for hours, which can sometimes make you forget what had just happened or where you were going
⚫One of the issues I have seen mentioned is the - loading screen issue - which I have encountered a few times personally. I moved my game to a faster SSD that I own and so far - no issue whatsoever with this but I thought I'd mention it as it IS still an issue
⚫When I play on 120 FPS my PC seems to have issues with the game, not bad issues but I get some lighting issues and a TINY bit of "freezing" when I load into a new area. I fixed this by playing on 60FPS, ever since I lowered my FPS no issue whatsoever

My Verdict

As a fan of the original Final Fantasy 7 story, Square Enix has done it justice. From every little detail to the "remake". Everything has been improved but, not ruined either. This is how you win the hearts of your fans. This is how you do a remake while keeping it true to it's roots (and adding in new content).
To any NEW player, this is worth every single penny but PLEASE, PLEASE play Final Fantasy 7 Intergrade Remake first (EG - the first part). FF7 Rebirth might be overwhelming for you, you might feel lost, confused as to the story - that is because it's part 2 of a trilogy.

9/10!! A fantastic remake and PC port. True to the original while adding in new content. It would be a 10/10 but there are some issues that need fixed first