Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
After about 20 unfinished hours, Rebirth has delivered wonderful characters, a strong story, and satisfying combat—but frequent crashes, visual glitches, open-world emptiness, and too much padding keep breaking its momentum. These scores remain provisional until the main story is finished.
Play 8.0Family 7.0The review
This is a progress review, not a final verdict. I am about 20 hours into the main story after playing Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, with Xenoblade in between. Roughly three quarters of my time has been docked and one quarter handheld. The 8.0 score reflects the game as I have actually experienced it so far, and I will revisit it after finishing the story.
Rebirth opens into a beautiful world, but moving through it can feel strangely unnatural. Large stretches look inviting without always feeling meaningfully occupied. I still enjoy wandering, and the side quests have generally been good, but neither the exploration nor the optional work has consistently reached greatness.
The characters, story, and combat are the reasons I keep coming back. The party is easy to care about, the main story is genuinely good, and fighting feels responsive and rewarding. Combat is also a little too complicated for this stage of my life. With children and family interruptions, there are enough overlapping systems that returning to the game can take more mental effort than I want. Remake struck a better balance for me.
The main story is strong without feeling as tight as Remake. Too much filler sits between its best moments, and actions such as holding a button to slowly move an object feel out of place. They do not add weight; they interrupt the pace. Even with those frustrations, the sale price was absolutely worthwhile, especially for a first-time player. I am enjoying the journey—I just wish the game would trust its strongest material and get out of its own way.
The family check
So far, Rebirth has been easier to share with children than Remake because roaming the brighter world is less dark and oppressive. The official Teen rating remains the safest baseline, but selected stretches can work for younger viewers when a parent is actively playing, correcting language, and turning the game off when a scene is not appropriate. A four-year-old may love watching Cloud fight monsters; that does not make the whole game suitable for an unsupervised four-year-old.
- Violence: Frequent fantasy combat includes swords, guns, magic, blood, and large monsters. The fighting has been easier to share than the darker material in Remake, but the Teen rating still matters.
- Language: Some profanity has required immediate correction while children were present. Adults should expect to explain it or pause the game.
- Character design: Some revealing or suggestive character designs and scenes have been uncomfortable with children watching. The ESRB also lists Mild Suggestive Themes.
- Supervision: Exploration and ordinary battles can be manageable for many children with a parent present, but an adult should be ready to skip scenes or turn the game off.