Final Fantasy VII Rebirth [PC] | REVIEW

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth absolutely blew me away when it released last year, with my review stating that it is ‘simply one of the greatest RPGs that has ever been released’. I still stand by that, even more so after playing through the recent PC version of the game and seeing all of the visual improvements that have somehow made it even BETTER to play.

Honestly, if you’ve been holding off on playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, there’s no better time than now – especially if you have a PC that can handle all of the higher settings.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Picking up where Final Fantasy VII Remake left off, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth follows Cloud and his companions as they venture beyond Midgar in search of Sephiroth, guided by mysterious cloaked figures speaking of a ‘reunion’. While the core plot thread that is followed will be familiar to fans of the original game, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth adds its own twists to make the whole experience all the more compelling, introducing new locations, narrative developments, and unexpected plot changes that’ll keep players on the edge of their seats until the credits roll.

Unlike the more confined structure of its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth embraces an open-world design, allowing players to explore familiar locations like Kalm, Junon, Cosmo Canyon, the Golden Saucer, and more as they move between regions. Each region is vast and teeming with activities, from side quests and secret discoveries to battling monsters and competing mini-games, with more and more to do as you progress. The sheer scale of the world makes the journey feel grander – reinforcing the high stakes of the narrative and the voyage that the party have to embark on – all whilst leaving plenty of room for the player to have enjoyable side endeavours along the way.

Quick shout out to the mini-games too, with the Rocket League-inspired antics with Red XIII a personal favourite. The absolute highlight, though? It’s Queen’s Blood, a deep and addictive card game with its own narrative thread and tantalising card-collecting mechanics. I absolutely adored it, so much so that I’m a little disappointed that Square Enix haven’t done more with it already…

“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was already a masterpiece, but somehow, the PC release makes it even more impressive to play.”

With so much content, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is significantly larger than its predecessor – clearing all side quests and mini-games can take around 65 hours, almost doubling the length this time around. Despite the overwhelming amount of activities, everything is crafted with care, making exploration and gameplay consistently engaging and fun. Even after all that time, I wasn’t ready to leave the world, so getting to enjoy the PC version has been a welcome return to the adventure.

Combat builds upon the solid foundation of Final Fantasy VII Remake, introducing new mechanics and playable characters that enhance the strategic elements of each showdown. Yuffie, Red XIII, and Cait Sith each bring unique playstyles that vary up how battles play out, adding extra variety to each showdown whilst maintaining the excellent foundations that were set in the previous game. The boss battles once again integrate more unique mechanics that make for some absolute spectacles, whilst the new summons offer some jaw-dropping attack sequences that really show off the game’s visual prowess. It all comes together to make for a wonderful battle system that’ll keep players wholly engaged in the non-stop action.

The soundtrack is another triumph, with re-imagined versions of classic tracks blending seamlessly with new compositions. Combined with excellent voice acting, the game’s audio design is top-notch, with plenty to appreciate for both new players and those who’ve heard some of the songs so many times before.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Ok, so you probably understand why I love Final Fantasy VII Rebirth so much, and why I awarded it a 10/10 in my original review. However, with the PC release, it’s even better than before – if you’ve got a PC powerful enough to take advantage of some of its improved graphical options, that is.

With the game looking absolutely stunning at the higher settings and offering a frame rate of up to 120fps, it’s simply staggering just how gorgeous it looks and plays – especially at a 4k resolution. I thought the game looked incredible on the PlayStation 5, but seeing all the fancy bells and whistles in full flow has made its world all the more wonderful to be a part of. Of course, it comes with the caveat that you need a powerful enough PC to take advantage of this, but the lower settings can be just as impressive if you do need to bring things down a little for your own rig. The port is solid too, with no issues found at all when playing so far, with my playtime on PC currently hitting the 25-hour mark.

Oh, and Steam Deck players? You can get in on the action too, with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launching as a ‘Verified’ release. And you know what? It actually holds up quite well. Sure, you’ll be locked to 30fps (which can drop at times) and there’ll be a dynamic resolution that can see the visual prowess vary between areas, but the fact that the adventure can be experienced handheld is nothing short of remarkable. I’d always recommend playing on a big screen where possible, but it has still left me very impressed.

Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5
Website: https://ffvii.square-enix-games.com/en-gb/games/rebirth