Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second game in Square Enix’s remake project based on the 1997 role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. It was released for PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024, and later for Windows on January 23, 2025. The project retells the original story across multiple games, expanding its characters and locations rather than reproducing the 1997 game as a single release.

Rebirth begins after Cloud Strife and his companions leave Midgar. Cloud is a former soldier who now works with the eco-resistance group Avalanche. The party includes Tifa Lockhart, Barret Wallace, Aerith Gainsborough, Red XIII, and, as the journey progresses, Yuffie Kisaragi and Cait Sith. Their pursuit of Sephiroth, a former SOLDIER with a catastrophic plan, takes them across the Planet. The game’s story reaches the Forgotten Capital, a major location in the original game, while making changes that distinguish this version of events.

The world is organized around large regions that players can explore on foot or with vehicles and creatures such as Chocobos. Early areas include the Grasslands, where the group visits Kalm and the swamplands, and the Junon region, home to the military port city of Junon. Other destinations include Costa del Sol, the Gold Saucer, Cosmo Canyon, and Nibelheim. Exploration combines story missions with local requests, region-specific activities, and encounters that reveal more about the people living there.

Combat uses real-time movement alongside commands that pause the action for tactical choices. Characters build ATB charges by attacking and can spend them on abilities, spells, or items. Rebirth develops the remake’s combat system with Synergy Abilities and Synergy Skills: paired characters can coordinate attacks or defensive moves, and certain combinations unlock powerful shared techniques. Players can switch between party members, each with distinct weapons and combat roles.

The Gold Saucer provides a substantial change of pace from the main quest. Its attractions include Chocobo racing, the 3D Brawler arcade game, and Queen’s Blood, a card game played on a three-lane board. Queen’s Blood also appears outside the amusement park, with opponents encountered across the wider world. These activities are optional, but they give the journey recurring diversions and connect the player with characters beyond the central conflict.

Directed by Naoki Hamaguchi, Rebirth was developed by Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit I. Its score, composed by Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki with other contributors, reworks familiar themes alongside new music. The game received broad critical acclaim, particularly for its combat, world design, and character interactions. It was nominated for several awards, including The Game Awards’ 2024 Game of the Year.