Kotaku's Assessment of Final Fantasy VII Revival

• Exploring beautiful yet harmful world in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: a sequel to the 2020 Remake, releasing on PS5 in 2024.
• Rebirth's narrative: alternate dimensions and crucial moments from the original game.
• Rebirth's gameplay experience: expansive RPG, balance between nostalgia and patience testing.
• Open world exploration with tasks and objectives, similar aesthetics to the original.

Exploring a World of Beauty and Loss in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Escaping a metropolis tainted by unchecked corporate and militaristic dominance, I find myself under an endlessly blue, radiant sky. The rich green grass stretches out infinitely before me, with towering mountains in the distance. I'm immersed in a world teeming with life but also overshadowed by a lurking ghost of harm. This harm is evident in the lives of the people I encounter in the towns I visit, their existence scarred by a history of violence. It's also evident in the aimless, robed remnants of a monstrous military campaign designed to produce the ideal soldier. This world is a paradox of beauty and suffering, and I fear its final days are looming.

Together with a group of individuals I've learned to depend on, I persistently venture deeper into this mysterious, eerie world, driven by the call of an entity I fail to comprehend. As I journey further, things don't pan out as anticipated. My memories seem to betray me as familiar sights morph into something alien. I'm left questioning my identity and the world I thought I knew. Traversing this place becomes an exercise in memory, reinterpretation, and resilience.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: A Riveting Sequel

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, scheduled for release on PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024, is the eagerly awaited second installment of a remake of the legendary 1997 game, Final Fantasy VII, often hailed as one of the best games of all time.

The game continues the legacy of 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, a game celebrated for successfully recreating the initial part of the original game. The Remake's fundamental changes to the original storyline are as equally fraught with danger as they are intriguing.

Rebirth: A Tale within a Tale

Rebirth takes a similar approach, weaving a tale about a story that appears to have already occurred in some alternate dimension or point in time. The game aims to be the most indulgent version of a beloved game. With its coverage of critical moments in the original narrative, this second installment is a crucial make-or-break moment for the trilogy. Rebirth bears the responsibility of validating whether the daring endeavor to remake one of the greatest games ever was worthwhile.

While the storyline is bound to be discussed, debated, celebrated, and criticized for years to come, it's also an enormous fantasy RPG that can provide weeks of entertainment. However, it's advisable to pace yourself to avoid burnout. In my experience playing Rebirth before its release, I found a game that could evoke laughter and tears, send me sailing on a sea of nostalgia, but also test my patience more than I'd like. Overall, Rebirth is a remarkably expansive RPG that I was more than willing to invest my time in, to unravel its intricate narrative, prepare my characters for battle, and reflect on what FF7 has meant to me for nearly three decades.

An Open World as Expansive as the Original

When I first stepped out into the Grasslands region of Rebirth, I wasn't presented with a map laden with numerous objectives. Instead, it was simply the world before me, reminiscent of the original, with points of interest I could explore, and a roaming expanse that bears a close aesthetic similarity to the original.

However, that sense of expansiveness somewhat diminishes once you encounter the loquacious Chadley, the AI cyborg from Remake who assists you in developing materia to cast magic spells and summon god-like beings while inviting you to try out combat challenges. In this installment, Chadley also tasks you with gathering "World Intel" by scanning crystals, climbing towers, battling monsters, and sourcing unique objects. It's as if there isn't a world-ending crisis to avert.

Despite the open-world activities, I managed to complete nearly all of them. While not particularly groundbreaking, the beauty of the world and the company I kept made even mundane tasks enjoyable.

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