Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Ambitious continuation with compelling characters and excellent side activities.

An outstanding, must-play RPG that eclipses Remake in nearly every way. Its standout strengths are the vast, engrossing open environments packed with meaningful activities and addictive mini-games like Queen's Blood, a deeply expanded combat system with new synergy mechanics, a compelling cast with strong character arcs, and a phenomenal soundtrack. The main drawbacks are the lack of materia loadout saving and a final stretch that feels somewhat rushed.

A massive, spectacular sequel that expands hugely on the first remake, pairing an amazing story and refined combat with six sizable open-world zones packed with high-quality side content and mini-games. The graphics impress overall despite some poor textures and lighting in spots, and gripes include occasionally frustrating mini-game inputs and largely linear weapon unlocks. It solidifies itself as a masterpiece and a strong game-of-the-year contender.

Excellent RPG that exceeds the first game with amazing presentation, character work, and ambition despite some difficulty spikes.

A massive, scope-rich sequel that fixes the linearity of Remake with a vast open world, abundant minigames, and the addictive Queen's Blood card game, backed by an exquisite, hundreds-strong soundtrack and top-tier character models. The expanded world building, refined synergy-skill combat, and sheer variety make it one of Square Enix's best in decades. It is held back by the lack of party AI command settings, missing Materia loadouts, Unreal 4 lighting quirks, weak villains, and a divisive, convoluted ending.

GameSpot: worthy second chapter with strong character development and exploration; pacing and story delivery falter in middle chapters.