Game Column] Once you start playing, you can't stop! Two months of service and the spirit of entertainment in "FINAL FANTASYVII REBIRTH" overwhelmed me.

I myself got this game on the day of its release and started playing it. I thought I would just clear the game quickly and write a review, but after a few hours of playing, I found myself thinking, "This is not a game I can play quickly.

I was astonished to see that "this is not a game that can be played in a jiffy. ......!"

I was astonished. It is true that I could have written a review that only followed the main story and traced the surface of the game if I wanted to.

However, the game "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH" cannot tell you even 10% of its charms just by following the main storyline alone. Rather, the true enjoyment of the game cannot be expressed without fully playing through the subquests and various other elements. That is how I felt.

As it turns out, my intuition was not mistaken at all. This game far surpassed the level of a mere remake of a retro game, and was so voluminous, colorful, and emotional an entertainment masterpiece that I would be justified in calling it the strongest J-RPG of the moment.

I would like to talk about this work, which brings back memories of the first time I played "FINAL FANTASY VII" 27 years ago when I was a high school student and was shocked by the game.

It is a fundamentally different game from "FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE!

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, the first title in the "FINAL FANTASY VII" (hereinafter referred to as "FFVII") remake project, was a game in which the story unfolded in the iconic "FFVII" metropolis of Midgar.

When the original "FFVII" was released on PlayStation in 1997, one of the hooks of "FFVII" was the ability to walk around the trashy city, which was depicted in state-of-the-art 3DCG at the time, as evidenced by the focus on the description of Midgal.

In the original, the story in Midgar was only about one-fifth or one-sixth of the total volume, but in "REMAKE," the story there was expanded and the characters and worldview were delved into, making it an independent game, but the downside of this was that the overall style of the game became heavy-handed. (This is apart from the fun of the game!). ).

The game is certainly interesting, and the storyline is developed with new elements while delving further into the original storyline, so as a fan, I enjoyed playing the game very much, but it is true that I could not shake off the impression of a sense of stagnation.

I was perfectly satisfied with the game, and my personal impression is that "REMAKE" is a good game in the sense that it raises the resolution of my memories of that time. Therefore, I started playing "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH," the second game in the remake project, with the feeling that I would be able to enjoy the next game as a confirmation of my memories (in other words, I did not have such high expectations), but my earlier relaxed feelings were soon blown away. The land stretches out to the end of the world.

The land stretches out forever. Quests and activities scattered everywhere. The new "parkour" system allows you to ascend and descend wherever you think you can go. The entire field spread out before you is an adventurous area.

Hey, hey, hey! What is this evolution? Whereas the previous game was set in a limited urban space, with all these fields that were stifling and lacking in freedom, this game is the exact opposite! This time, on the contrary, it is filled with a shockingly liberating sense of freedom and freedom, where you can go anywhere you see that you can go.

The Grasland area is grasslands, wilderness, marshlands and the "Missouri Mine. The Junon area is a military city that bears the scars of a former war. In the Gongaga area, the jungle spreads out, and in the Korel area, there is a resort in the midst of mines and deserts. Traveling from one world to the next is like being in a road movie. It makes you want to go on and on, wondering what new places you will get to explore.

Moreover, no two areas have the same terrain. This makes every landscape fresh and makes you want to walk around the world more and more.

In reality, the game is not an open world, as the field is divided into different areas, but each area is more than large enough to walk around on foot. The game offers a variety of landscapes, including wilderness, grasslands, deserts, and bodies of water, that will delight your eyes. In addition, there are ruins and abandoned villages that can be said to be scars of the war, reminding us of the lives of the people who lived there before the war. Not only is it irresistible for those who are fans of ruins, but it is also fun to discover hidden items hidden in such places.

In addition, there are many materia (crystallized energy that travels around the stars) and summoned beast information hidden in the field, which are inscribed with the history and information of each area. By collecting this information, players will gain a deeper understanding of the world they are adventuring in.

The towns and villages in each area are also very well developed. The stores are full of character, and the residents move and talk realistically, as if they were actually living there. It is a surprise that just wandering around the city is so enjoyable. It is as exciting as strolling aimlessly through the streets of a travel destination.

The main character, Cloud, is a "jack-of-all-trades" and is asked to do jobs by various people in various places. By conquering these subquests, he can not only get a glimpse into the lives of city dwellers, but also obtain rare items through the extermination of unknown monsters. This allows the player to enjoy the behind-the-scenes aspects of the game that cannot be fully covered by simply following the main storyline.

By picking up these elements, you will be able to enjoy the world and story of "FFVII" more deeply. ...... will make it impossible not to play "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH".

The mini-games are of extraordinary quality. The mini-games at the "Gold Saucer" amusement facility and the "Costa del Sol" resort town, both of which existed in the original game, are of a level of quality that allows them to be enjoyed as stand-alone games, and once you get into them, the time will melt away as you aim for a high score.

The competitive card game "Queen's Blood," newly introduced in this title, could be developed as a standard TCG! The game is so well made that it could be developed as a regular TCG! It is really well made, and I would like to see it developed as a real TCG!

If you want to walk around the city, roam the field from corner to corner, savor the sub-stories, and play through the mini-games, you will inevitably spend more and more time playing ....... It is surprising, however, that the game never seems redundant, even though no matter how far you dig, you can never see the bottom.

'Come on, play more in this world! Look, there are more fun events over here! I could say that it was as if the game kept pulling my arm out of the game and saying, "Please, let's stop here today. Please, let me stop here today! I think I spent a lot of time playing the game, shouting in my heart, "Just a little more..." and playing for longer and longer periods of time.

Looking back, I think it was inevitable that "REMAKE" had a certain cramped style in that the story had to be prioritized as an introduction to "FFVII. In contrast, I can now say that "REBIRTH," in which the main characters have been introduced, the story is in full swing, and the stage has expanded to a global scale, was the true form of the "FFVII" remake project.

It would be a pity if they had been able to present this level of detail in the "REMAKE" stage (see ......), but I think "FFVII" is what it is because of the initial sense of stagnation, so I guess it's a bit of a sore spot.

Easier-to-play battles

The "FFVII" remake project has been updated with action-RPG style battles. The previous game had a good system that combined speedy action with command battle-like playability, and we are glad to see that the number of characters that can be controlled in "Rebirth" has increased, making it possible to enjoy a wider variety of battles.

The four characters from the previous game, Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, and Barrett, can still be controlled. In addition, Yuffie, Red XIII, and Ket Shee will be controllable from this title.

Yuffie's combination of melee combat and long-range attacks using shurikens and ninjutsu is extremely powerful, and Red XIII's furious rush after activating his Revenge Gauge, which accumulates after a successful guard, is a great feeling. Ket-See's tricky combat with Mowgli is a delight, and his individuality has been emphasized even more.

Each character has its own unique actions, which may give the impression that it is difficult to learn how to fight one by one. However, when entering commands, the game is in wait mode, where time passes very slowly, so you can visually select commands and decide what to do while considering your strategy, This makes it possible for those who are not good at action to fight calmly. On the other hand, if you are good at action and want to fight fast and furious, you can set the game to be speedy, allowing you to play according to your preferred style.

Also new to this title is the "linkage" feature. When the conditions are met, two battle members can use "Linking Abilities" or "Linking Actions" to launch powerful attacks simultaneously. Some of these actions can also affect the characters' intimacy, so it is possible to play with an awareness of the characters you want to be close to, such as by having them link up with each other .......

In the previous game, the characters acted individually in the battle scenes, but this time, thanks to the coordination, you can feel the relationship between the characters more clearly. The game system is speedy and powerful, and players who place importance on the relationship between characters will be tempted to perform coordinated moves over and over again to enjoy the tag-team action between their favorite characters. The fantasy of ......, where party members are able to work together after overcoming numerous obstacles and strengthening their bonds, is also very much in progress.

I feel that the range of ways to enjoy battles has expanded even further.

Personally, I feel that Yuffie's strength has helped me a lot. He is strong in melee combat with many moves, but he has also saved me many times with his attribute ninjutsu attack after throwing a shuriken at an enemy.

We hope you will find your favorite character and give it a try.

High-end CG and voice acting add depth to the drama!

Let me also mention the storyline.

This remake covers the period from the escape from Midgar to the end of DISC 1 (the original PlayStation version was a 3-disc CD-ROM set). This means that many of you may be wondering what Aerith's tragic fate will be in the new version (......), but that will be a secret until you actually play the game.

The story will continue into the third remake project with various possibilities hinted at, so please let us play the rest of the story soon! That is the point.

If I were to touch on something else, it would be the combination of the photo-realistic CG character acting and the voice actors' realistic performances, which together create a very emotional experience.

In the original "FFVII," the story was told solely through the acting of coarse polygonal characters and text. Of course, this was a very enjoyable production method unique to the time that allowed the viewer to read between the lines and stimulated the imagination, but this work, thanks to its thoroughly crafted visuals and authentic acting, depicts many scenes that are as compelling as if one were watching a movie.

Particularly chilling were the scenes in which Cloud and Aerith try to solve the mystery of the memory discrepancies between them and their conversations. The discrepancies between their memories and the answers to them are one of the interesting aspects of the story in "FFVII," and the disturbing atmosphere created between them and the heavy-handed performances by the voice actors that bring it to life made me feel the intensity of a suspense movie.

As a father of a child, I couldn't help but weep with sympathy for Barrett's drama surrounding his daughter Marin and the episode between Red XIII and her father, and Aerith, who is usually cheerful but has had an unfortunate half-life, sometimes shows her true face. It was as if the characters were actually living there.

This is undoubtedly the result of the combination of the thoroughly crafted characterization, visuals, and voice acting. This is something that the original "FFVII" could not do.

If what was technically impossible in the original version is this deepening of the drama, then at this point, the remake project is a great success! If what was technically impossible in the original version was the deepening of the drama, then the remake project was a great success!

In addition, Soldier Zachs, who was not explored much in the original version, plays an important role in this film. Likewise, the relationship between Vincent and Turks, which was not explored that thoroughly in the original version, is also a highlight of the film. Both have been depicted in spin-off films, and it appears that elements of both have been incorporated in this film.

Is this remake project an attempt to summarize the "FFVII" series, which has been developed under various titles? We look forward to the development of the third title in this series.

Finally, I would like to mention Vincent and Cid, who appeared as playable characters in the original version. Although these two characters join the cast of the film, they are only support characters and cannot be controlled by the player. This may be disappointing for fans of both characters, but it is true that if there were more playable characters in this game system, it would be difficult to control them all. ......

Also, Vincent attacks with a gun and Cid attacks with a spear (long weapon), which is rather similar to other characters, so it would have been difficult to change the battle action.

However, both characters play important roles in the story, so I guess we will just have to put up with it for the time being .......

After playing through the game, I don't have the impression that any particular character didn't stand out ......, so I think the characters are very well balanced.

Oh, that's right. I would like to mention that the Ferris wheel event at the Gold Saucer, which must not be forgotten when talking about "FFVII," is also included in the game. In the original version, the intimacy level of each character was set as a hidden parameter, but in this game, the intimacy level of each character can be checked at the touch of a button. This intimacy level goes up and down depending on the results of conversation events that occur during the story, the frequency of use of coordinated actions, and other factors. Depending on the level of intimacy, the characters who appear in the events in the latter half of the story and the date event on the Ferris wheel will change. If you want to spend a romantic moment with the character you are looking for, you should pay attention to the level of liking.

By the way, I enjoyed a sweet moment with Red XIII. No, I think this is a pretty good scene, so I have no complaints. I don't have any complaints about it. ......

For those of you who didn't get to have that kind of date event with the character you were looking for, don't worry. Once you clear the game, a mode will be added that allows you to redo the game chapter by chapter, so you will be able to redo elements you missed the first time you played or events that increased your liking for the game. Such user-friendly specifications are also a delight.

For those who haven't played the first game "REMAKE" yet, the story will be available for review! For those who haven't played the first "REMAKE" yet, a digest video is also included to review the story. At any rate, this title is truly a comprehensive entertainment in which you can enjoy the human drama by freely manipulating the fascinating characters in the magnificent worldview and the meticulously crafted maps! It is the ultimate form of the "cinematic game" that the "FINAL FANTASY" series has long been aiming for. The two months I spent immersed in the world of "FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH" were the happiest I have ever spent.

I sincerely hope that all game lovers will experience this happiness. I sincerely hope that all game lovers will experience this happiness.

Title Information
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH
Genre: RPG
Platform: PlayStation5
Now on sale
Price: 9,878 yen (including tax)
Official website: #
Official SNS: #

(C) SQUARE ENIX
CHARACTER DESIGN: TETSUYA NOMURA / ROBERTO FERRARI LOGO ILLUSTRATION:(C) YOSHITAKA AMANO