After Remake kept us trapped in Midgar, Rebirth finally opens up the world and it’s massive. Each region feels distinct with its own personality and atmosphere, from grasslands to deserts to mountains. The scale is impressive and exploration feels meaningful, at least at first.
The game looks incredible. Character models are detailed, environments are vibrant, and the attention to detail in each region makes exploration visually rewarding. On PS5 Pro, Versatility mode delivers quality-mode graphics at a smooth 60fps. I only noticed frame drops once or twice during extreme particle effects throughout my entire playthrough.
The music is fantastic. Each zone gets its own remix of the battle theme and they’re all wonderfully done. The way the soundtrack adapts to different regions and combat situations keeps the audio experience fresh across 70 hours.
The story is similar to Remake in that the main plot looks like it will happen in Part 3. Both games feel like they’re ramping up, with the real payoff coming later. The ending raised more questions than it answered. Without spoiling anything, we’re heading into Part 3 with even more mysteries than before. Some threads resolved, new ones opened, and the overall direction feeling uncertain.
The gameplay is a clear step up from Remake. Synergy attacks add strategic depth, letting party members combine abilities in ways that keep fights dynamic and encourage experimentation with different team compositions. I’m also happy to see the whole party finally assembled, even though Cid and Vincent aren’t playable. The character interactions throughout the journey are a highlight, and it was great to see backstories for many of our party members.
The mini games are great too. They’re surprisingly varied, well-polished, and nicely integrated into the world. They help break up the open world activities.
My biggest complaint is pacing. There are too many side quests, too many mini games, too many things to do. The game constantly throws activities at you and it becomes overwhelming. Zone activities get repetitive quickly. You’re doing the same types of tasks in each region, and by later areas it feels like busywork rather than meaningful exploration. The Gongaga region hit especially hard. The pacing issues and repetitive activities made me almost quit for a while.
Sea exploration unlocks in chapter 12 of 14, arriving after you’ve already spent most of your playtime without it. It’s a shame because it’s genuinely impressive. You can sail fully across the map without any loading screens and everything is to scale. But by the time I got there, I was so burned out that I just headed straight to the ending.
Rebirth is a massive step forward from Remake in scope and gameplay, but the pacing issues hold it back. The core experience is strong. Combat improvements, visual presentation, music, and story progression are all excellent. There’s just too much padding between the meaningful moments. Still worth playing, but you have to be prepared to push through some very long, repetitive stretches.