Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gained no scarcity of acclaim in 2024, racking up accolades from critics and followers alike and continually showing in Game of the Year discussions. I’ve seen lots of people name it a ten/10, however the surplus of positivity additionally makes any criticisms which can be comparatively widespread stand out much more. Whether somebody’s qualifying that the sport is not fairly excellent of their eyes or trashing it altogether, essentially the most frequent level of grievance tends to be the over-abundance of mini-games.
While I had lots of enjoyable with FF7 Rebirth, it is admittedly not amongst my prime few favorites from final yr, and its improbable heights are accompanied by loads of sticking factors in my thoughts. That relative skepticism would possibly alienate me from the frequent discussions of the sport’s perfection, nevertheless it’s additionally made me all of the extra stymied by the crucial give attention to the mini-games. Although I can in the end perceive why they don’t seem to be all to everybody’s style, I’m greater than keen to argue that the wealth of mini-games serves as certainly one of FF7 Rebirth‘s sturdy factors regardless of some minor failings.
FF7 Rebirth’s Mini-Games Create More Variety
Far From Rebirth’s Most Monotonous Element
Everyone could have totally different opinions on what feels tedious in a online game, and slugging it out with Sephiroth in FF7 Rebirth‘s 3D Brawler mini-game can actually really feel extra tiresome than the subtle major fight system. Despite the give attention to mini-games, nevertheless, there’s nonetheless an enormous distinction in saturation. If you are finishing all of the aspect content material obtainable in Rebirth, you are going to spend way more time battling monsters than mastering challenges at the Gold Saucer, and that is trying on the lump sum. On a person degree, even essentially the most incessantly deployed mini-games comprise solely a minor fraction of the Rebirth expertise.

Related
Every Costa Del Sol Minigame In FF7 Rebirth, Ranked Least To Most Fun
FF7 Rebirth presents rather a lot to do in Costa del Sol, however though all may be entertaining, some actions find yourself being much more memorable than others.
In my eyes, breaking apart the relentless onslaught of typical fight encounters is likely one of the greatest issues an RPG can do, and this flexibility is lots of what made the unique FF7 so great. While I typically tire of frequent random encounters in JRPGs of the period, particularly in video games with out strategically fascinating battle techniques, FF7 persistently shifts gears every time there is a danger of extra repetition. From squats to snowboarding, the mini-games did lots of the heavy lifting, and parts just like the submarine sequence really feel shut to completely separate video games airdropped into the RPG.
FF7 Rebirth ideas the scales a bit, admittedly, and the midsection of the sport begins to really feel prefer it’s breaking apart the mini-games with common gameplay relatively than the opposite manner round. As far as gameplay pacing goes, it nonetheless would not trouble me, since you’re by no means caught doing precisely one factor for too lengthy at a time. Costa del Sol’s mini-game extravaganza would not pressure the celebration to slog by way of the capturing gallery for hours on finish. Instead, it bounces the characters between vastly totally different challenges that vary from a Cactuar scavenger hunt to a Rocket League-style soccer showdown.
Mini-Games Shake Up The Challenge In FF7 Rebirth
Difficulty Across Multiple Axes
The different grievance I are inclined to see about FF7 Rebirth‘s mini-games is that their problem may be annoying, particularly when going for completionism. I get the speculation behind this, and I’ve actually been annoyed by mechanical shake-ups with seemingly unfair calls for in different video games. While I completely enjoyed playing Dragonyhm earlier this yr, some shaky platforming mechanics that appeared abruptly close to the tip annoyed me way over Super Meat Boy ever did.
There’s no purpose why all of FF7 Rebirth‘s hardest challenges ought to want to evolve to at least one algorithm.
Rebirth‘s mini-games aren’t particularly punishing, although, at the least to not a level that exceeds different necessities for a completionist playthrough. Playing each piano tune with out lacking a observe might be grueling, however the recreation solely requests constant A-ranks for completion, and even the hardest challenges just like the Crunch-Off had been all properly inside my grasp. The messy twin boss fights on Gilgamesh Island, then again, provided me a a lot much less clear and compelling path to mastery regardless of current inside a extra conventional scope of the sport’s challenges.

Related
FF7 Rebirth Brings Back Remake’s Toughest Encounter (& It’s Not Even A Boss)
The most tough challenges in FF7 Rebirth are sometimes not those that seem within the greatest story moments, and one specifically may be brutal.
I in the end discover the number of challenges in FF7 Rebirth to be way more refreshing than irritating, and I do not suppose there’s something incorrect with making adaptability part of the sport’s path to perfection. There’s room to debate whether or not each mini-game is mechanically refined sufficient to flee criticism, however there isn’t any purpose why all of FF7 Rebirth‘s hardest challenges ought to want to evolve to at least one algorithm.
My One Complaint With Mini-Games Goes Beyond Them
FF7 Rebirth Doesn’t Always Nail The Tone
FF7 Rebirth‘s greatest battle with mini-games comes right down to its narrative strategy relatively than any gameplay aspect. The unique FF7 has a wildly inconsistent tone, however the agility with which it weaves from comedy to tragedy retains it balanced on a tightrope. FF7 Rebirth, then again, sometimes loses its sense of gravitas in its quest for leisure.

Related
28 Years Ago, Final Fantasy 7 Developers Accidentally Made The Best Argument For FF7 Remake
Almost 30 years in the past, the builders of Final Fantasy 7 wished to do one thing that would not be doable till the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.
Costa del Sol and the Gold Saucer had been already enjoyable diversions within the unique recreation, however FF7 Rebirth makes so many tweaks round them that the grunginess of the world and the load of its themes begin to slip away. It does add some emotionally heavy new materials, to its credit score, however these insertions are nonetheless surrounded by extra glitz and glamor than ever. Part of that is actually the fault of the prolonged give attention to mini-games, however extra of the blame may be attributed to an edited depiction of the world itself.
A cargo ship turns into a celebration cruise, Corel Prison turns into a hub of high-energy legal exercise, and Corel Desert trades mystery away in favor of banal checklists. More mini-games are crammed into all these areas, however the necessity to punch up each space into an leisure manufacturing unit is the supply of the true drawback.
When I take into consideration content material that I discover tiresome in Final Fantasy Rebirth, the generic duties that fill the open zones spring to thoughts, not the number of mini-games on provide. You’re free to disregard these checklists, in fact, however their very inclusion basically alters the construction of the sport in their very own manner, making it tougher to understand the sense of journey, exploration, and shock that characterised the unique recreation. Offered the selection to activate one other Remnawave Tower or slam down one other card in Queen’s Blood, no quantity of mini-game oversaturation will make me select something however the latter.

- Released
-
February 29, 2024
- ESRB
-
T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
-
Square Enix
- Engine
-
Unreal Engine 4
Leave a Reply