"Final Fantasy 7's" release on the original PlayStation in 1997 completely changed the face of console role-playing games. The genre had seen massive success in Japan, but it took "FF7's" cinematic storytelling to launch it into worldwide popularity.

Roughly 23 years later, the first of a three-part "Remake" series (capital "R," mind you) launched to substantial success on the PS4 in the early days of the pandemic. And as of February 29, 2024, we finally get to experience the dark middle chapter with "Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth" on PS5. Will the iconic scene actually take place again, or is something new going to happen? We need to know.

OpenCritic has over 80 reviews counted for this brand new game with a "Mighty" average score of 93/100. The first "Remake" game was able to reach an 88/100 average, which is very positive, but we're happy to see an even warmer reception this time around. Now, let's get into the details to see what critics really have to say.

It's delivering on the promise Square Enix made

"Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" impressively builds off of what "Remake" set in motion as both a best-in-class action-RPG full of exciting challenge and depth, and as an awe-inspiring recreation of a world that has meant so much to so many for so long. After 82 hours to finish the main story and complete a decent chunk of sidequests and optional activities, there's still much to be done, making this pivotal section of the original feel absolutely massive. Minigames, sidequests, and other enticing diversions fill the spaces of its vast and sprawling regions, painting a new and more vivid picture of these familiar locations. But more than just being filled with things to do, Rebirth is often a powerful representation of "Final Fantasy VII's" most memorable qualities. It does fumble the execution of its ending, getting caught up in the mess of its multiple twisting timelines, but new moments and the overarching journey manage to evoke a deeper sense of reflection in spite of that. So, for as flawed as parts of how this classic has been reimagined might be, "Rebirth" still stands out as something both thrilling and unexpectedly impactful.

[IGN]

"Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth" somehow manages to spin multiple plates without smashing any of them. It's over-the-top serious when it wants to be, and it's utterly absurd in the next moment. Great "Final Fantasy" games have always managed to walk this line, and it's a testament to how the brand has stayed relevant for decades on end.

[Destructoid]

Why the heck is the performance mode so dang blurry though?

Rebirth is mostly in good shape based on what we can show you, though I do wish the image quality issues in performance mode had been addressed in a different manner. Solving whatever bugbear is causing a softer-than-expected image should be top-of-mind here, as the scaling solution Square-Enix has gone with is unsatisfactory in my opinion. More drastically, a shift to something like FSR 2 for upsampling might be an effective choice, especially if it was paired with camera motion blur to hide some of its visual artifacts in motion. At a minimum, I would like to see an option to toggle between the scaling modes.

[Digital Foundry]

Performance mode, on the other hand, prioritizes a smoother gameplay experience with a velvety 60 frames per second by sacrificing some visual fidelity. The only issue here has been how blurry the textures can be. It extends everywhere, but for example, looking at your party's faces is especially jarring. Square Enix did release a pre-launch (day one) patch that improves upon the quality of graphical assets in performance mode as well as overall frame rate stability. Even so, I don't know that I've seen much of a difference. The faces are a bit better, but still not of the highest quality.

[Gaming Trend]

There is so much crammed in here, maybe too much

This is the theme of "FF7 Rebirth:" it tries to do absolutely everything and tries to please everyone. That means that there's inevitably something here for absolutely everyone. Fans can enjoy a nostalgia trip and intriguing new developments. Newcomers and "Remake" fans can immerse themselves in one of the most charismatic worlds and casts in video game history for the first time, and probably be baffled by some of what's going on. There's loads to love, and it's a truly magical experience.

But all that stuff also means that it's the definition of a bloated game. I don't mean that in that 2010s Ubisoft open world icon vomit way - this is a game with far more craft than that. It's inevitable when you do so much that some things are going to struggle to land or mesh. The fact that this game is so expansive and as much of it works as it does actually feels a bit like a miracle on par with that of the wild success of the original "FF7." ""Rebirth" feels like a culmination of over two decades of work for a certain set of Square Enix developers — people whose careers track from the original "FF7" through "FF8," "FF10," "FF13," the aborted "Versus" turned "FF15" and to "Remake" and now this. "Rebirth" feels like the natural conclusion of that journey.

[VG247]

"More" is a double-edged sword around these parts though. For the increase in scenarios to better realize these characters, there's also a familiar bloat in the narrative and design of "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth," which carries over from "Remake" before it. A number of decisions made, particularly in the final chapters, are head scratchers that call into question whether "Final Fantasy VII," a game that is pretty compact despite fitting in a lot, really needed to be expanded so indiscriminately. But the question of necessity when revisiting a work like this is hard to weigh objectively. What works for me might not work for another and vice versa, and faithfulness can be as much of a boon as it is a crutch.

Additionally, restraining oneself from remixing the series of events as we know it might feel like a waste of the point of this undertaking. And how we as players and fans choose to view the objectives of the remake trilogy colors the answer to that question too. Is it the responsibility of the thing to honor the original as much as it possibly can, or should it stick by its guns and function as a reexamination of the source text's failures and successes set against a story of characters defying the predetermined fates they and the dying planet are hurtling to? "Rebirth" can't entirely seem to make up its mind about this, and tries to have its cake and eat it too. There's more to ponder about "Rebirth" and with more questions comes more burden on it to come up with meaningful answers it doesn't feel entirely prepared to offer.

[Paste]

TL;DR

While some open-world content skirts the edges, and the game's main narrative is left somewhat deflated, the time spent with Aerith, Tifa and the gang makes this a hugely enjoyable road trip you'll be playing for hundreds of hours.

[VGC]

Chemistry between characters continues to shine, improvements to side-content ensure that the original's step-out moment is one worth taking, and combat remains Square Enix's most compelling blend of modern action and active time battle heritage.

[GamesRadar]

But in this deep sea of an RPG, I was thrilled by the action and the tactics, brought to emotional highs and lows through its characters, and found myself with an even greater love of "FF7," the original and this return, than I thought was possible.

[Kotaku]

Need something to tide you over on your PS1 nostalgia? Give the "Tomb Raider" remasters a look-see.

[Image: Square Enix]