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Beaten FF7 Rebirth.
Such a hard game to judge, on one hand it's amazing what they've done and on the other so many little things, much like in Remake add up to bring the game down. It is so very close to a 10/10, they improved so much over Remake, the music which is a feat, the side content which is a bit bloated but really fun and it's up to you if you want to engage, even the combat and itemization is better but they just can't seem to cohesively make the game work and fall into the same poor design choices as Remake. First 70% of the game is damn near perfect, everything moves fluidly and it's all paced so well that doing side content is fun to engage with and feels natural to do while progressing the story, a masterstroke but towards the end it breaks down for many reasons but one in particular, the game drags much like Remake, I had to take a break and play something else to refresh during the latter half so something was clearly off.
What needs to be improved for part 3 and reasons this game isn't a ten for me although it so very well could have been:
***Spoilers ahead maybe***
- A common design language between mini games, genre bending works in games like Neir Automata or Dave the Diver because there is a cohesive language that allows the player to instantly or at least easily move into a new "mini game" without have to learn a new set of deep mechanics. My heart sank when I came across some of the protorelic mini games and I choose to give up with Robots and Gambits and having to learn yet another set of fairly deep mechanics, although I really wanted to see the conclusion to the story line. Some main story mini games are atrocious, Cait Siths section in particular.
- Stop with the traps. They have to stop causing the player to be set back and gain their way out of scenarios that are deigned to set the player back and escape fron them. Falling into a ravine and having to escape or being locked into an actual trap set by the enemy. This is not fun progression and feels like padding.
- Terrain traversal around some of the later maps is confusing and frustrating. Some areas of interested are guided with birds or other indicators like Ghost of Tsuhima and all map icons need this feature.
- What they did to Red 13s character is unforgivable. Had it happened much earlier it wouldn't have been so jarring but it's an absolute sin, in my book.
- Image quality issues in performance, while you get used to it and some areas are actually great looking when they are more confined the early game and more open bits have terrible texture pop in and general instability. No excuse, seems like an engine or dev team problem more than a lack of power problem.
- Giving me the solution to a puzzle or obstacle before I have even had a thought, sometimes before I knew I had an obstacle or puzzle ahead of me.
- Difficulty scaling, hopping between difficulties to keep things interesting but then lowering it cause the sponge just isn't worth it. Difficulty should never be just more spongey enemies.
- Bosses with cutscenes in the middle once you hit a certain threshold, makes it all feel like a set piece rather than a boss, a trend inherited from Remake that I wish they'd stop with. Mini bosses are more fun.
- Bloating every area a little too much, this is a double edged sword, the side content is so fun but there is a definite feeling of bloat and as I mentioned above padding for length which is a bigger sin. They could have pulled back on so much of the chadley stuff and it'd be a better experience. Half the content and make it more impactful and rewarding, the checklist is too much and wears thin in the latter half of the game.
- Climbing and slowed progression towards the end, another form of slowing things down for length that Remake did constantly, here it is less of an issue and only near the very end but it's there none the less.
- Minor story issues. The ridiculous Deus Ex machina whispers aspect, the swapping between worlds and what not, it's intriguing, I understand what they are trying to do but I think in trying it, they just couldn't convey the way they intended. Kinda like the show Lost, it's a fun ride if you don't take it to seriously.
- Chadley constantly interrupting after every single map item cleared.
- Naming every single little action during quests, it's tacky. Just name the quest, no need to telegraph every action the players makes with some cringey phrase.
- A common JRPG problem of extending the ending sections and not knowing when to call it quits or in this case creating a bit of a slog to get through. A well designed, spectacle filled and well presented one, but a slog none the less. Something very impactful happens in the story, a character dies and it is supposed to gut wrench you but you're just left wondering is it another subversion, another end that isn't the end or if it's happening in the characters minds or if she's dead in this world or that world or whatever world cause at this point it's unclear before we find out what has actually happened and they make clear that we are dealing with many worlds and the characters are definitely zapping between parralel universes, even then it's still unclear if this is happening through sci fi or as something in the characters minds cause cloud seems to be in between worlds...or is it in his mind or is it physically reality...ugh, this is annoying as all fuck. That said, Japanese devs need to know when to put the breaks on their stories, especially since this is a part of three titles, tighten it up, make it clearer.
- Over spectacle. Big flashy moments works when used relatively sparingly or separated by long subdued pacing, over use the spectacle for extended periods of time especially in succession and it looses all effect, if not become less and less cool only to become tacky and cringe inducing.
Despite all these issues though the game elevates itself high above them and is an easy, strong 9/10, and so very close to a 10 with cohesiveness being the main shortcomings. With part 3 I hope they can identify and rectify these issues and I pray they don't aim for more bloat and more mini games (blend them in better), checklists and chadley chiming in every other second.
Some additions to part two are great, the item transmuter and a need to constantly pick stuff up adds greatly and pays off with great gear. The immediate traversal over terrain is great, hoping easily about, at least as cloud. Many great improvements and a recent patch to speed up story bits so they were clearly listening to complaints of the first part and of this or st least have their eye on the ball. What they have acheived so far is very impressive, lots of fun to be had and cool stuff to experience. Fingers crossed for part 3 and hopefully they'll nail it in all aspects this time.
9/10
Edit: Looked at an ending analysis. You're supposed to differentiate the worlds by the cartoon dogs, that's cool and all but so very, very stupid. The choices that branched these parallel worlds was the creator of the stamp dog and their artistic choices and that's so fucking stupid, not Cloud, Zack, Sephiroth or Aerith and Aerith who is able to exist in these handful of very specific timelines that these artists branched. That's wild, surely they'll bring in those artists to join the main cast, they are obviously the most important characters to the story. I feel like docking points. I'm skeptical and think they might have confused themselves, knowing now the script for part three was only locked in after Rebirths development ended, I'll eat my pants if the ending is concisely presented.
Last edited by LegitHyperbole - on 05 January 2025
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