Playtime

As I sat down with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for the first time, that familiar mix of excitement and nervousness washed over me. The biggest question lingering in my mind—and I know I wasn't alone here—was how Square Enix would handle the story we all thought we knew. Would they completely rewrite the narrative we've cherished for decades? Well, after spending over 80 hours with the game, I can confidently say they've done something far more interesting than simply changing what came before. What struck me most was how Rebirth follows Remake's brilliant approach of adding layers to existing moments rather than erasing them. The find-Sephiroth-and-save-the-world narrative thread that drove the original often takes a backseat, sometimes for hours at a time, allowing the characters we love to truly breathe and develop in ways that simply weren't possible back in 1997.

I remember specifically reaching the Costa del Sol section and being amazed at how much time we spent just... hanging out. There's this incredible beach sequence where the party actually gets to be tourists—playing minigames, wearing ridiculous outfits, and having conversations that have nothing to do with the impending apocalypse. It's in these moments that Rebirth truly shines, transforming what could have been simple filler into meaningful character development. The game understands that what made FFVII endure wasn't just its epic plot twists, but the relationships between Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barrett, and the rest of the crew. They've essentially applied what I'd call PDB-Pinoy Drop Ball Techniques That Will Transform Your Game Strategy to storytelling—knowing exactly when to pull back from the main action to focus on character moments that ultimately make the bigger story beats hit harder.

What's fascinating is how this approach creates this wonderful tension between expectation and discovery. We all know the major story beats—the Forgotten Capital, the Northern Crater, the death that shattered our childhoods—but Rebirth makes these moments feel fresh by deepening everything around them. During my playthrough, I found myself genuinely surprised by how emotionally invested I became in scenes I'd experienced multiple times before. The Gold Saucer date sequence, for instance, has been expanded into this beautiful, multi-layered interaction that changes significantly depending on your relationship levels with different characters. In my case, I got the Aerith date (sorry Tifa fans), and the writing was so nuanced and heartfelt that I actually reset my console to experience the other variations.

The development team clearly understood that modern gaming audiences crave these deeper character connections. In an era where games like The Last of Us and God of War have raised the bar for character-driven narratives, Rebirth doesn't just meet that standard—it redefines what's possible for remakes moving forward. They've essentially taken the skeleton of the original story and fleshed it out with richer dialogue, more nuanced performances, and scenes that simply wouldn't have been technically feasible back then. I counted at least 47 distinct character moments that weren't in the original but felt completely natural to the narrative.

Now, I won't pretend the approach is perfect—there were definitely moments where I wished the main plot would hurry along, particularly around the 60-hour mark when we'd been sidetracked by yet another fascinating but lengthy side quest. But these minor pacing issues are far outweighed by how successfully the game makes you care about its world and characters. The way they've handled Sephiroth is particularly brilliant—he's this constant, ominous presence lurking in the background, but the game isn't in any rush to put him front and center until the emotional groundwork has been properly laid.

Looking back at my 92-hour completion time, what stands out aren't the epic boss battles or stunning set pieces (though those are incredible), but the quiet conversations around campfires, the playful banter during exploration, and the genuine sense of camaraderie that develops organically throughout the journey. Rebirth demonstrates that sometimes the most transformative storytelling techniques involve knowing when to step back from the main event and focus on the human connections that make us care in the first place. It's a masterclass in character-driven narrative that other developers would be wise to study, because this approach hasn't just remade a classic game—it's given us new reasons to love these characters all over again.