the two and a half hours of unskippable sweaty gay sex between Cloud and Zack was a bit unexpected, but i can see how it was integral to the story

Very fun card game. Also comes with a 80 hour open world jrpg side game or something idk

Game has real-time combat, but the only fight that matters is Aerith vs. Tifa for Cloud’s attention.

Forced depth of field and motion blur in 2025, Wild SE still doesnt understand post processing garbage is shit. I want to play video games, Not simulate having damaged eye sight.

Would I recommend this game? Sure—if you can survive the Side Quest Vortex long enough to actually play it. Listen, I came here to relive my childhood, to chase Sephiroth, to feel the epic weight of FF7’s legendary story. What I got instead was Mario Party: Midgar Edition, where my time was consumed by endless side quests that spawn more side quests like some kind of RPG matryoshka doll. One minute, I'm hyped up for an intense battle—next thing I know, I'm three hours deep in a card tournament, desperately trying to win so I can unlock more actual storyline. And don’t even think about skipping these, or you’ll miss Cloud’s ultimate move because you forgot to rescue a squirrel stuck in a chimney or something. And let's talk about pacing. In the original, Aerith gets kidnapped by a mad scientist and the team is racing against time to save her. In this game? "Wait, Cloud, before we go, let’s plant some flowers for the local orphanage!" People are dying, and Tifa’s having a moral crisis over delivering a sandwich. It’s not all bad, though! The combat’s fun, the world is gorgeous, and the characters are still the ones we love—though they now feel contractually obligated to repeat their one defining trait during every side quest. Aerith is cryptic. Barret wants to shoot a Shinra guy. Tifa feels bad about it. Rinse and repeat. Final verdict? It’s a fantastic game trapped inside a side quest simulator. I recommend it—if you have the patience to sift through 40 hours of busywork before you actually get to play Final Fantasy 7.

Thank you Square Enix for the relatively quick port. Do consider a simultaneous launch on PC for the next one.

Square Enix developer team really thought they can get away with just slapping "Verified" for Steam Deck huh? Sorry but you guys should have at least told us straight up that this is not really playable on handheld at all. Unless you start fixing it and adding the necessary upscalers such as AMD FSR3 and Intel XeSS then I will reconsider in the future. Got to refund for now. PS: This review is exclusively for Steam Deck's performance. The game is phenomenal finished it on PS5 deserved that GOTY 2024 nomination, can't wait for part 3 now that they confirmed story is complete and development is going smoothly. If you got at least an RTX or equivalent GPU, I highly recommend it 100% as this version is the definite way to play this game blowing the PISSER of PS5 PRO to Midgar Slums sewers. Seems like their optimization of the game is incomplete making the first section the ONLY optimized here and like a kid thinking it worked just call it a day and slap that "Verified" status. Hope the dev team keeps supporting this so we dont have to make our modders work their arses again fixing or improving your games.

Very fun card game. Also comes with a 80 hour open world jrpg side game or something idk

a game about an asexual schizophrenic twink, who’s having visions of his abusive mentor. there’s also an irish cat and a bipolar dog in your party. 10/10

Please put FSR support in, or AT LEAST the option to completely disable TAA/TAAU for AMD GPUs. The ghosting literally is making me feel sick. Otherwise if you have an Nvidia GPU the game will be grand. EDIT: I have found that you can download DLSS enabler for AMD GPUs and it does make the blur go away I'm using it myself and don't have 1600 viruses yet but don't take my word that it's safe. I'm leaving the review negative for now until Square patch in alternative anti aliasing for AMD or a more easily accessible work around is made by the community.

"In the HD Games sub-segment, we released multiple new titles, including major titles such as Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but profits unfortunately did not meet our expectations."

-.Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu, May 2024. Who could have thought that anti-consumer tactics (AKA exclusivity deals) would end up in underperforming sales?

I actually quite like the game. So much so that I would love to be able to actually play it. It just constantly crashes leaving you with lost progress that you need to repeat. This happens constantly in cut scenes, when speaking with NPC's or even just walking around the map. It's so bad that a company can publish a game in this state and charge money for it. It's not even like I'm playing it on old or under powered hardware. For clarity I'm playing on: RTX 4070 super Ryzen 5 7600 32GB DDR 5 RAM

I played FF7 Remake back in 2021 and had been waiting for this game ever since. I even preordered it. The combat and boss fights are genuinely excellent, and Queens Blood is a fantastic card game—honestly, almost Gwent-tier. But everything else? Bloated, repetitive, and exhausting. As a completionist who hates being underleveled, I felt forced to do every side activity. The problem is, around 80% of the game feels like filler—copy-pasted open world tasks, tedious minigames, and a checklist-style design straight out of a Ubisoft game. As a result, my motivation dropped instantly whenever I entered a new zone. If you stick to the main story, you might enjoy it. But if you’re like me and want to do everything, be prepared for burnout. This kind of open world design is unacceptable and should never return. And one last thing: I HATE CHADLEY. Install the Mute Chadley mod for your own sanity.

It pains me to say but this game feels like a big downgrade from Final Fantasy 7: Remake for me. There are just too many cons compared to pros. The combat itself is amazing, just like the first game but they made it even better. The visuals are stunning, especially the cutscenes. Those were perfect in this game, but that's just as far as I can say for major pros for the game. The pacing between Remake and Rebirth are night and day difference. Remake kept a great pace throughout the entire game, but Rebirth pacing was all over the place. The open world in the first 3 areas were great, but after when you reach the 4th area in chapter 9, everything went downhill from there. It was like a totally different team designing the area compared to the previous areas. Fun got thrown out the window and it was more of a desperate attempt of trying to be different from other games, but failed miserably. Side quests became a boring and useless chore, the game also became like a maze just to find side quests and towers. The challenge in side quest/missions shouldn't be finding the mission itself. I used YouTube so much just to find how to get to the mission which in itself shows how badly the level design is. Reading the comments on those videos, clearly shows I'm not the only one who experienced this. It got to the point I almost decided to just drop the game, which is insane because I was excited for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth after how incredible Final Fantasy 7 Remake was. It got to the point where I was literally crawling to the end. I can see what the developers were trying to do. They were trying to have more variety in their game, which I understand, but they forgot to ask themselves if some of these are really 'fun' for the game. For me, the game fell off after chapter 9. The final boss fight was pretty epic but this is expected in a Final Fantasy game. There are some great mini-games such as Queen's Blood, but majority of the mini-games are just there seemingly to annoy you. Like I said, some of them I can't imagine Square Enix thinking to themselves "these are fun", but more of "lets just throw some annoying challenges out there". For someone that doesn't care about the side content and just want to focus on the main story, they won't really encounter a lot of these problems, but me as a Final Fantasy player that is an illegal move to do. I wanted to 100% this game, but after finishing it I won't be in any rush to complete hard mode.

This keeps crashing mid-cutscene and I wasn't even able to reach the first save or checkpoint. steam deck verified? it deserves the not playable rating

Not currently worth it for AMD users - even with a 7900 XTX with 24gb of VRAM and a 7900X3D the amount of crashing is unacceptable. - The fatal crashes have caused my GPU to sound like its bricking? - No FSR 2 or 3 - No wide screen - There's still stuttering even with post the shader step - I can't adjust the motion blur - the scaling options presented hardly tell you what's affected - 120fps crashes the game - I dont even know wtf DX12 is doing to the game but it's made it impossible to use as an option - Won't pick up my save data from ff7 remake to claim in-game rewards, had to re-install the pc version for this to actually work. I cannot recommend this game in this current state

For those complaining that the game is "Locked at 1080p," no it isn't. You have to change the the screen mode from "Boarderless Fullscreen" to "Windowed" mode, then you can change the Screen Resolution and set the game back to "Fullscreen." It's a small oversight from the devs, but I'm sure they were worried about more important things. So I'm positive that it'll get fixed soon. Just FYI. I'M FINALLY ABLE TO PLAY REBIRTH!!!!!!!!!

A Solid JRPG, But Not the True FF7 Experience

The original Final Fantasy VII is one of my five favorite games of all time, and a game that's very special to me. So when FF7 Remake came out, while I think it's a good game, I was upset with how much they changed the original story. Now, after playing FF7 Rebirth, I can say that while the game is fun and well-made, they messed up the story even more. These games aren't true remakes of Final Fantasy VII. These are reimaginings or spin-offs of Final Fantasy VII.

What’s Good

The combat has been improved, it’s smoother, more exciting, and more strategical. The mini-games were mostly fun as well. Especially Queens Blood, I've had a thrill playing that. The other mini-games are mostly not that deep but are enjoyable. They recreated the original map in a beautiful way here, everything reflects their imagining back in 1997 beautifully in 3D in Rebirth. The characters are perfectly represented, their personalities, dialogue, and their dynamics as a group are all masterfully told in Rebirth. I love all these characters and quite enjoyed my time with them. The soundtrack is also good, but I like the original music more with some of the tracks. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3439403898&tscn=1741268608

What’s Bad

Now, the biggest problem for me is the story. The additional story changes in Rebirth are really annoying for an OG fan. I will not spoil the details here, but I really can't understand why. It's such a disappointment. The open world looks good for the most of the time, but the open world is simply a Ubisoft checklist open world. There isn't much to explore since you know what to find in each of them. And the activities in the open world are really repetitive and boring, so I didn't bother completing the maps since traversal isn't really fun and exploration felt meaningless in the rewarding the player part. There are some pacing issues in the main story too, but I didn't get bored playing the main story throughout. It was quite enjoyable. The optimization is terrible, Square Enix really doesn't care about PC optimization. Same with FF XVI and Rebirth. The graphics are decent here, not bad, not good. Rebirth usually didn't look impressive to me other than character details. Thus I expected this game to run very well but no, it runs like crap. Rebirth's performance is even more hilarious after playing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 100+ FPS on my system.

Conclusion

I really wanted a true remake that respected the original story. But FF7 Remake and Rebirth are not that. The game supplies multiple activities, high-budget storytelling and fun gameplay for players to enjoy. The remakes of Final Fantasy VII fail to deliver the expected experience according to my standards. But when I consider this as a JRPG, this is a quality one and is pretty enjoyable. Nevertheless, I would first recommend people to experience the original first, then try the "Remakes".

SILVER MEDAL

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It shouldn't even be Steam Deck Verified in the first place. It's like I'm playing with type B astigmatism because of the over the top blurriness of TAA.

It was just after midnight on February 29th, 2024 when I first got my hands on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for the PS5. As the title screen faded in and the first chords of that familiar melody filled the room, I knew I was stepping into something extraordinary. This is a game that, by all means, shouldn’t work, it was tasked with the impossible and fueled by audacious, bold decisions. Yet somehow, it defies those odds spectacularly. A chaotic blend of minigames, mechanics, systems, and so many narrative tangents, Rebirth feels as though it was designed to be the ultimate (even FINAL..(wink-wink) if you prefer that) video game ever made, cramming in as much content as possible before the inevitable end. Growing up, Final Fantasy VII wasn’t just a game, it was an escape, a vast universe that I explored in my imagination long after it was bedtime and the game was turned off. I spent countless hours projecting my dreams onto its pixelated landscapes, filling in the details the technology of the time just couldn't provide. I imagined the towering structures of Midgar, the cramped ambiance that the slums created and then eventually the glorious freedom of the open world. Rebirth somehow did the impossible, as it not only brought these childhood visions to life but also exceeded all my expectations. If the previous game in the trilogy made one thing clear, it’s that it was not a traditional remake of Final Fantasy VII and at this point I fully treat it as a sequel. This game is so expertly crafted that it takes a pivotal moment from the original, seemingly flips it on its head, and just when you think you’ve figured it all out, it seamlessly brings back the original scene, delivering it with even more emotional impact. The result hits harder and feels more Final Fantasy VII than ever. Much of that extra punch comes from the characters and the themes and if there’s one theme that help tie the whole Final Fantasy VII saga together, it’s the theme of loss. Every character has their own burden to carry, their own history of suffering. Cloud’s loss of identity, Aerith’s tragic destiny, Barret’s fight to reclaim what’s been taken from him, Tifa’s quiet strength in the face of her own adversity and Red XIII’s haunting history add layers to their personalities, making them not just characters, but close companions on a shared journey. Rebirth doesn't shy away from these emotional depths, but instead emphasize them, offering moments of reflection and heartache amidst the grandeur of the game. But what Rebirth does so beautifully is show that loss is not just a moment of grief, but a catalyst for growth. Watching these characters struggle, heal, and ultimately find hope amidst their personal tragedies is a reminder that, even in the face of immense hardship, there is resilience. Rebirth undertakes perhaps the most challenging aspect of the original game to reimagine. Transitioning from the tightly woven, narrative-driven experience of Remake to the sprawling open world of FINAL FANTASY VII, the story’s pacing shifts significantly. It evolves into a grand road trip through the game’s vast and diverse world. Along the way, you form new alliances, explore a variety of locations, but still pursue a singular goal: finding Sephiroth. Despite the daunting scope, Rebirth rises to the occasion with remarkable confidence, charm, and creativity. Through its engaging open world, mini-games and an enriched focus on character relationships, it delivers a deeply satisfying exploration of the world and its inhabitants like never before. The more you play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the more it feels like the game is acutely aware of the emotional journey it offers. It’s as if Rebirth is consciously orchestrating your experience, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve paused just to take in the soundtrack. Each piece feels meticulously placed, as though it was surgically timed to heighten the moment in a profoundly meaningful way. For those who, like me, grew up with the original Final Fantasy VII, Rebirth isn’t just a game, it’s the realization of everything we ever dreamed this world could be. It’s as if the developers reached back into our childhood memories and brought them to life, crafting a world that not only lives up to the magic of the original but elevates it to new heights. The characters, the story, the themes of loss and hope, it all feels richer, more resonant, and more immersive than I ever imagined. For me Rebirth is a true love letter to Final Fantasy VII and I'm glad we finally have the definitive way to enjoy it, on PC!

As somebody who played through the original FF7 several times through, I have to agree with the others saying that this game just drags on and is a complete slog. The amount of open world fluff is absolutely insane. The first zone through, the novelty is okay for a FF game - oh wow, I get to see the whole world from the old game. Well, the novelty wears off, fast. Every zone has the same exact things you have to do for exploration over and over again. The pacing is awful and a variety of things are locked behind the exploration but it never feels gratifying. Even opening the game feels like a chore in the second half of the game - I am just exhausted, which I've seen reflected by a number of people. This game is entirely too long and for all the wrong reasons. It is not long because there's a wealth of action and story/lore to be taken in. It is not long because there is incredibly gratifying gameplay to enjoy. It is long because they ripped the Assassin's Creed formula out and pasted it into this game. Here are the same handful of sidequests, now go do them over and over in every single place you go to so we can pad the playtime and "content." As somebody who just came off 100%'ing Spiderman Miles Morales, good grief. The Spiderman games are a masterclass in how to execute on side quests and missions. Getting to 100% never felt like anything but a good time and a game. Here? Oh my god, I think I'm going to get PTSD episodes if I see more yellow dots. I'll finish the game out of spite at this point, I've already put in too much time.

Game is filled to the brim with pointless filler content and minigames, some of which is needed to get materia and other useful items. The artificial padding gets so overwhelming that it takes away from the story experience. I'm very disappointed with the direction they took and am struggling to find the motivation to finish the game.

im about to refund the game. wheres ultrawide support? game looks bad without it with my gigabyte 34 inch ultra wide monitor.

This is objectively a great game. I don't ever want to play it again though. Due to this games own design, replaying every bit of it that I played over these last 100 hours would be so tedious simply because of all the mini games. Some of the mini games are great, like Queens Blood. This game feels like going to Disney World. You know how you start your day at Disney with good high energy, and then slowly through out the day you get burnt out on long queue lines and walking around all day with sun beating on you till you just want to go home. This is exactly what this game feels like to me. A really long day at Disney. This game is a beautiful theme park of adventure and boundless activities that you only want to visit once.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth outshines Remake with an impressive array of upgrades and fresh features. It offers open-world exploration, an upgraded combat system complete with synergy abilities and skills, new materia, and new playable characters. The addition of crafting/transmuting, treasure and cache hunting, climbing, fast travel, and diverse transportation options adds depth to the experience. The skill trees and relationships and dates systems bring emotional weight, though these are somewhat overshadowed by the world intel delivered by the perpetually annoying Chad. And let’s not forget Mai’s enchanting voice during combat assignments, truly, a masterpiece of auditory endurance. Then, of course, there are the 28 mini-games. Whoever contributed to designing these little gems of torment like Jump Toad, Crunch-Off, 3D Brawler, Dolphin Escape, and the ultimate boss of them all, the final sheet of music, deserves a standing ovation. Preferably in the deepest, darkest corner of hell. These mini-games are a masterclass in frustration, stress, disappointment, rage, and hair-pulling despair. They are meticulously crafted to crush your spirit and mock your dreams of platinum glory on PS5. If you manage to genuinely 100% this game on Steam, you have my unending respect and my sincere concern for your mental well-being. If you enjoy testing the limits of your patience, these lovingly crafted instruments of agony I mentioned are just waiting to break you. If you’re drawn to intricate webs of bonds and relationships, only to have your heart cruelly torn apart and scattered in pieces, this game will devastate you. And if you’re into a rich and expansive open world brimming with endless possibilities, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is definitely for you!