By most accounts,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis a fantastic game. Much likeRemakebefore it,Rebirthtook a slice ofthe original 1997Final Fantasy 7and expanded it into something far beyond what fans at the time ever thought possible. The biggest evolution thatRebirthmakes is turning the original’s iconic locations into sprawling open-world areas, bringing them to life in a way unlike anything that’s come before it.
Naturally, bringing an open-world structure toFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthbrought with it plenty of genre staples, from Ubisoft-like watchtowers that purge map fog, to countless collectibles, to a plethora of side missions. Generally speaking, a lot of this open-world content feels substantial and worthwhile to complete, but there’s one type ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthopen-world activity that’s proven to be quite divisive, and it might lead to Square Enix rethinking its role in the remake trilogy’s final installment.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Sequel Should Have Fewer Mini-Games
Mini-Games Are Core to the Final Fantasy 7 Experience
When remaking one of the most beloved games of all time, Square Enix undoubtedly had an impossible time deciding what should and shouldn’t make the cut inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Themid-section of the originalFinal Fantasy 7– the part thatRebirthreimagines – is filled with iconic moments and gameplay features. Much to fans' surprise, the vast majority of it has made its way to the remake, including the original’s penchant for mini-games.
The originalFinal Fantasy 7is littered with mini-games, ranging from odd little asides in the main story, like the Wall Market squat minigame, to a fully-fledged arcade inFinal Fantasy 7’s Gold Saucerthat’s filled with them. These mini-games look and feel very bare-bones compared to modern standards, but they’ve garnered a legendary status among fans over the last few decades.
Square Enix knew this all too well and made the right decision to embrace the original’s mini-games wholeheartedly, butFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthmight have taken things a bit too far.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Went Overboard With its Mini-Games
There are over 20 individual mini-games inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, all of which vary wildly in quality. While Queen’s Blood is an exceptional card game, Piano Performance is surprisingly complex, andChocobo Racing is a funMario Kartclone,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthis also home to the infuriating Moogle Mischief, the overly simplistic Jumpfrog, and the awkward-to-control Pirate’s Rampage. While a broad spectrum of quality is expected for a game of this scale, it’s howFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthimplements these mini-games that’s the real issue.
The vast majority ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s mini-games are forced upon the player, being mandatory parts of the game’s main story. In both Costa del Sol and the Gold Saucer,Rebirth’s story grinds to a screeching halt while players are forced to complete an array of mini-games, none of which have any bearing on the narrative.
So while there are only a few unsatisfactoryFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthmini-games, they all feel so much worse due to how they’re presented to the player. There are some iconic mini-games from the originalFinal Fantasy 7that still deserve to be reimagined in the remake’s final installment, but it’s pivotal that they’re not made a mandatory part of the story, especially given the stakes of the events that are about to unfold.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
