Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi has heard player complaints about the game’s graphics in Performance Mode, and has promised an update to resolve them. Shortly after release, players took issue with the marked visual downgrade when using Performance Mode — a patch for which should be out soon.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth update will fix facial lighting

Speaking to One More Game, Hamaguchi said that he can’t detail the incoming patch just yet, but did say that Square Enix plans to address facial lighting as part of it.

“We’ve received a lot of feedback on whether the graphics in the performance mode will be improved or not,” Hamaguchi said. “We hear you, and we are currently working on an update patch to improve that aspect. I don’t think the release date would be far away from now.”

The facial lighting issue that Hamaguchi is referring to are complaints of character shadows looking “scary” under some conditions. When asked what his personal preference is between Graphics and Performance modes, Hamaguchi chose the former. “I like to play other games in graphics mode as well because I like to see better graphics,” he explained.

We’ll share Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth update patch notes as soon as we have them.

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It’s time to get out of Midgar. If you’re a fan of the original Final Fantasy 7, you know that game finally opens up in second half of the first disc, with Cloud and the gang setting off into the wider world of Gaia in pursuit of Sephiroth. As such, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a tougher game to make as it comes with a lot of expectations, more content to recreate, and a lot of build-up from the ending of FF7 Remake. Square Enix has reinterpreted and refreshed all of the enemies, environments, and plot points while adding new, modern elements that still treat the original game with respect. The amount of work that has gone into FF7 Rebirth is truly staggering, and though several parts of the game feel stretched out and encumbered, it follows through on its potential.

The next world

This review will be purposefully vague on the storyline of FF7 Remake and FF7 Rebirth to keep spoilers to a minimum, though anyone who has played through the original game will more or less know what happens. FF7 Rebirth, as a direct sequel to FF7 Remake, comes with several lingering plot threads that are addressed throughout the story. A recap video of the events in the first game is available in the main menu in case you need a refresher.

New cutscenes, conversations, and side quests alter the original plotline enough that it still feels like a fresh take, while the general framework has mostly been kept intact. Revisiting all of the familiar story beats, while listening to modern orchestrations of familiar tunes, is delightfully nostalgic. The party worries about Cloud’s memory, Barret and Tifa want to take down Shinra, Red XIII wishes to return home, and Aerith hopes to learn more about her past. Short scenes involving another character are mainly spliced between chapters, lending an air of mystery on the overarching timeline. It’s not until the latter half of the game that events more significantly deviate from the source material, introducing various elements to the lore that weren’t there before.

The majority of the side quests and protorelic missions spread throughout each region of the world provide opportunities for the party to interact with new characters as well as NPCs from FF7 Remake. Completing these tasks, along with choosing specific dialogue options, also adds relationships points between Cloud and one of the party members. This impacts and provides more options for a particular cutscene later in the game — a mechanic which FF7 fans will recognize. The game doesn’t shy away from adding tongue-in-cheek humor either, especially when it comes to Red XIII riding chocobos and getting mad when humans treat him like a pet.

However, FF7 Rebirth has some trouble sticking the landing, particularly in the last third of the story. How some characters are integrated into the party feels like a missed opportunity and it’s done in an awkwardly deliberate way. Also, the ending reveals a lot of information, but it’s told in a tangled, murky, erratic sequence of events. While it tries to be intriguing by raising as many questions as it answers, it sacrifices clarity for the sake of complex plot structure.

Reforged in battle

Much of the real-time combat system from FF7 Remake has been carried over with a few additional mechanics like synergy skills and abilities. Hitting enemies with basic attacks builds the ATB meter and segments of this gauge can be used to cast spells, use items, and perform character abilities. Enemies also have a stun meter that builds quickly if you’re able to pressure them, typically done by exploiting their elemental weakness or evading their strikes with proper timing. Once it’s full, they become staggered for a long time during which any damage dealt is multiplied.

Each party member has different strengths, so changing which character you control during battle can be strategically useful. In fact, the story has numerous sections that force your group to split up, so you will want to be well-versed with how each character works anyway. Out of the starting party, Cloud and Tifa are strong at dealing single-target damage, Barret and Aerith have long-range attacks, and Red XIII has a multi-hit spinning attack that builds stagger and ATB quickly. 

In addition, each party member has access to limit breaks as well as a synergy meter that increases every time ATB is used. This fuels powerful synergy abilities that can give two members temporarily larger ATB meters, access to higher limit break levels, or unlimited MP for a short time. Meanwhile, synergy skills can be used freely and which ones you can use depends on your current party makeup.

FF7 Rebirth provides many opportunities for character progression beyond basic leveling. Obtaining a wide variety of materia and giving them AP from battles is vital, making materia slots on weapons and armor crucial for keeping pace with enemies and bosses in the long run. Every new weapon you find allows a character to learn an ability from it permanently, and various accessories you can purchase or craft from materials can increase base stats and grant immunities to status effects. Also tracked is Party XP earned by defeating story bosses and completing minor world intel objectives on the map. As this increases in level, your party will unlock new options on their skill trees that can be learned by spending skill points. 

The main weakness of the combat system is that it’s finicky on occasion. Evading homing attacks, particularly the swallow ability from land worms, is more difficult than it should be. Figuring out limit levels is tricky too since you have to learn the appropriate skill synergies on the skill tree and then track limit level increases on your own in battle. Since using items takes one ATB charge, using them in battle is a rough call when abilities and spells tend to be better options. It’s not until you earn the Item Economizer materia or have Mist potions on hand that using one is worth the action economy.

Overlapping audio is an occasional problem as well. As you explore a town, you’ll sometimes walk around a crowd of NPCs and all of them begin talking at the same time to the point that you can barely make out what they’re saying. In fiend battles on the map, a new AI character named MAI will interrupt the fight by spewing out facts about the enemy. It’s supposed to be helpful, but alongside the intense music and special effects, her dialogue is a distraction that you can’t turn off. 

Gold Saucer-eyed

One of the best parts of FF7 Rebirth is seeing every environment expanded to an incredible degree. The first town of Kalm has beautifully detailed streets and shops, while the opening Grasslands region has green rolling hills, watermills, and trickling streams. Those are merely starters compared to several cities later on, like Cosmo Canyon, Costa Del Sol, and the Gold Saucer, that are even more impressive. The level of detail just in the number of objects that fill each area is incredible. This remains consistent as you progress from one chapter to the next, even as regions become more complex to navigate.

Fortunately, dealing with the rougher terrain is by and large resolved by riding a chocobo. Not only are chocobos faster than walking on foot, but they also make grabbing resources easy and can sniff out hidden treasures on the map. Much of these are materials that can be sold for gil or transmuted into items and equipment. Specific regional versions allow you to reach restricted areas as well, like mountain chocobos being able to climb the side of cliffs. You can locate chocobo stops too that give you a chance to rest and provide another point for fast travel.

On the downside, around half of all the activities on the map amount to busywork. Similar to viewpoints in Assassin’s Creed, activating remnawave towers will reveal locations of nearby points of interest. But finding every tower, life spring, summon sanctuary, fiend battle, moghouse, cache, excavation site, and more is exhausting. The chocobo stealth activity and the Moogle Mischief mini-games are especially burdensome (and the Moogles look more like koala bears for some reason). Even if you aren’t a completionist (like I am), you are encouraged to finish as much as you can to earn Party XP, purchase powerful materia from Chadley, and unlock combat simulator battles.

Otherwise, most of the mini-games are enjoyable side diversions that add a lot of flavor. Queen’s Blood, a three-lane card game that’s similar to Triple Triad from FF8, requires a lot of strategy in placing cards on the field, and there are players in every town that you can challenge. Out of all the activities at the Gold Saucer, chocobo racing is the main attraction and plays very close to Mario Kart. In addition to Chadley’s combat simulations, there are a few other arenas for more intense fights. The piano performance mini-game from the demo appears throughout the journey too. Other mini-games from the original game have been recreated here, including the Shinra Junon parade and Fort Condor. Doing well at all these games awards strong materia, weapons, and accessories, so while many of them are optional, completing them is time well spent.

Completing the main campaign and every world intel mission takes around 100 hours, more so if you decide to tackle optional content that unlocks after you finish the story. Some chapters feel stretched out more than they should be, with some levels that go on for too long and activities that repeat themselves across every region. Tying the more mundane tasks to one of the party members, similar to how side quests are done, would have helped alleviate the tedium.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Final Verdict

Through its expanded story, fantastic graphics, and abundance of side activities, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth vigorously continues the momentum from FF7 Remake. While some parts of the game are too slow or padded for the sake of content, the majority of the experience is a pleasant ride through nostalgia. It will be curious to see how progress, if any, is carried over to the next game, given all the exploration and items that you can obtain here. At any rate, FF7 Rebirth lives up to its promise as a love letter to the original game and solidly sets up the third and final title in the trilogy.

Disclosure: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PS5 code provided by publisher.

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The list of new PS5 and PS4 games due to be released during the week beginning February 26, 2024, isn’t very big, but there are still several quality releases. The highlight of the week is the second part of the Final Fantasy VII remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but there is also a game from the Star Wars franchise and the latest version of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

All PS5 and PS4 February 26 to March 3, 2024 game release dates

Here are all of the PS5 and PS4 games currently set to be released throughout the week of February 26 to March 3, 2024.

PS5 Games

• Beat The Beats VR (February 27)
• Bio Inc. Redemption (February 27)
• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake (February 28)
• Dead End City (February 28)
• Pecaminosa – A Deadly Hand (February 28)
• Star Wars: Dark Forces (February 28)
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (February 29)
• Peachy Boy (February 29)
• PopSlinger (February 29)
• Tamarak Trail (February 29)
• Welcome to ParadiZe (February 29)
• The Mobius Machine (March 1)
• Rainbow Reactor: Fusion – Remastered (March 1)
• Ufouria: The Saga 2 (March 1)
• Unlife (March 1)

PS4 Games

• The Project Poulet (February 26)
• Bio Inc. Redemption (February 27)
• Dead End City (February 28)
• Pecaminosa – A Deadly Hand (February 28)
• Star Wars: Dark Forces (February 28)
• PopSlinger (February 29)
• Tamarak Trail (February 29)
• Return of Red Riding Hood Enhanced Edition (March 1)
• Unlife (March 1)

A total of 15 games are coming to PS5 this week, while PS4 players get a shorter list of just 9 titles. The biggest game of the week is definitely Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and if you haven’t tried it already, there’s a demo available that will reward players with special in-game items that are carried over to the full game.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was originally released on PS3 in 2013 before making the jump to PS4 in 2015. Now Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is coming to PS5 this week, complete with rebuilt characters and landscapes and a re-recorded soundtrack. The final notable remaster, Star Wars: Dark Forces, is coming to both consoles with 4K resolution, advanced 3D rendering, remade cutscenes, and controller support.

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Now that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth critic reviews are out, the game has settled for a Metacritic score of 93/100, earning universal acclaim and becoming the series‘ second highest-rated game to date. Rebirth’s development team is understandably esctatic, with director Naoki Hamaguchi taking to Twitter to release a statement about the game’s metascore.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth reviews shower praise at the direction

Hamaguchi revealed that Rebirth’s development team set a goal of achieving a Metacritic score of at least 90/100. Hamaguchi believes that earning universal praise will enable Square Enix to meet another goal: reaching new players and existing fans alike.

“This wonderful result was only possible thanks to the entire development team’s hard work and dedication, so I’d like to thank them from the bottom of my heart,” Hamaguchi wrote. “I’ve been supported by the press, community, influencers, and the PR team, and I can’t thank them enough. Let’s continue this positive momentum through the launch of the game, everyone!”

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will release on Thursday, February 29, exclusively on the PS5. Creative director Tetsuya Nomura has pleaded with players to not post spoilers without proper warnings. You can read his message in full below:

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Square Enix‘s Naoki Hamaguchi has dropped a hint about the release date window for Final Fantasy 7 remake’s part 3. The third installment, which has yet to be titled, might be out by early 2028 as it seems to be following the same trajectory as FF7: Rebirth.

Square Enix has made progress on Final Fantasy 7 remake part 3’s script

In an interview with YouTuber Julien Chieze (via GamesRadar), Hamaguchi was quizzed about FF7 remake part 3, to which he said that he’s unable to divulge too much but can say that the development team has made progress on the script.

“Of course, I cannot tell you what stage we are at, but we have already made progress on the script and we are thinking about certain developments,” Hamaguchi said around the 41-minute mark in the video below. “When we got to the end of the development for Remake, we started talking about a sequel with [writer Kazushige Nojima] and I think we can say that we are in the same situation today.”

FF7 Remake and Rebirth release dates are about four years apart, so Hamaguchi’s statement suggests that we’re looking at an early 2028 release window, if not sooner.

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Square Enix has dropped Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo on the PS5, playing which will reward players with special in-game items. The demo features the Nibelheim episode from the game’s opening chapter. Players who complete the episode and save their progress can skip this section when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth releases.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth demo details

The demo will be updated prior to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s launch on February 29. The update — which is expected to go live on February 21 — will add the Junon area episode that will give players an opportunity to check out the world map and experience exploration.

Do note that Junon area progress will not carry over to the full game because it’s specifically condensed for the demo to give players a taste of the content. However, in order for the Nibelheim episode progress to be saved and carried over, the Junon area update must be applied to the demo.

Finally, here are the rewards players can claim in-game when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches:

• Kupo charm: An accessory that increases the number of resource items extracted at a set rate.
• Survival set: A selection of items to aid on your adventure, such as potions and ethers.

The post Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Demo Out Now, Will Get More Content Soon appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

During last night’s PlayStation State of Play, Sony beat leakers to the punch and announced the next event itself. Seemingly having heard criticisms of how it conducted the last few State of Play showcases, Sony decided to follow up yesterday’s event with a separate State of Play for PS5 console exclusive Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.

Next PlayStation State of Play will offer an “extended” look at Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Sony says next week’s event will offer an extended look at Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, but didn’t say how long the show will run. Fans should tune in on Tuesday, February 6, at 3:30 p.m. PT / 6:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 p.m. GMT if they wanna learn more about the game.

This should save us all those persistent State of Play rumors and speculations, right? Not quite!

Earlier today, a ResetEra insider with a good track record set gaming forums abuzz yet again when they said that Sony also has a showcase planned for May to fill the void left behind by E3. It’s currently unclear if this will be a smaller State of Play type event or a major showcase. However, given Sony’s recent track record, we’re all fairly confident that a summer event of some sort will happen.

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Square Enix has dropped a ton of new Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gameplay information alongside a new trailer. The game will release on February 29, 2024 for the PS5 and is billed as a “truly epic adventure.”

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gameplay introduces new combat features

The new cinematic trailer based on FF7 Rebirth’s premise can be seen below:

FF7 Rebirth’s combat party will include Yuffie and Cait Sith. Yuffie’s basic attacks are all about striking enemies quickly with a throwing star, which also comes with a “magic-infused ‘ninjutsu’ to punish foes.” “Her Doppelgänger ability allows her to attack in tandem with her clone, enabling her to exploit enemies’ weaknesses even more effectively,” Square Enix explains. Yuffie’s unique abilities revolve around her throwing star, which makes it possible for her to attack from a distance and use ninjutsu spells against her enemies’ various weak elements.

Cait Sith’s combat is all about agility. According to Square Enix, he “darts about the battlefield with the agility of an acrobat (or perhaps a cat?), assailing enemies from every side.” Cait Sith comes with a moogle that he can use to his advantage during combat. His unique abilities include dropkicking enemies while riding his moogle and buffing companions.

The post Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Gets New Trailer and Gameplay Info appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The highly anticipated crossover between Apex Legends and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is officially here, with Electronic Arts sharing a new trailer for the event and what will be included.

The crossover event is set to begin on January 9, 2024, and will include new cosmetics, iconic skins, and more all themed around the world of Final Fantasy VII. In total, there will be 36 new items added into the game inspired by FF7, with iconic skins for both Horizon and Newcastle as well as sticker sets and more.

Check out the trailer for the crossover below:

According to a blog post on EA’s website, the 36 items will be rewarded randomly via event packs, with no duplicates being given. The mythic item for the event is a Buster Sword cosmetic for the game’s R5 weapon.

Six iconic legend skins will also be available for direct purchase in the game, including skins that make Apex Legends characters look like some of the more iconic characters in Final Fantasy VII.

As far as gameplay goes, the world of Apex will also be introduced to Materia in the form of a new BR Takeover. This mode will see a Buster Sword R2R5 placed in the game, with players able to fight for and pick up the weapon and wield it to try and win. You can also build up meter to use a Limit Break ability with the sword, and even collect Materia, which will give players increased effects and other bonuses.

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The ongoing Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy will seemingly have the 2005 film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children in mind, according to the game’s director.

What did Tetsuya Nomura say?

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Tetsuya Nomura — who directed Advent Children, as well as both Final Fantasy VII Remake and the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth — was asked about how the trilogy of games will handle things like Advent Children, which also takes place in the world of Final Fantasy VII.

According to Nomura, the trilogy will “link up” to Advent Children in some way. He noted players won’t have to worry about whether or not things are connected by the time they get to play the trilogy.

“If you play right through to the end, it will link up [to Advent Children] so you don’t need to worry about that,” said Nomura.

Advent Children took place two years after the events of FInal Fantasy VII. It focused on the appearance of a trio that kidnaps children and infects them with a disease.

The next game in the ongoing Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy is set to be Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which will release on February 29, 2024 for the PlayStation 5.

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