FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Digital Deluxe Edition

Is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth worth spending dozens of hours on? Yes. The catch is that you have to accept that it isn’t a cleanly drawn work, but one whose strengths and awkwardness are both amplified. Its strongest aspects—the sense of scale in its reconstructed world, the combat system that has taken another step toward maturity, and the way its content design gradually teases out your urge to explore—are already enough to make this “sequel” into “a major title that demands to be taken seriously.” This is not a safe play. It swings hard.

What really affects the buying decision, though, is how you feel about its narrative direction. If you want it to be like Remake, retelling familiar material with higher production values, then Rebirth will leave you both delighted and uneasy; it isn’t content to simply retell, and insists on pushing forward, with the result that both iconic scenes and a sense of chaos increase. Some will find that exciting, others will find it out of control. That’s where the divide lies.

So this game is best suited to two kinds of players: those who love the world and characters of FF7 and are willing to watch it expand old memories into something sprawling; and those willing to invest time in mastering the combat and exploring the map at a slower pace. If all you want is a tightly paced journey with a story that stays sharply focused, this may not be the most comfortable choice. But if you’re willing to embrace an RPG that is ambitious, occasionally fumbles, yet truly shines at its best—then those dozens of hours will very likely not be wasted.

One-line recommendation: If you love FF7, don’t miss its boldest expansion yet.