Square Enix released the hugely anticipated action RPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth last Thursday, garnering widespread critical acclaim. Our Kai Powell gave it a perfect score:
If there’s one word to describe Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it would be ambitious. Tetsuya Nomura, Kazushige Nojima, and the rest of Creative Business Unit I at Square-Enix have turned what is merely the remainder of Final Fantasy VII’s Disc One upon leaving Midgar into a 100-hour-long epic. Moments of distracted exploration throughout the massive wide-open environments are often bookended with more linear story segments that balance comedy and somber moments. Players will feel more intimately engrossed with the story of those chosen by the planet and routinely have their fond memories of playing the original tickled with delight. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is an absolute must-play for fans of the series. It takes the second chapter of Cloud Strife’s struggle to save the planet he calls home and surpasses the highs of Final Fantasy VII Remake in every way.
However, that’s not to say there are no refinements to be made. For instance, Digital Foundry criticized the game’s Performance Mode for its grainy graphics and less-than-perfect 60 frames per second target frame rate.
Square Enix is aware of the issues. According to the website One More Game, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Game Director Naoki Hamaguchi said:
We’ve received a lot of feedback on whether the graphics in the performance mode will be improved or not. 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. We have heard from players that in certain situations, the facial lighting makes some character shadows look very scary. So that’s one part of the update that we are working on.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is only available on PlayStation 5 for now. However, a PC version is practically assured, so those looking for the best possible visuals should probably wait for that port.
