Final Fantasy Rebirth needs to cut the boring filler this time around
Square EnixFinal Fantasy Rebirth has been announced as a result of the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration, and whilst it’s great news that we know the second installment of the trilogy is well on its way, we can’t help but worry about its content.
It’s rare that a game can have such a loyal and die-hard following so long after its release, but that’s precisely what Final Fantasy VII has been able to achieve for the last 25 years. Square Enix has capitalized on the game’s momentum frequently, and none more so than in its 25th Anniversary Celebration.
Out of it came a Crisis Core Remake announcement and the long-awaited reveal of the Final Fantasy Remake Part II, now known as Final Fantasy Rebirth.
The confirmation of the second game and the moving visual of Cloud and Sephiroth walking side-by-side is unquestionably spine-tingling, but as we saw with the Final Fantasy VII Remake, things will be changed, and that scares me just a tad.
Square EnixFinal Fantasy Rebirth needs more style and less substance
It’s seldom that I ask for a game to give me less content for my money, especially with one of my childhood games, but after having to mindlessly search for three cats in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, for a character that will probably never be seen again, this needs to be the case.
When it was announced that the first part of the remake trilogy was going to take place exclusively in the dank Midgar slums, the thought on the minds of fans was: “How are they going to stretch that out into a full game?”
Once again, I refer you to Cloud Strife, a trained, genetically engineered super-soldier, formerly of the aptly named group, SOLDIER, running around town looking for three cats for a small girl named Betty.
I get that RPGs need your generic, cliched fetch quests designed to pad out the run-time, but this wasn’t just an isolated incident.
One mission required Cloud to round up some missing kids – the cat principle – and a majority of the other side quests involved killing enemies you normally kill anyway.
Now, the concern is that Rebirth is presumably going to let eager players loose on the game’s map including the hypnotic sights and sounds of The Gold Saucer, maybe the exotic scorch of the Costa Del Sol, and other much-loved favorites like Cosmo Canyon and Kalm.
There’s already going to be a preposterous amount of things to do and explore that we probably don’t even really need many side quests — if at all?
It’s hard to tell how Square Enix is going to tackle the next sizable portion of the game as logic dictates that we’re about to go full open-world. A potential caveat of this? Locating mischievous, malting Chocobos and returning them home five times.
Square EnixSide quests need to mean something in Final Fantasy Rebirth
As one of my favorite games, I want to engage in random battles in the world and hopelessly tangle with the Midgar Zolom to get my XP fix. I want organic side quests from primary and secondary characters with meaty substance that intertwine with the story.
That’s where I want to direct that focus for Rebirth.
Side quests are a good way to level up, but Final Fantasy VII already has a staggering number of potential creatures and critters to slay with your Buster Sword that this will come naturally in general combat anyway.
Not only that, but we’re about to tackle some deep and dark themes in Rebirth that will ultimately establish a different mood and tone to the first game and this should also have some bearing on how Square Enix handles Final Fantasy Rebirth’s optional missions.
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Quests that allow you to earn special Materia, battle equipment, and rare items should be on the agenda and require you to complete meaningful tasks such as overcoming boss-like encounters.
Let’s make any extra endeavors have a purpose instead of feeling pointlessly plentiful and make this the best possible Final Fantasy game!