FFVII REBIRTH: The Creation Of A Sense Of Adventure

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the greatest game ever made, in my opinion. This belief is created almost from the very first minute of the game. You are Zack, not Cloud, going towards Midgar, not Kalm, looking for Aerith, not Sephiroth. This switchup immediately draws the player in, and results in an excellently directed action scene for an opening that I think not many would have predicted.

After this, the game begins the way we would have expected after playing the original, Cloud reciting the events in Nibelheim from his perspective to the rest of the gang. This sequence is well crafted and creates a sense of home as soon as Cloud enters Nibelheim. Being able to eat sandwiches or play the piano in Tifa’s room creates a safe environment that a young Cloud would have felt comfortable in. The comfort is short lived, as Cloud then embarks on his mission with Sephiroth, which ultimately, ends in disaster. This part of the opening of Rebirth continues the action, however, when we find ourselves in Kalm, the pace slows down, and the main area of focus becomes bonds, the main theme of Rebirth.

Cloud and Tifa have a strained relationship at the beginning of Rebirth, due to Cloud’s lack of trust in Tifa, whilst his relationships with Aerith, Barret and Red XIII also have different dynamics. Exploring Kalm with different companions is a joy, and Rebirth is excellently designed in such a way that this sequence truly feels like exploring a new town with friends, being able to play games such as Queen’s Blood, to exploring the clocktower with Aerith. After getting used to unfamiliar surroundings with the gang, the game once again picks up in pace with the escape from Kalm to avoid Shinra.

The next scene is one of my favourites from the whole of Rebirth, when Cloud opens the door out into the Grasslands, the very first zone in the game. I loved Remake, but going into Rebirth, I was excited about the prospect of being able to explore the world of Gaia. This scene, with Aerith exclaiming “You coming?” sets up the rest of Rebirth, being able to play in a living, breathing world where you can go anywhere with your friends in the search for a great evil. I remember playing this scene for the first time and being amazed with the scope of it all, looking to go everywhere I possibly could before carrying on with the main objective.

The departure from Remake’s more linear storytelling, I believe, was the right one for Rebirth. The opening to Rebirth is one of the best I have played, and ultimately is one of the reasons why I love this game, and franchise. The direction of this opening, leading with action before slowing things down and letting the player explore, excellently creates the sense of adventure seen in Rebirth.

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