Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review (Switch 2) – Another impressive port

Just five months after the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, Switch 2 owners can now dive into the second entry of the trilogy, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It’s notable because this is the part where things become more open world, not only giving players more freedom, but also putting more strain on the hardware running it. And with the Switch 2 having less power than most of its competitors, it’s obvious that compromises have had to be made in some areas.

Picking up where the last game left off, one area where this Switch 2 version has no compromises is content. This is the full Final Fantasy VII Rebirth experience which, in a nutshell, is phenomenal. Square Enix has done a fantastic job retelling the story of the middle section of this classic JRPG, bringing iconic scenes to life, adding new ones, and generally keeping players on their toes with its multiverse shenanigans. The brilliant combat system of the first game returns, too, now with some tweaks to make it more more intuitive and rewarding.

The biggest change here, however, as previously mentioned, is the introduction of open world elements, with some large areas of the world being available to explore at your leisure. You don’t have to spend a great deal of time in these if you don’t want to, but there are benefits to doing so. Aside from finding a multitude of side quests and activities to complete, each with their own rewards, there’s also intelligence to be obtained for the infamous Chadley. He’ll reward your efforts with Materia, including that of the powerful summoning kind, which you’ll probably want to get your hands on.

All in all, the fantastic story on offer here, brought to life with excellent voice acting and cutscenes, as well as the improved gameplay and one of the best soundtracks around, makes Final Fantasy VII Rebirth a true delight from beginning to end, especially if you’re a fan of the original game. And like the Swich 2 release of Final Fantasy VII Remake before it, there are new options available to make the experience more accessible to all. You can start the game with boosted levels and other goodies if you wish, for example, and there’s also a streamlined progression menu where you can turn on things such as infinite HP.

The only thing that some might find disappointing here is the game’s presentation. The fact that you’re stuck playing at 30fps shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, and with it pretty much sticking to that target it’s not really an issue, as the controls remain responsive. But there are some noticeable compromises when it comes to the visuals, with pop in being rather aggressive at times, and some textures either not loading in properly or just being plain ugly. For those who prefer to play handheld, picture quality can be a bit blurry, too.

This isn’t to say that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is ugly on Switch 2; it’s still hugely impressive even with its blemishes. So, while you’re better off playing the game on PS5 Pro or PC if you want the best experience, the Switch 2 version will serve you well if you want the versatility of being able to play on the big TV at home and handheld elsewhere. It’s just a shame that the game’s overall beauty and impressive scale is occasionally undermined by an object suddenly appearing at close range in front of you, or a texture that looks out of place.