Ultimate Myth VII Rebirth expands upon what made Remake nice

It does not take a lot concept to appreciate that Sq. Enix remaking Ultimate Myth VII was once at all times going to be held below a substantial amount of scrutiny. For plenty of RPG lovers, the unique is the magnum opus of the style; any trade, alternatively minor, was once at all times going to be met with trepidation at perfect, and derision at worst. Complicating issues was once the corporate’s determination to separate the unique recreation’s narrative into a sequence of releases.

There was once extra to 2020’s Ultimate Myth VII Remake than first met the attention through almost each metric, together with in how daring it was once going to be in making adjustments to the unique. That raises the stakes, and in some ways implies that the largest problem for the remake sequence was once at all times in reality going to be how Sq. Enix adopted up on it with Ultimate Myth VII Rebirth and past. Fortunately – a minimum of taking into consideration what now we have performed – it seems poised to be on target.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of Rebirth’s DNA is lifted wholesale from Remake. That is an iterative sequel, in any case. Characters assault and animate very in a similar way; if you happen to glance intently, you’ll obviously inform which property had been well reused to expedite building. Those that concentrate moderately will listen such things as reused struggle barks as characters let rip with skills, and reused track cues from the primary access within the FF7 Remake sequence. None of this in point of fact issues, even though – as a result of what is maximum readily obvious when Rebirth is taken as an entire is how Sq. Enix has controlled to make Rebirth really feel like much less of a sequel to Remake, and extra of a herbal extension of the ideas that existed within the earlier recreation.

A part of the Ultimate Myth conundrum has at all times been that the sequence is all about reinvention – this means that throwing out the whole lot each time and beginning anew. If the rest, Rebirth seems to be creating a case for what Ultimate Myth can reach with a sequel when it does not have to try this. The result’s a recreation that feels extra assured, and with larger breadth and intensity – the root of Remake permitting Rebirth to be a extra achieved revel in all-around.

This longer, extra open demo culminates in a struggle on the foot of the town of Junon, taking complete good thing about one of the vital adjustments and additions made to the sport’s struggle machine. Synergy is the secret, right here. With elementary combo assaults and indulgent abilities alike, you’ll pull off relying for your birthday celebration composition. Now the events are much less set than in FF7 Remake, you have got possible choices: so out of Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Crimson XIII, you’ll select 3 to be on your birthday celebration and change that setup round at any time whilst exploring the zone. The precise composition has a large have an effect on on struggle. 

Past that elementary synergy, this idea bleeds into new mechanics, too. Synergy assaults are earned through spending ATB fees with particular characters, after which lets you use particular and strong team-up combo abilities – an escalation of the team-up assaults offered in Episode Intermission, the PC and PS5-exclusive FF7 Remake tale enlargement. 

That is not to mention that the struggle machine is tremendously modified or overhauled, after all – however moderately that the adjustments which were made really feel like a correct extension of Remake’s present methods, construction on best of what gamers are already used to. In a similar fashion, whilst gamers can simplest regulate as much as 3 characters directly, forcing that earlier-mentioned compositional selection, all of your birthday celebration can be provide all through battles – enticing with the enemy and all – simply as relatively inactive contributors.

The opposite demo we had the danger to play was once a flashback series, from the notorious Nibelheim phase of the sport. The Materia Keeper fighter boss struggle from the unique seems to had been moved into the flashback as an alternative, and all through the investigation of Mt. Nibel gamers will be capable of struggle this monster whilst having direct regulate of Sephiroth. FF7’s antagonist comes whole with a singular moveset stuffed with parries, distinctive completing strikes for assault strings, and extra.

It is value noting that this phase was once a significantly extra streamlined revel in than that during Junon, and most definitely represents the opposite facet of FF7 Rebirth. Some spaces can be extensive open, whilst others can be exciting however narrowly-scoped rollercoaster rides. This suits the framework of Remake, the place such things as Mako Reactor bombing missions and attacks on Shinra had been damaged up through breezy sidequest-filled lazing across the slums – but when the Junon bankruptcy is the rest to move through, the latter thought has been utterly overhauled to one thing a lot more spectacular.

None of what we performed was once in particular sudden; but on the similar time, it did not want to be. Remake was once at all times an ideal framework to construct on best of – it was once our RPG of the Yr for 2020, for god’s sake. Rebirth is taking a look adore it builds on that framework in sensible and thrilling techniques. The result’s a recreation that appears larger and bolder – and it should smartly be higher, too. Whilst I lament we had been not able to try any of the minigames on the Gold Saucer, or one of the vital different places within the recreation, all that suggests is I will be able to’t stay up for the following likelihood we would possibly must get our hands-on with the sport. Ultimate Myth VII Rebirth is already shaping as much as be certainly one of 2024’s perfect RPGs.