A reader enjoys Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, not just because it’s a good game but because it has likeable characters and successful comedy.
Amongst all the depressingly industry news, and increasingly empty release schedules, the one thing that has brightened my mood lately, as a gamer, is just how good Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has turned out to be. Remake was good but Rebirth is even better, and not just because of the open world and more varied setting. The best thing about it isn’t anything to do with the technology but the fact that it’s funny.
I’m not sure I would say that I am a Japanese role-playing fan, above or below anything else, but I have enjoyed many of them, especially Persona, Xenboblade Chronicles, Ni No Kuni, Fire Emblem, and Dragon Quest 11. I keep an interest in the genre because I generally prefer Japanese games over American ones, but I have to admit I’ve never really enjoyed Final Fantasy.
The first one I played was Final Fantasy 13 and since then I’ve played 12, 15, and some of the early 90s ones, but none of them really did anything for me. I never really connected with any of the characters and all the stories seemed very silly and convoluted. And then I played Final Fantasy 7 Remake and suddenly everything was fun.
Video games have a tendency to take themselves very seriously, even when what is going on is pretty ridiculous. I guess it’s a compensation for that, and the developers worried about getting too silly, but not only does it have a tendency to make everything seem too serious, but it also leaves the characters seeming miserable and unlikeable. Which I find to be a problem if I’m meant to be playing as them for dozens of hours.
But in Remake and Rebirth I actually like the characters. Cloud comes across as a typical internet tough guy at first but he’s actually really nice and just trying to hide it. And then you find out his tragic backstory and you realise that there’s a lot more to him than it first seems.
Aerith looks like she’d going to be a typical, sappy role-playing damsel in distress but she’s actually a really sassy but sweet person. She seems like someone you’d like to meet and you genuinely want her and Cloud to get on.
Tifa is maybe a bit of a party pooper, but Barret is a lot more vulnerable and good-natured than he puts on and I really like the introduction of Yuffie, who is a lot more unsure of herself then she like to put on.
They’re good people and I enjoy being around them, unlike the usual brooding psychopaths that most games seem to feature.
But on top of this the games are just overall really funny and full of humour. I suspect it’s because they’re reflecting the absurdity of it all and maybe the original was like that? (I haven’t played it.) But Red XIII dressing up as a Shinra soldier, the high five joke with Aerith and Cloud, the stuff about Aerith not being attractive when they’re at the Wall Market, and all the little snide comments between the group – they act like a bunch of friends that enjoy being around each other and that’s great.
All of this is on top of the absurd mini-games, most of which make no sense out of context, and I began to realise that the game is a lot like Yakuza/Like A Dragon, which I guess is also technically a role-playing series now.
I really like this tone of Japanese game, that not only doesn’t take itself too seriously but because of that is able to have more varied gameplay and situations, that aren’t limited by some misguided attempt to be ‘grounded’.
If Final Fantasy 17, whatever that turns out to be, is as un-grounded as Rebirth then I’ll be the first in line to play it. But first, I have Rebirth to finish and the third and final game to look forward to.
By reader Taylor Moon
he reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
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