2024 has been an exceptional year for video games, andFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, launching in February, was an early indicator of where the year was headed. Following up 2020’s phenomenalFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,Rebirthadopts an ambitious open-world formulaand tackles more crucial aspects of the original’s narrative, making it a trickier, but also more impressive, overall product.
Picking up directly where its predecessor left off,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthfollows the same lovable cast of characters from the first chapter, who are later joined by other iconic adventurers like Cait Sith and Yuffie. The fast-paced, satisfying combat and stunning art design of the first game makes a return in this follow-up, but everything is noticeably “bigger.” Rather than a series of mostly linear spaces,Rebirthpresents players with several massive sandboxes, populated with rewarding and unique activities like side quests and mini-games, lending it an amusement-park-like quality. Heightened production value, alongside a greater emphasis on humor and character writing, help makeRebirtha notable improvement overRemake—something that is reflected by its significant presence at The Game Awards 2024.
Despite Several Nominations, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Only Took Home One Award at The Game Awards 2024
Every 2024 Game Award Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Won
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthwasup against some heavy hitters for the Best Score and Music Award. Going toe-to-toe with the likes ofMetaphor RefantazioandStellar Blade, which both have impeccably designed soundtracks with more than a few earworms,Rebirth’s victory in this arena is nothing to sneeze at. Moreover, it is arguably the most deserving of this title, as its score is truly an all-timer.
Rebirth’s soundtrack is at once soaring and comforting, both majestic and intimate. It’s central theme,adapted from the originalFinal Fantasy 7, manages to convey a heavy depth of emotion, longing, and innocence, while other tracks, like Aerith’s Theme, incorporate many of the same musical motifs, but mixed with layered strings and piano to highlight the character’s unjust fate, and her complex relationship with Cloud. Then there are other, seemingly less significant tracks, like the inexplicably groovy, jazzy Queen’s Blood theme, or the adorable, surprisingly danceable Salmon theme song, which hammers home the incredible attention to detail that was paid to this immense soundtrack.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s soundtrack is shockingly vast, with a whopping 175 tracks on the OST.
Cohesion is really what sells this score, though.FF7 Rebirthis aurally dense and varied, but it also has a remarkably clear, recognizable sonic identity.Metaphor Refantazio, for instance, has an amazing soundtrack of its own, but it is far less unique, in many ways, thanRebirth’s. After a few hours with the game, there’s a sense that one could pick aRebirthtrack out of a massive selection of songs, even if they hadn’t heard it before—it’s just that iconic. It is fundamentallyFinal Fantasy 7.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s Losses at The Game Awards 2024
It’s worth touching on the fact thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which many assumed would be a shoo-in for GOTY when it launched in February, lost six out of seven of the awards it was nominated for. This is somewhat surprising, but it speaks more to the incredible quality of game releases this year than to the quality ofRebirthitself. Indeed, in any other year,FF7 Rebirthwould likely have taken home several other awards, but with how packed 2024 has been, its single victory is a bit more understandable.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
