Summary
- Play on Hard Mode for the ultimate challenge, requiring new strategies and an appreciation for combat depth.
- Use different characters in battle to discover hidden abilities and tactics.
- Engage with side quests to learn more about lore, explore unique areas, and add depth to gameplay.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was one of the biggest JRPGs of 2024. The level of detail and work put into every ounce of the game is awe-inspiring. In fact, players are unlikely to see everything in a single playthrough. It is certainly a big ask to go through the 60 to 100-hour adventure a second time.
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However, there is plenty to do and see to make a second journey through this middle chapter of the trilogy worth the time. Shake up a second playthrough with any of the ideas listed below. Some directly deal with activities offered up by the game, while others are things players can do themselves.
6
Play The Game On Hard Mode
The Ultimate Challenge
The game has three difficulty modes to start with and a fourth is unlocked upon beating the game. It makes sense for Hard Mode to be available only after reaching the credits for the first time. The game is not just a little more challenging. It is pretty much the ultimate obstacle in the game.
Players should not even try it until they have reached the level cap on Normal Mode. Every enemy is significantly beefed up and requires new strategies to defeat. On top of that, players cannot use items, forcing them to rethink the combat. This challenge is not for the weak, but doing it will make one appreciate just how deep the game’s combat is.
Players do not have to beat the game’s chapters in a linear order in Hard Mode. It also means players can give up and return to Normal Mode in a new chapter if they find the challenge too overwhelming.
5
Use Different Characters
Every Party Member Is Useful
Unlike Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s tighter structure that generally leaves players with a perfectly sized party, Rebirth has players juggling characters since the party is mostly together through the whole journey. Because of this, some of the characters might see less love in battle during the first playthrough.
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On the second go-around, try using characters who did not get as much action in the field. Even if they do not seem interesting at first, experimenting with different abilities might lead players to discover something fantastic. Not every character fits one’s playstyle, but the variety between them has to be admired.
4
Do All The Side Quests
It Helps Players Learn More About Lore
Rebirth has an interesting structure. It lets players go back and do everything they missed, going so far as to have a chapter select. Because of this, players do not necessarily need to start a second playthrough to do all the side quests.
Still, those who want an immersive experience can try doing a more complete second playthrough of the game by starting from square one and engaging with all the side quests.
Each area of the world offers its own hub to explore and they all feel different. In addition to the new gameplay, many side quests also add to the world’s lore, offering pieces of info that were not present in the original 1997 game.
3
Play On Dynamic Mode
Grinding Will Not Save You Here
If someone beats Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on Normal and finds Hard just too difficult to handle, they can always try Dynamic Mode. This mode is available from the start. Enemies here scale to the player’s level. Grinding and doing side quests before moving on to the next story beat will not make the game too easy.
No matter what level one is at, they will have to pay attention to their Materia and equipment in order to beat bosses. It is a solid way to engage with the game’s systems without making it unbelievably difficult as Hard Mode does.
2
Experiment With New Materia
Find New Ways To Fight
Anyone who has played any version of Final Fantasy 7 is familiar with Materia. Rebirth has so many Materia, players are likely to play through the game without paying attention to a lot of them. It is the same story with a lot of RPGs.
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Players find what they are comfortable with and then stick with it throughout the journey. To make a second playthrough more exciting, try using new Materia and new combinations of them to change up the abilities the party uses in battle.
Experimenting with Materia and new abilities not only changes how one plays, it also drastically changes how the battles look with the different animations.
1
Play The Original Game Side-By-Side
See What Changes
A lot of Rebirth’s magic comes from how detailed the recreation of the world gamers fell in love with in 1997 really is. It is shockingly delightful how they indulged in both the serious and silly aspects of the story.
For those who have not beaten the original title in a while, it is an interesting experiment to play it step-by-step with Rebirth to fully grasp how much was changed and how much remained the same. It takes about five hours to exit Midgar – which is what the events of Final Fantasy Remake cover – and Rebirth’s chunk of the story is covered in about 20 hours.
The original game still holds up just fine despite the graphics and outdated 1990s JRPG tropes, but Rebirth lets players dive deeper into the characters and environments in a way that was not possible in the prior millennium.
- Released
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February 29, 2024
- OpenCritic Rating
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Mighty