Don’t skip over our 5 favorite minigames in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

It’d be fair to say Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s next-gen makeover of characters, monsters, and more from the 1997 original has been a spectacular glow-up. The modern console era has returned an iconic cast and world to us with a level of realism in gameplay that even pre-rendered cutscenes over 25 years ago couldn’t match. We asked Square Enix if they could crunch some numbers and share some insight into the changes nearly three decades of technological advancement have wrought. Here, main character modeler and lead character artist Dai Suzuki walks us through a selection of characters, creatures, weapons, and more.

Square Enix has released the version 1.020 update for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, which includes frame rate and graphics improvements.

We’ll say this up front for those of you still exploring Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s vast world: there are no late-game story spoilers here. As seen in its pre-release debut via a new trailer late last year, the action RPG’s theme song “No Promises to Keep” is performed in-game by Aerith. Behind the scenes though, the track was composed by Nobuo Uematsu, the legendary composer behind the iconic soundtracks for much of the Final Fantasy series, including Final Fantasy VII Remake. The song’s vocals were performed by American singer Loren Allred, who brought her spellbinding singing voice to the track, augmenting the beautiful—yet tragic—world of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the epic story told within it.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is overflowing with content, including a wide variety of side quests to undertake as you work through its 50+ hour adventure. Some of these are given to you by returning characters, such as the lovable screwup, Johnny, who has found himself entangled in a whole new mess this time around.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is overflowing with fun ways to interact with its world, many of which are minigames that task you with completing challenging objectives or winning games. One of the more laid-back of these minigames is Cactuar Capers, which you’ll have to complete when trying to earn some beachwear in Costa Del Sol. This scavenger hunt will send you to take photos of pink Cactuars that have been painted on various objects around the town. In this guide, we’ll tell you how Cactuar Capers works and where to find all of the pink Cactuars so you can get to the beach in style.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth gives chocobos perhaps their biggest role in a mainline entry ever, as you’ll be using them to traverse every region of the game. Not only do their special abilities help you navigate the world, but various pieces of gear that you can purchase for them can ensure they look good doing it. Even better, this gear aids your chocobo in races so that you stand a better chance at placing in the top spot. Here’s all of the Chocobo Gear in the game and how you can round it up.

Upon reaching Chapter 12 of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, you’ll notice a pirate chest on the dock at Costa Del Sol. Interacting with it grants you a map and an objective to set sail on the Tiny Bronco to find four pirate relics. Combining them all will earn you a useful accessory that will improve your treasure-hunting capabilities on the high seas, so we recommend tracking them all down.

As you make your way through Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, you’re sure to discover that there are a wide variety of sidequests to undertake. One of these in the Junon region tasks you with tracking down and eventually working with a Wainright. This fellow asks you to fetch him some materials to aid in a job — Driftwood to be specific — and then sends you off with a map that may or may not look a bit confusing. Don’t worry, though — you won’t need his shoddy map when you use our guide below.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been a huge success and is 2024’s highest-rated game on Metacritic at the time of writing. However, despite the praise there is one part of the game that needs a little tweak as players have noted that in Performance mode the lighting may be a little off.

Players have been gushing about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth since its launch last week, and there’s a good reason for that: the game is incredible by all meaningful accounts. Just as important, the title expanded upon the game’s lore, world, and more to ensure that gamers had the best experience within it. Remember, the original “remake” title was set entirely within Midgar, with the team at Avalanche only getting out of the city after a clash with Sephiroth. However, while the Square Enix team did make the world vast, they ensured that there was still plenty to explore within the next entry, which will finish the story.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has been a huge success and is 2024’s highest-rated game on Metacritic at the time of writing. However, despite the praise there is one part of the game that needs a little tweak as players have noted that in Performance mode the lighting may be a little off.

Square Enix released the hugely anticipated action RPG Final Fantasy VII Rebirth last Thursday, garnering widespread critical acclaim. Our Kai Powell gave it a perfect score: