WhileFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthwas widely acclaimed upon its release earlier this year, the title did draw some criticism for its pacing, among other things. The title’s free-wheeling open-world nature, combined with the structure and pacing of the original game’s story, led to some unusual pacing for big narrative and character moments. AndRebirthinjects a healthy dose of its own erratic wackiness to the proceedings, which only adds more mayhem.
Of course, this worked well for the second installment, not hamperingRebirth’s glowing reviews.FF7 Rebirthremains one of thebest JRPGs of 2024(with some healthy competition from thefantasticalMetaphor: ReFantazio), and just like it’s predecessor,Remake, is contributing to the monolithic legacy of the originalFinal Fantasy 7.Rebirthcan get away with a lot of its shenanigans due to being the middle act of the story. The upcoming confirmed final installment of the trilogy is supposed to close the book on the story for the remake saga, however, so it would do well to steer clear ofRebirth’s missteps.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Doesn’t Always Have Time To Breathe
Narrative Pacing Is A Big Issue In Rebirth
Rebirthis a great game, butits pacing is inconsistent at the best of times. Major story and narrative moments can either be spaced so far apart that the connective tissue between them can be forgotten (leading to diminished impact), or cramped too close together, often almost becoming narrative noise.
It wasn’t just pacing either. In blowing up the middle part of the story into a full, modern, open-world AAA title, the intended atmosphere of many of the original’s areas and locales was also lost, with some ofRebirth’s regions too big for their own good. While some made it over unscathed and transformed anew (such as theunderrated Gongaga region),others, such as the desert area, became too crowded and busy to retain the original toneand the purpose that it served in the story’s structure or pacing.
To be fair, the decisions thatRebirthmakes work for this game in particular. While there are several moments and sequences (both major and minor) that have changed from the original, the changes almost always are to further what this game in particular is about, which is letting players get attached to this world and these characters at their own pace. But that’s exactly it – what madeRebirthwork only works forRebirth. Trying to apply this same style of adaptation and storytelling to the next game would be inadvisable.
Final Fantasy 7’s Pacing Has Always Been Erratic
Rebirth Adapts An Already Tepid Arc
To be fair toRebirth(and to Square Enix, which has taken a lot of heat for the pacing inFinal Fantasy 7 RemakeandRebirthalike), a big part of the pacing issues drawing criticism are inherent toFinal Fantasy 7. After all,it’s not like the original game was some paragon of stable pacing and tonal consistency. Even in 1997,FInal Fantasy 7’s pacing was all over the place, even when compared to previous titles in the series or genre. Its middle act – incidentally the one thatRebirthis based on – was especially slow and meandering with little to no urgency, before things picked up again in the final act.
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That final act is what the last game in theRemaketrilogy is going to be based on. As a result,a lot of the pacing problems that are inherent to the story will cease to be an issuewith that title. Of course, that doesn’t stop Square from mucking with the pacing and story structure regardless – after all,Final Fantasy 7 Remakeis a 30+ hour expanded take on the intro to the original game, which took 3–5 hours to complete. Square achieved this by adding a lot to the story, consequently creating pacing issues where none had existed. That exact tendency is what the studio needs to try and avoid with the next title.
How FF7 Remake Part 3 Could Let Emotions Linger
It is important thatPart 3manages to land its crucial emotional and narrative beats – after all, if it doesn’t, then that doesn’t just undermine the story of this game, but also of the previous two games. See BioWare’scontroversialMass Effect 3ending–if the capstone to a story is divisive, it is viewed as a reflection on the entire story up until then. As a result, Square would be well advised to keep at least some of its tendencies of excess in check with this title.
To be clear, that doesn’t mean Square should completely refrain from the eccentricity and wackiness it packedFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeand especiallyRebirthwith, especially since it has become such a well-established and beloved part of the remake trilogy. Moments like the Queen’s Blood tournament or Wall Market have become fan favorites, and are an indelible part of this story and these characters. Square shouldn’t avoid adding these moments, or expanding the world and characters – buta balance needs to be struck.
ConsiderCid in the originalFinal Fantasy 7; his story is absolutely something that needs to be handled with a deft touch, given some of the subject matter it deals with, and the sensitivity with which that needs to be handled. Tonal whiplash of the sort thatRebirthhad would undermine Cid’s story, and it would also make it harder for players to sympathize with a very central figure in this chapter.
Or consider just how many rapid story developments happen towards the end of Final Fantasy 7, all of whichRemake Part 3will have to retain, while also having new story content addressing and resolving the new plot threads theRemaketrilogy introduced. Even if it is as long as Japanese RPGs tend to be now, that looks to be a very crowded and cramped story at best. Square Enix would be well-advised to play its narrative cards relatively straight, and not over-complicate things on top of the already complex narrative theRemakeandFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthhave at this point.
