Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview: A sensational return to FF’s open-world roots

At a recent preview event on Jan. 24 hosted by Square Enix, I got to sit down with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to experience the first three to four hours of the game.

I went into the preview not expecting much. For the most part, I completely ignored the trailers as I wanted to experience the world for myself, and it was probably the best decision I’ve ever made. My short time with FF7 Rebirth rekindled a burning nostalgia inside me for the older Final Fantasy games of my youth that I simply didn’t get playing the first part of the remake trilogy.

In Final Fantasy 7: Remake, the adventure wasn’t an open-world experience; it was very linear, with most of the action locked to a single path. But in FF7 Rebirth, things are very different. You might say it’s a brave new open world.

Pick a direction and start walkin’!

There’s something magical about seeing the FF7 remake trilogy evolve into what it is now. As someone who played lots of NES, SNES, and PS1 Final Fantasy games, I’m used to traveling from place to place using an overhead map without much detail aside from the usual trees and towns. So, the idea of FF7 having a sprawling, expansive, open world that gives you almost total freedom was a sheer delight I was keen to take advantage of.

I spent most of my time during the FF7 Rebirth preview session immersed in its world. Within it, we were given free rein to explore at our own leisure. While most attendees were keen to rush through the main story to unlock a faster means of travel (a Chocobo), I opted for a more relaxing approach, taking the time to savor the marvelous world Square Enix created.

And I’m so glad I did. Upon searching the furthest corners of the map, I came across a slew of treasures, including points of interest housing precious valuables waiting to be found, and interesting world details off the beaten path. It’s nice to see the game not only rewarding you for going where your heart desires but actively encouraging you to search for side quests and other content between missions.

You’ll also come across small settlements and villages that don’t even appear on the map. In fact, for the most part, the map you’re given at the beginning is completely useless at telling you what’s in the vicinity. It’s only by exploring and uncovering undiscovered areas you start to understand what you’re in for.

Wait… it’s an open world!?

The more I experienced the open world in FF7: Rebirth, the more I realized this is the first Final Fantasy game in a long time to give you such a vast open world to explore—at least at the very beginning. If I’m not mistaken, the last Final Fantasy game with a true open world was FFXV, released in 2016—eight years ago.

FF7 Remake was frustratingly linear, and while Final Fantasy 16 had a few “open” areas, they don’t hold a candle to FF7: Rebirth, and were mostly just towns without much to explore. Not to mention the titles that came before, like FF13, which were completely linear and soulless.

Having this enormous open area to explore, with feathered Chocobo friends you unlock early in the main story to speed things up, was quite a treat. In fact, after getting a Chocobo, I took it upon myself to simply run around and re-experience those nostalgic feelings for older Final Fantasy games, albeit with a far more expansive world to explore instead of the classic top-down perspective.

It was through my exploration of the world that I finally felt like I was not only returning to Final Fantasy roots but something beyond that. If Rebirth has an entire map to explore, places to see, and secrets to discover, I’ll probably hit max level just by doing side quests before I even make it through half the story.