Final Fantasy is the latest action RPG that looks set to take the crown for Game Of The Year 2024. It has already won an award for being the most anticipated game of the year, and if it manages to replicate the gameplay seen in the first part, we could be onto a winner here.
Loading up the game for the first time, you may be a little overwhelmed regarding the amount of content this game has to offer. And trust us, there’s a lot here! Thankfully, we’ve got everything you need to know along with some handy tips to make the most of your run through this one.
What is FF7: Rebirth?
Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth is the follow-up title to the popular Remake that released back in 2020. Whilst you don’t need to have played the first part to jump into this one, it is highly recommended that you do as this is the second part of a planned trilogy of games that are remaking the original 90’s title from the ground up.
Does Rebirth have real-time or turn-based attacks?
Combat in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth is played out in exactly the same way as in the first part, Remake. FF7’s ATB (Active Time System) means that gameplay mechanics and statistics are translated into free-flowing fights rather than turn-based attacks as seen in classic Final Fantasy games (and FFX as well to be fair).
This ATB system is still active while you switch between active party members, and you can also pre-load attacks and abilities just as before.
We actually have an extensive amount of coverage around the combat system in an accompanying article HERE. So jump into that one to find out more.
Keep Assess Materia Equipped
As mentioned in the above linked article, it’s a good idea to keep Assess Materia equipped to at least one of your party.
Not only will this tell you their weakness, it’ll also break down their HP, strength and a whole bunch of other useful stats too. In fact, it’ll actually describe how to Pressure and Stagger each enemy!
While with some smaller enemies this may be quite straightforward, it’s invaluable when you’re facing off against boss fights. Pressuring and Staggering foes becomes much more integral to your strategy during these big boys and can help turn the tide of battle in your favour.
On top of using Assess, it’s a good idea to double it up with First Strike Materia (a purple Complete Materia), it’ll help boost your ATB gauge at the start of battle and make things considerably simpler while fighting.
Smash Up Boxes And Other Breakables
While out in the world, you’ll find yourself traversing through a variety of different biomes. Whilst there, it’s advised to go ahead and smash up as many boxes and other breakables as you can on the way. These usually tend to hide an array of different items, including potions, ethers and other handy goodies to help you along the way.
This can be especially useful during long dungeon crawls, especially when you’re running low on potions.
On that same note too, it’s a good idea to explore dungeons thoroughly as there’s usually a whole bunch of different chests, collectibles, enemies and other bits and pieces just waiting to be discovered.
Seek out Summon Crystals
Whilst in the open world, FF7: Rebirth features a new system, coming in the form of Summon Crystals to gain new Summons to help you out in battle.
As you traverse around the various regions of Rebirth, you’ll find Summoning Altars. Here, you can “analyze” a crystal which contains useful information about said Summons. You can either use these to weaken the Summon creature when you face them in the Battle Simulator or strengthen the Summon if you already have it in your possession.
There are three Summon crystals situated in each region, and finding them all will certainly help you along the way to mastering combat and getting all the Summons that the game has to offer.
Tinker With Materia Often
Materia is your one-stop shop to mastering the combat system. It can also help you play to the strengths of various party members too, so it’s definitely a good idea to constantly switch up what Materia different party members hold.
Barrett, for example, works quite well as a Tank Support Character, whereas Cloud is really a Jack Of All Trades, with stats that are pretty balanced across the board. Conversely, Aerith has high magic stats so using her to hold onto your high-strength spells makes sense.
Try to spread your Cure Materia around though, and also your Revive Materia too when you eventually get hold of that. Using a mix of Items and Magic to heal outside battle is also another very good tactic to use.
Stagger Enemies By Exploiting Weaknesses
In combat, Stagger is one of the most important tools you can exploit in battle. It’s very important. The Yellow Bar underneath an enemy’s health gradually builds the more damage you do but specific attacks can help speed this up.
Exploiting enemy weaknesses (after using the Assess Materia) is one such way to get a quicker Stagger from enemies.
Elemental attacks are particularly good to use here as well, especially if you intend to use Aerith in your party. She’s great with magic so if you’re facing a robot enemy (which are almost always weak to lightning attacks) make sure you blast it with Thunder to build up the meter quickly.
As mentioned in our linked Combat article, using Tifa when enemies are exploited will be massively helpful as it can help build up a lot of damage on your multiplier and make battles run a lot faster.
Watch Boss Fight Patterns
Bosses can be tough, but pay attention for specific patterns where you can defend (and hopefully hit a Perfect Dodge) or openings for you to attack. Some enemies will have obvious wind-ups and long cooldowns which you can use to your advantage. The longer a fight goes on for, the more you’ll get used to the attack patterns and can attack accordingly.
Furthermore, be sure to use your Assess/ First Strike Materia combo to get an edge in battle. On this same note too, make sure you exploit enemy weaknesses after assessing them.
Don’t Grind Out Materia To Max Levels
A good tactic here is not to focus on grinding out max levels for all your Materia. If Remake has taught us anything, it’s realistically not a good idea to use the highest strength magic unless you’re battling against tough bosses.
In fact, the lower level magic like Blizzara or Thundara are much more effective than Blizzaga and Thundaga, especially when you take the MP costs into consideration.Â
Some Materia have very high AP requirements too but thanks to the changes with the combat system (like with the Synergy Attacks) there are more effective ways of coming out on top.
Use Chocobos For Exploration
As you traverse around the Open World map, you may find yourself encountering a myriad of different enemies and hitting a number of biomes along the way. While you can do all of this on foot, it’s actually a really good idea to use a Chocobo to explore the world.
Chocobos can also dig for hidden items too; whenever a question mark appears above their heads, if you hit the Up Directional Button, a scent trail will show and you can follow this to an item.
Furthermore, they can also pick up multiple items with one press of a button, and cross otherwise impassable places too. Chocobos are definitely worth grabbing as Mounts.
Make Use Of Item Transmutation
One of the newer mechanics seen in Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth comes in the form of crafting item and gear from materials collected out in the wild. While certainly not a new mechanic to gamers in general, Item Transmutation can sometimes be a better option in Remake than just outright buying items at the shop.
This is especially important for those collecting all the trophies and achievements in the game. Some items cost a high amount of Gil, so it makes sense to save this as often as you can.
Remnawave Towers & World Intel
Remnawave Towers are new to FF7: Rebirth and they serve as your waypoint station to reveal more of the map when you activate them. New Research requests given by Chadley usually involves activating these towers anyway, but even without speaking to him, it’s a good idea to seek these out and populate your world map with new data.
Not only that, but completing Chadley’s requests will reveal new objectives on the map, as well as helping to develop new Materia to use in the field.
Furthermore, there’s also the option of seeking out data points like Fiend Sightings, which can directly tie into useful Material Development, amplifying the effects of Materia.
Take Your Time!
Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth is an amazingly expansive game with plenty of mini-games, expansive chapters and lots to whet the appetite. In fact, it can be outright overwhelming at times. Unless you intend to set some sort of record, there’s so much to see and do in FF7: Rebirth that it makes perfect sense to take your time with this one and enjoy everything the game has to offer!
Rushing through the main campaign is likely to take away a lot of the other enjoyable aspects of the game and plenty of secrets along the way.
Are you excited to dive in and play through Final Fantasy VII Rebirth? The game launches on the PlayStation 5 on February 29th 2024.