Summary
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth expands on iconic locations like Gongaga Village, modernizing and brightening the setting while retaining its original spirit.
- Gongaga's Mako reactor in Rebirth stands tall with a Last of Us-inspired look, reclaimed by nature, a departure from the decimated original structure.
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth captures the essence of the original while adding modern touches, making it a visually stunning and immersive experience.
The RPG genre is well known for having some of the most impressive locations in all of gaming, often offering some of the most visually stunning aesthetics and architectural designs, along with a whole host of fun gameplay integrations, such as story content, side quests, and mini-games. The original 1997 Final Fantasy 7, even despite its age, is still home to a bevy of locations like this. And in remaking it, so is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Taking the second act of the original Final Fantasy 7 and extrapolating upon it, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth not only modernizes a lot of the original's most beloved aspects but also expands on them in meaningful ways. Naturally, some of Rebirth's biggest expansions come with modernized settings, with the small jungle village of Gongaga now appearing much bigger and brighter than ever before.
How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Corel Compares to the 1997 Original
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth lovingly recreates a number of iconic FF7 locations, with Corel and its surrounding areas receiving quite a hefty expansion.
Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Gongaga Village to the 1997 Original
Originally a completely optional area, Gongaga is a tiny village located in the middle of a sprawling jungle. Arguably, Gongaga is one of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's best setting recreations, capturing the spirit of the original area perfectly while tweaking and adding just enough to make it feel like a real, inhabited place.
In the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7, Gogaga consists of just one background screen, containing just five buildings and a graveyard near its entrance. While there are a handful more buildings in Rebirth's Gongaga, the distance between them all evokes the same feeling that Gongaga is just a speck on this massive planet.
From a visual standpoint, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, again, has done an incredible job of modernizing Gongaga while retaining the atmosphere present in its original form. The same type of architecture has been used for Gongaga's buildings in Rebirth, and the same type of brickwork is present on the floor of some areas of the village, with dirt paths leading to the surrounding jungle. One big difference with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Gongaga is its color palette, however. Generally speaking, Rebirth uses a much brighter color palette across all of its locations, and that's true for Gongaga.
While that makes Gongaga look suitably modern and impressive, it does mean that the town loses its sort of dusty look from the original.
Comparing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Gongaga Reactor to the 1997 Original
While there isn't much story content related to Gongaga in the original Final Fantasy 7—aside from it being the hometown of SOLDIER Zack Fair—its destroyed Mako reactor is the site of an interesting conversation between Scarlet and Tseng. After it suffered an accidental meltdown that killed most of the village's inhabitants, Gongaga's Mako reactor has been left completely abandoned by both Shinra and Gongaga residents.
In the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7, Gongaga's Mako reactor is completely decimated, leaving only its metallic bones standing. However, in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Gongaga's Mako reactor looks a little less dilapidated.
Though it's definitely destroyed, Rebirth's Gongaga Mako reactor still stands quite tall, with most of its interior still intact and accessible. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Gongaga Mako reactor also looks very different from its 1997 counterpart. While the original version sees the surrounding area completely flattened and turned into a wasteland, Rebirth's Gongaga reactor has been given a Last of Us-like makeover, with the planet reclaiming the reactor with its plant life.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Released
- February 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Metascore
- 93
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
